My apologies if this has been asked before. In that case, please direct me to the post. The questions: Is the cost of the home charger hardware and installation included in the dealer price? I live in Arizona but would buy it via my kids who live in California (to get the 0%/60 month financing). Any idea on how that might impact installation of the home charger (or will that mean I can't get the financing)? Thank you!
D'oh! I think I was too quick to post. It seems that the "plug-in" descriptor is essentially a literal description of what's done, not a metaphorical/fluffy description. Given an unused, 110V, 20-amp, GFCI circuit with a grounded outlet, I can literally plug the car into the wall, correct?
yes you plug it in the wall and it's charged in 3 hours. That 3 hours gets you about 11 miles.......so it's not a lot
Is 11 miles the typical range for a charge? Is the range more if I charge on 220V or do something else?
it's probably a bit below average in summer. winter see's a good 20% less. i get 15 around town. it all depends on your speed, acceleration and topography.
The car comes from the factory with a 120V cable that you can plug into a regular household outlet. Toyota recommends a dedicated 15 or 20A GFCI circuit. Although Toyota doesn't recommend using any extension cord (for liability reasons since they can't control the quality of the extension cord being used), I and others have been using extension cords with no issues. Just make sure you buy the thickest out-door rated extension cord you can find. As said above, charge time on 120V is about 3 hours, and good for 11-15 miles. If you like, you could also buy a variety of 240V cables online. You just have to get an electrician to install a 240V 6-20R outlet (or 14-50R if you like). The charge time will be cut in half. The cheapest I found was from here: EVI Products You can also find their listing on Amazon. Some members from PriusChat was turned off by the feedback on Amazon, but I've been using their cable since I've had the car with no issues, and I leave the cord outside the entire time. You can also look around for other manufacturers as well. Toyota recommends Leviton as their OEM partner. Good luck.
The range stays the same at approximately 11 miles regardless if you charge it full by 120 volt outlet or 240 V. When I charge mine with 120V it takes 3 hours from empty and 1.9 hours with 240 Volts. How you drive on EV mode definitely affects the range along with many other factors but battery capacity remains the same.
Normal 120 V charge is 2.5 hours. 220 V brings it down to 1.5 hours apparently. I keep my Toyota one in my trunk (for work and elsewhere), but bought a cheap Nissan Leaf 120 V model one to keep permanently at my house. Since I don't have a garage (or rather my garage is now a home theatre), I mounted it on post outside so I don't have to fumble around with my original one in the rain. I figured I didn't need to buy a 240 model because it's only 2.5 hours, so the cost to install the outdoor 240 V plug and to buy the 240 V charger isn't worth it for a battery as small as the one in the PiP. And yes, I'm using an extension cord. 12 AWG recommended, and the shorter the better. I'm using a 25 foot extension cord. (I need about 18 feet for that spot.) If I ever do buy a new PiP or a pure EV or something new, then I'll make use of the provincial incentive program for EVSE installations that we have. I couldn't use the program since I bought my car used, and the program is only available with new PHEVs or new EVs.
