...because the charging door is not waterproof. Had my first carwash today in one of those touchless robotic washes. Went right home and when i opened the charging door to put the charger on i saw that a lot of water got in. but the cap kept the port dry. What has everyone else experienced with car washes?
Gen-1 didn't have that and car washes were never any trouble. Hard rain storms while driving weren't ever either. The design specs carefully considered every possible scenario, without the cap. Having it is a nice extra. I've had the port (not the socket itself) covered thick with snow that melted into puddled water. It was no big deal.
The Gen I Prius Plug-in had a cap built into the charging door, so when you closed the door, the cap fit over the receptacle. The Gen I did not have a blank for the DC fast charger port that is not available in North America, so the charging door was a lot smaller (same size as the one for the gas tank on the other side). Is this what we are talking about?
my pip has water all over the charging port after a rainstorm, despite the built in cap. no issues plugging right in though, just don't stand in a puddle in bare feet.
The Prime has the door which you pop open and then a rubbery cap over the charging port. its on a tether and there is a space to the right where you can attach the cap while charging
I know, I have a Prime, and formerly had a Gen I PiP. The rubber cap can be stored on the blank on the right, which is where the DC fast charger port isn't. One didn't have to worry about the cap on the Gen I Plug-in, since it was part of the charger door.
I eventually realized that... You can charge these things outdoors, and who's to say it doesn't start raining while it's charging...
Been there done that! LOL, i was worried for about 5 seconds when I hooked it up, when I didn't die, I knew i was good! It was pouring rain and everything was wet!
The 220-volt EVSE charging unit which I installed at my home incorporates a "Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI)" as part of it's design. I believe most (if not all) hard-wired units do and that this is all that is necessary for a hard-wired 220-volt installation. If you're installing a 220-volt EVSE unit with a heavy-duty plug, then you need a GFCI circuit breaker installed by your electrician. These GFCI devices shut off power in milliseconds if the circuit does not have equal flow on both wires -- i.e., if some of the electricity is traveling to ground through your body. The 120v charging cable which comes with the Prius Prime should be used only with either 1) an outlet with a built-in GFCI, or 2) with an outlet on a circuit with GFCI protection at the circuit breaker. 15-amp and 20-amp 120-volt GFCI outlets are inexpensive and save lives. If you're plugging your Prius Prime charging cable into an ordinary outlet, check into replacing that outlet with a GFCI version. If you're comfortable with replacing an ordinary outlet, then you probably can do this yourself; otherwise, pay an electrician for a half-hour of his time.
So, what would happen if the charge port is open (no cap) and not plugged in with a charger cable, and the charge port door is also open and it’s raining or even stormy with horizontal rain splashing against the charge port? Does it cause some electrical malfunction internally?
probably the same thing as if you left your windows open in those conditions. but because there is exposure when opening, and before plugging in, and when unplugging before closing, maybe nothing. (haven't tested it, nor do i plan to)
