Can I use a step up transformer with my Prius plug in?

The component cost between a 120V EVSE and a 240V EVSE for the same amperage is nilch. I think the problem is that they want people to spend some more money on purchasing another "upgrade", just like they want people to purchase other upgrades like a $3000 radio. As I have stated in other places, the EVSE is the automotive industry's $2000 monkey wrench. A 240V/30A cord for a $100K RV costs about $30, but for a $32K PiP it costs $900, or more.

 

The NEC is not law ... any more the the UCC (uniform commercial contracts code) is law regulating all business contracts. Both are guidelines, and both are generally reasonable in their guidelines. States are free to set their own standards ... and off the top of my head, I can't think of any one state that follows NEC to the letter.

NEC were also the characters that would have practically made it impossible (if we followed their recommendations) for portable EVSE's to be certified to 240v in the U.S. and yet, everyone running around the landscape in Europe in a plug-in vehicle practically has a 240v portable EVSE - does that mean all those majority countries whose primary residential power is 240v are operating unsafely? Or does the NEC need to get with the times

 

Only it's not the same amperage. It's 12A at 120V and 16A at 240V (8A per leg). An RV doesn't pull a constant 16A or more for hours and hours at a time. For the PiP, a 240V EVSE is a bit of a waste. But for a Leaf, a Volt or a Tesla, it's an absolute necessity to pull 30A or more constantly for 6 hours or more.

 

I qualified my statement that an EVSE for the same amperage is the same component cost, 120V or 240V. Of course there are EVSE that support higher amperages, some as high as 80Amps, and those would require larger wires and other components versus an EVSE that supports 12Amps.

A North American 240V/12A service is 12A per leg, each leg is 120V.

Btw, a Volt will not pull more than 16A, for about 4 hours. A large RV exceeds that load during the summer with the AC turned on.

If it is safe for an RV user to plug in to a 240V/30A outlet and flip on a switch, why does an EV user have to use a $900 "extension cord" instead ?

 

According to EVSEupgrade.com the Toyota and Leaf EVSE's are the same Panasonic units. If that is indeed the case I just stumbled upon a cheap solution on ebay.
Nissan Leaf EVSE Charger Conversion Handbook | eBay

Im thinking about buying it. Seems too good to be true though.

 

All of the RV AC units I looked up pull around 15A at 120V at startup, and drop to 12A or less when operating. These are decent sized ones that are 13,500 BTU or better. I suppose if you had two of them in your RV and operated them at the same time it would be equivalent to a Volt pulling 16A at 240V.

I'll give you that it doesn't make a lot of sense. Perhaps safety standards have been evolving? Or that they built into the RV the same safety features that the EVSE incorporates? Or that RV plugs/cords don't get the same duty cycle that an EV is expected to see?

 

when you plug in the pip, you're connecting a fairly sophisticated battery charger to power. and the evse is designed to fit all ev's and outlets while protecting from problems. are you doing the same in an rv?

 

I think this is what happens when you give a group of engineers a project without a problem to solve.