Taking Toyota prius Plugin to Germany

The biggest issue is probably charging. The stock US charging cable is for 120 volts and Europe uses 220. So you will need a new or modified cable.

 

1. You might have to change your headlights. Don't know about Toyota, but for Harley-Davidson motorcycles exported to E.U. you need to change it. Along with speedo and exhaust. Fortunately, Prius's speedo can be reconfigured to km/h easily, and its exhaust fits EURO 5 norm, which is second only to recently introduced EURO 6.

2. As jfschultz mentioned, you shoud consider buying an OEM Toyota 230V cable. Only the cable that connects the charger "brick" to the wall socket. It's easy to replace the 110V one provided with US version of the charger. Use some tiny screwdriver to unlatch the cable and unmount the bayonet connector.

3. Public charging stations in Europe does not include the cable. They provide an IEC 62196-2 socket only (aka "Mennekes"). Cable will set you back of another €200. Furthermore, many charging stations require authentication. Therefore, I suggest you purchase the cable only once you're here and see wether any charging station is useable to you at all.

 

It's not just the cable. The U.S. version of the EVSE ("brick") has internal components which are rated for 120V only. Put 240V on it and it WILL fail spectacularly. There are third-party 240V upgrades available for the U.S. EVSE.

Just for clarification, in the EU, do you need an EVSE when using the Mennekes connector? Or do you just have a cable with Mennekes at one end and J1772 at the other, with the EVSE logic in the charging station?

 

I wasn't aware, U.S. chargers are different that much. For Europe the cable from the brick to the wall connector is interchangeable to accommodate different wall socket types (U. K., Schuko). Furthermore, adoptable power supplies are not a new science. Computers & laptops have it. Therefore, I jumped to conclusion PiP's OEM charger is adoptible too. Somebody better double check this.
Some of the alternatives to a rather expensive OEM charger are:
1. Charge-Amps. UM-EVSE v2
2. Portable Mode 2 16a J1772 EVSE with Schuko Domestic Plug
3. EV-Power | Assembly kit: Charging plug J1772 with cable (16 Amp, 5m) incl. electronics
4. EVSELECT 16A | EVSelect.eu

No, when using a Mennekes connector you don't need an EVSE. All you need is a cable with proper connectors on each side. Like those:
1. J1772 to 62196-2 16A Electric Vehicle Charger Plugs / Cable
2. DSI-DSIEC-EV-32P-5C - MULTICOMP - CABLE, J1772 TO 62196-2 PLUG, | Farnell UK
3. Electric Vehicle Cable/ 240v 16a Connectors Plugs Electric Car Charge Station J1772 62196-2 16a Charger Plug - Buy J1772 62196-2 16a,Sae J1772 Charger Plug J1772 62196-2 16a,Connector Plug 220v J1772 62196-2 16a Product on Alibaba.com

First, I bought one 3m (10ft) long and it proved too short on many occasions. I had to ask other EV drivers at the charging station to make amends so I could plug-in too. The problem with the cable length is that PiP is a rather big vehicle compared to other EVs and backing to the station is not always possible or safe.
Next, I bought a 7m (23ft) one to give me a peace of mind, but found out that some (although rare) stations's electronics is too sensitive and charging won't commence. Worked with 3m cable flawlessly before.

 

My UK 'brick' EVSE is 220-240V only. Many countries are supplying a free household EV charging point which has the plug attached. I have only used my brick twice in nine months, once to test it and once at a hotel so they could see how easy it was to charge from a dumb outdoor socket, the rest has been at home.

As stated the Mennekes socket only needs a cable as the EVSE is in the supply post. For the PiP with it's low electric range it does not make too much sense to buy the cable as it it will be over €250 so perhaps two years of charging (or more) plus the time and difficulty taken finding a public post (also not all are free) and so on to save a little money on fuel does not make it cost effective.

Don't forget to apply for your green disk:

Where do I need to register?

The cheapest is from Cologne (Koln) €5 and is valid all over Germany.

 

The charging cable equals in cost to roughly 150 litres (40 US gal) of fuel. It is true you're not going to save that much fuel by public charging a long time.

However, I have a charging station walking distance away from my office, free of charge, always available. I couldn't make my daily commute all EV without it. Furthermore, there are some very nice parking spots in city centre now equiped with (for the time being) free-of-charge charging stations reserved for EV/PHEV only. Having a reserved parking in the city centre is sometimes a worthy consideration alone.

Nevertheless, as I already mentioned: Every city is a story of it's own. Move to Germany first, explore the situation, then buy the cable if appropriate. In 18 months the prices will drop further.

 

Comments on the PiP on the unlimited speed sections of the Autobahn? What's the max speed of PiP?

 

There is always the poor mans solution (use the PiP as a hybrid don't bother charging in Germany or at least until you fully understand the options).

....trying to think if those old voltage converters we used to use are enough amps, or if you could step down the amp-draw with an alternate cable (was it Leaf had a 4 amp cable option?), and if 50-cycles is OK. Were you thinking you'd like to charge at home or more at public?

 

...solar is pretty common over there too. I get over to Munich/Bavaria/Salzburg region once in a while, but I always rely heavily on taxis even for fairly long hauls hr+ over there. Alls I can think is call Toyota USA or EU and ask if things like head lamps OK etc.

 

Recall that in North America, there is only one type of residential wall plug (NEMA), and it is 120V. Thus Toyota went on the cheap and put 120V-only components in the EVSE, and didn't include in any provision for interchangeable plugs. The upgrade to make the U.S. EVSE 240/120v is fairly straightforward, and is available from third parties (I don't think the 50/60Hz difference is an issue). And we don't need cords to use 240V public charging stations, since they all include the cord. Most public chargers are J1772, but there are some CHAdeMO fast chargers, along with the Tesla SuperChargers.

 

There might be other things you'll have to change if you want to use your present Prius in Germany. It will have to meet European specs in all and every respect in order to get registered. That includes, among others: Brakes (both system layout & lights), exhaust system (different catalytic converter), rearview mirrors, turn indicators, and possibly other things as well. All this may end up costing you an arm & a leg, so maybe it's a better idea to sell your present Prius in the US and find an equivalent 2nd hand one in Germany. To the best of my knowledge, the only vehicles not concerned by the conformity rule are those over 30 years old which will get a registration if they conform to their original specs, regardless where they come from, but of course this is a special interest category indeed.

 

I don't know how it works in Germany but I knew a French lady who brought her French registered car to the UK as a visitor and took it back out of the country every eleven months, then brought it back the next day. Just take it to Belgium or France for the weekend and make sure you collect the necessary documentation when you cross the border.

In the UK you may keep a car in the country for up to a year without re-registering or making modifications.. Perhaps the same applies across Europe.

Edit: it looks as if you may.
How To Germany - Importing a Car Into Germany

 

I had been stationed twice in Germany with the US Army back in the 1990s for a total of 5.5 years. In those days, there was no special conversion issue - registration was "as-is" as long as the vehicle could pass a common-sense safety and function inspection. The problem was consistently finding lead-free gasoline in certain countries (not Germany). Another issue was super-detailing the vehicle to pass the US Customs/USDA USDA inspection when the car was eventually shipped back to the USA. The Germans even issue special US-size license plates for US-style license plate spaces on the Prius bumpers. We brought two US vehicles over there and brought one of them back eventually, and then bought (and brought) one US-spec German-made vehicle back. Of course, perhaps the military SOFA eased the process for us sight-unseen.

Do consider the EVSE Upgrade.com conversion/upgrade. They will upgrade your EVSE to worldwide usage standards and then you're home free for the life of your car, as long as you bought enough of the appropriate connector 2-foot "whips".

 

See what Mr Hedghog says. Importing a car into Europe from the US is much easier than the reverse. So long as it meets certain common sense requirements and additional items like a rear fog lamp, then you're pretty much good to go. If you're going with the military, then they do this all the time and will usually give you helpful information to put the car through local compliance.

The problems occur more when the car is more of a US only model where the rear red turn signals must be converted to amber etc, but even that's possible for minimal cost.

Leaded petrol has been phased out in Europe since about 2000 at the latest, though I'd be cautious if purchasing from a dubious source in Eastern Europe etc. One warning, in some European countries bumpers are for bumping and the locals class small dents and scrapes as just part of life. Park in sensible places and you should be fine, but parking tight in a congested city street in Paris will guarantee some damage sooner than later. Getting upset and demanding insurance details for such small bumpers and you'll encounter a bemused look and a shrug of their shoulders.

Don't worry about that though, just enjoy your stay.