The mk 1 Prius (1997 - 2000) had a charging inverter fitted for jump starting the traction battery from a 12 V source (this must make it the first plug in hybrid ), this was not fitted to the mk 2 or any later model. In the UK there are a lot of mk 1, they are still being imported from Japan and they are quite cheap. The mk1 battery was 288 volts, the mk2 is 274 volts. I got to thinking that if I can stop the engine from starting then the Prius I have can do the 2 mile run to the shop and back without starting at all and can be recharged by plugging it in. That 2 mile journey is often all it does in any particular day. I can probably get one of the original inverters from a scrapper (eBay or wherever) and the voltagfe difference in the two battery packs shouldn't be a problem. I think stopping the engine starting is the only real stumbler to this equation so how does one do that?
