1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Plugging in at a charging station.

Discussion in 'Prime Plug-in Charging' started by grimwoi, Jan 31, 2021.

  1. grimwoi

    grimwoi New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2021
    2
    0
    0
    Location:
    nyc
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    LE
    Hi. I just bought a 2021 Prius prime. I live in an apartment so I need to go to a charging station to plug in. 2 questions. Can I take the supplied charging cable, with it's standard edison plug, and plug into a 220volt level 2 charger, or do I need an adaptor? Can I find the level 2 chargers at the Tesla Super charging stations?
    thanks,
    mike
     
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    45,024
    16,242
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    You do not need to take the supplied charging cable unless you plan to plug it into an outdoor household socket somewhere.

    A Level 2 charging station includes the cable and plug. All you need is an account with the supplier (ChargePoint, Blink, FLO etc) in order to activate the station and unlock the cable. These stations have the same plug style as the one on your car. The charging rate should be listed at the station (most charge hourly rates ... usually in the range of $1-2/hr)

    Note some of these companies offer DCFC (Direct Current Fast Charging) which the Prime is not compatible with. These will have plugs that are different than the one on your car. They also charge by the min (10-30 cents per min).

    Tesla Supercharger stations are not Level 2, they're a form of DCFC and are not compatible with your Prime.
     
  3. t_newt

    t_newt Active Member

    Joined:
    May 27, 2018
    217
    246
    0
    Location:
    94087
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    Also, the level 2 chargers are typically capable of about 6kWh (about 27A at 220V), but the Prius Prime will only pull about 3kWh.

    The Prime has an 8kW battery, but always reserves about 2kW for driving in 'hybrid' mode when the battery is 'empty'. So an 'empty' battery means about 6kW of charging needed. That means it will take 2 1/2 hours to charge up an empty Prius Prime battery. (The extra 1/2 hour is because charging slows down when a battery gets close to full).

    If you use your charger plugged into a 120V plug, it will take about twice as long to charge.
     
    Tideland Prius and Merkey like this.
  4. ForestBeekeeper

    ForestBeekeeper Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2011
    744
    289
    0
    Location:
    Maine
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Premium
    I charge at-home using my level-1 120vac outlet.

    One office that I routinely go to has two level-2 chargers that are compatible with my 2017 Prius hybrid. Those chargers are available to the public for free.

    There is a restaurant near me [directly across the street from the Prius dealership] that has a row of Tesla chargers in the back of their parking lot. I have looked and none of those connections are compatible with the Prius.
     
  5. grimwoi

    grimwoi New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2021
    2
    0
    0
    Location:
    nyc
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    LE
    Thank you all.
     
  6. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2015
    10,985
    8,886
    0
    Location:
    New England
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Unless it's free, I would skip using the public charge station on PP. It may cost you a lot more than buying gasoline. A quick comparison is if your charge session costs you more than 1/2 gal of gasoline cost in your area, you are paying too much.

    For example, if the gas is $3/gal. Paying more than $1.50 for a full charge for the battery will cost more to drive on EV mode.
     
    #6 Salamander_King, Feb 2, 2021
    Last edited: Feb 2, 2021
    Old Bear, MTN, LAPrimeTime and 2 others like this.
  7. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2018
    7,035
    2,790
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius c
    Model:
    Four
    Do you have an assigned parking space ?
    Is it right up next to a building ?

    Some apartment dwellers have been successful in getting an outside outlet installed (120V) but most have not.
    Won't hurt to ask.
     
  8. Jameson Roob

    Jameson Roob New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2021
    3
    0
    0
    Location:
    Warwick, RI 02886
    Vehicle:
    2012 Tesla Model S
    Model:
    Two Eco
    I also agree with you.
     
  9. pbasch

    pbasch Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2011
    38
    10
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    That's a nice rule of thumb. Thanks.
     
    Salamander_King likes this.
  10. pghyndman

    pghyndman Active Member

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2018
    498
    465
    0
    Location:
    CT shoreline
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Limited
    Download the Plugshare App (or similar) to locate any charging stations near you... or anywhere... including the free (as in no-cost) ones.
     
  11. Louis19

    Louis19 Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2022
    392
    357
    0
    Location:
    Laval Québec Canada
    Vehicle:
    2022 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Upgrade
    Hi , I usually charge at home on level 1 charging with the EVSE provided by Toyota ( the brick) Current is set at 8 amps in the setting menu.
    IF in some occasions I charge the car on a public level 2 charging station will the charge be limited to 8amps as chosen in the charge menu or will it go max since the car is plugged on a 240v level 2 station or if not does it mean that I will have to change the current setting to Max before docking on a public station
     
    #11 Louis19, Apr 21, 2022
    Last edited: Apr 21, 2022
  12. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2015
    10,985
    8,886
    0
    Location:
    New England
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    I believe the 8A max charging current setting only applies to the use of L1 EVSE. That being said, I am not sure if that applies to any L1 EVSE or just for the OEM EVSE that came with the car. Also, I am not sure, if someone set the max to 8A and use the adaptor to plug the OEM EVSE to the 240V outlet. Without an 8A limit setting, the OEM EVSE still pulls 12A @240V.

    EDIT: I was wrong on this. See Jerry's testing result below. The 8A limit applies to both L1 (120V) and L2 (240v).
     
    #12 Salamander_King, Apr 21, 2022
    Last edited: Apr 21, 2022
  13. vvillovv

    vvillovv Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2013
    3,898
    1,338
    1
    Location:
    NY
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    Sorry - which do you think is going to happen at a Level 2 when the in car charger setting is set at 8 Amps?
    Charge at the Max setting or the 8 Amp setting?
     
  14. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2015
    10,985
    8,886
    0
    Location:
    New England
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    I believe the 8A max setting is for L1 EVSE only. For an L2 EVSE, it will default to 16A. The 8A car setting has no effect.

    EDIT: BUT I have not tested this myself. It can be easily testable by just changing the car setting to 8A and plugging into L2 EVSE at 240V. If it takes substantially longer than the usual 2 hours, then it is limiting the current.

    EDIT2: I was wrong on this. See Jerry's testing result below. The 8A limit applies to both L1 (120V) and L2 (240v).
     
    #14 Salamander_King, Apr 21, 2022
    Last edited: Apr 21, 2022
    Louis19 likes this.
  15. vvillovv

    vvillovv Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2013
    3,898
    1,338
    1
    Location:
    NY
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    Extra points if you figure out which charges faster !
    Level 1 charging at the Max setting or Level 2 charging at the 8Amp setting.
     
    Louis19 likes this.
  16. Louis19

    Louis19 Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2022
    392
    357
    0
    Location:
    Laval Québec Canada
    Vehicle:
    2022 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Upgrade
    Ok ,did someone try it out
     
  17. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2015
    10,985
    8,886
    0
    Location:
    New England
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Hypothetically, 12A at 120v = 1440W vs. 8A at 240v = 1920W. So, L2 at 8A is still slightly faster... but my contention is that L2 is going to be at 16A.
     
    Louis19 likes this.
  18. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2015
    10,985
    8,886
    0
    Location:
    New England
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    If you can't try it, I am sure @jerrymildred who has L2 EVSE at home will give us an answer. I would test it myself, but I don't have 240v outlet setup yet. I would have to do it at my work next time I plug my PP on L2.
     
    jerrymildred and Louis19 like this.
  19. Louis19

    Louis19 Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2022
    392
    357
    0
    Location:
    Laval Québec Canada
    Vehicle:
    2022 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Upgrade
    Thank you, being a neebie on this forum how can i contact Jerry Mildred
     
    Salamander_King likes this.
  20. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2015
    10,985
    8,886
    0
    Location:
    New England
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    I mentioned him in my comment. He will respond to my comment very soon. Just wait. I am sure he will provide an answer for us.;)
     
    jerrymildred and Louis19 like this.