Prius Plug-in Overlanding/Camping Q&A -

As people ask me questions about my plug-in, I figured I should put them all in one place to help others!

Is there any hope of sleeping two (comfortably) in the back of a plug-in? Obviously, it’s smaller than the v, but does the bigger battery eat into the rear cargo space when you remove the seats?

Yes, I am 6’2″, 250lbs if I actively do hot yoga and hike, I once slept with a friend and she was 5’10”. Keep in mind, I might be kind of bougie and this lady was for sure. Let’s just say, to this day rants and raves about how amazing the back of the Prius is. No one ever thinks it as good back there until they experience the magic.

If you fully charge a plug-in before camping overnight with climate control, will there be less engine cycles because of the bigger battery, or is it only used for driving?

Having a fully charged PHEV battery and then sleeping with climate control and having the car in READY, the engine will not cycle on until all PHEV battery resources are depleted. I did notice, however, while having no PHEV charge, after upgrading to two 85aH 12V batteries, the engine cycled on less in a very noticeable way! The gas motor only cycles on to keep the 12V batteries charged so having more storage capacity in your 12v is what will have the engine cycle on less frequently.