Hi everybody, I just joined this forum after upgrading my Prius 2007 to Prius Prime recently! I spent few days on studying the home EV charger options and I can't seem to find one. I hope someone can help. I live in a condo where the parking is in the "basement". Although it is a gated but all owners in the community can access. There're few options I come up with. 1. Hire an electrician to install a regular 110 outlet and charge it by using the Prime charger. This is the most cost effective option but it doesn't qualify tax deduction and it's not future proof. 2. Hire an electrician to install a NEMA 6-50 outlet that can later upgrade with a JuiceBox or Chargpoint Flex. This is by far the best option. It may not qualify for tax deduction but it's future proof. The issue is how do I charge a Prius Prime with a cable that only goes into a regular 110 outlet? I read a recent thread below and I don't think I should or want to modify any cable at least per Prime's user manual. Using the Primes 120v Charger at 240 Volts, Cost $20 !!! 3. Hire an electrician to install a plug in Level 2 charger. This qualifies tax deduction but the basement does not have WIFI signal which basically eliminates the top 2 choices of the most popular level 2 chargers. In addition, since it's a common area, there's no way to prevent one stealing the power. (vs. option 1 & 2, you can simply buy an outlet lockbox.) What would be the solution? Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!
FIRST you need to check the condo rules. It is possible that NONE of those options are available to you. OH......and your situation is not unique by any means. There have been several similar discussions on here before.
HOA is ok with all three options. Majority of the resident owned Tesla. They do an outlet with secured lock without level 2 charger. Few of them did level 2 and it seems like anybody in the community can just use it. Not saying it happened but it would.
i'm not even sure what the question is put in a level 2 evse, installed in a locking nema box, get the rebate. you don't have wifi, why fret over it, get the 3rd choice, we don't live in a perfect world. plenty of us have made due with the cheapest option available. in the end, the car gets charged. personally, i'd go the $20. route
There is NO $20 route. It will cost more than that just to have a licensed electrician stop by and LOOK at the situation.
1. You need to start with your condos' CC&Rs to see if you can make these modifications in a 'public space'. 2. Where are you going to 'tap' the power from; The condo's general grid or are you making a run all the way back to your condos' electrical panel. If your going all the way back to your personnel panel; don't waste money pulling only 110; go 220 w/50 amp breaker & lock-box. It's only one extra wire; assuming your panel is setup and rated to handle the extra 50 amp load; if not - It's going to get very expensive very quickly. Toyota's charging system maxes-out at 12-16 amps; but you wanted it future-proof. 3. Ideally; you should get the condo association to install and take advantage of the tax credits. Set it up as a semi-private / public charging station; Depending on usage, the condo association may even be able to pull a small profit out of it. Win - Win all the way around. I plugged into my NEMA 10-30 dryer outlet and replaced the 30 amp breakers with 20 amp breakers; a bit over-kill - but it's cheap insurance vs burning down my house. That safety brick, near your AC electrical plugin is suppose to take care of this, but you never know with a 25 foot cord. Better safe, than homeless.
Thanks BiomedO1! This is very helpful. It will run all the way back to my condo's panel and I do plan to go 220. Do you just plug the cable that came with directly into the 10-30 dyer outlet? And if I do a 220 dryer outlet, can I use it later for a Level 2 charger?
I would recommend a 14-50 over a 6-50 recepticle. They are much more common at RV parks if you ever take a road trip. PlugShare - Find Electric Vehicle Charging Locations Near You Best of luck!
I go through an 12 inch, 12 gauge wire adapter cable; so no you can't plug directly in. This was also part of the reason I downgraded the circuit breakers. 12 gauge wire handles up to 25 amps. When the electrician runs the line, he'll be using 8 or 6 gauge wire and installing a NEMA 14-50R. This is equivalent to running wire for a hot tub install. He can't install a NEMA 10-30; because the electrical codes has be updated. All new installs must have both a ground and return/neutral. If the electrician you hire doesn't know this, find someone else!! If your plugging in your OEM Toyota charger; have the electrician make you an adapter cable (14-50P to 5-20R). He/she may bulk at doing this, because of liability reasons. You can find these cables online, since the electrician is there - it doesn't hurt to ask. If your going to buy a cheap level 2 charger, similar to the OEM Toyota - the most common connector is a 14-50P to 6-20R adapter plug. I'm talking about a less than $150 level 2 charger. That's my preference, since it's going to be in a semi-public area. It's simple lost prevention; someone may be tempted to walk-away with a $1000 level 2 charger. We lost two Chevy volt chargers within a month at work. Purchased a cheap level 2 and a level 1 for the trunk - they've been in our parking garage for several years now. Most of the time I use the Volt, it's unlocked, and the level 1 charger in the trunk is clearly visible. If it's shiny and expensive; there's a good chance that it'll disappear.
Got it. Appreciated your help BiomedO1! One last question. In the Toyota Prius Prime owner manual, Charging chapter, it states that "do not connect a converting adaptor or extension cord...". This is the main reason I was hesitant to go with option 2. I do however saw the following thread and it appears people do use adaptor. Any concern on that at all? Thanks! Using the Primes 120v Charger at 240 Volts, Cost $20 !!!
Toyota corporate lawyers, actually doing their job. Seriously; it's to prevent dumb, lazy people from doing stupid things - of course they wouldn't read the manual either. Can you imagine someone going to home depot and thinking that the extension cord is too expensive; because they can go to dollar tree and buy 5 to 10 of those 3-foot extension cords and string them together - so they can plug-in their $30K car. Those people are out there, and I've ran into a lot of people like that. Re: OEM Toyota charger plugging into a 110 AC outlet. You should be able to safely use a 25 foot "commercial grade" 12 AWG extension cord. Make sure it's a commercial grade cord; like one of those big fat yellow extension cords you see on construction sites. The cord should say that it can handle 20 amps. On 110AC, the prime will pull 8 - 10 amps and take 4+ hours to recharge from empty. The commercial grade insulation will be able to handle the rigors of being in a parking garage. While you can step-on and roll-over these cords; you should still keep them out of harm's way - because they will eventually wear through. I don't recommend extension cords for 220 AC, because it's too dangerous - IMHO. My setup is 24 inches from outlet to OEM Toyota cut-off safety brick. By contrast, Home Depot sells replacement 10-30 dryer cables that are 6 feet long. I was going to use it for my adapter cable; but ruled it out because of the thin insulation and the length was a safety concern. I ended up using the same cable specifications I'm recommending above. Keep the adapter cables short; no more than 18 inches - using solid copper strand 12 AWG wire minimum. These specifications are for Toyota Plug-in ONLY, that draw less than 16 amps.
I don't know the specifics of your parking area, but you can install a Level 2 EVSE with a lock-out switch adjacent to it. You can get inexpensive disconnect switches such as those used for HVAC equipment or just get a two-pole toggle switch with an appropriate current rating and have your electrician install a locking switch cover: If you want to use a portable EVSE, you can just install a 220v outlet with a locking cover such as that suggested by JimboPalmer in post #12 above. Just make sure that your Prime is set to lock the charging connector so that nobody can easily walk away with your portable EVSE. (I believe most Prime models allow you the choice of not locking the J1772 connector in place, locking it in place until you unlock your car, or locking it in place until you're fully charged -- the last being a courtesy to let someone else use a public charging station once your Prime is finished charging.)
With all due respect, but this is a little crazy... How can someone put locksmith to secure a plastic cover? I mean, what are you afraid for? If a bad guy would come to press the switch, do you think he will try to cut the lock? when he can easily cut the plastic bar securing the switch...
