Extension cord wire gauge for Prime

I bought a duplex outlet that has 6-20 240 v and 5-20 120 v single outlets in one receptacle. It only requires 12/3 cable and now I have the option to quick or slow charge in one duplex outlet. Tried it with my aftermarket evse, which comes with a 6-20 plug, works as it should, 3.3 kw on 240 v. showing extra on the house smart meter. Can bring the charge from from empty to full in about two hours if the need arises.

 

plugshare.com is a good resource for charging on trips. But, charging on trips is not something to take fore-granted, there are lots of pitfalls. Do you have access to the network? All I have presently is chargepoint, so unless I can find a chargepoint network charger or a charger that is free, I'm out of luck.
Other issues you will find are broken chargers and gassers parked in the EV charging parking spaces.

It's good to get an idea about how to charge at a few locally available chargers, before you venture out along an extended planned route.

 

The one thing that can be annoying on a road trip is forgetting to switch out of EV mode after stopping for a break. At hwy speed it is easy to run out of EV range without noticing and by the time the driver notices there is no electric range left it can be hard to remember where and why.

 

I turned my microwave on along with the coffee maker. Killawatt is on the coffee maker. Each pulls the voltage down about two volts. So it is in my house wiring, and they are on different circuits going to a small sub panel. So Killawatt isn’t doing anything to the voltage. Microwave goes off, voltage goes up to the coffee maker independent of the killawatt

 

This is great information. I need to measure how long I need for my charge at the cottage. I feel the 25 feet plus the Prius cord should work. I am concerned about anything longer causing complications

 

It's also a good idea to double check plugs and outlets for overheat issue when using extensions. I'm not sure why plugs and / or outlest would show signs of heat damage from charging the Prims. but it does happen even with decent 12 gauge extensions and especially when plugging into normal household 120 volt outlets.
Industreal 20 amp outlets work much better than normal 15 amp household outlets, as long as the wiring to that outlet supports the the 20 amp rating. Otherwise the car can put burn marks on the extension plug and that can also propagate to the outlets face too. 12 gauge extension should be good enough even in the heat of summer, but it''s a good idea to keep an eye on how the circuit performs as the climate changes.

 

It's the constant high current draw that heats up and pushes apart those spring tab connectors. Commercial outlets has defined minimal parameters (OSHA/NFPA99) they must meet (ie. Hospital grade plugs and outlets). The cheap home outlets, not so much. Over time the spring tabs loosen up, creating resistance - therefore heat. It's always a good idea to get one of those cheap IR thermometers and shoot them at your outlets and connectors every 6 months to a year. Note: you need to do this while the car is charging, NOT idle. They will get hotter as they are failing. Hopefully when they fail, they open, rather than wield together and start a fire.

I think most of us old timers has seen loose household plugs you wiggle and the light turns on. Or found black or brown char marks around a outlet, on an old kitchen appliance you haven't unplugged in years.

Hope this helps....