Use your 240v Dryer outlet?

Sure...

Read through this, lots of great pictures for you.

Using the Primes 120v Charger at 240 Volts, Cost $59 !!! | PriusChat


Rob43

 

Dryer outlet would work fine. Don't know why it would cost $1,000 for a dedicated outlet, though if it's in the garage. I spent maybe $100 and that was mostly for the wire.

 

jerry, you need to call an electrician and get a quote

 

Can I hire you for my L2 set up? Mine was quoted ~$2,500 for a dedicated 240v outlet in our garage/barn.

 

WOW! Maybe I should start moonlighting. But then I'd have to get licensed.

Edit to add: It took me about two hours, including installation of a sub panel because my breaker panel was too full.

 

i did my own too, simply because of the prices electricians charge. not that it is exorbitant, it's not cheap to run a business. and i do find them more reasonable than plumbers.

 

Use your 240v Dryer outlet?
Sure.
Why not?


IF(!!!) You're comfortable with the process to construct the L2 cable as mentioned in the thread linked above OR if you can find a NEMA 10-30 adapter then there's no reason not to, unless you find that swapping between the dryer and the car is overly inconvenient.
The one advantage to this strategery is that there's little chance that you would overload the circuit since you have to unplug the dryer to charge the car, and thus would not be able to use both of them at the same time.

The only reason that I myself would NOT do this (other than not yet owning a BEV?PHEV) is the fact that my dryer outlet is inside the house and for me it would be relatively simple to run a dedicated branch circuit for a charger.

There used to be adapters available on Amazon, but for......"some reason" they're "currently unavailable".

WARNING!!!
WARNING!!!
WARNING!!!

If you're not capable of ensuring that the dryer circuit hasn't been "modified" OR if you live in an area that is subjected to the whims of an oppressive totalitarian government that doesn't let homeowners do their own electrical work then proceed with caution!!
You may find yourself in conflict with state or local building code violations or (WORSE!!!) HOA infractions.

But...electrically???
Yeah.
It's not going to be much of a problem, especially in a vehicle with such a small traction battery.

If you look at the Volt, Bolt, Leaf, or other EV forums then you'll see that this is something of a thing.
I've even heard of Tesla drivers whispering in that they use their dryer outlets in some very small groups, although such an activity is kinda like going to Walmart or drinking domestic beer.

It's something that some people just don't like to admit that they do, themselves.

 

Nope, you CAN'T blow it up.

Your Prime will only take up to 16 amps, no more than that period.

Question, do you Already have an unused dryer plug that's conveniently located ? Or would you need to have something installed ?


Rob43

 

Then it would be REALLY bad to connect your quarter amp desk lamp into an outlet with a 15 amp breaker, right? Whoever told you that? Don't ever listen to them.

The breaker doesn't push the amps. Your car/dryer/lamp/drill/whatever demands the amps. The anticipated load dictates the size of the wires and the size of the wires dictates the size of the breaker. The load should not exceed 80% of the tripping current of the breaker.

 

Couldn't have said it better than Jerry did above.

If the Prime "only" draws 16a then you're going to be fine.
Be kind to whomever told you that you could "blow up your Prime" by plugging it into a 30a circuit, but do not take any more of their electrical advise seriously.

As long as you buy the right adapter or construct one correctly, you will be fine with the dryer outlet....presuming that the dryer outlet runs an electric dryer safely.

 

I think that the only technicality about using a dryer circuit is that most of them are HOT-HOT-NEUTRAL; that is, no ground. This is so that the motor and electronics in the dryer can take one HOT leg and the NEUTRAL and get 120V. A car charger is supposed to have a GROUND. A GROUND is intended to be a safety factor, and is typically a very small gauge wire, whereas the NEUTRAL is a larger wire intended to carry power. The NEUTRAL is grounded somewhere, like at the breaker box, but if there is some problem with it, one can get into a situation where the NEUTRAL becomes HOT, and if you touch your car, which is connected to what should be the GROUND, you could get seriously zapped.

I don't know if this a problem in the real world, but that is my understanding of the situation.

 

How to check if the dryer outlet is grounded or not?

 

And some charger plug into dryer outlet too, do they have the same issue?

 

The common NEMA 10-30 Dry Plug was used from 1947 to 1996 in the US, thus it is still* used in 10's of millions of homes across the United States.

If you're concerned about grounding, a thorough inspection of your circuit breaker box wouldn't be a bad idea.


Rob43

* The very common NEMA 10-30 plug is Grandfathered in. Meaning if you currently have a NEMA 10-30 receptacle in your home, you could buy a new clothes dryer today from Best Buy with the needed NEMA 10-30 plug for your installation.

NEMA 10-30P

 

Watch from 3:35 forward to see a NEMA 10-30 outlet get properly grounded.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3it0SvRYoM


Rob43

 

The latest electrical codes require a 4 wire plug - 2 hots, a neutral and ground. So, if you have a four-prong plug, it's grounded.

 

In all power installations I have seen, the ground is the same size wire as the hot and neutral. It has to be able to carry the same amount of current.

 

The neutral is grounded if your service entrance is properly installed. This is called bonding where the neutral is connected to ground. I saw it once in Honduras and it hurt like stink when I was trying to remove a friend's refrigerator door to make it open the other direction. (They were just moving in.) I was laying on a tile and concrete floor soaked in sweat. I later found that the hot leg of the 120V was 50V above ground and the neutral was 70V above ground. Bad as I hurt, I'm glad I was the one who found it rather than their 2-year old daughter.

To check, just measure the voltage between neutral and ground. Or, if you're crazy, take off your shoes and touch the neutral with the back of your hand. (Do NOT grab it.) If it's wired properly, and it almost certainly is in this country) nothing will happen. If it's not, then you may get knocked on your keister and never ever want to do that again. I screamed like a little girl from just 70V on that refrigerator since I was extremely well grounded.