Smart Plug / Outlet questions

congrats and welcome!

we can't answer the first question, because we don't know what is on the circuit.

toyota recommends a dedicated circuit, but if nothing else on it is being used, you'll be fine. worst case, you trip the breaker and have to install a new circuit for the prime.

idk anything about smart plugs, why would you want to control it?

 

So long as you never use the garage door while charging, it should be fine. Trying to use both is very likely to blow a breaker.

While i am not sure why you would, a smart plug should be safe.

 

i just said that jim

 

You mean this smart plug?



Why would you want to have a smart plug to charge your Prime?

I use a variety of smart plugs/bulbs (mostly to control lighting), but I don't see the value of controlling Prime charging with a smart plug. If you want to take advantage of TOU pricing, you can just set a charging schedule within the Prime directly (I have mine set to finish charging just before I leave for work each morning).

 

I wouldn’t recommend it, for one of the same reasons that Toyota warns against using extension cords and power strips (Quick Guide (PDF), page 5): the Toyota charging cable has a temperature sensor in the plug, to protect against overheating if there is a poor connection between the plug and the receptacle outlet. Putting another device in the circuit defeats this protection.

As @noonm kindly suggests, you can use the car’s own charging timer (Quick Guide, pages 18–22) instead.

 

Welcome to PriusChat !

*********************

Do you have any type of conveniently located 240 volt outlet anywhere near your Prime ?


Rob43

 

OK, got it.

Just remember that "if & when" you make the jump to 240v for faster charging times, your current Toyota OE EVSE (charger) works perfectly at 240 volts. Your charging times will drop down to about 2:28 minutes.


Rob43

 

You might check into setting the in car timer to FINISH just prior to your Departure time, or the ending time for the lower cost charging. I normally leave home at 8:40, and have the in car timer set to finish at 8:30.

 

I ALWAYS use the departure time so that the car isn't sitting long term with a full battery. Sitting fully charged for hours on end day after day will reduce the lifespan of the battery which is why Toyota offers the departure time setting. The traction battery will not self discharge while sitting fully charged overnight, but it will age more quickly.

Since your driving is sporadic, you can try to guesstimate a rough schedule and use that for a base. Then you can work around it by either not plugging it in or using the "Charge Now" feature to over ride the schedule. I do that several times a week because, while I have a regular work schedule and more or less regular evening meetings, they sometimes get cancelled or will vary with time of year.

 

Waiting for someone else to ask but nobody did................

I can't in my wildest imagination see how an outlet IN THE CEILING could be the "most convenient" one, unless maybe it is the ONLY one.
Do you intend to climb up a ladder each day to plug it in ?

Although an extension cord is not recommended, one can be used if sized properly.

What if you back the car in ?? Would that make another outlet more convenient ?
I just don't think the ceiling outlet is an acceptable option.

 

Welcome to join the forum and Congrats on our new PRIME. As others have chimed in Toyota recommends dedicated circuit for charger, but as long as total amp from the charger (12A max), your garage the garage door opener and other electric devices on the same circuit is less than allowed on your circuit (usually 15A), you are OK. I use on my garage with two garage door openers, large freezer, and light (total of 9 bulbs), but in my last 3 years of charging, the breaker has never tripped. I don't usually use the garage door while charging, but the freezer compressor may come on during the night while charging. I just looked up, typical 1/2 HP garage opener motor draws ~4.5 amp/540 W. So, both the charger 12Amp and opener 4.5Amp on at the same time will exceed 15Amp. You may have to schedule the charge to start after you leave the garage and finish before you open the garage. If you must use both charger and door opener and that trips your breaker, you may have to upgrade your garage electrical wiring.

The smart plug you described is probably useless for scheduling charging time. The EVSE needs outlet electricity to perform routine safety checks before the actual charging starts. If you cut off the power and turn it on at the later time by the smart plug, I bet the EVSE will throw an error. Besides the functionality problem, using the smart plug between the EVSE and outlet is dangerous. Even though it may be rated 15A, most of the internal components of those plugs are cheaply made and may not be able to handle the heat generated by constant 12A draw. The best solution as others has said is to use PRIME's charge scheduling. If your TOU is 7PM to 6 AM for example, but your departure time is later or variable, just use "departure" at 6AM (or 5AM to be safe), this way charge will start around midnight every day and finish by 5-6AM.

 

It sounds like with your schedule, or lack thereof, the best you can do is use the car's scheduler with departure time and set it to finish as late as you can get away with to take advantage of the TOU savings.

I'm glad you found out that there's another outlet. That sounds much better. There still could be something else on that same breaker though. I found you that the outlet I was using was on the same circuit as at least one of the outlets in our bedroom. The vacuum cleaner helped with that discovery. Time will tell.

 

I'm not sure the "smart plug" would cause an error. It would be the same as unplugging the EVSE from the outlet and plugging it back in while connected to the vehicle. Could be a problem if the electronics in the EVSE detects something it does not like, such as the neutral being switched by the "smart plug" while the hot stayed connected.

Obviously, it's going to be better if you connect the EVSE to an outlet within easy reach rather than trying to hang it from the ceiling.

As for sharing a circuit with your garage door opener, keep in mind that the opener draws its maximum current briefly when it starts and then draws less current once the door is in motion. Similarly, your Prime's EVSE will draw around 12 amps when first connected but will draw less current as your Prime's traction battery becomes more fully charged. Although your house circuit may be protected by a 15-amp breaker, the breaker will ignore the brief surge when the garage door opener starts and my not trip even if the EVSE is using the same circuit. Not the best situation -- the EVSE really prefers its own circuit -- but possibly something you can live with.

Of course, if the only way you get into your garage is with the electric opener, it would be bad if the Prime were inside drawing its fully 12 amps when you try to open the garage door from the outside and your circuit breaker trips. That would be kinda like hitting the lottery in reverse.

 

I think it’s common for the garage, outdoor and outlets near water (sinks) to be on the same CFI circuit? I discovered when I got my first EV that I couldn’t charge the car at the same time my wife used her hair dryer.