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Aftermarket Charger Recommendations for the Prime?

Discussion in 'Prime Plug-in Charging' started by HappyJuice8000, Jan 1, 2017.

  1. HappyJuice8000

    HappyJuice8000 Junior Member

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    I park my new Prius Prime in two different locations on a regular basis, and I would like to a purchase a second charging device (without paying full retail price at the dealership for the spare charger).

    Has anyone used any aftermarket Level 1 charging devices successfully for the Prius Prime?
     
  2. ForestBeekeeper

    ForestBeekeeper Active Member

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    A 'Level-1' charge is a 120vac charge, done using any 120vac outlet anywhere.

    My wife plugs in when she goes to church, They string a 10-amp extension cord out to her car for her.
     
  3. Sam Spade

    Sam Spade Senior Member

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    And I would think that most owners carry their L-1 charging device/cord with them all the time........to be used anywhere that there is an outlet available.
     
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  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome!
    evse's are all the same. buy the cheapest one you can find. better yet, install an L2 at home, and use your oem on the road.
    all the best!(y)
     
  5. ForestBeekeeper

    ForestBeekeeper Active Member

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    I am a bit hesitant to install a 240vac outlet in our carport for the Prime. We are on solar-power.

    On any sunny day a couple hours and our battery-bank is full, we can operate every appliance, every power tool we have and we still have surplus power. But at night, or on cloudy days, we are on battery. We grow most of our own food, we have a bunch of chest freezers on timers so they only operate when the sun is shining, which seems to work pretty well.

    Our Prime mostly gets plugged-in at night. Which is not optimal for our solar-power, as it drains our house battery-bank.

    Like when we first shifted to solar-power, there was a learning curve. People talk about the need to conserve energy. They basically miss the mark with that idea. When we are on battery, we need to conserve. But other times we have surplus power.

    The Prime is a large load. In time I will become more comfortable with it as a load on our house.

    I am not sure if we will ever give it 240vac though.
     
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  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    are you off grid?
     
  7. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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  8. ForestBeekeeper

    ForestBeekeeper Active Member

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    We have access to grid power. We are fairly rural, the grid here is not reliable, it normally goes down multiple times every month. After 10 years trying to rely on the grid, we went to solar-power 2 years ago seeking reliable power.

    In reality we could flip a couple breakers and use grid power to charge our Prime [asuming the grid is on that day], This past week has been storming and the grid has been down throughout the county. But now that we are adjusting to solar-power it seems kind of defeating to use grid power for the car.

    Most of our neighbors have generators. Their generator fuel bills are higher than their electric bills. :)

    We have one neighbor who swallowed the propaganda about 'net-metering', now they still lose power just as often as they did before. And their monthly expenses have gone up.
     
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  9. Tom_06

    Tom_06 Active Member

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    Not a good idea. The L1 pulls 12 amps and the manual tells you to not use an extension cord. If you do, get at least a 12 gage or better yet a 10 or even 8 gage cord to minimize voltage drops and heating of the cord.
     
  10. ttait

    ttait Active Member

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    This is a copy and paste from a thread about charging cables. I think it's now on the 3rd page. So far, I have the DHL tracking number and I'm waiting for it to arrive. It has been delayed due to the holidays. Note that this will work with BOTH 110 AND 220. That $165 is delivered.

    I have ordered a 110/220V Level 2 EVSE cable from Alibaba. Total cost with shipping was $165.00. Comes with 24 month warranty and 'trade assurance'. My take on it is that they are all made in China anyway.
    I'll update this when it arrives with my evaluation. I now plan to carry the original Toyota charging cable in the 'tiny slot' for travel charging from a 110V outlet.
    This is the link:

    Accept Product Customized Dostar Evse 16a /110v-220v - Buy Dostar Evse,Dostar Evse 16a /110v-220v,Ev J1772 Plug For Type 1 Ev Plug Product on Alibaba.com

    I'm using PayPal so if there's a problem, I can ask my buddy Elon to intervene :ROFLMAO::LOL:;)
     
  11. ForestBeekeeper

    ForestBeekeeper Active Member

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    The part you quoted said a 10 gauge extension cord. Did it not?

    Though actually I have a bunch of 4/0 cable left laying around. I have been thinking about making a 30-foot set of jumper cables using 4/0 cable for my tractor.
     
  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    how much do you pay for a grid kWh?
     
  13. ForestBeekeeper

    ForestBeekeeper Active Member

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    11.4 cents
     
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  14. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i would flip the breakers.:)
     
  15. Tom_06

    Tom_06 Active Member

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    No, it said 10 amp. Scroll up and look.
     
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  16. Sam Spade

    Sam Spade Senior Member

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    What does ANY of this have to do with the original question ????
    It seems like an entirely new discussion started about post #4 or so.
     
  17. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    you must be new to chat rooms.:p
     
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  18. EV-ish

    EV-ish Active Member

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    What do you do with the PV excess nowadays ? Since you want to charge the car at night, one solution would be some more battery storage.
     
  19. EV-ish

    EV-ish Active Member

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    I think most people buy and install an L2 charger at home and keep the OEM mobile EVSE in the car. I chose this solution to avoid daily plug/unplug* of the mobile EVSE and to offer a useful L2 charger to the plug-share community.

    Not a convenience issue for me, but a safety one. The plugs and sockets are typically not designed for repetitive and/or careless use and the 12A current reduces tolerance further.
     
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  20. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    No longer can edit my post but I forgot to say CC is also made in the USA and has a 3 yr warranty ( no hassle policy according to some feedback).
     
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