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120 V vs 240 V Charging? Is there a cost difference?

Discussion in 'Prime Plug-in Charging' started by Sideshow Bob, Mar 12, 2021.

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  1. Sideshow Bob

    Sideshow Bob New Member

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    Recently came across a heated discussion between two Prime owners.

    One swore that charging the car on a 120V connection was much more expensive than a Level 2 charger connected to a 240 V connection. The other disagreed.

    Personally I cannot see how either would have a different cost, as in the end, both would deliver the same amount of energy - just at different rates.

    Am I correct in this assumption?
     
    #1 Sideshow Bob, Mar 12, 2021
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    "Much more expensive" is an exaggeration. You may be talking pennies per charge. 240V is slightly more efficient than 120V so yes you will consume a bit more electricity at 120V but "much more" is a bit of a hyperbole.

    The same amount goes into the battery but there will be different amounts dispensed by the outlet because of losses between 240V and 120V.
     
    #2 Tideland Prius, Mar 13, 2021
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  3. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    As commented by @Tideland Prius, L2 EVSE is slightly more efficient. It has less heat loss, less conversion loss, and since it takes less time to charge, any peripheral electronics including ECU, charger, controller, and cooling fans run shorter duration. For PP, taking less than 6kWh electricity for a full charge, what I have read people reporting here is L2 EVSE use 5.8-6.3kWh for a full charge. Compared to this L1 EVSE will take anywhere from 6.3kWh to 6.8kWh for a full charge session. On average, L2 for 6.1kWh, L1 for 6.5kWh. So the difference is about 0.4kWh per full charge. Even at our high $0.21/kWh electricity rate, it's only a $0.084/charge difference between L1 and L2. Suppose doing a full charge once a day every day for 10 years, the cost difference comes to be only $306 in 10 years. That's less than the cost of a decent L2 EVSE. If you have to pay to install the 240V circuit, yeah, the L2 EVSE cost will never be recouped within the lifetime of PP charging. Only if you are charging a BEV with a huge battery, then the convenience of faster charging by L2 becomes more valuable.
     
    #3 Salamander_King, Mar 13, 2021
    Last edited: Mar 13, 2021
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  4. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    A google search turned up about 8-9% difference. That's close enough to @Salamander_King 's example of 6.2% difference.
     
    #4 Tideland Prius, Mar 13, 2021
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  5. Buzzhead

    Buzzhead Non-Interference w/ devel of pre-Warp civs

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    Concur with Tideland's and Salamander's discussion. For me, cost of electricity at the house is a smidge over $.22/kWhr. Cost of the L2 Chargepoint station a qtr mile down the road is $.18/kWhr, so it's cheaper and faster.
     
    #5 Buzzhead, Mar 13, 2021
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  6. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    The savings come if you often make quick back-to-back trips, and L1 won't charge fast enough to be done before you leave on the second trip. You'll burn less gas with L2 in that situation.

    ... Unless you're paying through the nose for electricity like @bisco or @Salamander_King.
     
    #6 jerrymildred, Mar 18, 2021
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