Using the Primes 120v Charger at 240 Volts, Cost $20 !!!

L2 is the only way to fly. What a time saver.

I'm still not 100% sure on running 240 in the stock EVSE, but I'm closer now since several people have been doing that for a while with no problems reported.

I simply bought a Duosaida L2 for use at home that I leave in place and ready to go. And I keep the OEM equipment in the car so I can use it at work and anywhere else the opportunity arises.

 

If one wanted to strive to make their traction batttery last the longest (degrade less over the life of the car), which is better L1 or L2 charging? Or does it matter?

 

I have seen theories that charging slower makes it last longer. I'm not convinced. But, if someone took two new batteries and continuously charged and discharged them with one charging at 8A and the other at 15A, I'd be interested in how that affected performance after a couple years.

 

well done o/p! i see no problem using the oem at 240v, people having been using the pip oem at 240v for almost 8 years now.

 

Just curious- why not modify the charger plug, change out its 120V plug for a 240V plug?

What you've got now is something that looks like a 120V receptacle but delivers something different. It looks like it can handle the load, no worries there... it's just that it looks like something less dangerous than it actually is.

I've made up clever adapters to get me through temporary situations, but this is a bit different.

 

Tesla has pigtail adapters for various household outlets, too bad Toyota doesn't provide them. I think that at least at one point in time they had a Y connector, both plugs being 110V but if you had 2 110V outlets on different circuits near each other you could get 240V with no electrical modifications.

Not sure what is happening inside the Toyota "brick" that you can put 110V on both the hot and common connectors as @Rob43 has done. If it is designed to be "smart" and detect Hot on both, There really is no reason they shouldn't make an adapter that replaces the short power source cord on the brick.

 

Well, it's your castle & your chariot, but I couldn't tolerate a liability like that conversion cord.

 

I see a brick plugged into a standard 220V European outlet. But without any information to the contrary, I would ASSUME that they have different bricks for countries using different voltages. Of course there are some devices that recognize the voltage difference and need nothing more than a plug converter when you travel.

If the brick is the same no matter where the car is sold, and one got their hands on a European version, they could use a 2 prong European to US 220V plug converter. Or, Toyota could just make a few different cords for standard 220V US outlets I ASSUME the only currently "approved" method of charging with 220V at home is to buy a charging station ... which comes at a cost but no real value since the brick and the car are doing all the necessary work.

 

Then SURELY Toyota can make a USA 220V outlet compatible pigtail for the power-in side of the brick so people don't need to resort to hacking their own cables or paying hundreds of dollars for a level 2 "charging station" with features they don't need. Since the current cable is long enough (just) for me, I think I'd be tempted to buy a replacement pigtail (assuming you can) remove the 110V plug and wire in a 220V plug compatible with whatever 220V outlet I would install. In my case it is all outside (with a weatherproof electrical box) so I'd rather not have an exposed connection where a standard dryer cord is connected to the OEM 110V plug. This is, I think, what @Leadfoot J. McCoalroller suggested earlier. That way I could choose to use the bulk of my existing cord for either 110V or 220V as the sources are available.

Apparently you can buy the whole thing from Walmart, complete with both English and Chinese labels for the lights on the brick for $240. Again a lot of money when you only really need a different end on the pigtail
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Level-2-Portable-Electric-Vehicle-Charger-ReadyCharge-240V-Faster-Charging-Speeds-Compatible-Chevy-Volt-Ford-Energi-Toyota-Prius-Plug-In-EVs/188107330

 

Apparently not totally to L2 speeds as the EVSE limits to 12A when the charger in the car will allow 16A. But I understand your point, the EVSE is NOT limited to 110V.

I looked for "Duosida L2 Charger" with Google and indeed found it on Amazon for $168.50, it is 28' long 16A and even comes with a 110V plug adapter. Too bad Toyota doesn't ship that product with the car since it has the ability to charge at L2 16A speed without the unnecessary "features" of the more expensive L2 "charging stations".

 

Nissan did just this, different P/N's for different markets. Remember they already build the vehicles just for the US market because of various auto specs that don't match. Then they also have to make the EVSE with the US style NEMA 5-15P plug overmoulded to the cable. This already makes it US specific. Add to that that most places in the US require UL listings and/or CE listings for this type of sale and FCC certifications, and it is becomes very apparent that a US market device is sometimes made just for the US market.

I wholeheartedly believe the design is the same between the UK and US versions of the adapter. However I would not assume the BOM is the same. If you could put in lower voltage capacitors and lower voltage diodes, etc you would. It's the olive in the airline food. Save a penny or two per unit and cripple the device but it is still good enough for the market it is intended to go into.

The Nissan ones made by Panasonic did exactly that. Same outside. Same inside design. Different components and most were rated at 150V for the USDM market versus the 300V ratings on the EU market.

 

Not necessarily. For example if some of the bulk caps are underrated, but the same footprint, they can usually handle (i.e. not explode) the higher voltage. They just will have no capacitance basically. This will cause much larger ripples into the buck converter. This can cause one of those problems where you take usable life from 20 years to 2 years.

I have not actually taken apart one of the Toyota ones, but I've seen lots of their internal designs and it would greatly surprise me if they did make it exactly the same for the global markets. Toyota is one of the least likely along with Honda to fudge with stuff to cut cost. They love huge operational margins at the expense of slightly higher profits. That's EXACTLY the company I want to buy from. But I have seen some examples of it happening. More often than not in the Denso modules, like the HID ballasts. Someone who has one should tear it apart and look. If someone has a junk one, I'll do it...