Should I get an L2 Charger for a PiP?

I wouldn't think so.

 

You pay roughly $0.50 to a $1.00 per charge per day depending on your electricity rates. $1300 L2 charger would be a 4 to 8 year payback. Unless you plan to get a plugin for your next car or need the faster 1.5 hour charge time, an L2 is not worth it. It's probably better to do an EVSE upgrade for $300.


iPhone ?

 

mmmodem, how are you figuring there's any "payback" at all? No money is saved with an L2 charger, only time.

I use a #14 extension cord through a hole I drilled in my basement window jamb, plugged into to a dedicated outlet at my service panel. No muss, no fuss. At work, I plug into a utility outlet on one of the parking lot lamp-posts.

 

GE Watt-Station is a favorite among plug-in owners. The indoor level-2 has dropped to $599 at Home Depot.

As for recharging taking 3 hours with level-1, I'm not sure what circumstances would actually make it that slow. Mine only take 2 hours and 20 minutes. 1.5 hours will get you roughly 75% replenish, since recharging draws more electricity initially.

 

Thanks, I mis-worded. I was just trying to point out the cost of electricity to fully charge the PiP is so low that it won't even equal the cost of an L2 charger until 4-8 years of use. There is a little money saved in less charging loss from L1 to L2 but its negligible.

If you manage to "golf cart mode" until the battery is 3 bars, it could take 3 hours to fully charge. That's how I pull into my driveway from the freeway.

iPhone ?

 

The L2 charging was just fast enough to keep 99% of my weekend chores all electric on the PIP.
I couldn't have accomplished that at L1 charging rate.

If you do go with L2- it will handle your next Ev charging after the PIP too

 

If the Pip is going to be your last PHEV then I would say no.
The $900 for the charger and the $1,300 for the install sounds rather high.
If you're anticipating getting more PHEV's in the future, or upgrading to a car with a larger battery, and if you're not going to be moving for a while?
The answer might be different.

What's $2200.00 worth to you?
What does the time that it takes to charge your PIP mean to you?
Can you (and should you) charge at work?

If I were to get a PHEV, then I would probably also get an L2 charger even though I could charge at work and at home (legally!)....but for me it would only cost $600 for the charger and some wire since I'm comfortable with installing it myself. I would definitely do this if the PHEV had a larger battery since as somebody wisely pointed out there is very little real-world $$$ savings with the L2, but time IS more valuable than money, now isn't it???


Good Luck!

 

EVSEUpgrade.com is a great option for the PIP- you get L2 charging speed, but can still use L1 if needed away from your home.
It's quite inexpensive compared to full L2 EVSE's, and it only requires a 20amp 240v circuit (12-2 AWG copper) that many here have run themselves for under $100.

FWIW- the PIP draws under 10amps at 240V so you could even use 14 AWG with 15 amp breakers if you're a real cheapskate and still have plenty of capacity to spare.

 

why not get the pip and see how it goes? i love my L2, but i decided after a few months.

 

maybe i have inferior electricity, but mine takes 3 hours from empty and 1 1/2 on the L2. i know others are different, but i don't why.

 

I got an L2 charger as I wanted to be driving in EV mode as much as possible. There are a lot of times when I come home from work and leave again 45-60 minutes after, get a lot more charge from L2 in that time than L1. Also, take a look at clippercreek, I got my charger from there for $495 and installed it myself (had a dryer outlet, so was just getting some cable, conduit and a plug). The prices you quoted are pretty high.

 

"Inferior electricity" could be lower voltage. "120V service" in the U.S. ranges roughly from 110V to 125V. The lower the voltage, the less power is being delivered for a given amperage. The charger in the PiP is limited to 12A, I believe.

 

mine runs between 118 and 121. and the two legs sometimes vary.

 

Paid around $600 for the recommended charger and $300 to have the 20A circuit put in with a socket by an electrician. With 2 PIPs in the family, having the faster charge means not having to wait up late at night to move the cars around to get them both charged. Time is money too.

 

I have L2 and I don't think is is a matter of cost justification. It is a matter of how we use the car.

Toyota recommends that we charge just before driving. This is especially important when it is hot as high charge and a hot traction battery speed up the battery degradation process. When a charge takes four hours, there is a temptation to charge when we are thinking about it and let the car sit with a high charge. If you make good use of the charge timer, you can work around this problem. However, if you have an unplanned trip the faster charge is handy. And, as was pointed out above, if you have back to back trips, the faster charge is handy.

One can live just fine with slower charges. But the faster charge is nice.

 

L2 Charger for more than $100 IMHO is a complete rip off. The original plug should have come with an adapter or something.
I guess EVSEUpgrade.com figured it out for TM.

 

You can order this to come with NEMA 6-20P:

Then you can install a NEMA 6-20R.

 

From the reviews, I would find a better L2 EVSE.

 

I bought it as a spare for the shop.

I was a little skeptical at first as well, but they're a local company and their customer service seems pretty decent so I gave it a shot.

It's also the cheapest one so if it doesn't work out then it's no big loss.

I've been using it for a month now, and I've left it outdoors the whole time. No complaints so far.