Using the Primes 120v Charger at 240 Volts, Cost $20 !!!

A drier or oven would use the neutral since they have 120V circuits in them as well as 240V, so you'll need to run two hots, a ground, and a neutral from the breaker panel to the outlet. The car, when using L2 (240V) does not use a neutral in this hemisphere. (Europe and Africa are different.) So, you don't use the neutral in the adapter.

 

My Chargepoint Home L2 charging station came with a NEMA 6-50 plug (two hot, ground, no neutral), and I had an electrician put in the receptacle. The run from the receptacle to the breaker box is around 3 feet (literally the opposite side of the garage wall). The breaker is 50A. When the house was built about 10 years ago, the builder put in a blank outlet box through the wall right next to the breaker box. I suspect that this was required by some "make ready" code provision for 240V service.

 

The potentially dangerous adapter? That one? The one you need to hide from inspectors and electricians?

Or you could open your dusty old billfold and pull out a few loonies or toonies and buy a proper L2 EVSE and plug it into that outlet and forget about it!
Do you know how cheap a 16A L2 can be had?
Then you could leave the stock EVSE in the back of the car for road trip charging!

 

What do you consider cheap? The cheapest ones I can find around here is $400+. People have said in earlier posts they can get them for $150-$200, but I haven't seen them. I would absolutely pay that for a proper cord. I guess I'll have to brave a border crossing to get the cheap stuff.

 

plenty of them on ebay for less than $150. I got one brand new for $95 free shipping few months ago.

 

Even Amazon has quite a few for $200 US. Of course, Canadien prices will be a little higher, but practically everything in Canada is priced higher.

 

The cost for L2 charging stations depends on how many extras you want (such as WiFi access) and how picky you are about safety certifications (some of the Chinese ones are really dicey, and they don't bother with paying the patent licensing fees for the J1772 plug).

 

I found this on Amazon ($50), read through the Q/A and it works for the Prime.
Search for
"Parkworld 886344 Dryer 10-30 Plug Male to Household 5-15 (Generator 5-20) Receptacle Female Adapter Cord (ONLY Output 250 Volt)". Again, this will fry anything designed only for 120 volts!

 

Never heard this claim before.
I'd like to read about it. Do you have a reference?

 

Again, as stated above, what about 'Safety Certification'? It could more than 'fry'. Think flying parts....
This is clearly not recognized as a safe NEMA adapter. Is it even legal? Who is the intended customer?
A Prime owner that can't cough up another $150 and buy a proper L2 EVSE (that gives you 16A/3.3kW charging)?

Come on, if you can afford a Prime and have an available 240V outlet, you can afford a real, and safe, L2.
cheep, cheep, cheep...

 

Just adding to this thread "
Using the Primes 120v Charger at 240 Volts, Cost $20 !!!"
as I see Rob43 was making these and there seems to be a continued interest. You will likely be surprised by how many Prime owners have a safe setup like this, with the dongle permanently attached to the charger plug (or with a 240 V warning label). Same charger works in the UK @ 240, only with a different plug end. If you read through these 22 pages of thread, you will learn more. Again, a disclaimer, you connect one of these at your own risk.

 

This is the essential step that many people overlook.

 

Long thread!
My 2 cents is that lithium batteries may last longer on a slow charge as well as not a full charge. This is based on iPhone suggestions and their new software for charging. Also letting them go significantly below 20% to zero could be an issue. iPhone says to not reset your battery as in the past suggestions and never let it go dead.
Their new software stops at 80% and then after a rest slowly charges to 100%.

I don't charge mine anymore because of the great MPG. But probably should charge it once a quarter to 80% and drive it.

These views do not reflect the views of management at this TV station

 

It took a while for Apple to catch up with Toyota. The Prime's battery has always been limited to the middle of the charge range. It has never been possible to run it to 0% or charge it to 100%.

 

Really? Toyota is such a leader in the use of Li-ion batteries?
A PHEV keeps a 'buffer' available so it can operate as a Hybrid after operating as an EV. They all do this.
An EV uses as much of the capacity as the manufacturer deems appropriate.

A phone has one lone battery cell. Simple BMS.
An EV/PHEV has a huge multi-cell pack. More complicated BMS.

Charge rates are measured in C/rate, related to the capacity of the cell/pack.
It could be that charging a Prime at 3.3kW is less of a C/rate compared to the C/rate of newer 15W charge capable phones.
I doubt there is a way to measure any 'life' differences between an EV/PHEV charging at 1.2kW vs 3.3kW.

Seems like some new owners might think L1 is better than L2 rates in regards to battery life.
Seems to me using it as an EV is the most important thing, and not burning that smelly stuff.
And you probably can do more EV'ing if you charge at L2 rates.

 

Well, actually, I kind of gave Apple too much credit because they don't let plug it in and walk away w/o it going to 100%. Toyota and other PHEVs (afaik) do allow that and in fact dictate it.

And to keep the battery away from the extreme ends of SOC.

Totally agree!! It would be so small as to be unmeasurable.

100% right!!

I know foor a fact that I do.

 

After four and a half years of owning a Prius Prime and carefully following the many discussions here of battery charging technology, I have concluded that some things are unknown and also unknowable.


Since the dawn of philosophical debate, humans have taken pleasure in seeking answers to these eternal and unanswerable questions of existence itself. The ancient Greeks pondered the static charge produced by rubbing a garment on a piece of amber -- ḗlektron -- and observing this simple phenomenon. And thus humanity began its infinite and enduring pursuit of the true meaning of "state of charge."

 

@Rob43 Do you still make those adapter ?

 

Rob43 isn't active here anymore.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

The 2022 Toyota RAV4 Prime’s Charging Capabilities Make it Subject To Better Charging Methods | Torque News

They just found out what we already know but their solutions look rather expensive.

As was mentioned previously, if you can afford a "RAV4" Prime, you certainly can afford an L2. Amazon recently sold this Schumacher SC1455 on Amazon Prime Day for about $165 (about $212 Canadian).

Maybe wait for Black Friday sale?

It's wired as a NEMA 6-20P for 240V but comes with a NEMA 5-15P Adapter for 120V.