Gen 5 Prius Prime will charge almost twice slower than Gen 4 Prius Prime

Was there anything else to say about the onboard charger and charge rate? That topic derailed when some snark was given more attention than warranted.

Thought of moving here, 2022 Prius vs. 2023 Prius price comparison | PriusChat but that would involve lots of quoting for new readers going to that thread.

Li-ion costs that low come about with a huge investment in the supply(Tesla), or there is a deal to buy other components from the battery cell supplier(Bolt). Neither of those apply to Toyota. Li-ion costs have also increased some with the increased demand with EVs, in addition to the inflation factor.

The Rav4 Prime SE is $9000 more than the hybrid SE. 5kWH of battery, a faster charger, and more powerful front motor aren't going to add up to $6000.

 

There is maybe one or two features the Rav4 Prime SE has that the hybrid SE does not.

Toyota not selling EV's won't hurt adoption. It hasn't hurt yet.

 

Toyota split the difference on our pricing estimates. You were $1900 low(on the SE), I was $2000 high(across the board). Kirk Kriefels was way high.

 

Conversely...

At 133 MPGe plug-to-wheels, and 3.3 kW, the Gen 4 charges at 13.0 MPH.

At 127 MPGe plug-to-wheels, and 3.5 kW, the Gen 5 SE charges at 13.2 MPH - faster, not slower. (However, the XSE and XSE Premium charge at 11.8 MPH, slower.)

 

I'm late to the game here, but only received my 2024 in January. We have learned our house's electrical system was flawed and charging to Primes on one circuit...is a bad thing.

So we're upgrading the house's circuitry. BUT....my owners' manual says the max input is 8A, while yours says max is 16A. What's a girl to believe? (Why does it matter? Because I need to know whether I'm installing a 220v 20a system, or need something larger to charge two cars on a single circuit.)

 

i have no context, but i suspect that page is for the adjustable 8 or 12amp 120v charging, which they offer because some 120v circuits won't handle 12 amps, or there may be other appliances on the circuit being used at the same time.
you should be able to change that setting in your car.
as for 240v (220v is a misnomer) the electrician will need to know the maximum charging rate of each car, which should be in the specs. it will definitely need more than a 20 amp breaker and related wire size.

 

Afraid you are reading that table wrong. It is listing the default setting for a feature, and what the owner can change it too.

For charging current, the default is the max the car will take, which depends on what outlet type the car is plugged into. Level 1 charging uses a standard outlet. Those are rated for 15 amps, but the code limits continuous draw to 20% less than the rating. So the Prime will charge at 12amps when using that outlet. Level 2 is anything that supplies more current than what a standard outlet can provide. Then the max is limited by the charger in the car, which is 16amps in this case.

You can change to charging current setting from max to 8 amps in one of the menus. Charging will be slower, but if the circuit is used for other things or of questionable repair, using a lower amperage can avoid tripping the breaker or other issues.

For a circuit, you add up the amps everything going on it can draw, and then install one of at least that at least supplies the additional 20% safety buffer. For two Prius Primes at the same time, that will be a 40 amp circuit.

 

Mostly true, however 120V outlets are commonly rated for either 15A or 20A. You can identify 20A outlets by the small horizontal tab on one of the prongs (NEMA 5-20), and they'll have thicker wiring. There will be several in your home, and almost always some in the kitchen. The car has no way of detecting 15A or 20A, and it will not charge at 16A unless it's on a 240V circuit. Level 1 will always be at 120V. Level 2 is not "anything that supplies more current", it's defined as 240V charging, which will always carry more Watts than a 120V outlet. Unfortunately the charger won't take full advantage of 20A/120V outlets, although Tesla home chargers are able to take advantage of them.

 

Your attached document stated that default is MAX, which is 12A-16A nominal draw per car. I'm assuming both are Prius PHEV.

If your having a licensed electrician rewire this properly, It would be cost effective to wire two separate circuits - one for each car @ 25A each. That way if you pop a circuit breaker only one car will go without a charge. Just MHO. If your other car isn't a Toyota product, I would do one circuit as high amperage as I can cost effectively get, for future BV only cars that can draw a lot more power. You'll be limited by the amount of amps your current panel is designed to safety draw. If you have to replace your current electrical panel, the job cost would escalate exponentially.

Hope this helps....

 

I understand new home construction can have the 20 amp outlets, but I've only seen those for over range microwaves in a house. So I use standard for the most common outlet used in the US. If an appliance doesn't have a 120V 20amp plug, I would not expect it to pull higher than 15 amps. Different plug shapes are a basic safety feature to prevent over drawing a circuit.

 

Getting a kill o watt meter is useful to check for voltage drop on your wall ~120 volt outlets. I found some that drop 17 volts under the 12 amp load. Could mean defective wiring. Charging time will be more. None are exactly 120 volts all the time with no load I find. So none are going to be exactly 240 either.

 

I'm in a newer house and don't have any 5-20 outlets. My kitchen outlets goes back to 20A & 25A breakers through a chained GFCI on each circuit. Ditto with my bathroom outlets.
The only place I've routinely seen 5-20 outlets is in a commercial setting.

 

Usually a loose wire in the circuit chain, so bad outlet clip or loose screw. That outlet will usually be slightly warm - Yay for IR temperature guns.

Just a reminder for those of us that use extension cords on our charge cables to check them periodically for heat buildup.... ie. poor or worn-out contacts.

Be safe...

 

My home ones are reasonably ok, just the ones I find elsewhere. Still nothing stays or is at exactly 120 volts. My house smart meter shows the incoming voltage, and it varies. That’s my reference point for home.
A person can put in 20 amp outlets to replace the incorrect builder ones on 20 amp circuits, especially in a kitchen. Put in by electrician or if the person is well versed on the details.