Using the Primes 120v Charger at 240 Volts, Cost $20 !!!

I used the included charger on a 120v 15A outlet in the garage until my wife bought an electric car. Then I had to pull 6 gauge wire allllllll the way across the house and garage to put in her charger, and I had half a roll of 12/2 sitting around, so I figured why not pull a dedicated wire for the Prius at the same time?

It's a 240v, 20A circuit. The little charger that came with the prius works great. It still only pulls 12A, but 12A at 240 is twice as fast as 12A at 120.

So it's not a hypothetical for me. Works fine.

The car would charge a bit faster if I put in a bigger charger, but the one that came with the car is free. Add to this that the included charger puts out 2.8kw and the car maxes at 3.3kw, so you're looking at a really small (500w) reward for upgrading to a bigger charger.

You could even use 14g wire if you plan to stick to the included charger, since it tops out at 12A.

As a note for fuzzy1, please don't google allowable circuit ampacities and read the commercial 90°C THHN column. THHN in conduit is not romex, 90°C is almost 200°F, and I strongly doubt your breaker (which is part of the circuit) is rated for 90°C in the first place. I further guarantee that a structure fire at your house will be more expensive than whatever you were going to save by going down a wire gauge. Continuous loads (like a car charger) can be at most 75% of the ampacity of the circuit that they're on. So on a short run, you'd need 14g wire and 15A breakers for a 12A load, 12g wire and 20A breakers for a 15A load, 6g wire and 50A breakers for a 40A load, etc. (This is also why the included charger pulls 12A max.)

 

To Summarize the standard 120v plug with 240 adapter charges twice as fast?!?!

 

Not really. Instead of 12 amps, it charges at 16. Falls short of level 2.

 

Hi All, I have been going through this thread trying to figure out how to convert my oem charger to a level 2. I am not very technically inclined so i am looking for the easiest way to do this even if it costs a bit more. In my garage I have a 3 prong dryer plug outlet (nema 10-30) that I would like to plug my oem charger into in order to make it a level 2/ faster charger. The plug was installed by an electrician and I believe it is on a 40 amp breaker. Does Toyota sell an adapter to change the oem charger for my 2025 prius charger to a level 2, or is there a company that makes an adapter, or does this require rewiring ect? I was suprised to see that my Dads new EV came with a plug that does both level 1 and level 2 with 2 interchangeable adapters. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

depends on what type your dryer outlet is, but they make adapters for most everything:5013682243

and you can get them from amazon, ebay, lowes, home depot, ace hardware and etc.

 

If that 10-30 outlet was installed by a licensed and bonded electrician - there's NO WAY it would go back to a 40A breaker, unless that circuit goes has more branches attached and is wired with 40A cable. That wouldn't pass inspection. If that circuit branches off to the electric range; you may start popping circuit breakers when both branches are active. ie. Charging the car and cooking at the same time.
If you use/buy @bisco adapter; I recommend that you use red duct tape to tape it together to your charger plug. You don't want someone to unplug your charger and plug in a 120VAC extension cord to it.

Just saying - that's why there are different plugs for different outlets...... Be safe...

PS; did you notice the green ground wire on that adapter? 10-30 outlets don't have a ground, two hots and a neutral; so you need a ground source to be completely up to electrical code. It'll work without it; but you'll be "rolling-the-dice".

 

I have a few good reasons for not putting in a level 2 charger:

• I'm not an electrician.
• I charge overnight anyway, so no time advantage.
• Unnecessary expense.

 

i put one in 13 years ago and never looked back. with a bev now, it was a good investment.
everyone's needs are different

 

The only thing you gain by charging at 240V is time. It costs the same, the car has the same range, everything.

I wouldn't go changing batteries just to see if it helps. My lithium pack ran my Gen 3 plug-in for 12 years, only losing about 15% in that time. The maximum charge level is kept low by design to improve battery longevity.

 

Level 2 charging is faster and a few pennies cheaper when compared, at home charging between 120VAC vs 220VAC. I wouldn't go out and spend money on installing a dedicated 220VAC charger for a Prime. The math just doesn't pencil out.......
I understand that if you buy a new Ford BEV, they will install a level-2 for free; but you'll be stuck with a Found On Road Dead......
Their hybrids aren't too bad, but it's mostly licensed Toyota tech. You know you have a problem product when a salesman tells you it's licensed Toyota tech; wink, wink, nod, nod......

 

That might make sense if the shorter charging time can take better advantage of the time of day when rates are cheaper. Otherwise, no difference. Power is power.

 

For all years I had PHEV including 3 PPs, I simply charged with L1 over night. After purchasing a BEV, I continued to charge with L1. Our daily distance driven is short enough that even with 85 kWh battery to charge, we could get by with L1. But one problem was that 120v L1 power is not quite enough to keep up with the drow on climate conditioning. I never used the climate conditioning on PP and Escape PHEV for this reason. But with our new Equinox EV preconditioning battery on cold night or hot day is almost necessary in order to maintain the battery condition. For this reason, I installed dedicated 240v circuit and 48 amp L2 EVSE.

Now preconditioning and maintaining battery temp is no problem. Added benefit is the faster charging. But hey, you are right, I never felt a need for an L2 EVSE for PHEV.

 

I have nothing against Level 2 charging; I use it all the time. I just don't happen to need one for myself.

 

I understand everyone's needs (and wants) are different. I didn't feel I needed one when I was on PHEV with meager 25 to 40 miles of EV range. I still didn't feel I needed one after buying a BEV. But with a larger capacity of a BEV battery, I suddenly felt I wanted one. So I got one.

Now with fast 48A charging speed, it will be hard for me to go back to 120v L1. With L2, I can charge 34 miles of range per hour instead of 4 miles of range per hour of charging on L1.

 

I can't think of one single advantage.
That's why I don't have one.

 

I get that. You have chosen wisely.

 

If I change the plug on the charger I can no longer use it at 120 Volts when I visit friends and relatives. With the simple adapter, I am more flexible.