Man Powers House Through Prius’s Battery

There’s long-lasting power, and there’s unbelievably, ridiculously long-lasting power.

A man in Toronto used his Toyota Prius to power the furnace, lights, refrigerator and TV in his house for almost a full day during a power outage on December 21, 2013.

An ice storm had knocked out electricity in Bob Osemlak’s Toronto neighborhood of Thornhill, but while other people waited for the utility company to restore power, or used generators, the retired Air Force mechanic with 50 years of mechanical engineering experience decided to put his technical knowledge into use and get his home heated, lighted, TV’d, and his food chilled.

According to the Guelph Mercury, who interviewed Osemlak, “When the furnace comes on, and the house gets up to temperature, I go to the thermostat and shut the furnace off,” he said. ‘Now I can plug something else in: the TV, the fridge or the floor lamp”

Osemlak had prepared for power outages by installing a Prius-compatible outlet on his furnace. By running a cable out the basement window to his Toyota Prius, connection was a snap. The furnace drew on the Prius’s traction battery to provide heat or electricity, depending on Osemlak’s connections.

According to the Mercury: “Out of the nine hours he used the Prius during the outage, the car’s fuel gauge, measured in bars, went down by less than one bar–close to nearly four litres’ worth of gas.”

Osemlak advised people to not attempt to recreate his engineering magic, as it’s something that only a qualified professional with years of experience should attempt.

All in all, it’s one of the most cunning uses of a Prius that we’ve ever seen, and we’re glad that Osemlak was able to stay warm during these cold winter months. Hopefully it’s a trick he won’t have to use again for a long, long time.

Make sure that a dead battery doesn’t leave you out in the cold this winter by scheduling an appointment at Leith Toyota. Regular maintenance is crucial to avoiding larger problems, so we encourage you to keep your car in tip-top shape. Stay warm!