High Output Onboard Inverter & Generator Mode - Initial Test Results (2024 Trailhunter)

[TacoFish]

Question - seems simple enough but maybe I'm missing something... to turn on the inverter the truck has to be started, correct?

I know the engine cycles on/off but when you start the truck you have everything inside (HVAC, HUD, display, etc) on...

So in order to power something from the bed, is it essentially necessary to start the truck, turn a bunch of stuff off, turn the inverter on, and then basically wait for the engine to cycle off and on as needed?

The only time I can get the "AC 120V" switch to light up and then have power at the the outlet in my bed is when the engine is running. As soon as I turn off the engine, the "AC 120V" light switch goes off and the power is off at the outlet. In page 454 of the owners manual, it does call out that the hybrid system must be running in order for the power outlets to be used.

I really wish I could use the power outlet without the engine running, just pulling from the hybrid batteries.

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[trailhunger]

The only time I can get the "AC 120V" switch to light up and then have power at the the outlet in my bed is when the engine is running. As soon as I turn off the engine, the "AC 120V" light switch goes off and the power is off at the outlet. In page 454 of the owners manual, it does call out that the hybrid system must be running in order for the power outlets to be used.

I really wish I could use the power outlet without the engine running, just pulling from the hybrid batteries.

It's a closed system, and the inverter does often run exclusively off the hybrid battery - at times. All depends on the 120V load you're pulling, the state of charge on the hybrid (have you been rallying the truck using the NiMH for additional HP when driving or running the air conditioner a bunch, etc. If you're pulling a couple hundred watts, the engine can stay off for ~12+mins. All depends on what other electronics are running on the vehicle too. The hybrid system ALWAYS will keep the NiMH at a high topped-off SOC. If that hybrid battery is ever drained...according to the maual...requires a tow to the dealership

 

[DeadSetMonkey]

Ok. So. I need spoon fed.

For 120V access from bed of my Trailhunter, I must have ignition on (not just ACC) and the dashboard 120V inverted switch toggled on.

The engine will then kick on/off to top off battery pending 120V draw.

I can sit parked. With key fob I can lock the vehicle. I can be driving.

Do I have this right?

 

[myrr]

Think so - that’s the way I understand it as well

 

[DeadSetMonkey]

Related question re: power access in truck bed.
My truck as the power/compressor in back.

From where does the compressor and the USB/ciggy power port pull power?

Does this power source behave like the inverter: i.e. engine will fire up to prevent battery depletion if something plugged into the 12V DC power port?

OR will a constant draw on that power source ultimately deplete the battery?

 

[Cordoc]

Thank you for the great info .
I have the 24 TrailHunter, and the owner's manual does not mention the Inverter or the pressure pump anywhere.
Where can I get the user manual? Is there such a thing?
Thanks a lot

 

[lauren01]

Thank you for the great info .
I have the 24 TrailHunter, and the owner's manual does not mention the Inverter or the pressure pump anywhere.
Where can I get the user manual? Is there such a thing?
Thanks a lot

I’m able to access the various on this page for 2024 hybrids.

https://www.toyota.com/owners/warranty-owners-manuals/

 

[trailhunger]

Related question re: power access in truck bed.
My truck as the power/compressor in back.

From where does the compressor and the USB/ciggy power port pull power?

Does this power source behave like the inverter: i.e. engine will fire up to prevent battery depletion if something plugged into the 12V DC power port?

OR will a constant draw on that power source ultimately deplete the battery?

If you run accessory mode (engine off/not fully powdered on) and run any aux switches or the back bed USB or 12v cig lighter port …it will pull down power on the starter battery and should* cut power when SOC gets low - with enough to start the truck and then you’d idle the truck and the hybrid pack & engine would then energize the 12v starter battery. If you try to enter accessory mode again after it cut power automatically it’ll let you do that but it can easily drain the starter battery & you’re stranded unless you have a NOCO jumper. The best practice is to power on the rig / let it idle then shut off run generator mode for your 12v stuff and aux stuff to be on the safe side. A small power station for overnight is worth it because you won’t need to run generator mode and the truck is off. Only in extreme situations wintertime survival scenarios would running generator mode through the night make sense, and a diesel heater makes the most sense then anyway…I suppose say your diesel heater shits the bed or the power goes out at your house for a couple days then yes you’re driving around with a 2kw generator might as well put it to work.

 

[Cordoc]

I recently tested the onboard 2400W 120V inverter on my Trailhunter, specifically to see how it performs in generator mode. Sharing my results and observations about how the truck’s hybrid system behaves, including when the engine cycles on and off. Hopefully, this helps others with similar questions about using the inverter in different power-draw scenarios. More tests to come including a peak 2400w and a DC-port side draw…

Truck Specs:

• Inverter: 2400W 120V AC
• Hybrid Battery Capacity: 1.87 kWh (NiMH) / test-unit power supply battery capacity: 1.4kWh solid state lithium

Test 1: 360W Continuous Load

• I set my power station to pull exactly 360W continuously from the truck’s inverter.
• With the truck off and the inverter running, I got the following engine cycles:
• Engine stayed off for 10 minutes while drawing 360W.
• Engine powdered on for 7 minutes to recharge the hybrid battery + supply 360w (continuous).
• After the engine shut off again, it stayed off for another 17 minutes, then ran for 6 minutes and 15 seconds before turning off again. (The longer engine off time can be attributed to the fact I made efforts to turn off all electrical systems on the truck during that cycle, including the infotainment screen, all dome lights, A/C, etc. the only thing I couldn’t turn off was the instrument cluster, which was dimmed to the lowest setting. So every watt counts if you’re looking to keep the engine from cycling frequently).

Test 2: 1117W Continuous Load

• I increased the load to 1117W.
• The engine stayed off for 8 minutes and 30 seconds before it kicked on to recharge. ~1/2 the inverter output capacity.

Key Insights from the Tests:

1. Usable Battery Capacity:
• At a 360W load, the hybrid battery provided about 60 Wh before the engine kicked on.
• At a 1117W load, it provided around 158 Wh before recharging.
• This suggests that the usable energy from the hybrid battery before the engine starts recharging can range from 60-158 Wh and possibly maxes at ~300w available, depending on the power draw. More on that below…
2. Engine Recharging Rate:
• During the 360W test, the engine seemed to recharge the battery at a rate of around 514W.
• In the 1117W test, the engine charged faster, around 1,516W.
• This suggests the truck’s charging rate scales with the power draw, increasing when larger loads are applied.
3. Engine Cycling Behavior:
• I noticed that the engine cycled similarly in both low and high-power tests, even though the load in the first test was only about a third of the power draw compared to the second.
• This might be due to the system’s focus on battery health, emissions, and fuel efficiency. The truck’s hybrid system likely aims to keep the battery within a specific charge range, preventing deep discharges and optimizing overall efficiency.
• It also keeps the battery ready for higher loads by maintaining a higher state of charge (SOC), ensuring the system can meet any quick power demands.

Initial takeaways for using the high output Inverter:

• For small loads (e.g., 360W), the engine will still cycle on relatively frequently, likely to protect the battery and keep the system ready for higher loads.
• The system seems to scale well with higher power demands, meaning it can handle larger loads without dramatically increasing engine runtime.

Thanks:I
I have 2 questions:
1-I also have the 24 TH, and it does not have an alternator. When drawing from the battery, how does the engine charge the battery when the motor turns on to charge?
My owner's manual does not cover, does not even mention the Inverter the air pump. Where did you get the instructions?
Thanks

 

[lauren01]

Thanks:I
I have 2 questions:
1-I also have the 24 TH, and it does not have an alternator. When drawing from the battery, how does the engine charge the battery when the motor turns on to charge?
My owner's manual does not cover, does not even mention the Inverter the air pump. Where did you get the instructions?
Thanks

air pump meaning compressor? Believe I posted this before, others may have as well, but here it is again….

 

[Cordoc]

Tthanks, I tried but get no answer.
Thanks for an excellent article

 

[gfk]

Just adding myself into this thread for future searching. I recently went up to work on my rural property where I'm starting to build some off grid structures. Ran a miter saw, air compressor, charged my m18 batteries, pumped my air mattress and toyed around with it a bit. I was very impressed. Left the truck on and just went to work. It turned itself on and off as necessary but I never had any issues powering anything. I considered the idea of running a small window AC unit off my truck overnight letting it cycle on and off. I think the move would be to get a power station and run the AC off of that and then like OP, let the truck run and charge the battery pack if needed.

One situation to note for those who use it similarly. When I go to my property I bring an aerobed, which is a plug in air mattress (pretty nice, queen, like 18" tall.) Well it can get a bit cold when I'm out there and the bed will lose it's firmness in the middle of the night. The smart move is to have a portable power pack but I was running it straight off my truck. I wanted to be able to remote start my truck from my tent and have the plug be accessible. The bed plug that is not possible as you have to hit the 120v button after each start to get it to work. So i figured I'd crack my window, run an extension cable to a 400w inverter plugged into the 12v accessory port. Well, you cannot remote start with your 4 windows cracked or the back window. HOWEVER, you can remove start with your sunroof open. So i cracked the sunroof, ran a cord in that way and it worked. Then my mattress did not need to be filled up so it was all for nothing... but I was bored in the woods so i tinkered with it.

 

[trailhunger]

Just adding myself into this thread for future searching. I recently went up to work on my rural property where I'm starting to build some off grid structures. Ran a miter saw, air compressor, charged my m18 batteries, pumped my air mattress and toyed around with it a bit. I was very impressed. Left the truck on and just went to work. It turned itself on and off as necessary but I never had any issues powering anything. I considered the idea of running a small window AC unit off my truck overnight letting it cycle on and off. I think the move would be to get a power station and run the AC off of that and then like OP, let the truck run and charge the battery pack if needed.

One situation to note for those who use it similarly. When I go to my property I bring an aerobed, which is a plug in air mattress (pretty nice, queen, like 18" tall.) Well it can get a bit cold when I'm out there and the bed will lose it's firmness in the middle of the night. The smart move is to have a portable power pack but I was running it straight off my truck. I wanted to be able to remote start my truck from my tent and have the plug be accessible. The bed plug that is not possible as you have to hit the 120v button after each start to get it to work. So i figured I'd crack my window, run an extension cable to a 400w inverter plugged into the 12v accessory port. Well, you cannot remote start with your 4 windows cracked or the back window. HOWEVER, you can remove start with your sunroof open. So i cracked the sunroof, ran a cord in that way and it worked. Then my mattress did not need to be filled up so it was all for nothing... but I was bored in the woods so i tinkered with it.

Thing about remote starting is you physically need to be at the truck driver side console to initiate 120v inverter…or at least the last time I checked this it won’t turn on remotely or by itself. Requires you pressing the switch. I’m guessing there’s a wireless workaround but your warranty is at risk. Toyota designed it this way for a reason

 

[dingoboyexplore]

Been using my Iforcemax for my electric lawn care company for almost a year now. I run mine via a Bluetti ac180 plugged into the outlet then everything I want to run plugged into that. This also prevents an overload on the truck itself. The two are paired almost perfectly to where if something was going to pop the trucks fuze or anything, it'll equally do the same to the ac180. Ive ran a ego z6 riding mower charger and three 1000w chargers off the set up when driving. I was under the impression the z6 charger was 1800w in itself so I was surprised to say the least when it would run it all. Ive also done a HF 5gallon air compressor off the back and a shop vac off the front internal plug at the same time. That was probably the largest draw...maybe?

 

[TexTaco]

I have found some limitations to the generator mode. I was in Colorado last week for 7 days at a few different remote campsites for fly fishing. I was running a 1.5 kilowatt Ecoflow power station in the bed of my truck and 0.3 kilowatt Jackery in my roof top tent. I was using the Ecoflow to run a refrigerator, electric percolator, and an induction cooktop. The Jackery ran an electric blanket, tent lights and recharged my electronics. I would start the truck and recharge both the Ecoflow and Jackery (about 1,800 watts for 45 minutes) daily.

Twice, on the 2nd day at a campsite, the inverter shutdown even with the engine running. The 120v button would not turn on. Turning off and restarting the engine to "reset" the inverter did not work. Waiting a couple of hours with the engine off (to cool down the inverter) did not work. I initially thought I blew a fuse or something. After actually driving the truck for a bit, the inverter would work again with no issues.

My conclusion is that you can only draw high loads until your hybrid battery is depleted. Then even with the engine running, the 120v system will shut down and not turn on again until there is sufficient charge in the hybrid battery. I am not sure if just the engine idling for a long while would have recharged the hybrid battery enough to reenable the 120v system. The hybrid battery recharges quickly from regenerative braking.

Anyone else experience this?

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