I just purchased a 2013 Prius Plugin and am seeking advice about the merits of charging at 110, 220 and 240 volts. Pros and Cons welcome. Vince
Slower charging, faster charging. 3 hours vs 1.5 hours. No added costs, added costs. Car comes with a 120 evse vs buying and installing a 240 evse which could run several hundred dollars to over a thousand dollars.
If 3 hours charge is too long for you, pay about $1k to be able to charge in 1.5 hours with 240v. 240v L2 charge is a few percentage more efficient. It sure does not make economic sense.
Would recommend a 240V charging station only if cost is not a big issue and you could really use 1.5 hour charges or planning to get another car in the near future with a much bigger battery that could benefit from 240V. Otherwise, consider waiting a few years. Costs are already coming down from the pretty steep current prices of the 240V charging stations.
Vince I have had 240V charging since my PIP was new on 3/28/12. I agree that it is not economical if that is a controlling concern. But it is handy to have a charge done in an hour when I come home and realize that I have another trip the same day. That matters only if you care about not running the ICE. If the next trip is too snort to adequately warm up the ICE, the option to get by with just EV is desirable. A non economic consideration is that with 240 charging, I leave the factory charge cord in the car for emergency needs and the 240 charger set up to plug right in for charging. It couldn't be more handy. To me it boils down to what is important (or not important) to you. I know I could live without 240V charging but I like it.
best thing to do is use the 120v for awhile to see if the 240v would improve your situation in any way. i got one so i could leave the 120 in the car to charge at work. it's also nice whe your doing a bunch of errands from home and you keep coming back to top it up. the longer you wait, the cheaper they get!
Something else to consider is that if you are in California or some place with high electricity rates, the shorter charge time of an L2 charge might not be beneficial if you have to charge overnight to take advantage of lower rates. I no longer charge during daylight hours because it can cost me up to $0.50/kWh towards the end of my billing cycle. That's the equivalent of $7.50/gallon of gas. I only plug in overnight when it is $0.06 - $0.16/kWh. 1.5 or 3 hour charge time is inconsequential.
I just ordered the 16amp Bosch unit for $450. Between the 30% federal tax credit and the 50% NYS tax credit, it was worth it. Plus my friend is hooking up the 220v outlet in my garage at no cost.
if you plan to keep the car a while, gentler trickle charge better for battery life (Eight Tips to Extend Battery Life of Your Electric Car | PluginCars.com)
I pretty much do the same thing, 110 at work and when I get home, the 220 charger, so the car's ready when I have to do some running around. The car's charged by the time I'm ready to run.
