This is all very interesting. I wonder why they don't make hybrid cars with built in 120 and extra 12V outlets? They seem to make a great auxiliary power source.

There was a cross-over/small SUV a few years ago with one in the cargo area. I don't remember the model or company except IIRC it was not hybrid.

There are quite a few vehicles that have 120v outlets built in. I know many mini-vans do.

From what I've seen though, most aren't very powerful. 100 watts at most. Enough to run, say, a small laptop. You could probably charge about 8 or 9 phones at the same time though.

Depending on the fuse size on your cigarette lighter, you can typically run a larger inverter than that. A 10amp fuse will allow a ~120 watt inverter. A 15 amp fuse will allow a ~180 watt inverter. A 20amp fuse will allow a ~240 watt inverter.

Years ago I bought a little 225 watt inverter for my truck, which has a 20amp cigarette lighter receptacle. I would use it to charge electronic devices (like my laptop) while on the road.

While you can't power a house off it, it worked great for charging small electronic stuff or running a small TV/DVD player.

My vehicle has a factory 150 watt inverter installed into the dash. These inverters can run laptops, gadgets, lower wattage 120v lights etc but certainly not enough to power much else.

I also have a store purchased, 300 watt inverter which can be powered either by a 12 volt accessory plug or directly to the battery with the supplied cables and clamps.

Any inverter bigger then this such as my 700 watt inverter should only be run directly from the battery otherwise you will start cooking fuses at higher wattage's.

I'm not sure using a Prius (or other hybrid auto) as described is a very efficient option and certainly is not a reason in itself to buy a hybrid car/truck. Use of a Prius may be expedient, but it isn't a good use of such a spendy asset.

A standard genset such as one of the Honda Generators and a storage device such as a Xantrex Powerpack and you can have a portable system that is quiet and fairly efficient wrt use of gasoline. Use the generator to power your refrigerator and charge the battery, and then shut down the generator and run the fridge (or whatever) off the battery.

This is so misleading, getting folks to think that they can use one of these as an alternative to a generator.

1500 Watts use for about 12 minutes at 50% DOD!!

Even more critical is that AGM SLA batteries need continual maintenance such as a trickle charge maintenance as they will self discharge quite readily over 6 months to the point that they will fail when the customer rolls them out thinking this product will see them through a power outage.

Even something like a Ring Automotive PowerPack 210 may prove to be more useful. Keeping the battery in continual use is always better than forgetting about it whilst is sits in the corner of the garage thinking it will work when required 6 months to a year later for that 12 minutes of use at full power!

I believe it's been discontinued, but sounds like the Honda Element that you're thinking of. Didn't they also have a built-in fold-out picnic table out the back? Among other uses, sounds very handy for tailgating!

Am_Fear_Liath_Mor makes a good point.

Running a household AC powered fridge via inverter and battery is not a good idea as the amount of stored battery power to even run an AC fridge for a day is financially impractical.

If one is looking to have a fridge for power outage use, then searching Craigslist for used dual 12 volt / propane powered RV fridges is a much better option. The fridges come in all sizes but of course will not replace your household fridge capacity wise. However they will have enough room to keep some milk and other perishables on hand.

I may be in the minority here, but rather than struggle with keeping a fridge going, I would simply consume all the perishables first and then switch to stored goods. This would mean powdered/condensed milk which rarely tastes like fresh unless mixed in cocoa, etc. Such are the sacrifices demanded in emergencies....

I simply don't like messing with gennies. One of the nice things about working at Channel Islands National park is that for years the island developments have been powered by solar and wind. Walk into a station and flip the switch; dust off the solar panel once in a while and enjoy the peace and tranquility...priceless!