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Above 7 kW Charger for Gen 1 Prius Plug-in

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by Catalinux, Jan 26, 2021.

  1. Catalinux

    Catalinux Junior Member

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    Hi all,
    I searched in the threads but i couldn't find any info regarding if this car can be tricked in "sucking" more than 2.2 kW at charging. I am interested in having a charger that charges my 2013 Plug-in in less than 2.2 hours. I am asking because i don't see the point in buying a Wall-box charger instead of the normal charger that plug in the normal socket (240 V) as I have here.
    Thanks for any suggestions.
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    mine charges in 90 minutes with L2, 2 1/2 hours or so at 120v.
    not sure what is taking yours so long at 240v.

    the charger is in the car, the best you can do is 90 minutes. i would investigate that first.
    what do the manual and dealer say? maybe it is very low amperage?

    if you want faster than 90, you're out of luck
     
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  3. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Or get a Prime. It won't pull 7, but it does pull a little over 3.5 kW.

    And, as @bisco said, the charger is in the car. A bigger charger would be quite a project if it's even possible.
     
  4. Catalinux

    Catalinux Junior Member

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    Hi all, thanks for the quick reply, just saw your comments (time difference between you and I :). I use the charger that came with the car with normal socket, plus i have the cable with type2 to type1 for wall box chargers. The car only draws a maximum of 2.0 to 2.2 kW as it is written on the dash and also it states that it will be done in 2.2 hrs. So, even if i will buy a wall box that has the maximum output, even for a quick charge as Tesla has, i think that the full charge will take place in 2.2 hrs. So as jerrymildred said, i should get a Prime, but i have a small problem...I missedplaced and i can't find the money for it :).
    Thanks!
     
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  5. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    I know how you feel. I do that a lot with things I want to do or buy. :D I call it champaign taste on a beer budget. :whistle:
     
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  6. Catalinux

    Catalinux Junior Member

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    I will wait for some time, so the prices will go down for a bit, but i am really, really disappointed with the baggage space in the rear comparing with my model.
     
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  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    it may be that a wall box will put out more amps than your supplied evse, in which case it would charge faster, assuming you got the same charger as us.
    but you would have to investigate. they are fairly inexpensive these days. agree on the baggage space, it was the only reason i didn't purchased one a few years ago when they were really cheap. what does toyota state for prime charging time over there?
     
  8. Catalinux

    Catalinux Junior Member

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    Well the battery for Prime has 9kW and here it states that it can be charged in 3 hrs. And yes i have the same charger as you but the socket differs and our grid here has 220-240V
     
  9. QuantumFireball

    QuantumFireball Active Member

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    I think you may be misunderstanding some aspects of this. As others have said, the charger is integrated into the car - the thing you use to connect the car to your normal domestic sockets is a portable EVSE, not a charger. The wall boxes you describe are also EVSEs or "charging points", they provide connectivity to charge but do not contain battery charging equipment. So any changes to these will not affect the car's built-in 2.2 kW charger.

    The 2.2 hours doesn't sound right. The battery has about 3 kWh usable capacity, so at 2.2 kW and 240 V it should be able to charge in about 90 minutes (including some efficiency loss). Mine always reliably completes charging within 90 minutes whenever I time it (at 230 V).
     
  10. Catalinux

    Catalinux Junior Member

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    To tell you the truth, i have never stayed near the car to see exactly when the charging finishes, but on the dash it says 2.2 hrs when it's plugged in. Yes, I know about the EVSE meaning, probably my explaining was a bit off, but you are right. The idea was, if somehow, i can trick the charger to charge faster then 90 minutes for example, but is too much of a headache for a fully functional car ;) . Thanks for the explanation!
     
  11. QuantumFireball

    QuantumFireball Active Member

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    I rarely check the charging time status on the dashboard so have no idea how accurate it is. But I can set a 90 countdown timer on my watch or phone when I start charging and it's always finished by then (at 230 V).
     
  12. Sarge

    Sarge Senior Member

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    The Gen 1 PiP should charge in 2h20m on Level 1 (1.1 kWh) or 1h:10m on Level 2 (2.2 kWh). As others said, there is no way to go above 2.2 without some expensive experimentation... I have an L2 and use it all the time, and this estimation is accurate.

    However, I have heard that some people have “converted” regular EVSE to allow higher voltage, apparently the EVSE hardware can supports it, if you have the necessary wiring in your garage. This would be the “cheapest” option.

    Someone with more electrical expertise than me can perhaps elaborate. :)
     
    #12 Sarge, Feb 8, 2021
    Last edited: Feb 8, 2021
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  13. QuantumFireball

    QuantumFireball Active Member

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    The "level 1/level 2" stuff is a North American thing, we only have 230-250 V mains supply in Europe so only 2.2 kW charging.

    I believe 90 minutes at 2.2 kW is typical.
     
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  14. Sarge

    Sarge Senior Member

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    That is a fair point and you are right, I was saying this from a North American point of view. Charge time could vary depending on voltage. Though honestly I did just learn that L1/L2 was only a North American thing, never gave it much thought. o_O
     
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  15. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Not just NA. Central and South America use the same voltage we do.
     
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  16. Catalinux

    Catalinux Junior Member

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    ai doubled checked and you were all right, it charges in 90 minutes at 2.2 kW.