240v Home Charger

This makes no sense at all. As long as the plug connection is clean and not corroded or oxidized, it will not get hot. What does "start to lose tension" mean. This is crazy. Do you plug and unplug your electric dryer or refrigerator every month to keep this from happening? Hell no.

 

You've never had outlets become loose after something's been plugged into them for many years? I have loose outlets at home from a microwave having been plugged into it for years.

The apartment I lived at had some loose outlets from previous tenants having something plugged into them. Some seemed like good spots for lights given that they were controlled by switches on the wall. For others, I'm not sure what was plugged in but they were loose (plug in air fresheners would tilt back and be partly unplugged due to their weight) vs. a new or non-worn out outlet.

IIRC, when a 1200+ watt space heater was used on some of the loose outlets, the cord and plug would get hot.

At the apartment, I eventually had the maintenance guy come by and change all the loose (worn out) outlets. At home, I've got a few to change myself.

From http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/513.pdf

From http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/524.html

My refrigerator doesn't pull high current for extended periods of time. IIRC, when I measured it years ago, it drew ~100 watts when the compressor was running.

 

This is what I hope too. It is one of the main reasons I feel more confident in Toyota. They have the most experience and will hopefully get it right.

 

Anyone (PriusTeam, maybe?) know how a 120V vs 240V affect battery life?

 

Judging from the results of the poll, I think Toyota should realize that they aren't going to sell very many of the 240V systems.

So they should lower the price...

 

charging efficiency for Leaf at 120 volts is 75%. 240 volt/12 amps 83.3 %. i have EXTENSIVE records to verify this

there are cheaper and easier ways

My Nissan Leaf Forum • Metering my 240 Modded EVSE

yes

check with Phil (peef here) he has modded the EVSE for the Leaf to do 240. its MUCH cheaper and great for renters who do not want a permanent option. it also supports a guy who has provided a TON of info both here (he has by FAR the best DIY plug in Prius here) and MNL as well

EVSE Upgrade - Products

there are several who are claiming the cost for Phil's upgrade which lowers the cost even more.

for some, it was an expense to install a 240. for me, it was less than $50 (less than $15 without the meter...but you know me... charging something without knowing how much to the penny is not an option for me!)

 

no. both are simply too slow to make a difference

 

Re: loose outlets - the plug end of an outlet is like $1.25 at Home Depot... so who cares if it "gets loose." Just replace it. Takes about 5 minutes.

 

I've read through this whole thread doing a little laughing along the way. I suppose it is time to chime in with some doses of reality.

I took delivery of my Leaf back in March 2011. At first, I decided just to use the included 120V EVSE. But being a new owner of an EV I had a bit of range anxiety and wanted to also keep the EVSE in the car with me in case I needed it in an emergency. I quickly discovered that it was a pain in the rear to wind up the cable and pack it neatly away every morning. Then every evening having to unpack it and unwind the cable again.

It became obvious rather quickly that I would want a wall-mounted EVSE. Now, the 120V EVSE can actually be mounted to a wall, but then I wouldn't have an EVSE to carry with me in the car. So it was an easy decision to spend the $1,000 to install a 240V EVSE.

Now when I come home from work it takes me 5 or 6 seconds to grab the J1772 connector from the wall and insert it into my Leaf. Where as it was about 3 minutes worth of work before, plus another 5 minutes in the morning to pack the cable back into the car.

So, I suspect most of you who end up with a PiP will either give up and mount the 120V EVSE in the garage and live with driving on gasoline when you run out of power away from home, or you'll give in and buy another EVSE to mount on the wall so you can keep your 120V EVSE in the car with you.

And since a 120V EVSE and a 240V EVSE cost roughly the same, there is no reason not to go ahead with the 240V unless your home's electrical system can't handle it.

 

So assuming we want to get one of Toyota's $1,000 package deals on the EVSE and install - how or where do we start that process?

 

Oh great thanks - put my order number in and am going through the pre-survey process now. They want pictures so I'll have to take those later.

 

That's exactly what I figure. Convenience is king. But my Prius won't be electricity dependent, so I am not going to spend $1000 needlessly. I am certain that prices will fall, and if they don't, I will build my own EVSE. Also, 110V is fine for a Prius -- 3 hours of charge time is no problem.

I also started a thread titled, "Why is the Charging Port in Back?" which has received quite a share of ridicule. I think that once people start dealing with the hassle of backing into parking spaces or dragging cables to the back of the car in the rain, they'll realize that Toyota made a bad choice of charging port location. Perhaps you can comment on this from your experience.

 

You bet I can comment on that. I have two different perspectives on that. First of all, before I had a Leaf, I used to drive a prius with an enginer kit installed. The plug was on the rear bumper. There were 4 occasions where I forgot about the plug and backed out of the garage with the cable still connected. Each time was near-disastrous. Eventually I rigged up a small alarm and a relay system so that if the brake was pressed while the car was plugged in, an alarm would sound. That seemed to work pretty well.

Now, I realize the PiP will have a safety system to keep you from driving off while plugged in. But that doesn't mean people aren't going to be annoyed getting into the car, bucking up, getting ready to drive off, only to have to get out and unplug. Its bad enough that the moved the plug to the rear, but to be on the passenger side (at least if you are in the USA) is even that much worse. Having the plug on the front like the Leaf is far more convenient. Even the Volt has a much better place to charge.

If I do ever get a PiP (which I hope to some day to replace my Wife's current 2010 Prius) I'll probably just mount the 120V EVSE on the side-wall of the garage. That way it will be right next to the charge port.

 

Math-wise, $1,000 for a Plug-in Prius charger is a financial disaster. At $4.00/gallon and free electricity, you'd need to recharge you PIP twice daily and drive 30 electric miles a day for nearly a year and a half to pay for the over-priced "charger." That's just silly. It would make more sense to just mount the EVSE that co
ES with your PIP and use that in your garage until EVSE units come down in price to $79, which is what they'll cost in a year.

 

Again, the cordset with brick isn't a charger. It's an EVSE. Charger's in the car. A L1/L2 charging station on the mounted on the wall w/J1772 connector at the car end is yet another EVSE.

FWIW, the price for Nissan's included L1 EVSE went up :O (My Nissan Leaf Forum • View topic - Nissan massively increases cost of new EVSE's). I don't know if it's come back down. Ingineer is pEEf over here.

 

In 2011 there's a 30% tax credit for the cost of installing the home EVSE, I don't know if that's continuing into 2012.

 

Another option would be, of course, to just buy another 120v EVSE to carry around with you and leave the first mounted to the wall.

 

It kind of depends on how much of a 'financial disaster' it is. I am not buying the PiP to save money. I want to burn less gas (and have some fun with new technology). I would be willing to pay a little more to be able to quickly charge at home after getting home from work (for an evening gas-less drive someplace). I still think $1000 might be a little steep for me.