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Charger recommendations?

Discussion in 'Gen 5 Prime Charging' started by Bigblockquad, Aug 26, 2023.

  1. Bigblockquad

    Bigblockquad New Member

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    Hi all,

    Just bought a new 2023 Prius prime xse. First plug-in I’ve owned.I have a 220v socket installed in my garage and need recommendations on a level 2 charger?

    Rich
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    You can use the oem with an adapter.
    If you want to buy one , it depends upon your needs.
    Simple: cheapest ul listed one on amazon or wherever.
    If you want frills, everyone has a different opinion.
    They are all fine, just find one that fits your needs.
    Some come with apps so you can monitor charging and etc
     
  3. hyhi

    hyhi Member

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    I found this of interest. Don't know that it would apply to Toyota/Prius. Though maybe something to consider down the road.

    Electrify America Bans Third Party EV Charging Adapters

    I just purchased a cheap converter on sale from amazon recently and now I question if should return it instead of using it. Be it only to be used on a bmw ce04 at some future point in time.
     
    #3 hyhi, Aug 26, 2023
    Last edited: Aug 26, 2023
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    not sure how that relates to a home charger?
     
  5. hyhi

    hyhi Member

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    Well, it might not, now that i think about it since that article was dealing with what was connecting to some of those public charging stations. I would guess electric power is what it is at a house so anything rated correctly should be ok. Though do wonder if some home level two charger units that connect to house power might be of better quality than others. I honestly don’t know and don’t know electrical at all sadly. Just seems there is a lot of room for crappy things to be sold that might not flow power as it should and if so wonder if it could hurt the prius battery.
     
  6. JDS4

    JDS4 Junior Member

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    I would recommend the Chargepoint Flex. I have had it for over a year. It has been rock solid except for a period this summer where their app was causing the chargers to fault. They supplied great support during that time and they have fixed their app and the charger is rock solid again.
     
    hyhi likes this.
  7. otatrant

    otatrant Member

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    I just purchased Lectron Portable Level 2 J1772 EV Charger.
    I haven't received it yet but from what I have read should decrease charge time by at least half.
    On Car and Driver's List of Best EV Chargers for 2023.


     
  8. Mr.Vanvandenburg

    Mr.Vanvandenburg Senior Member

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    It depends on which 220 volt outlet you have. The Prius only draws 13.75 amps at 240 on each hot wire. A 16 amp evse would do. Most places are 240 volts, at least mine is. We used to call them 220 when voltage was 110 at regular household outlets. An electrician could write a sticky for this subject as it is a learning curve for many, myself included.
     
  9. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Good luck finding an EA L2 charger. No such thing. All of the DCFC chargers "ban" 3rd party adapters. "Ban" is an odd word, though since they can't stop you from using them. What they can do is make you pay for any damages caused by a 3rd party adapter and that can cost a ton of money.

    The Prius Prime can't use DCFC chargers, so there's no point in bringing them into the discussion. What it can use is 120V Level 1 power or 240V Level 2 power. And, as I understand it, the 2023 has the same max charging amperage of 16A as the earlier models.

    So, unless you plan to get something with a higher charge rate, buying a 50A charger would be a considerable waste of money. As @Mr.Vanvandenburg said, any 16A EVSE will do. I used a $180 Duosaida 16A portable charger for years on my PiP and my Prime. And I still sometimes use it on my Bolt EUV.
     
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  10. otatrant

    otatrant Member

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    Returning Lectron charger after I found thread on making adapter plug for Toyota oem charger that came with car. Put it together in a day and worked first time on 30 Amp 250V circuit. Cut charging time almost in half.
    Thanks jerrymildred and Rob43 as well as many others for very helpful posts on topic.
     
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  11. Blizzard_Persona

    Blizzard_Persona Senior Member

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    How is the adapter made or can one be bought to run the stock oem charger on 240?

    I almost bought a very nice level 2 charger from Amazon yesterday on the lightning deal. It was still over 450 bucks though and very much overkill because the prime will never use it to its full potential, not even close.
     
  12. otatrant

    otatrant Member

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    I had a 50 foot NEMA L14-30 extension cord. From there I purchased 3 things.

    1.Leviton Industrial Grade L14-30P
    2. 2 feet of 10/3 600 Volt CU Black Flexible SOOW cord from home depot
    3. Leviton Industrial Grade 5-20R.

    Depending on what outlet you have you can change which plug you get. Took me probably about an hour to put it all together. Felt pretty solid. Cost me like $60 but if you are willing to wait for online orders you can do it probably for half the price.

    jerrymildred post #343 in thread Using the Primes 120v Charger at 240 Volts, Cost $20 !!! I found pretty helpful as far as understanding how to go from 4 wires to 3 wires.
     
  13. priusxprime

    priusxprime New Member

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    Hi fellow prius owners,

    I will be picking up my 2024 prius prime in March. This will be my first plug in vehicle so I'm currently doing some research on mobile charging options. My charging situation is I'm only able to charge when I'm at work as my apartment doesn't have any charger/outlet available.

    My work place has several type of charging options; 1) a ready to go level 2 240V charger with J1772 plug, only 2 spots available and always occupied; 2) 240V Nema 14-30 outlet with no cable and 3) regular 110V NA outlet Nema 5-15 with no cable. 2) and 3) will be the most likely spots that will be available for me to charge my prime.

    I have read about owners using the oem standard prime charger with a third party adapter to achieve level 2 charging. But I'm just being picky and would like oem adapters as well so I've been digging and came across the Toyota Dual Charger from toyota com. If you download the user guide from the website, it shows there are 2 type of adapters for 110V and 240V. It will be perfect for me!

    toyotacom electrified-vehicles charging/
    (can't post link because I'm new here, just put a . between toyotacom and / between the space)

    There are not many info online about this charger. I'm just wondering if anyone in this forum purchased this charger and able to provide more info? And what kind of plug the high-power adapter comes with? Maybe also able to post some pictures of the actual thing? Thanks a lot.