I have a feeling it doesn't make a difference one way or another, but thought I'd ask in case someone wants to weigh in. If you're only doing a partial charge for whatever reason (that I won't get into here), while the car is charging and you want it to stop, is it better to first unplug the "nozzle" from the car (which sends the transformer box clicking off as soon as you take it out) or better to first unplug from the socket, then take the nozzle out of the car? Again, my guess is it probably doesn't make much of a difference, but thought I'd ask anyway.
nozzle. if you unplug power first, the car assumes there is a power problem. on the pip, this prompted a warning on the screen, and a hybrid problem message, iirc. if you have tried it, and don't get any negative feedback, i suppose they fixed it in prime.
Yup, if you unplug the 120 Volt side you will get a power was interrupted message on the MID better to just unplug from the nozzle. Sorry for the edit but you will also get a message that charging was not completed even if you unplug from the nozzle.
Agreed. With my PiP, if I unplug the "nozzle" from the car, I get a message something like, "Charging interrupted by user" or some such thing. If I unplug from the wall, I get something like, "Charging interrupted by power outage," or words to that effect. It's best, though, to unplug from the car first. When you press the button to release the EVSE from the car, that stops the charging by opening relays that are built for that purpose. Notice that the charging light goes out the instant you press that button. If you unplug from the wall first, you're interrupting quite a few amps with just the plug which isn't really meant for doing that under load. Probably harmless, but over time, it can cause excess wear on the plug and/or receptacle from minor arcing.
@stevepea , I think of it this way, my L2 Charger is hardwired... I have no choice but to unplug from the nozzle. And yes, still get the warning message. LOL
After unplugging the nozzle, is there a negative with leaving the charger plugged in (I notice the manual suggests unplugging from the wall). Is the unplugging required to avoid phantom draws or something else?
There are two reasons to unplug from the wall when you're not charging the car. One is the minor amount of phantom draw. That's really no worse than leaving your TV plugged in; in fact, probably not nearly as bad. The other reason is lightning. I'd rather not have that thing plugged in when a storm comes along and especially don't want it connected to the car. On the other hand, unplugging from the wall day after day will cause some wear and tear on the outlet. But, in my experience, that takes a LONG time and outlets are easy to replace if you ever need to do so.
Would it be OK to use a standard extension cord with a switch on it, both for the convenience of a switch as well as to avoid any wearing out of the outlet resulting in a poor connection/heat?
Probably not, as most standard extension cords with a switch are not designed to handle the current used in charging the Prime. Maybe once or twice a month I need to use the car again before it is fully charged. I just disconnect the nozzle, hang up the cord, and drive away. As one of our more prescient members stated "Just drive it."
@Washingtonian is right. If you wanted a switch in a short, heavy extension cord, you'd have to make it yourself. Probably more money and work than it's worth.
As soon as the latch is pressed on the car connector the charging system is told to shut off. As said above, unplug at the car first. Pulling a plug with current going through it will draw an arc as the contact breaks. Eventually these arcs cause enough damage to the contacts that the receptacle becomes unreliable, maybe gets hot in service. Don't pull a live plug. I think the main reason for the recommendation to unplug the charge station each time is that some time, some where, there'll be an electrical fire near the plug location. Even if it wasn't caused by the charge station, Toyota will get sued along with all the other possible suspects.
