The Toyota Prius is a fantastic choice for a hybrid vehicle with stellar fuel efficiency, room for five plus cargo and a solid network of Prii owners. The vehicle is not just an eco-friendly way to get around town though; it can also be used as a backup generator.

The Northeastern United States has been inundated with winter storm after winter storm these past few weeks and record numbers of residents were without power in many states. An ice storm left many residents in Harvard, Massachusetts relying on backup generators for power last week. One ingenious resident, John Sweeney, used his Toyota Prius as a generator.

“Around the corner at Madigan Lane, John Sweeney, a member of the town’s conservation-minded Heat Advisory Committee, took a characteristically green approach to powering his home during the storm. He reported his achievement in an e-mail, saying it was no big deal, but that his wife thought it an impressive tale worth sharing: Sweeney ran his refrigerator, freezer, TV, woodstove fan, and several lights through his Prius, for three days, on roughly five gallons of gas.” Source: Harvard Press

A power inverter allowed the Prius owner to convert 12v DC to 120v AC and voila, an emergency power source for about $10 (assuming the area has $2/gallon gas).

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