Where would you like to see a plug to charge a Prius?

I hate the retractable cord idea. When it stops retracting (like on the vacuum cleaners) you drive around with a cord hanging out of your car (and people laugh at you.) Store a short cord under the cargo area in the storage area if you have to for when you're on a trip. Other than that, it's in your garage. People without garages are stuck with charging stations at work and malls.

I like the idea of an "electric" fuel door opposite side from the current gas door. That's also the side where teh 12v battery is.

I like the idea of the lapple magnetic connection but question if it can be done big enough and powerfully enough and if charging time would be increased.

While behind the license plate sounds good, I don't want to end up with a change in design where the rear tail section with the license plate is fixed and only the spoiler and window are a hatch. I had that in my old Nissan 200SX and it sucked to lift everything up over the tail.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Aug 17 2006, 10:14 PM) [snapback]305033[/snapback]</div>

Good idea - electric "fuel" door on the opposite side works well for the rear connection - I would not want is in the rear hatch - or have the rear hatch redesigned either.

Maybe just the front port could be behind the front tag assembly so the design stays nice and streamlined.

Magnetic induction energy transfer is very neat but also very ineffecient - I don't want to wast energy trrying to charge a car so I can supposedly save energy.

 

Although the bumpers appear to be in bad favor with some of the respondees, I think a matching circle on the passenger side of the front bumper (to match the cover of our towing point) would be a good place. One member wanted it to look cool: I say, have the little circle be gold-plated like some people do on their fuel doors.

So many good points, though (hard to bend over for older people, retractable cords that stop retracting, etc), it's hard to decide where would be good for all. I'd hate a whole bunch of little doors all over my car to accomodate charging from every direction. Maybe order it with the "inlet" where we want it (kind of like those wrap-around couches -- does the customer want the chaise lounge on the left hand side or the right hand side of the U-shaped sectional)?

A concern about the inductive charging plate; wouldn't that interfere with those who have pacemakers and such? And, wouldn't there have to be some really strong current to reach up to the vehicle and charge it in a reasonable amount of time (say, 4 hours for a full charge) with the non-conductive tires as the only contact points to the plate? ((I'm completely ignorant of inductive charging--my severely handicapped assumption is that this is a proximity-based charging plate...forgive me if my comment appears to make no sense))

Or, how about a system that runs rather like bumper cars and electric trains: have something drop down to make contact with the plate, thereby completing the circuit and starting the current flowing when the car shuts off, which then retracts (think airplane landing gear) when the car is started...

Still though, the plate wouldn't work for those of us who rent.

Hmmmm. Have to think on this a little more...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Aug 17 2006, 07:14 PM) [snapback]305033[/snapback]</div>

If I had to drag around an extension cord in the trunk of my future plug-in Prius, I'd be pissed.
What if your “short cord” just isn't long enough. :angry:
And if you forgot to bring your extension cord . . . you would have to go hunt one down.
What a pain in the nice person! :angry: :angry: :angry:

If you are on a trip, you undoubtably have other stuff in the trunk. Who wants to go digging around for an extension cord . . . which would most logically be in the lower trunk area as you wouldn't want to get your carpeted trunk area dirty with a grimy, sometimes wet, extension cord.

A cord hidden behind a tail light would be out of sight when not in use, and if retractable, very simple an clean to use. If you don't want to extend and retract the cord . . . fine . . . bring your extension cord and plug it in behind the brake light.

You people are imagining a rickety ol' clickity retractor . . . remember, this is TOYOTA we are talking about.
Undoubtedly the thing would be easy to operate, smooth, quiet, and never fail. And, as a failsafe, there would probably be a way to manually crank the cord back in, or a port to manually feed the cord into the cargo area so you aren't stuck dragging a cord behind the car. The retractor would probably be near the spare tire and have a conduit tube running to the area behind the brake light.

Anything else would not be as easy or clean.


http://www.sportruck.com/events/springcaljam98/6.htm

 

Why a retractable cord in the car at all? Did the EV have one. How long do you want this cord to be? 10 ft, 25 ft, 50 ft?

I'm trust Toyota. They've done pretty well so far.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sufferin' Prius Envy @ Aug 18 2006, 05:57 AM) [snapback]305221[/snapback]</div>

I don't like a power port hidden behind a light - again because of moving wires (to the light in this case).

I also really don't like the idea of a retractable cord, regardless of who made it. Yes I trust Toyota, but if Toyota includes a retractible cord in a future model - the first Mod I will do is to remove the retractible cord, and post pictures so others can do it too.

 

I would install a 30 or 50Amp Marinco recepticle in the lower (black) front grill, adjacent to the fog light.
The ones that can't bend to connect the power line to the charger, can have some body else to do it for them, after expending $25k ( starting price ) and above to have this modification, shouldnt be any argument about that.
An for the ones with out a garage, how can you afford this investment with out a mansion for your Prius?

 

I think the best solution would be a plug-outlet symetrical to the fuel - one which is not on the left, but on the right hand side of the vehicle. When closed it should not be discernible which is which.

It would be nice if both could be opened via possesing the SKS key, but just a latch near the floor like for the fuel door would be OK. There should be no retractable cords - just a standard 110V AC outlet - both male and female with ground. So that one can both charge it and use it to power an external radio or something (possibly using the car engine to power the outlet if need be). Basically converting the Prius into a self-powered comfortable rechargable battery/generator. Include a power cable with the car (keep it inside near the spare tire, an emergency provision), but at home/work/malls use the already provided retractable cabling.

Obviously the car should still drive on gasoline, if it starts running low on battery, however the no-gasoline burnt range should be some 50 miles at 50mph (reasonable minimum, probably not possible with the current HSD design anyway). Ideally you would probably still want to use the gas engine for rapid acceleration (merging onto a freeway), but allow the battery to maintain a cruising speed of up to 55mph even when going (very) slightly uphill.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hyo silver @ Aug 13 2006, 10:36 AM) [snapback]302588[/snapback]</div>

Please note that there is NO need to have two "plugs" like this on a car with serious battery capacity. The same "plug" can go both ways if designed properly. AC Propulsions has incorporated this into their latest offerings for EVs. Called Vehicle to Grid (or V2G) it allows your car to be charged, or used as a generator to power your house, depending on the need. Imagine an instantaneous generator always plugged in and ready to take over the power requirements of your house as long as the car is parked in the garage.

Oooh, but I digress from this interesting thread!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Davide Andrea @ Sep 17 2006, 08:50 AM) [snapback]320830[/snapback]</div>

A pretty slick solution! Do you then make a custom licence plate light lens to fit the plug? One concern with this orientation is how easy it would be to accidentally unplug it with a step, or yank, or even a heavy cord.

Another concern is getting the power from there into the battery pack. It now has to first go up and through the hinge area, and back down into the cargo bay, yes? I'm sure you're on top of all that, and I'm thrilled to see you going after this with such gusto!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(darelldd @ Sep 18 2006, 01:40 AM) [snapback]321049[/snapback]</div>

Well, sure, if one can 'go both ways', so to speak...ac/dc?...gender bender?...what would you call it?

 

Wow... I've lived in apartments my whole life and you know, I never considered bringing the battery with me. If it weighed less than 50lbs I'd be happy to bring that in to charge it after driving. There's no way I'm getting an outlet in the community garage down there, but if I could bring the battery up here and charge it as simply as I charge my cell phone - I'd love that.

If it gave me an extra 125 miles electric range I guess I'd pay about $5000 for it. What a great idea. What kind of added range would you expect?

If you wanted to accomodate people of varying strength, you could make it so that the batteries can be carried together or separately, so you could bring 10lbs upstairs, or 40, or more if the batteries weighed more. For those who can't carry a lot of weight it's not a perfect solution, but if they also can't get access to an outlet it's about as good as it will get. Worst case they have someone help them or make a couple trips, or only charge some of the batteries.

Excellent idea... my $5000 is ready and waiting if the added electric range (or super-high mileage gas range) is good enough.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(wstander @ Aug 12 2006, 11:23 AM) [snapback]302116[/snapback]</div>

This really didn't happen....... right?

If it did it would be an ad for Murphy's Law and I would have to read the news article to believe it. I find it very difficult to phantom that this chain of events is even remotely possible.

 

It would be an easier wiring job to put the plug near the battery pack in the rear, but it would be more convenient to have it in front. Backing up a Prius is something of a challenge, and backing up to some sort of charging outlet would be less handy than being able to drive up to in in forward gear.

I'd be more concerned that the outlet be clean and look professional than I would be with where exactly it was mounted. I saw one photo of one in which the plug was located next to the license plate and looked as if it were part of the original equipment, and another photo in which the plug opening was framed with what looked like angle aluminum; very unprofessional looking, like a high school science project.

Having a cord on a reel would mean a loss of storage and the need for some sort of roller mechanism, which would require a volume of space behind the outlet, limiting where you could mount it all. Instead, I think a simple recessed outlet would be the best solution.

Another question is what sort of cable/outlets would we use? If you take a standard household extension cord, the end at the Prius would be a female outlet. This would mean having a male outlet on the Prius. That means a set of exposed prongs which could be inadvertently shorted out by stuff put in the car unless the prongs were recessed with a cap cover. Part of the installation should include a connecting cable specifically designed to fit and capable of carrying adequate amperage to charge the battery.

Of course, the power cord should be able to be plugged into any standard 110-120v outlet so that the Prius could be charged at work, at a campsite, or at a friend's house if you were visiting.

I'm seriously considering having this done if and when the cost comes down and I am sure the work would be done professionally. I also know that doing this to my Prius would void the warranty, so I would need to think about that and weigh the benefits against the loss of warranty.

Bob

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hyo silver @ Sep 17 2006, 10:58 PM) [snapback]321055[/snapback]</div>

Hey now... this is a family forum!

More thoughts on the plug location... having it in the hatch as shown means that loading/unloading the cargo area will be a bit more of a chore if you are already plugged in and wish to keep charging. Though I like how the little port looks, I really do think that the plug belongs in the nose of the car.

 

Thanks for all the responses Davide!

Wow... 132lbs. I'm pretty strong, but bringing that in on a daily basis would not be a good health plan for my knees.

Unfortunately I think that pulls me out of the Plug-In market for the next 2 years - I'm an apartment dweller through and through. There's a small chance I could include in criteria for my next apartment "has plug-in outlet at parking spot," but that's about all I could do there.

As for added electric range, 15mi and 30mi are, admittedly, underwhelming. However, what about added 80-100mpg range? That is, if you didn't engage (or even have) the EV button, how many miles of 80-100mph could you expect from the additional, available charge? Assume I'm not driving conservatively and just hitting the highways as they arise. Would that be in the 100 mile range? More for the 30mi electric option?

$9000 is too much for me for now but LiIon prices continue to lower, so perhaps in 2 years the new price for 15mi will not be too much.

One last tidbit: It's worth noticing what Tesla is doing in this regard. The plug by default is a "fast charger," specialized plug, compatible with something you install in your garage. If you run into a normal outlet, you take a kit out of the back, plug the fast charger into it, and the kit into the normal outlet. This sounds like a good idea - you can slow or fast charge your vehicle depending on your options and how much you're willing to invest. "Degrade gracefully," as web people like Google would say.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Davide Andrea @ Aug 12 2006, 10:46 AM) [snapback]302107[/snapback]</div>

I'd like a duplex outlet in the middle of each wheel (just for show of course).