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Charging my car in European 220V home sockets

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by errata, Jul 26, 2020.

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  1. errata

    errata New Member

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    Hi all!
    I just got a Prius PHEV 2013. which was imported from Canada and most of the info is in different units than European.
    I just wonder, is it safe to charge my car by using the cable I got and plugging it directly in my regular 220V sockets which I have in my garage for example? I don’t believe there’s any special electricity done in garage (I will ask the real owner) and I’m not sure which fuses are in at the moment, but could you please instruct me, as a beginner, what should I take care of in order not to burn everything around since I’m not so friendly with electricity in the first place and I have no experience with electric cars whatsoever.

    Thanks in advance for any tip!!
     
    #1 errata, Jul 26, 2020
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    You sure it's a Canadian model? Last I checked, both Canada and Iceland use the metric system so the car should be in metric. One difference could be the consumption units where Canada uses L/100km or kWh/100km and Iceland, perhaps, uses L/km or kWh/km?

    Aside from the plug conversion to the European style, we're not 100% sure. On the 2017+ Prius PHV, it appears that 220V/240V can be used but that has not been confirmed with the Prius Plug-In (2012-2015). The car draws up to 2.2kW so if I did the math right, it should only draw 10A.

    To be safe, I would not plug it in until you find out. Check the black brick on the charging cable and see if the specifications are written anywhere on it. (like other power adapters do such as phone or camera or laptops that specify what voltage and frequency they can operate on).
     
    #2 Tideland Prius, Jul 26, 2020
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  3. errata

    errata New Member

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    Hi and thanks for such a quick reply!
    For some reason, this model has everything in imperial units so everything is in miles and galons, I can only switch speed display from mph to km/h. Not sure about electricity consumption units, will check it later! The car was used by person I never actually met and I didn’t get much details about charging. The cable I got is original for sure and it has regular european plug on one end. I will check the brick for additional details and will report back! Won’t plug it in anything which is not designed for charching for sure, no worries, that’s why I wanted to ask here first!

    Thanks again for all the help!
     
    #3 errata, Jul 26, 2020
  4. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    I am so confused.

    Which side of the car is the driver's seat? Did you get a UK-spec car?
     
    #4 Tideland Prius, Jul 26, 2020
  5. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    That doesn't sound like a Canadian car. Could it have been a U.S. car that was later imported into Canada, before re-importation to Iceland?

    Does the headlight stalk have a DRL position separate from the all-off position? If so, it is likely a U.S. car, as Canadian cars don't have that choice. If imported to Canada, the DRLs would be modified somewhere to not turn off, but the U.S. switch could still be in place.
     
    #5 fuzzy1, Jul 27, 2020
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  6. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    If your PiP EVSE unit looks like this,....Plug It In.

    It will work* just fine.


    Rob43

    PS, Don't cut your plug off, there's a temperature sensor inside of it. Use an adapter.

    175615_IMG_3964_-_Edited_(1).png
     
    #6 Rob43, Jul 28, 2020
  7. QuantumFireball

    QuantumFireball Active Member

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    The car itself is definitely capable of charging from a 230V supply, the main concern would be the portable EVSE but the acceptable input voltages should be listed on the label on that. Since it's already got a Schuko(?) plug fitted it's probably fine.

    You'll need to use a socket capable of providing 230V at 10A to charge this car. You might want to check the fuse/breaker rating for the circuit that socket is connected to - one concern would be if other high current devices are on the same circuit (e.g. tumble dryer) then connecting the car at the same time could potentially overload it.
     
    #7 QuantumFireball, Jul 29, 2020
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  8. errata

    errata New Member

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    Thank you for all your answers and sorry for my delay, I was very busy last few days...

    First, to try to clear confusion around...

    Driver's seat is in "normal" side :)) That is, left. Car is not UK-spec, at least I think so...

    This could be the case! Let me share few photos of my car, I think it should clear all confusion regarding car's origins...

    DRL position is separated on the stalk:
    thumbnail_IMG_3714.jpg


    My display with imperial units:
    thumbnail_IMG_3715.jpg


    The only "switch" I have in car regarding imperial/metric units is speed display (from mph to km/h):
    thumbnail_IMG_3716.jpg


    And finally my charging cable and a brick with all the details in it:
    thumbnail_IMG_3717.jpg


    So, what do you guys think, what are my options here regarding charging it in my garage, directly into the wall? :) Apologies one more time for questions which seem "dumb", but yea, electricity is not my best part, so I'd rather ask dumb questions than putting the fire off! :)

    Thank you one more time for all the help!!
     
    #8 errata, Jul 30, 2020
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  9. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    Like I stated in post #6, plug it in.

    The Toyota G9060-47190 works great at both 120v / 240 volts.



    Rob43
     
    #9 Rob43, Jul 30, 2020
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  10. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Looks like a US car to me although I thought the km/h to mph switch was up on the dash, not by the driver's side knee.
     
    #10 Tideland Prius, Jul 30, 2020
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  11. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    my mph/km/h switch is by the knee, looks exactly like the picture

    i see mpg and average mph in the pic. would that make it a u.s. car? or u/k?

    is iceland 60hz?
     
    #11 bisco, Jul 30, 2020
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  12. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    That is clearly U.S.-style, Type B in the Owner's Manual. A Canadian stalk should have a variety where DRL and OFF are rolled together into a single position, such as Type C. See pages 292-4 of the U.S. Owners Manual, not such what pages of any different Canadian manual.

    2013 Toyota Prius PHV Owners Manual and Warranty - Toyota Owners
    Doesn't a Canadian charging brick need a bilingual label? :LOL: And maybe a CSA approval in place of (or in addition to) UL, though there is a lot of cross-border acceptance.
    That switch is also up on the dash on my non-plug-in model, but the PIP Owner's Manual does show it down there -- page 259:
    Capture.jpg
     
    #12 fuzzy1, Jul 30, 2020
    Last edited: Jul 30, 2020
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  13. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Guess they must’ve changed position. I didn’t even notice when I sat in the PiP.

    Guess now we know it’s a US-spec PiP that he has.
     
    #13 Tideland Prius, Jul 30, 2020
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  14. QuantumFireball

    QuantumFireball Active Member

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    I think the charging timer button is in the location of the speedometer switch on the standard Gen 3. The location shown above is the same on my UK import (just the other side of the car!), and I also can't change any of the trip computer stuff from imperial units (without paying someone a lot to re-flash it).
     
    #14 QuantumFireball, Jul 31, 2020
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  15. errata

    errata New Member

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    Thanks Rob!! Just to clarify, I don't need the adapter, just plug it in as it is? What about fuses? Should I have some minimum amp to be able to charge it?

    This car was definitely imported from North America, so I'd say it's most likely US (not Canadian as I thought earlier).

    Iceland is not on 60Hz, should be 50Hz, at least to my knowledge :D
     
    #15 errata, Jul 31, 2020
  16. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    Your EVSE will "pull" about 12 amps during charging, you of course need more than that for the EVSE to operate properly.



    Rob43


    PS, after your first successful charge at ~230 Volts / 50Hz, post up how fast it charged.
     
    #16 Rob43, Jul 31, 2020
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