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Charging time Doubled!

Discussion in 'Prime Plug-in Charging' started by John11heather, May 2, 2018.

  1. John11heather

    John11heather New Member

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    We have had a prime for 10 months and charge it every night. We have both 120 and 240 volt chargers. The time to full charge was 2 hours and 40 minutes on the 240 volt system. Now, it's 4 hours. At 120 volts, 8 hours.

    This change happend over just a couple of days, first it was 3 hours and 10 minutes, today it's 4 hours.

    Just took it to the dealer and was told there is nothing wrong. Any ideas? Help is appreciated greatly!
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    can you try a public charger?
     
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  3. John11heather

    John11heather New Member

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    No, but since both chargers have doubled the charging time simultaneously, I think that indicates the problem is in the car. Perhaps the charge management system or the batteries.

    Looking to see if anyone experienced this kind of fault.
     
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  4. EyePrime

    EyePrime Active Member

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    Maybe it's the electricity at home. As bisco said have you tried a public charger. If your 240v charger is hardwired switch it off on the circuit board. If not then unplug it. Also, try unplugging the 120v and putting it into a different outlet (If Possible)
     
  5. a_gray_prius

    a_gray_prius Rare Non-Old-Blowhard Priuschat Member

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    I'm very confused - on my 240V L2 charger (that can supply 40A), the car charges to full from completely empty in 2hr. Yours is almost 3hr on an 240V L2 EVSE? I don't know of any charge rate options for L2 charging.

    There's a free public charger at Woodland at New Paltz (100 Woodland Pond Cir, New Paltz, NY 12561) sorta near you (I searched for Highland, NY on plugshare) - maybe give it a try on an empty battery one day when you're free?
     
  6. John11heather

    John11heather New Member

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    Good ideas, thanks! I'll let you know Monday.

    Thanks again.
     
  7. burnout8488

    burnout8488 Member

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    My L2 charger is rated for 16A on 240V. Charges at the rated speed, about 2-2.5hr.

    What is yours john11heather?

    To get to the bottom of this, drain the battery as much as possible, then take it to the dealer and have them charge it using THEIR charger. (Whether it be L1 or L2) Then the problem will be documented.
     
  8. Flaming

    Flaming Active Member

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    Have you checked the settings on the car ? on 120V there is an option in the menu to decrease from 12A to 8A , did anyone had changed this setting by accident? i have no idea if this setting has an effect on 240V because there is no option for the 240V But it will definitly takes more time to charge at 8A - 120V
     
    #8 Flaming, May 3, 2018
    Last edited: May 3, 2018
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  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    wouldn't affect the 240v though. i thought the 240v spec was 3 hours?
     
  10. Flaming

    Flaming Active Member

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    when drained my Prime take 2 hours and 10-15 minutes to charge
     
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  11. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    thanks! does the owners manual have a spec?

    edit: 2 hours and 10 minutes. according to toyota.
     
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  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i wonder how many volts the o/p is showing at home, my 120v can run a little low.
     
  13. Andyprius1

    Andyprius1 Senior Member

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    Go to dealer, ask to use their charger, start from Zero miles. Time it, show dealer!
     
  14. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    enjoy their coffee and donuts. this is a case where the thread 'should dealers have chargers' applies.
     
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  15. John11heather

    John11heather New Member

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    Problem solved...by my wife, Heather. She found the right side steering wheel buttons let you access car charging and set it fast or slow. On the flip side, she probably inadvertently set it slow while driving earlier.

    She set it to maximum. The 240 volt now charges fully in an hour and 20 minutes.

    Now, we'll probably find that shortens battery life!
     
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  16. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    doesn't sound right john. it's 2h-10m for 240v, and only 120v has fast (12amp) and slow (8amp). iirc.
     
  17. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    That does sound right; though, Prime can be charged that fast.

    3.5 kW is my steady recharge rate at home with the JuiceBox running from 240-volt. That takes 1 hr 50 min.

    You can recharge faster... 80% capacity in 40 to 50 minutes... using Charge-Mode. That's roughly 6.6 kW, a normal rate for Level-2 charging for other vehicles. And since we know the Japanese model of Prime offers a DC fast-charge option, it's no surprise that the battery-pack can accept faster.
     
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  18. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    but it was 2h-40m before the missus touched the steering wheel.
     
  19. John11heather

    John11heather New Member

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    She drives it, so I could be off on the exact time...or it could be partially charged. Anyway, once I found the keywords, charge and current, I found more info on it on.. Prius chat!

    Thanks, all!
     
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  20. Oniki

    Oniki Active Member

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    In your shoes I would try first to figure out if the charging is actually slower or the estimate is off:

    L2 in a Prime is 3.3 kW and 100% SoC from empty is 5.6 kwh
    So every 1% SoC increase from a low battery (it might taper some at the top) should take about a minute

    For L1, 3 minutes per % SoC increase.

    Wild guess ?
    The car is charging at 8 Amps
    Watch this video for a tutorial how to change/verify the charging speed.
     
    #20 Oniki, May 4, 2018
    Last edited: May 4, 2018