1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

My Experience with EVSE Upgrade

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by sjblee, May 5, 2012.

  1. sjblee

    sjblee Junior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 16, 2009
    14
    3
    0
    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Advanced
    I decided to take advantage of my friend taking delivery of their new PiP ( so that I can use their cable) and send my original EVSE cable to EVSE Upgrade at Berkeley to modify it to be 110/240 switchable. I expected the whole process to take no more than 5-6 days including shipping.

    I sent my cable via UPS to EVSE Upgrade Monday morning and it was delivered to them on Tuesday around noon. I did not receive any status from them until I email them on Thursday morning. I received an immediate email back saying my unit will be shipped either Thursday or Friday as it was going into QC that Thursday morning. By noon, I received the email saying that my cable had passed QC and is now being packaged for shipment and I was given an UPS tracking number. I also received email from UPS saying the scheduled delivery date was Friday.

    I checked UPS on Friday and it gave me the status of only the shipping label was generated. I checked Saturday and Monday and UPS gave me the same status. I called UPS and they said I needed to check with EVSE Upgrade as they did not receive the package.

    I wrote EVSE Upgrade and received a reply stating that my unit was "behaving unusally" and they wanted to give it more test to make sure all issues were resolved. While their QC is a good thing but why wouldn't they keep their customer informed of the current status. Worst yet, why gave misinformation to your customer that the unit had passed QC and was being shipped! :confused:

    I finally got my unit back on Wednesday. The information leaflet was for the Nissan Leaf. So may be the PiP conversion is a new business for them and they have not work out their process yet. It was a good thing that I had a backup plan of shuttling my friend's cable back and forth. Otherwise I would not have any EV miles for 10 days!

    BTW, I love charging my PiP with the 240V 'cause it only take about 1.22 - 1.36 hours for full charge. :D
     
    #1 sjblee, May 5, 2012
    mmmodem and bisco like this.
  2. UTBuckeye

    UTBuckeye Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2010
    36
    1
    0
    Location:
    Orange County, CA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    N/A
    As per EVSE website, "Can you upgrade my Plug-in-Prius EVSE? The Toyota unit is also manufactured by Panasonic, (same as the Nissan unit) however it is not built the same.  It is only rated for 12A at 120v, and the wiring is only good for this.  We can upgrade this unit to 120/240v 12A (rev1).  The price is the same as for the Rev1 Nissan unit; $239.  At 240v 12a you are charging over twice as fast as the original unit!  Unfortunately, Due to the fact that we do not stock this unit, Our Advance Replacement Service is not availble for it.  You can of course still purchase a new upgraded Nissan unit which will work perfectly with your PiP."
     
    #2 UTBuckeye, May 7, 2012
  3. sjblee

    sjblee Junior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 16, 2009
    14
    3
    0
    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Advanced
    Yes, that is what attracted me to do the $239 Rev1 upgrade route vs buying another EVSE cable for the 240V charging.
     
    #3 sjblee, May 7, 2012
  4. ny_rob

    ny_rob Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2012
    1,968
    813
    0
    Location:
    L.I.- NY
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Sent my Toyota OEM EVSE cordset to EVSE Upgrade last week for the rev1 240v upgrade.

    Ran a 240v outlet to my front porch using 35' of 12/2 wire on a tandem 15/15amp breaker while waiting for the cord to come back.

    EVSE Upgrade got my cord Monday, I got it back yesterday via USPS Priority mail.

    Plugged in last night at 5pm- charge started immediately- periodically felt my 12/2 wire along full 35' length for heat buildup- outdoor portion was at ambient outside temperature, indoor portion up to the breaker box was at room temperature.

    Checked back 1h36min later and the charge indicator on the PIP was off. Full charge was completed in less than 1h36min.

    Highly recommend EVSE Upgrade- good folks to do business with.

    Love the 1.5hr charge time!!
     
    #4 ny_rob, Dec 8, 2012
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    109,842
    49,906
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    all's well that ends well!:)
     
    #5 bisco, Dec 8, 2012
  6. 34Hupp

    34Hupp 1934 Hupmobile - Americas 1st Aerodynamic

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2006
    62
    100
    0
    Location:
    Rochester, NY
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    Sounds interesting..... do you have pictures of the cord after the rework? Are there now two male plugs so the cord can be used for a 240 volt or 120 volt charge, or are you no longer able to plug into a 120 volt outlet?
     
    #6 34Hupp, Dec 8, 2012
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    109,842
    49,906
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    you get a 2 foot adapter to plug into 120v
     
    #7 bisco, Dec 8, 2012
  8. ny_rob

    ny_rob Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2012
    1,968
    813
    0
    Location:
    L.I.- NY
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    The plug on the EVSE is upgraded to a NEMA L6-20 twist lock connector for 240v use- you can purchase a standard NEMA 5-15P (Edison) plug to L6-20 receptacle for $25 from EVSE Upgrade which allows you to still use common 120v outlets in the USA.
     
    #8 ny_rob, Dec 12, 2012
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)