Toyota prius questions

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Good morning,

I want to know if its possible to leave the Toyota prius on all night while camping in the hot season in florida.

Considering trading in my gas guzzling Silverado for a good year/model Prius

Open to corrolas but I understand you can't stay cool during summer in FL overnight with gas cars

Cracking windows slightly to avoid carbon monoxide and letting the Ac drain the battery till the car turns on itself in park and recharges battery without having to drive in middle of night?

If this is the case looking to potentially do a trade in today

Thank you
 

user 37446

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I had a 2010 Prius for 5 years… Only twice did I run the air all night while trying to sleep in a parking lot. The issue I had was when it cycled on and off the whole car would rock some and of course I‘d hear the start up. (The gas motor would get turned on at times due to the battery charge going down.) so for me it really didn't work but then I am a light sleeper.

If you YT some of the (past) Prius dwellers you can find out more. There was a lady (Suanne) on Enigmatic Nomadic’s channel (2015) who was interviewed about it.

So in short yes it can work however I don't think that it is a long term solution.
 

Oldwolf

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Last week I left a NC outerbanks island by ferry. We were in our Prius. The transit time was 2h40m and we left the hybrid system on and AC on AUTO during the transit. Once the battery got to two bars the ICE started and charged to 3 bars and then shut off. Charge time was a consistant 2m15s. Once the ICE shut off the AC would run for about 18m30s until the ICE turned back on for a recharge. This was during the day so I would imagine that the discharge would be slower during the night. I don't see why a Prius would have any problem running all night like this.
 
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user 37446

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Thanks for that info, I sold mine in 2018 so just don't remember well. Something like that timeframe is what I remember overnight, the startup shake every 45-60 minutes, certainly not any more than 60.

Didn't work for me but then it was too short in the back to stretch out and vertically cramped, IMO.

The people who try to live out of them often remove seats, according to YT vids I saw.
 

eDJ_

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On a few occasions I've wondered if a Prius could tow a light weight utility trailer with AC , 5 x 7, and an extension cord from the car to the trailers electrical. A hose over the exhaust pipe leading away or even a vertical pipe like those used on RV generators could help with CO emissions A trailer set up something like this if living in the car wouldn't work out:

Tiny Trailer: Cargo Camp 5 X 10

If the trailer had tape stripe graphics on it similar to an RV, would it get a pass at an RV park ?
 

VanFan

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There was a lady (Suanne) on Enigmatic Nomadic’s channel (2015) who was interviewed about it.
Suanne was definitely an early adopter!

I have a 2012. I also found the "jerk" when the engine comes on disconcerting. It has a surprisingly low carrying capacity, as well. Totally doable, but not for us.
 

dhuff

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Good morning,

I want to know if its possible to leave the Toyota prius on all night while camping in the hot season in florida.

Considering trading in my gas guzzling Silverado for a good year/model Prius
My son bought a gently used Prius V a few years ago. It's a discontinued body style (2012-2017) that looks more like a "station wagon" than the others. Has lots of space inside - my 6'2" son was able to sleep stretched out in the back with the rear seats folded, along with his (shorter) girlfriend on some camping trips. Nice car.
 

Jollyjeri

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Good morning,

I want to know if its possible to leave the Toyota prius on all night while camping in the hot season in florida.

Considering trading in my gas guzzling Silverado for a good year/model Prius

Open to corrolas but I understand you can't stay cool during summer in FL overnight with gas cars

Cracking windows slightly to avoid carbon monoxide and letting the Ac drain the battery till the car turns on itself in park and recharges battery without having to drive in middle of night?

If this is the case looking to potentially do a trade in today

Thank you
 

Jollyjeri

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I LOVE my 2009 Prius and yes, of course you can leave it run all night. I agree with the other person who said that it might interrupt your sleep because when the gas power recharges the batteries the car slightly rocks forward. It all depends whether you are a light sleeper or not. I just make it cold in the car before I turn off the engine. One thing that I do recommend is bringing a long stick with you. Remember, if you wish to turn on the engine in the middle of the night, your foot has to be on the break to start up the car. You can use the stick on the brake pedal.
 

maki2

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On a few occasions I've wondered if a Prius could tow a light weight utility trailer with AC , 5 x 7, and an extension cord from the car to the trailers electrical. A hose over the exhaust pipe leading away or even a vertical pipe like those used on RV generators could help with CO emissions A trailer set up something like this if living in the car wouldn't work out:

Tiny Trailer: Cargo Camp 5 X 10

If the trailer had tape stripe graphics on it similar to an RV, would it get a pass at an RV park ?
You can tow a couple of the lightweight fiberglass vintage trailers from the 1970s. With a Prius. My Trailswest Campster and the Hunter Junior have popup roof sections. When my popup top is open I have 6’4”’ standing headroom at the rear two thirds of the trailer. But I can sit down without touching the roof in the bed/dinette area.

There are still enough of those vintage trailers around on the used market place that it is not impossible to find one in decent condition.
 
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