Standard Prius Prime Charger (G9060-47130) supporting 240V

Nope, just personal experience.
No Problem Found.
Plus they come with a 2 yr warranty.

 

That's what I thought....

Everyone knows (or should) that these type of electrical Clone products are built as Cheap As Possible, typically with the lowest grade parts that sometimes fail quickly.



Rob43

 

Agreeing that the lawyers would NEVER allow Toyota to condone using a non-code-compliant 120V socket wired to a 240V source. The thought of only one person plugging a 120V appliance into that socket and getting injured or killed by the resulting fireworks, resulting in a huge lawsuit, effectively kills any public support for this technique. It is a lot easier in Europe, which uses various sockets in different countries, but all at 240V. So they can just provide a country-specific plug that connects to the EVSE.

 

I agree. Although I might add from a manufacturing standpoint what they've done makes sense. If they design it for dual voltage and simply change the plug on the front and the sticker on the back, they're done.

 

It would be nice if you could just swap the plug-in tail of Toyota's OEM brick, but the place where the cord enters the brick is sealed to be weatherproof and it would be difficult to assure an equivalent seal when re-assembling the housing.

I don't know this for sure, but I think there is a temperature sensor in the plug which is wired to the circuit board inside the brick. That would make it difficult to cut off the OEM plug and just put a different plug its place.

It would be nice if the OEM brick to came with a weather-tight connector which accepted different power cord ends, just like the socket on the back of your desk-top computer can be fitted with different power cords for use in different countries.

Alternatively, the end of the brick's power cord could be a specialized connector like a male twist-lok which would mate with a female cord with an appropriate connector. But, here again, you have the problem of maintaining a weather-proof connection at the twist-lok.

Finally, I believe that the circuit board inside Toyota's OEM brick is set to "advertise" a 12-amp connection to the Prime. This causes the Prime to limit its charging current demand to 12 amps, not the 15 amps which the Prime will accept from a more robust 240-volt EVSE.

Rather than worrying about using the Toyota OEM unit at 240 volts, I wish someone would convince Toyota to do what Chevy did with the late lamented Volt and reconfigure the charging circuit inside the vehicle to allow it to draw more than 15 amps and thus reduce charging time. And, while they're at it, they could add another bank of batteries to increase electric range.

 

RE: reconfigure the charging circuit inside the vehicle to allow it to draw more than 15 amps and thus reduce charging time.

This isn't just about using the OEM cord with whatever is available. There must be some "advertising" going on. I bought one or Rob43's 240 to 110 pigtails for use with my wife's 2012 PIP. The charging time *is* about half. And in my 2018 Prius Prime, in the maintenance menu I recall seeing a place where you can change the car's draw.

 

People overlook the basics. Sure, the standard charger can handle the load, but only under controlled circumstances. That's why there is no recommendation for extension cords. Even if you use a gauge large enough to support maximum draw, it doesn't mean the outlet it is plugged into is actually properly wired for that. It also doesn't mean the charger will be safe from whatever it will get exposed to while being used and not used. That's why the point of some of this is moot. Who will accept liability if something goes wrong?

240-Volt certified chargers provide heavier & longer cords with weather-resistant cases and mounting brackets.

 

+1.
This is basically my thoughts; upgrade later, when I have a better BEV.
There is a net-connected adapter offered that can be used for any J1772 is you live for logging data!
TLDR,,
I have a Juicebox kit-built L2 that I set up for 15A/240V - 3.3kW usage.
The limiting thing is the 15A J1772 cord I bought for it. The internal relay is an 80A honker! I could adjust the pilot signal up to higher A rating, but only if I changed all the wiring/CB and the J1772 cord. I set it to 15A accurately while I had an i3 for a multi-day test drive. The i3 has a 6.6kW onboard charger.

Rob,
I would love to be a true Patriot like you and only buy American made products. I think it would be great if we all had the ability to do that!
Unfortunately I suspect our beloved Prii have a lot of 'cheap' china made components....

And repeat, an EVSE is either ON or OFF. It provides the house current to the car. How could it ever 'harm' the car?

BEV / PHEV have an On Board Charger that has a rating. That is the limit. PERIOD.
The OBC gets 240V or 120V sent to it. The EVSE sends a pilot signal which tells it to limit its draw if it's less than the OBC rating.

This thread is about the pilot signal, (either 12A or 15A) from the EVSE, stock or hacked with an adapter.
If you're good with a potentially dangerous outlet around your house you can have 2.8kW charging vs.
the max 3.3kW charging with a real, and safe, L2 for $166.

We have 3.3kW - 15A and the next step up is 30A - 6.6 or 7.2kW.
The latest Volts (may it RIP) offered a 7.2kW OBC, the same as the Bolt.
It's the duty of the EVSE to send a pilot signal to the OBC signalling the max rating of the EVSE.

Also there is the 80% continuous duty rule on house wiring and CB's.
That's why for L2 it's a 15A EVSE on a 20A house CB/circuit and 30A EVSE on a 40A house CB/circuit.
And why for L1 it's 12A - 120V because 15A is a typical CB/circuit for home 120V outlets.

 

+1 Also on using 240V. Got a 2020 last month and ran a new 240V 30amp plug in the garage. Made a not so up to code NEMA L6-30 to 5-20 adapter cord and wire tied to oem charger. Works great.

 

Charge time difference?

 

"Great" is a subjective description. If it's "great" for you, that's... er... great.

But there is a difference between working satisfactorily, working well, and working optimally.

For the cost, your solution is a very good value. And, all engineering decisions usually involve some trade-offs involving cost versus benefit. Depending upon a plethora of external variable, different charging solutions are optimal in different individual circumstances.

In fact, I confess that I would do exactly what you've done -- but I would never think of recommending it.

 

Around 2:30 now

 

Me either unless comfortable with household circuits. Someone could get themselves in trouble fast!

 

For the European version of the Prime, the EVSE has a detachable power cord, so you can use the one appropriate to your country. They are all 240V, but different countries use different style plugs. I wonder why they didn't do that for the North American model, so you could use a 240V plug instead of the 120V plug. Or is there some code in the U.S. that would prohibit that? Maybe Europeans can be trusted to safely deal with 240V outlets, but Americans can't.

 

Anyone try it on 208V yet?

.

 

it's a power adapter so it generally is self regulating. Other than that, pro people here would probably concur?

 

Can someone take a picture of Euro model power supply label and post here?

 

Not that I know of. But it should work fine; just a little slower than 240. (Lower voltage = lower wattage.) Most stuff that runs on 220/240) is labeled 208-220V. My L2 Duosaida is labeled 110-220V.

Much below 208, though, and you can expect issues with electric motors like in air conditioners. We had 3-phase (208V) power at our radio station in Honduras. I had to install line conditioners for the mini-split air conditioners because the 208 was often more like 190 and the air conditioners would just sit there. Also needed them on the refrigerator so it wouldn't burn up and on the gas clothes drier to get enough power to open the gas valve. Dealing with 3rd world electricity can have some interesting learning experiences.

 

hi this might be a stupid question so please bear with me. I haven't bought a prime yet but will be getting one soon. From all the pictures I have seen of the prius charger, the plug is 5-15 120V, where are you getting the 6-20 plug from? Does it come when you purchase the prius? Even on Ebay i can't find anything remotely close to the 6-20 plug for prius OEM chargers.

 

Some of the lighting / light poles around here IIRC, run on 177v. Another fun experiment?