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Hello, I'm turning a 04 Toyota Prius into a semi-off road, Mad Max interceptor themed, apocalyptic theme car / camper conversion. The Prius has a 12 volt AGM battery as well as the hybrid traction battery which is a " sealed 38-module (NiMH) battery pack with a capacity of 1.78 kWh at a voltage of 273.6 V". I'd like to add all kinds of gadgets and do-dads to make it interesting such as a winch and water pump, faucet, refrigerator, cooking station, lighting and even a small fireplace down the road. I'm trying to keep the system as energy efficient as possible. Right now I'm focused on trying to figure out how to wire the cooking station and probably at least, a radiant (infrared) cooktop (supposedly 6% more efficient than induction if the burner diameter is smaller than the pot), microwave, pressure cooker, air frier/pizza griller/toaster type oven and a refrigerator. The Prius motor automatically turns on when voltages goes below a certain point so it doesn't require much attention to keep the hybrid system charged.

I guess the first question is, can I use the high voltage battery to run these cooking appliances with DC current avoiding the energy loss with using a power inverter and would going this route be worth it since the voltage would have to be reduced down to 120v (my guess as a laymen) and I believe I read that that process also consumes energy.

In my research thus far, i've read that a portable single burner 120v AC radiant cooktop would likely run "better" on 120v DC current do to the way its designed and the first thing it does is convert the AC to DC anyway like a lot of electronics do. I don't know anything about how the other appliances are built however.

Thanks for any insight!

 

This might work: https://www.plugoutpower.com/inverters
But, there are risks (and costs) working with high voltage DC. I'd keep it simple and use propane for cooking and heating (if necessary). If you're going to sleep in there, you don't have a lot of room for a full kitchen. Just have a bowl to use as a sink and a gravity-feed water source. If the budget allows, a 12V fridge/freezer (starting at a few hundred bucks thanks to Made In China), but there's a lot to be said for a picnic cooler with a block of ice, which will never run your battery down.

 

Thanks for the info bassbindevil. I've seen that unit. A little pricey. I can't remember why I'd choose that over a decent pure sine wave, 120v AC inverter were I to go the AC route. I think it had a 98% efficiency though, which I suppose could be a part of a case not to bother with trying to tap into the hybrid battery, which would require lowering the voltage to 120v I believe which also consumes energy. Thus far I've been assuming avoiding the conversion to AC would save about 6%. Thats partly why i'm reaching out here, as I don't really know how any of the appliances work. As far as I know, going with an inverter could possibly use less energy in the end. Thats how little I know.

"Propane" Nothing wrong with propane, ill prob keep some butane and a gas stove for emergencies, but this is sort of a fun project to accomplish I used to do these all the time when I was a kid, although it was mainly about making the car go fast back then . Making it a little bit sophisticated is part of the plan ( and fun ) I also enjoy learning more about electronics, something I studied on my own when I was a kid, but have forgotten most of it. The passenger seats and back-rest are all out, so I should have enough room for everything. I should have a lightweight plastic or titanium, possibly automated, framed shelving system for bringing forth/returning different appliances.