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The Toyota Prius. Gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles can serve as a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) for your house.

The Prius, unlike the generator, also has a battery that provides instant, UPS-like power, to your house. Careful research has shown that most* people would prefer not to go outside to manually pull a cord in the case of a power failure. The same independent research foundation,** using accepted methods of sampling and polling***, determined that most* people would prefer not to spend money on a big, expensive generator, even if they don't have to pull on the cord.

Feature	Cheap pull-cord generator (a few kW)	Prius+ 3kW UPS in trunk	Expensive generator	Prius+UPS in House
Instant ON	No - you go outside and start it up	No - You must start the car.	No. You wait 10 seconds to a minute	Yes
Automatic load switching	No - you need a long extension cord and plenty of cube taps		Yes	Yes
Cost	$500-$2,000	As low as $200!	$5,000-$10,000	$2,000-$4,000 (incremental cost)
Government paperwork	None	None	Electrical and maybe building permit	Electrical permit
Grid-related benefits	None	None	Maybe!	Maybe!
Fuel	Gasoline	Gasoline	Propane, Natural Gas	Gasoline
Noise	Is it ever!	Just the Prius	Probably-depends on model	Varies from soft to silent

The "cost" for the Prius, obviously, does not include the cost of the vehicle itself. If you don't have one and don't plan to get one, "never mind." If you are thinking of getting one, here's another reason to add to the gasoline-saving and environmental benefits. If you already have one, well then, it won't cost you anything, will it?

This site is dedicated to the concept of Prius-As-Powerplant.

If you've only got a minute, read the "Executive Summary"
If you're keen on hybrids, energy savings, technical babble, and saving the world, Here's the rest of it.
What's new with the main PriUPS project? See these updates: #1: 14 June 2005, #2: 26 September 2005, #3: 30 October 2005, #4: 08 January 2006, #5: 03 November 2006, #6: 31 December 2007
What's really really new, at least for now? Here's a general update for December 2017 a full decade after the main PriUPS project was completed.
Here's a BONUS! April 2006 - "Driving Around" power - from 1 to 3kW (or more)!
NEW SECTION - August 2006: Info on getting more 12V power from the Prius, and more more 12V power (August 2007)
Press notices, including some nice items in the NY Times and a small feature in Wired Magazine.
With trepidation and against advice I've added my BLOG to this web site. It changes frequently, so if you don't like it today, just click "yesterday" and see how consistent I can't be.
May 2007: I've heard from others who are working on their own PriUPS projects, and I've devoted a new section to my fellow strivers.
January 2022: At the CES show in Las Vegas I was pleased to note that V2H, i.e., using cars to power ones home, is finally a "thing."

*All
**Me
***I decided to save money on both because it's so obvious