Adjust Maximum Charging Current 2021 Prime

Yes, the car can select between 8 and 12 amps. It's in section 2-2 of my 2017 manual.

 

If you are on a 20A circuit, you may not need to reduce the charge current down to 8A, which will take something like ~8 hours for a full charge. When I had 21 PP, I was always charging it with OEM L1EVSE at default 12A on the 20A circuit that feeds our garage. It was not a dedicated circuit for charging. It was shared with a large freezer in the garage, garage door openers, and lights. I have operated all of the electric appliances plugged into this circuit while charging the PP, but never had the breaker trip. So, ~8A is enough to cover any additional use on the circuit while charging.

I now have a 22 Escape PHEV with a 14.4kWh traction battery. It also charges at max 12A on 120v. I use it to charge overnight (takes >10 hours for a full charge) but have never had the 20A breaker trip.

 

yes, it's called an EVSE:

what-is-evse

 

Maybe a 240V circuit instead of 120V, for faster charging? Provided that the Nissan EVSE can work as an off-label dual-voltage unit (ask around first), as the Toyota Prius / RAV4 Prime EVSEs seem to be. Yes, I have run my factory RAV4 Prime EVSE at 240V multiple times, including all last week at the family farm.

Not that the necessary adapter can possibly comply with any electrical or safety codes, due to the very real risk of uninformed or accidental use of the adapter destroying other appliances. The safe route is to acquire a real L2 EVSE, or an L1/L2 combo unit. At home, I installed a dedicated charging circuit with a wall-mounted EVSE supporting the RAV4's full 7kw rate.

 

Our 2018 Prius PHV (aka Prime in North America, South Korea, and New Zealand) can select 10A (which is actually 8A in reality and not 10A) compared to the 8A in your Settings. Since I have 230V this gives 1.7kW (measured) then I can charge in about 3 hours e.g. usually overnight. Enough for commuting, etc. If you have 110V and 8A (giving about 0.9kW) then that takes about 7 hours to fill the battery (approx.6kWh).

So whether you go to the trouble (and expense) of upgrading is up to you, but what would you really gain? Presumably your Prius sits at home for more than 7 hours overnight, so nothing gained.

After 2 years I still haven't bothered to activate a redundant 32A circuit left over from an earlier oven in the kitchen. Then I could charge in about 90 to 100 minutes at about 3.3kWh i.e. 16A. But since there's still a lot of jobs about the house and a day-job, all with higher priority, then it's still on the To Do list because it won't bring any particular benefit. (Samuel Beckett's Godot might even arrive before I get around to it.)

PS: If you still want a faster charge, I would definitely suggest a 240V circuit, as fuzzy1 suggest in post #6 above. Since the current is about half for the same power output the wiring and equipment may well be cheaper. Actually, in your shoes I'd seriously consider a 240V, 40Amp circuit at probably little extra cost. This would safely cater for 7.7kW for any future EV's you might buy (with the recommended overhead capacity for safety). Additionally, you increase the resale attractiveness of your property in case you move house.

 

I've got mine plugged into a 20A GFCI circuit that goes up to the master bathroom. Last winter, I forgot the car was charging, turned on the heater, and popped both the GFCI and 20A breakers. The electrician that wired my house was smart enough to put the lights on a separate circuit; so I didn't have to grope around in the dark. Reset both and I was back in business....