Standard Prius Prime Charger (G9060-47130) supporting 240V

I just bought it over the weekend so I can't do an in depth review. 2 new plug-ins in a month, there goes my early retirement. I can definitely say Toyota implements the EV portion much better than Chrysler. You can't save your charge with the PacHy.

 

Congratulations!!
Are the wires from the breaker to the receptacle heavy enough for 20A? You'll want #12 wire for that. Normally they use #14 for 15A circuits.

If the 15A breaker is tripping, it's probably something else on the same circuit that's doing it. A dedicated 15A outlet should work for the L1 charger. L2 is much quicker, but you have to factor in the expense of the new EVSE or charging station and possibly a new 240V circuit.

 

Day 2 want a 240 Volt charging ability . . . looks like an outlet for a 240 V plug and an adapter cord w/ 240 plug on one and and 120 receptacle on the other so the factory supplied charge cable can plug in is all I need and that cable "knows" the voltage? Luckily I have a breaker box nearby to my parking space and can plug into a 120 V dedicated receptacle that connects directly to a 20 A breaker. Works fine just brutally slow.
103 miles so far and only about 1 minute of gas engine running when I touched some controls and it unexpected started.
Talking to Toyota direct was frustrating. Sales people here . . . forget them.

So I don't need to buy a new cable?

such as:

Leviton A2034-PEV 30-Amp Level 2 Electric Vehicle Charge Connector with 20-Feet Cord

This Prime "newbie" appreciates any help.

John . . . 800 K hybrid miles . . . 103 plug in miles

 

This thread was about using your TOYOTA OEM L1 EVSE rated for 120V as L2 EVSE on 240V receptacle all at your own risk. Do you have 240V plug available to you?

 

I will have a 240 V dedicated circuit with a new outlet installed.

 

If you have 240V receptacle, you can follow direction in this thread and try using OEM L1 EVSE at your own risk, or you can purchase one of aftermarket L2 EVSE.That's up to you.

EDIT: I just realized what you have mentioned in your previous comment, "Leviton A2034-PEV 30-Amp Level 2 Electric Vehicle Charge Connector with 20-Feet Cord" 30 Amp J1772 Level 2 Electric Vehicle Charge Connector with 20 Ft. – Leviton is not full EVSE. It is just charge cord. You will still need L2 EVSE part to be able to charge PRIME. You can find cheaper 16amp L2 EVSE on e-bay or Amazon.

 

As discussed previously here in PriusChat, that kind of an adapter cable is dangerous because it can be used mistakenly by someone who sees a 120-volt receptacle and does not know it is wired to supply 240-volts.

Cables don't "know" anything. It's the charging circuit inside your Prime which deals with different voltages.

The device outside your Prime is an EVSE -- electric vehicle service equipment -- and performs functions like signalling to your Prime what current it can deliver, and detecting when its cable is plugged into your Prime so that it can keep the power to the cable safely turned off at all other times.

The Leviton A2034-PEV is a replacement cable for use with an EVSE. It's not an EVSE. It is a replacement part for an EVSE with a worn out or damaged flexible cable and J1772 connector plug.

You just spent aroud 30-thousand dollars to buy your Prime. If you want to charge your Prime more quickly than with the 120-volt EVSE which came with the car, you should be willing to scrape up a few hundred bucks to acquire and install an appropriate 240-volt L2 EVSE.

 

Thanks for all the help. I have already called my electrician and am just waiting for a call back for an appointment to upgrade to 240 V charging!

Oh and this morning the energy screen should 28.3 potential EV miles after charging. I guess it is predicting higher than the 24.5 displayed after my first charge because of mostly lower speed driving limited braking and 17 years of hybrid driving experience. I wonder how high others have seen after a charge?

 

There are many thread on that topic. Typically most people get 30-35 miles range during warm season. There are some who have reported above 40 miles. In winter, the range decreases. I get high 30s in summer and low 20s in winter.

 

Thanks! Just what I love, a contest! Here's hoping for 40 some day!

 

Please report yours on this thread. How much electric distance are the Primes getting? | PriusChat
Enjoy EV drive!

 

If you like "contests," you should own the Prime Advanced model which interacts with an Entune "ECO Dashboard" challenge where an on-screen graphic on your cellphone changes based upon your driving skills, fuel economy, EV usage, etc. It also provides rankings of the top 100 Prime vehicles based upon ECO driving and fuel efficiency scores.

I have the honor of having inadvertently started one of the longest discussion threads on PriusChat when I first asked about this not-well-documented feature.

It's a lot of fun and ideal for anyone with obsessive-compulsive tendencies.

See the thread beginning here: We like sheep... on the ECO Dashboard | PriusChat

 

Some of us get a little carried away trying to get that extra 0.1 mile on a charge. As mentioned, seasons make probably the largest difference. Air conditioning cooling seems to use just a little electricity and I run the A/C cooling anytime it’s hot. The Prime seems to have an efficient heat pump, and as long as it’s not *artic* cold, doesn’t subtract much range for me. This is a big improvement over my previous EV, the Fiat 500e. The 500e used a pure electric resistance heater (think your kitchen toaster) that sucked down the amps/volts.

I drive an extra mile on my commute to avoid freeways that sucks a little more battery than staying on slower urban streets. I might also avoid routes that require climbing hills, but take the hilly route downhill! That’s taking things to the extreme!

Have fun!

 

I've noticed that the A/C in cooling mode has a minimal effect on range, but when run as a heat-pump, the energy used is much greater -- even in non-arctic cold weather.

Consider that when it's 90-degrees out and you want your cabin temperature to be 75-degrees, you're only dealing with a 15-degree differential. On the other hand, in winter when it's 30-degrees out and you want your cabin temperature to be a modest 60-degrees, the system is dealing with a 30-degree differential.

Of course, the heated seats mitigate the problem and are a big assist to creature comfort!

I was very careful last winter to use minimal heat. I discovered that turning on the climate system and adjusting the fan speed upward would clear a fogged windshield under many circumstances. (Turning on the "defroster" immediately starts the internal combustion engine which is programmed run for a while so that it can warm up for purposes of the exhaust system's pollution controls).

Even so, if faced with the decision of using a few pints of gasoline or trying to drive with obscured visibility because a fogged windshield, I'd recommend burning the gasoline. The Prime's collision avoidance sensors are good, but not that good.

 

So I realized my Dryer Outlet is also right next to the 120 volt outlet that I use to charge now. So this unit says for Nissan Leaf: 3XFASTER CHARGE Level-2 EVSE Upgraded 220 240 Volt Nissan Leaf EV Charger 30Feet | eBay It has a 30' cord and could reach 2 parking spaces from my panel. That way 2 different cars could be parked and charged just not at the same time. I would not even need to pay an electrician to run a new line. Is this what I need?

 

I think that's a little too much for a slow level 2 EVSE. You can get something similar for $220 made by Clipper Creek called an AmazingE. Or if you want to save money and risking someone plugging something into the wrong outlet, you can do what people did in this thread. Costs about $25 to make an adapter that will enable your supplied Toyota EVSE to operate at 240V.

 

Found an adapter on Ebay not cheap though: $58.99
220-240 Volt to 110-120Volt Converter Dryer plug NEMA 10-50 to 5-15 Plug ADAPTER | eBay
This is the configuration of my dryer outlet. Then what about camping? Spend time @ Florida state Parks in winter yet never paid attention to the 240V outlets.

Do I need to load up on adapters for travel?

 

I wouldn't touch that adapter with a 10 foot pole. They say it "converts" from 240v to 120v?

That would mean only one hot leg of the dryer outlet is hooked to the 120v side of the NEMA5-15 outlet.

If they're just advertising it wrong and all of the wires are connected, effectively making a smaller 240v plug, this *Would* work, but you can build the same thing yourself for about $9.

This is really dangerous of them to advertise though. It can damage a lot of stuff in the wrong hands. (But a Prime charger is fine plugging into 240V)

 

Whoa, I know it's been months since this post, but you can't just put a bigger breaker on a circuit not designed for it. There is no reason a Prius can't charge on Level 1 with a 15 amp breaker.

Do you know if the wiring to your receptacle is the correct gauge for 20 amps? This is extremely dangerous - your breaker is tripping for a reason! This is how wires melt and fires start.

 

I agree with @burnout8488. It looks like it'll work for your purposes, but that seller is going to get sued by someone who doesn't know what they're doing when they use it to power their electric drill or other 120V only device with a dryer outlet.

Edit after more careful reading:
I see. Apparently it's one hot leg and the neutral with no ground connection. That would make it an ungrounded 120V plug that looks like it's grounded. In which case it would not charge the car any faster, as was already mentioned, nor would it have a safety ground.