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

Discussion in 'Prime Plug-in Charging' started by Rob43, Mar 16, 2019.

  1. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    Recently I've been searching for a cost effective Level 2 Charger, I searched any & everywhere on how to go about this and what charger I should buy. After hours of reading I stumbled across the PriusChat thread called:

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

    All I Can Say Is WOW !!!

    After reading through that (Now Stickied) thread I was convinced that the Primes OE #G9060-47130 USA 120 volt charger would & could support 240 volt charging without any issues. So I was now on a mission to build my own 25 ft 120v to 240v conversion extension cord based on my needs. My conveniently located 240v dryer outlet was a NEMA 10-50R (receptacle) and I needed this to be a little closer to my Prime, so after taking some measurements I decided on a 25 ft length of the best 10/3 cord I could buy. I went with a 10/3, 10 AWG, SOOW, 600V cable that's manufactured by Southwire here in the USA. I purchased the cable, Nema 5-20P Amp plug, & NEMA 10-50P Amp plug from Ebay, everything was delivered in about one week for ~$59 shipped.

    I took my time and studied up on electrical connections, then once everything showed up I moved forward with my 25 ft conversion extension cord build. My build took roughly 30 minutes to carefully cut, trim, and assemble all 3 components together. Now the moment was at hand....Time to go plug it in !

    First, I once again carefully examined my current perfect working Toyota Prime 120v charger in action. Once I did that I then opened up my Prime to note my current 3:20 (to go) charge time indicator on the dash, now it was truly the moment of truth. I walked over & unplugged the Primes external blue charging handle and put it down, then I unplugged the Primes #G9060-47130 charger from its 120v connection & plugged it into my new 240v connection. Everything instantly lit up the same exact way, there were NO fault indicators on the charger. So I walked over & plugged the blue handle of the charger into the Primes charging port, No sparks, No drama, just a very happy green charging light indicator showing everything was great !

    I walked around to look back into the Primes dash and the time needed to finish the charge dropped instantly to 1:20 minutes ! SCORE !!!

    I checked everything several times & and 1:20 minutes later charging was complete.

    Parts List:

    NEMA 10-50P 125V/250V 50Amp Plug, $9.45 shipped:
    NEMA 10-50P 125V/250V 50A High Power US Regulatory Triangle Plug Gas Generator 609792554632 | eBay

    Bryant Yellow INDUSTRIAL Straight Blade Nylon Plug Connector 5-20R 20Amp 5369BYZ, $11.50 shipped:
    Bryant Yellow INDUSTRIAL Straight Blade Nylon Plug Connector 5-20R 20A 5369BYZ | eBay

    Southwire (USA) 10/3 SOOW 10 AWG 600V @ 25 Ft, $39 shipped:
    10/3 SOOW 10 AWG 25 FEET USA Portable Outdoor Indoor 600 V Flexible Wire Cable | eBay


    Rob43
     

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    #1 Rob43, Mar 16, 2019
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 17, 2019
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  2. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    A Shorter Length Conversion Extension Cord = LESS Than $25 Dollars !

    If you do not need the longer 25 ft cord that I personally used, this project can be built for much less. Here are 2 examples:

    1a) Buy an inexpensive 10/3 "Dryer Cord" (10-30P), depending where you buy it from your price could be under $10 dollars for one.
    GoGreen Power 6' 3-Wire Dryer Cord, Gray, 27106 - Walmart.com

    1b) 10/3 SOOW, 10 AWG, 1' Foot USA Portable Outdoor Indoor 600 V Flexible Wire Cable, (By The Foot) 2 Feet = $11 shipped.
    10/3 SOOW, 10 AWG, 1' Foot USA Portable Outdoor Indoor 600 V Flexible Wire Cable | eBay

    2) Bryant Yellow INDUSTRIAL Straight Blade Nylon Plug Connector 5-20R 20Amp 5369BYZ, $11.50 shipped:
    Bryant Yellow INDUSTRIAL Straight Blade Nylon Plug Connector 5-20R 20A 5369BYZ | eBay

    3) Cooper Straight Blade (Or) Angle Plug NEMA 10-30P / 10-50P 125/250V, The Straight Plug Shape Is Nema 10-50P & The Angled Shape Is Nema 10-30P: $12.74 shipped.
    Cooper Straight Blade Angle Plug NEMA 10-30P 10-50P 30A 50A 125/250V S80 | eBay

    Here are a few more pictures of it plugged in, total charge time from dead is 2 1/2 hours.


    Rob43
     

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    #2 Rob43, Mar 16, 2019
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 17, 2019
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  3. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    L2 is the only way to fly. What a time saver.

    I'm still not 100% sure on running 240 in the stock EVSE, but I'm closer now since several people have been doing that for a while with no problems reported.

    I simply bought a Duosaida L2 for use at home that I leave in place and ready to go. And I keep the OEM equipment in the car so I can use it at work and anywhere else the opportunity arises.
     
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  4. Marine Ray

    Marine Ray Senior Member

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    If one wanted to strive to make their traction batttery last the longest (degrade less over the life of the car), which is better L1 or L2 charging? Or does it matter?
     
  5. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    I have seen theories that charging slower makes it last longer. I'm not convinced. But, if someone took two new batteries and continuously charged and discharged them with one charging at 8A and the other at 15A, I'd be interested in how that affected performance after a couple years.
     
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    well done o/p! i see no problem using the oem at 240v, people having been using the pip oem at 240v for almost 8 years now.
     
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  7. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Just curious- why not modify the charger plug, change out its 120V plug for a 240V plug?

    What you've got now is something that looks like a 120V receptacle but delivers something different. It looks like it can handle the load, no worries there... it's just that it looks like something less dangerous than it actually is.

    I've made up clever adapters to get me through temporary situations, but this is a bit different.
     
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  8. bruceha_2000

    bruceha_2000 Senior Member

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    Tesla has pigtail adapters for various household outlets, too bad Toyota doesn't provide them. I think that at least at one point in time they had a Y connector, both plugs being 110V but if you had 2 110V outlets on different circuits near each other you could get 240V with no electrical modifications.

    Not sure what is happening inside the Toyota "brick" that you can put 110V on both the hot and common connectors as @Rob43 has done. If it is designed to be "smart" and detect Hot on both, There really is no reason they shouldn't make an adapter that replaces the short power source cord on the brick.
     
  9. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    Well, in my situation I absolutely needed the extra 25 ft of the conversion extension cord I made.

    The reason you or anyone else would NOT want to cut the end off the 120v Toyota OE charger's plug is because now it will never work anywhere else. If you take your Prime on a trip, you can't use your modded charger, when you sell your car the new buyer haggles you for less $$ because he can't or fears using your modded charger.

    A short or extended conversion cord is everyone's best option because it doesn't hurt the OE charger.


    Rob43
     
  10. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    Besides everything already mentioned on why it works....

    Another big clue as to why it works is this European Toyota OE Prime charging picture....what do you see ?


    Rob43
     

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  11. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Well, it's your castle & your chariot, but I couldn't tolerate a liability like that conversion cord.
     
  12. bruceha_2000

    bruceha_2000 Senior Member

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    I see a brick plugged into a standard 220V European outlet. But without any information to the contrary, I would ASSUME that they have different bricks for countries using different voltages. Of course there are some devices that recognize the voltage difference and need nothing more than a plug converter when you travel.

    If the brick is the same no matter where the car is sold, and one got their hands on a European version, they could use a 2 prong European to US 220V plug converter. Or, Toyota could just make a few different cords for standard 220V US outlets :) I ASSUME the only currently "approved" method of charging with 220V at home is to buy a charging station ... which comes at a cost but no real value since the brick and the car are doing all the necessary work.
     
  13. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    Why would you assume that....

    That assumption would cost Toyota Millions & Millions of dollars. In this day & age, it's just simpler to make one unit that works with all voltages.


    Rob43
     
  14. bruceha_2000

    bruceha_2000 Senior Member

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    Then SURELY Toyota can make a USA 220V outlet compatible pigtail for the power-in side of the brick so people don't need to resort to hacking their own cables or paying hundreds of dollars for a level 2 "charging station" with features they don't need. Since the current cable is long enough (just) for me, I think I'd be tempted to buy a replacement pigtail (assuming you can) remove the 110V plug and wire in a 220V plug compatible with whatever 220V outlet I would install. In my case it is all outside (with a weatherproof electrical box) so I'd rather not have an exposed connection where a standard dryer cord is connected to the OEM 110V plug. This is, I think, what @Leadfoot J. McCoalroller suggested earlier. That way I could choose to use the bulk of my existing cord for either 110V or 220V as the sources are available.

    Apparently you can buy the whole thing from Walmart, complete with both English and Chinese labels for the lights on the brick for $240. Again a lot of money when you only really need a different end on the pigtail
    https://www.walmart.com/ip/Level-2-Portable-Electric-Vehicle-Charger-ReadyCharge-240V-Faster-Charging-Speeds-Compatible-Chevy-Volt-Ford-Energi-Toyota-Prius-Plug-In-EVs/188107330
     
  15. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    Surely Toyota "Could" but they don't.

    The Duosida L2 Charger (that you linked) can actually be bought in the ~$145 to ~$189 dollar range all day long depending the plug type needed.

    But the whole reason for this thread: To show everyone the ability of their current Toyota OE charger to operate at L2 charging speeds.


    Rob43
     
    #15 Rob43, Mar 17, 2019
    Last edited: Mar 17, 2019
  16. bruceha_2000

    bruceha_2000 Senior Member

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    Apparently not totally to L2 speeds as the EVSE limits to 12A when the charger in the car will allow 16A. But I understand your point, the EVSE is NOT limited to 110V.

    I looked for "Duosida L2 Charger" with Google and indeed found it on Amazon for $168.50, it is 28' long 16A and even comes with a 110V plug adapter. Too bad Toyota doesn't ship that product with the car since it has the ability to charge at L2 16A speed without the unnecessary "features" of the more expensive L2 "charging stations".
     
  17. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    There are "many" Duosida L2 chargers on Ebay that actually ship from the USA under $149, here's an example:
    Electric Car Charger 6-20 Plug Level 2 Charger EV 240V Vehicle Charger 23' long 882511182440 | eBay

    Again, the point of this thread is for anyone to get L2 charging performance out of their current Toyota OE charger. Whether we're talking about 2:10 minutes or 2:30 minutes to a full charge doesn't really matter....Especially when it can cost as little as ~$25 dollars to do it.


    Rob43
     
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  18. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    Nissan did just this, different P/N's for different markets. Remember they already build the vehicles just for the US market because of various auto specs that don't match. Then they also have to make the EVSE with the US style NEMA 5-15P plug overmoulded to the cable. This already makes it US specific. Add to that that most places in the US require UL listings and/or CE listings for this type of sale and FCC certifications, and it is becomes very apparent that a US market device is sometimes made just for the US market.

    I wholeheartedly believe the design is the same between the UK and US versions of the adapter. However I would not assume the BOM is the same. If you could put in lower voltage capacitors and lower voltage diodes, etc you would. It's the olive in the airline food. Save a penny or two per unit and cripple the device but it is still good enough for the market it is intended to go into.

    The Nissan ones made by Panasonic did exactly that. Same outside. Same inside design. Different components and most were rated at 150V for the USDM market versus the 300V ratings on the EU market.
     
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  19. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    Yep, agreed.

    Luckily the Toyota OE charger is nothing like the Nissan/Panasonic version that operates at 150v or 300v depending on the market. If the Toyota OE charger worked like that Nissan/Panasonic version, me & all the other Prius Prime users that have done this 240v modification would have Instantly encountered a problem....but we didn't because Toyota got it right.


    Rob43
     
  20. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    Not necessarily. For example if some of the bulk caps are underrated, but the same footprint, they can usually handle (i.e. not explode) the higher voltage. They just will have no capacitance basically. This will cause much larger ripples into the buck converter. This can cause one of those problems where you take usable life from 20 years to 2 years.

    I have not actually taken apart one of the Toyota ones, but I've seen lots of their internal designs and it would greatly surprise me if they did make it exactly the same for the global markets. Toyota is one of the least likely along with Honda to fudge with stuff to cut cost. They love huge operational margins at the expense of slightly higher profits. That's EXACTLY the company I want to buy from. But I have seen some examples of it happening. More often than not in the Denso modules, like the HID ballasts. Someone who has one should tear it apart and look. If someone has a junk one, I'll do it...