Level 1 and level 2 charging

i like it because i can need a charge to go somewhere at a moments notice. i leave the battery around half full, so it's only a few minutes to 80% or 45 minutes to 100%.
plus, i'm in and out all day long, constantly topping up the battery. the quicker the better.

that said, if all i ever did was drive every morning after an overnight charge, i'd stick with level one as well.

 

$500.

That's how much my electricity provider cut a check for with each EVSE line we setup for time-of-use discount.

We redeemed that offer twice and have been enjoying the discount ever since.

 

The OEM "brick" is perfectly happy at 240v. I believe its internal electronics are the same as the unit provided with a different plug when sold with the Prime in other countries where 240v is the standard.

The device -- technically an "EVSE" -- connects the power line directly to the Prime's internal charger through an actual switch (relay) which is activated by a magnetic coil. Like any mechanical switch, it is either on or off, depending upon what the control electronics sense. (For example, is the charging cable plugged into the Prime and is the Prime asking to be charged.)

So, when the Prime is charging, the EVSE is strictly a pass-through device. The Prime will draw about 12-amps of current regardless of whether the EVSE is delivering 120v or 240v. That is because the electronics inside the OEM "brick" tells the Prime that it can deliver 12 amps and the Prime's charging circuit responds accordingly.

Because power in watts is the product of the voltage multiplied by the current, doubling the voltage from 120v to 240v will deliver twice as many watts of power -- and twice as many kilowatt-hours of energy in the same amount of time. But the "brick" is not doing any thing more than acting like a doorman and holding the door open for whatever voltage is being delivered from the outlet.

 

I use level 2 at home, and carry the level 1 in the car for those few times that I want to use it.

My TOU rates are only low from midnight to 3 PM, so I'm set up to charge any time that it's in the driveway during those hours. I don't like the idea of feeling constrained when I want to take a longer ride, like the quick ride over the hill to the town 12 miles away.

 

I've had mine about 15 months and run local 100% on EV. I have fo force myself to use the ICE in order to use up the gas and refresh it. There are times when I have had to drive 1-10 miles with the ICE running but I don't see the obsession with avoiding using the ICE. I already had mine in for service and an oil change and it seems a little wasteful given the number of ICE miles, other than about 500 when I needed to drain the original full tank is probably less than 50 miles/month, if that. I usually put 3 gallons in when I "fill up" and that 3 gallons last for the 3 months before I force myself to use it up and add 3 more gallons of fresh gas. Those 3 gallons are often challenging to use.

I only have level 1 at home and don't see any need to get a level 2 circuit installed right now.

 

time to trade for model 3

 

I often have places to go after work. Yesterday was an example. I charged up at work, so I was about 77% when I got home. I plugged in my L2 EVSE, which supplies almost 16A rather than the OEM EVSE on 240. By the time we left, it was full again. On L1 it would not have been close to full and I wanted all the charge I could get since where we were going is 22 miles away with no charging at the destination. In total, the car went almost 70 miles yesterday and all but the last 12 miles was EV.

There is a member here, though, who says that he gets 16A from his OEM EVSE at 240V which surprised me. But he charges from empty to full in 1:50 and not the 2:30 or so you'd expect the 12A at 240v.

 

At 245 volts, my charging is faster than most...

 

Where is the screenshot in your post taken from?
And you can really use the cable Toyota provided with my Prime with a 240V connection (using of course an adapter from the 240V to the 110V on the cable assembly)?

 

That was taken from the app for my JuiceBox Pro. Being able to check on charging activity & history is great.

And yes, you can use the cable Toyota provided. Maximum draw is limited to 12-amps though. 12A * 240V = 2.9 kW

 

But then....why do they simply not write Input: 110V to 240V and Output: 110V to 240V. The fact that the plug goes only inside a 110V socket solves the problem for 90% of users. Those of us out here who want to use the 240V plug, can use it instead of wasting time asking around when the CCID can manage without issue the extra voltage and amps (which the car limits, BTW).
I don't understand Toyota...

 

You got 90% of the answer. It works as they planned. The other 10% is likely to be the idea that Toyota might have wanted to have the option of selling a level 2 ESVE. Of course there's also the complication of making an ESVE that has a switchable cord that works with 110 and 240 volt power outlets.

 

In Europe, they provide a detachable cord that that has the appropriate national (240V) plug, of which there are several. Why couldn't they do the same in North America, and provide plugs either for our 120V outlets or various 240V plugs? There is no difference in the EVSE itself; the circuits in it handle either voltage just fine, just like cell phone and laptop chargers and the like.

 

There is a profound difference between providing adapters for national 240V plug variations and providing plug adapters for 110 and 240 on the same wire. It's easy to safely provide adapters when all one is doing is mapping pins to pins. It's not quite so easy when mapping the pins and voltages too.

One of the features that the Toyota model offers is a heat detector in the plug to detect when you are overheating the outlet. I'm not sure what complexity that adds

 

I think when Toyota will (finally!) sell a BEV in the USA, the "problem" will be solved. Because it makes sense to charge a BEV at home only on a 240V plug.
I think Toyota gave a 110V plug, and wrote 110V input/output for simplicity and maybe compliance to some federal law.
But I would have made a different choice...

 

I just discovered that the JuiceBox is sold by Enel X and Enel is the once state-owned Italian electric provider. I am shocked to see they actually are operating in the USA as well and offer such innovative products.
Any reason why you got this charger and not another one, say, from ClipperCreek?

 

Rewind to 5 years ago. The maker of JuiceBox was heavily advertising their improved design. It was the upgrade they were prepping for UL certification. That's what I purchased for my wife and I. Later when certification was achieved, another upgrade was rolled out and the manufacturing/product ownership was sold to Enel. My purchase was from the startup company.

 

I agree entirely. The same is true of desk-top PCs and other electronic devices which use interchangeable cords. See Worldwide Plug Type Product Selector Guide | Country Specific Powerstrips, Power Plugs, Power Outlets, Power Plug Adapters, Power Cords and Cables | International Configurations, Inc. for one supplier's range of cord configurations.


I am not sure whether Toyota's implementation of their international localized cords includes thermal protection or whether that is a feature implemented because of requirements to gain approval of the Underwriters' Lab in the U.S.

Even if it is necessary for the U.S. version of the Prime's charging cable, the engineering would not seem to be overly daunting.