Hurricane Sandy and its aftereffects have left scores of people in the Northeast still without power. But even a giant hurricane can't stop the power of American ingenuity — even if it required a Japanese car.
NBC News reports that Paramus, New Jersey retiree Bob Sakala has been using his Toyota Prius to power lights, laptops and a TV inside his home since he lost power. Sakala told NBC News that he read about using a Prius as a power source on the Internet a few years ago and then decided to give it a shot.
How did Sakala do it, you ask? He used a 100-watt power inverter that he plugged into the cigarette lighter, and ran his devices off of that. Sakala later upgraded to a 300-watt inverter leading his neighbors to believe that his Prius was a magical, electricity generating spaceship. In the week since the storm, he has used three-quarters of a tank of gas to power his home. It's a solution that other Prius owners have tried before.
Click over to to NBC News to watch the full story.
Our hat is off to this guy for his clever solution to a tough problem. What are some other unconventional ways to use cars that hurricane victims should know about?
Photo credit NBC News
Thanks for the tip $kaycog!