Prius Prime Plus in my hands

While we what for Bob...

I think most of what is needed for safety and operation is already available from SMA's Sunny Boy inverter line. DC input specs cover the hybrid battery voltage and voltage is voltage whether it's from PV or a battery. Example SUNNY BOY 3.0-US / 3.8-US / 5.0-US / 6.0-US / 7.0-US / 7.7-US

2017 Toyota Prius Prime Options/Specs:  Solar Panels, Fast Charging (regionally), Heat Pump And More
"Despite just a 8.8 kWh battery, Toyota has made available three charging options: L1, L2 and DC fast charging – that is if you live in Japan, where an optional CHAdeMO outlet enables the Prius Prime to get a 80% charging just 20 minutes."

1/3 faster than Charge Mode or Charge Mode takes 50% longer, take your pick.

 

Do we know for sure that Charge Mode takes 30 minutes to 80%. I remember one reviewer mentioned hearing it from Toyota's engineer, other indicates longer time.
Do I miss something?
30 minutes to 80% means a rate of one (EPA) mile per 90 seconds, can one of the owners verify this?

 

Try to get some rest Bob. That can be difficult after a long exciting drive.

 

80% in 20 minutes, so I might be a bit off on that 20 kW figure (I'm working backwards from the battery capacity).

If it's like the Gen 4, I don't think it's reading the signs at all, it's based on the navigation system data. So, if there's no data for Virginia speed limits...

 

Yes, full charge is about 6.3 kWh from the wall (by EPA) so 80% full is about 5 kWh and in 20 minutes it is 15 kW actual draw which may require 20 kW rating.

 

Yeah, it may well reach 20 kW (or even more) peak, even if the average is 15 kW.

 

However let me suggest another way of calculation, since it is DC and probably bypassing parts of the charger:
6.3 kWh from the wall with AC means about 5.5-5.7 kWh into the battery for full charge, 80% of this is about 4.4-4.6 kWh and in 20 minutes this means 13.2-13.8 kW into the battery.
I do not know the losses with DC charging and of course, as you said, peak power may be higher than average.

 

Congrats on the new car! And thanks for the writeup. 1,000 miles in < 24 hours is a nice drive home. You ought to try it on a motorcycle. It's easier to stand up and stretch without stopping. LOL!

Seriously, though, I'm looking forward to your future evaluations, Bob. Thanks for sharing.

 

Welcome home

I think prior gen Prii could manage about 70 mpg at 50 mph, so your result matches up pretty well with the EPA reported ~ 10% improvement in car MPG.

 

sounds about right. i have read owners here acknowledging it, and i got 2 miles in about 3 minutes of highway driving. big drag on the car when you reds charge mode though, felt like someone threw an anchor out the window.

 

I tried charge mode twice and couldn't tell it from Ev or Hv from a driving responsiveness point of view. Just the sound of higher RPM. I suspect you were being fooled by the sound into thinking it was actually behaving differently.

 

You have a plug-in Prius? Bisco & Bob are talking about the PiP & Prime. I do not think the liftback has charge mode.

 

No, I test drove a Prime twice and both times I used Charge mode for a portion of the trip.

 

not toyota's strong point.

 

If charge mode charges from 0 EV to 80% full in about 30 minutes that is 9+ kW charging.
As I understand, @bisco switched to Charge Mode when cruising @ 55 MPH in HV mode, the power demand was very low (12-15 kW?), so adding 9 kW demand must be felt as bisco reported.

 

No, you don't have to feel it at all - the engine automatically throttles up when you put it in charge mode, and it can certainly maintain the same throttle-torque curve regardless. If you get to the point where you are nearing maximum engine output while in charge mode, it should just slow or stop the charging.

This isn't a 70s car with a cable between the accelerator pedal and the carburetor. The control system should be able to give you the torque requested no matter what.

I switched from charge mode to Ev mode at 65mph and didn't feel anything but the engine shut off. I switched back to Hv and then back to charge and, again, didn't feel anything other than a change in engine RPM.