2014 Plug in Prius 110 volt charging?

I'm quite sure the amount of energy consumed (if any) would be very insignificant. One way to tell, is if it feels warm.

 

I think it pulls about one watt when not in use. And plugging/unplugging it a lot is really not good for these high-current plugs; it wears it out faster, leading to a flaky connection which can overheat. This is not an issue if one has it on a switched outlet and you leave it plugged in and use the switch.

 

i plug in every day at work, i'm sure i'll be replacing the plug at some point. it just doesn't seem made for it. but who knows, 28 months and hanging in there.

 

Hmmm. Really? I usually unplug every time, for fear of lightening strikes (actually, my wife's fear ). I may have to re-think this. Since the internal electronics of the power cord are being turned on and off in any case, I'm not clear why a wall switch would matter.

 

not completely, power is entering the brick, but not exiting. if you put a meter between the outlet and the plug, you'll get a reading. as far as lightning is concerned, a switch will help, but unplugging is guaranteed.

 

When the EVSE is plugged in to the wall, there is some circuitry in the EVSE (the "brick") that is active, looking for a signal from the car plug. And then there is that power-hunger LED ( ). However, the relay that supplies the power to the car is open, so nothing is going to the car.

 

I had a plug burn out after leaving it plugged in for 3 years straight. It was outside, and I think it may have had to do with a corrosion buildup on the contacts, and due to moisture. There wasn't much load on it, maybe 10W most of the time. I've had similar plugs used outdoors for up to 15 years at a time without such effects, but they were being disconnected/reconnected fairly often. I think if I had unplugged and plugged it in more often, it would have wiped the contacts clean more often, and kept it from building up a resistance-point, which overheated and burned out the plug.

 

My plug is showing an error when I test it, and the dealer is asking $115 just to check it out. I think it would be easier to just buy a new one. Where did you buy your replacement? If this has been answered elsewhere, sorry, but I just joined, and I did a search and everything! (2012 PiP - loved it until now - $700 to replace what is basically an extension cord?)

 

You can buy them on eBay all the time. One from any car will work. For instance the Leaf EVSE by Nissan will work on the PiP as will the Volt's and so on. How many of those are stolen and then resold, nobody knows. The general consensus is if you care about starving an emerging market for stealing L1 EVSE's, don't buy from eBay or Craigslist. Personally I don't think it will make a difference.

The EVSE that came with your 2012 PiP should be covered under warranty still right? Dealer shouldn't want anything. Or to rephrase, the dealer will always want you to pay something, but you should have to since it is part of the car package.

 

Uh, warranty? Conventional wisdom holds the EVSE as part of the "hybrid system" and thus subject to (depending on your state) up to a 10 year warranty.

 

I know it should be covered. I called and asked specifically, citing the 8 year/80,000 hybrid coverage, but no go. I also looked at the Toyota cite, and the charging cable is specifically NOT listed under the hybrid warranty. I will call another dealer and/or have a male friend call (I hate to call dealers sexist, but, yeah, they're sexist.)

Anyway, I will not buy off of eBay or Craigslist as I would like to call someone if something goes wrong. The AV TurboCharge makes no sense since it only shaves 1 hour off the charge time and I don't have a 240 anyway. I did find a $50 coupon code if anyone is interested. I tried it to see if it works, and it did apply to my cart (FORDFF50). I did not check out as I do not plan to buy it. The AV cite also has a (limited) supply of level one cords only for $399, so I will go with that if I can't get Toyota to do the honorable (legal) thing. I'll update here as things happen.

Thanks!!!

 

call toyota hotline as well. the number should be in the owners/warranty manual. all the best!

 

Ouch...

Oh that reminds me, our car's bugging me to change the fob battery, again, guess it's serious. I opened it a week back when it first warned: the voltage of the old battery was exactly the same (on my digital multimeter) as the new, so I left the old one in, that time. But, it occured to me as I was prying open the thing with it's exposed circuit board, this bugger costs about $300 if I break it. ;(

 

Careful.... These cars and EVSEs are 1st generation products and the different brands have interpreted and implemented the J1772 specification in sometimes incompatible ways. The safest approach for buying a used EVSE is to stick with one from the same manufacturer (Toyota).

I did some compatibility testing a couple of years ago in the parking lot where I work and posted a table of the results here:

Charging PIP using Chevy Volt 110V charge cord | Page 2 | PriusChat

It looks like the Volt EVSEs from 2011-2013 won't work with the 2012 PiP (not sure about 2014+). It's possible they might work with newer 2013+ PiPs but I have not tested that yet. The LEAF EVSEs seem to work for the PiP. I think that's because Toyota and Nissan are both using 120v EVSEs from Panasonic.

 

Just for fun, did you plug it into another outlet? You can plug it in anywhere, kitchen, living room, etc.. Does it show the same error when you press the test button? If so go down to a home improvement store like Lowe's or Home Depot (or where you live a Menards?) and pick up a line tester in the electrical department. Should have 3 lights that will tell you if the error is in the line that a $10 test item could save you from a serious problem. If not the line, it will also give you some ammo to just get a replacement.

Good luck.

 

OK, so, here's what happened: I plugged it in at different points in the house to make sure it wasn't the outlet. I also checked the ground to be sure. That wasn't the problem.

I called Toyota, and that part is not covered by the 8/80 warranty. It is 3/30. I made a stink, so the dealer said they would check it for free (wanted to charge $115). They called back a couple days later and said it was working fine. I went to pick it up and didn't sign anything until after I had plugged it into their outlet and pushed the test button. Same error light. Oops! That's when the general manager came over and said he would get a Prius expert on it.

HERE IS THE FINAL ANSWER!!!!
The charging cords only have a limited number of charges on them before the error light starts. Apparently, Toyota thought people would use charging stations more. The Toyota replacement charging cord costs $1100.

They gave me a replacement cord for free, probably because I told them I was on this forum and I had already made some comments about this dealer on Yelp. I also threatened to contact the AQMD because these cars get carpool stickers but are only "low-emission" as long as the owner has access to the charging cord. I have a feeling Toyota is going to be giving a few of these away.

I hope that helps, and let me know if you have any questions!

 

BTW, I had already purchased a replacement at EV Solutions because I didn't want to drive a Prius Plug-in and get Prius mileage. It was $399, and I didn't bother with the "Turbo Charge" because the hybrid plug-in difference in charging times isn't a big issue with me. If anyone wants a brand new Toyota charging cord, let me know. I think I'll keep it for later use, but I might sell it for the right price.

 

wow, that makes no sense at all. while the cord does have a limited amount of charges per the owners manual, we have a whole thread discussing this, and most of us agree it should be good for at least 10 years. i plug in everyday and hope it isn't on it's last legs! i'm glad you made a stink and they took care of you.

 

There are many EVSE's that will work with the PIP I have 3 myself and only one of them is the OEM unit that came with the car. I am not sure why you would call it the safest way, or maybe you never use public charging, because if you do then you are not using a OEM unit then. Toyota EVSE's are way over priced. My two non OEM units are Clipper Creek and the both work just fine, one is a 120 volt the other is a 240 volt. Backward compatibility is usually incorporated into the newer units and if it does not work just return it for a refund.