Should I get a 240v charger

Replacing an outlet (not likely) is less expensive than running a 240V line plus the cost of the charger itself.
Save your money unless you can't spare 5 hrs/day max to charge @ 120V.

 

Your 120V outlet should be fine. The charger that comes standard is rated for 120V 15A standard circuit. I'm using a standard plug in my garage with no problem. I decided to change it to a GFCI plug (ground fault protection) as the literature with the charger suggested, just to be safe if things get wet. I have noticed that it doesn't consume that much power/current for the 5 hours it takes to charge. Much less than my air conditioning or clothes dryer (as you would expect).

The only reason to change to 240V is if you need a fast charge. However, I would recommend charging overnight if you can and take advantage of the 'time of use' rates in Ontario - power is much cheaper after 7PM. I have programmed mine to charge so it is ready just before I leave in the morning. It costs me less than $0.40 for a full charge!

 

Ah yes... Mr. Ford.

You have 2 independent problems. (1) You don't know the current carrying capabilities of your existing wiring nor do you know their current state of health and (2) Should you or should you not fork over the $$$ for an L2 EVSE

(1) Go look at the wiring. Most likely it is a standard 15A outlet. See if you can determine how it is run to your main breaker or fuse box. For example if you flip that breaker and start plugging in a lightbulb or something to see if the outlets have power, it should make a path to the breaker box. That's how most are laid out. If your outlet is on the tail end of 200ft of wiring from the 1950's, using it for L1 charging at full current is a poor choice long term. If it is right next to the breaker, or more modern of wiring, etc it may be just fine. But you should know what you have before you start using it to the maximum capacity possible when it was new. It likely isn't new anymore...

(2) I've got a Leaf for a BEV and do all my charging on L1. I don't think an L2 is really worth it for me because I can plug in most of the day somewhere either at home or work. It spends most of its life attached to the wall slowly charging. But I also have a big battery backup so if it doesn't fill up enough in that short time period it still goes. In your case if you don't give it the time to charge you'll end up burning gas. Not dire, but probably not what you want. It will almost never be cheaper to install an L2 for a Prius Prime so as not to burn any gas versus paying for the gas on the times you need it, even at $1.20/litre.

Having said that, for (2) I have recently purchase a FLO X5 for my house in the GTA partly because of both Ford and the Cheeto's policies. I don't even have a BEV up there (yet). But I will also be purchasing them for my stateside places soon. They look cool, they have good features, and they are designed in Canada, produced in Canada (Quebec), and made for the harsh climate of Canada. Not a race-to-the-bottom type design like some of these EVSE's I see. Colorado gets similar weather and many don't survive. The plastic just explodes in the freezing temperature sometimes it's so brittle. FLO Home X5 | FLO

 

it is only pulling 12 amps, won't be a problem in any 120v outlet. if you can't sleep at night, you can set it to 8 amps.

how much is the evse incentive?

 

12A can be a huge problem as a 5-hour+ continuous draw on old or shoddy wiring. I've replaced enough blackened outlets! It is not pulling more than allowed, the breaker is happy. But it is a space heater in your wall if there is a problem. Best to at least check and not blindly guess. Even 8A continuous can be a problem depending on what the root cause of the problem is...

 

that sounds pretty good. i would at least look into pricing. especially install, because that can really vary, depending on access, breaker panel and etc.

i got one a few months after my pip, because i'm in and out all day, and of course, we only get 10-15 miles.

 

If you think you will be staying where you live now, why not future proof your home with a 30A L2 install?
Especially with that rebate!!

Do you really think the Prime is your last dabble with all things EV's?

My PHEV was just a stepping stone to BEV ownership. And my next BEV will charge at 7.2kW !

 

ah, the gateway drug.

 

Love the 240 v at my house. When running errands back an forth during the day, I plug it in when home. Gets me more miles per day. Doesn't take long to charge. Also, My outlet is dual use. I can plug my welder or plasma cutter in the same outlet.

 

A 240V EVSE installation was the best thing I did to keep EV percentage up.

 

Very unlikely.

As noted above, the charging system only draws 12 amps at 120 volts. Modern receptacle circuits are rated for 20 amps, and older buildings have 15 amp circuits. The 80% rule remains valid--limit the continuous draw on a circuit to 80% of the rating...12 amps on a 15 ampere circuit, etc.

You can check what you have. Your fuse panel or circuit breaker panel will have the circuits identified, or you can plug a light or radio into your receptacle you'll charge the car at and switch off one at a time to see which puts the light or radio off--that's the one. Of course, never, ever, put a fuse or circuit breaker with a higher rating into a circuit--stick what what it was build for. The purpose of the fuse or circuit breaker is to protect the wiring. It'll blow or trip on overload and prevent the wiring from overheating and burning your house down.

Take a good look at the receptacle you have. The three electrical rules always apply---it needs to be clean, dry, and tight. If the plug isn't tight in the receptacle, replace the receptacle. If there is any sign of black soot, replace it. If you're willing, de-energize the circuit, pull the receptacle out, and be sure the wiring is tight and shows no signs of overheating. If anything doesn't look very good, get it fixed.

The usual C$1.59 receptacle isn't the best. A commercial quality C$3.87 receptacle (Canadian Home Depot prices) will grip the prongs of the plug and grip the ends of the wiring more firmly for more reliability.

I do not think the cost of the Level 2 (240 volt) power supply is worth the benefit gained.

 

We are also in Ontario like the OP, and we took advantage of the incentive 2 years ago on the vehicle as well as the L2 when we got the Leaf, as the slow charge time would occasionally be an issue for my wife’s driving patterns. Shortly after, I picked up a used PiP, so now both cars share the L2 and it works out great.

However, if your only plug in vehicle is a PiP/Prime, I doubt the added investment would be worthwhile (from a cost/benefit POV), unless your goal is to future proof (or take advantage of the incentive before Doug Ford axes it.....). 50% off is a decent incentive, after all.

 

Just to add to my previous post on this....

You should be fine using the 120V charger that comes with the car, especially if you are typically charging overnight and don't need a 'fast' charge.

As other posters mentioned, just make sure your wiring is to code. Also, I would recommend:

1) Use a GFCI plug (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter). This is especially important if you will be charging outdoors or there is a chance of your cord getting wet. I bought a GFCI outlet at Canadian Tire for about $20, even though I am charging in my garage. Follow the installation instructions that come with your charger.

2) Don't plug anything else into the outlet you are using when charging, or ideally any outlets connected on the same circuit. Your breaker should trip, but this indicates too much current is drawn in the circuit which you should avoid.

3) Take advantage of Hydro Ottawa's 'time of use' billing. I have used the cars charge scheduling to do this, and charge overnight. Hydro Ottawa charges 13.2 cents/KWh during peak times, and 6.5 cents/KWh between 7PM and 7AM.

Just to put your mind at ease a little on this, the max power your car should consume is 12A x 120V = 1440W. However, I believe 12A is peak, and your outlet may not always reach 120V, so this should be max power. I'm not sure how the charging circuit is designed, but the current draw appears to vary over time (as you would expect). I have noticed when charging that at times the power consumption drops, so the charging circuit and/or car software do seem to control the charging current. So it looks like the power consumption is lower at times.

Other household items that have a similar power draw (typical numbers):
Toaster - up to 1500W
Microwave: 1000 to 1500W
Iron: 1000W
Hair Dryer: 1000W

Of course, you don't run these appliances for 5 hours straight. It is important to check the wiring as others have suggested, but once you have done this and you install a GFCI plug (for added safety) you should be fine.

 

If you're serious about saving money on gas and using the Prime for what it's intended to do, you'd have a 240v outlet already. Just being honest! It makes life with an electric car more..... electric.

 

I made an adapter that lets me plug my EVSE into my 240V dryer plug, and it works fine. Charges in 1/2 the time, although now that outside temps are 100+ (F) it charges more slowly due to heat -- even with the AC set to come on.

I did some research, and it looks like the EVSE is just a fancy electronic switch, as the charger is in the car. The charger works on both 120V and 240V, and the EVSE provides a bunch of logic to protect the charger. People worry about plugging it into 240V since the label only says 120V, but that's most likely because the plug would require a non-standard socket, which is apparently against standard electrical codes in most places. There are plenty of adapter cables for different types of 240V sockets to standard 5-15R receptacles, but their price runs the gamut from $16 to several hundred.

From what I could tell, the 240V EVSEs are pretty much the same as the EVSE that comes with the Prius Prime, only they have a different plug on them (or no plug, just wires), and they come in a fancier package with more lights on them. The internal electronics on the Prime's EVSE seems to be dual-voltage, and I've heard it would simply cut out with a warning light if it detects an over-voltage situation on the input. So far, I have had no problem. It barely even gets warm.

I've bought bits and pieces of electrical components over time and tried different combinations of things. Maybe I've spent $75 or so. Short adapters are available for $60, but they'd require an extension cord. In my current configuration, I cut the dryer cord in the middle and added another outlet that I mounted to the wall. Then I plugged a second 6' dryer cord into that and put an outlet box with an L6-30R receptacle into it, to which I attached the end of that dryer cord. Then I got an L6-30P plug to a 3 x 5-15R generator cord adapter, into which I plug the EVSE. Works like a charm. (I only need one of the normal outlets, but this thing was only $16 while a one-to-one adapter was $55. Go figure. The only reason I went with the L6-30 plug and receptacle was because the adapter was so cheap. However, it's also a common plug for RVs and welding machines that supports both 120V and 240V.)

Luckily the dryer is 4' from the wall of the carport, and the cord on the EVSE is plenty long enough to reach the car.

All of the parts are standard and easy to find, and they're all rated for 125v/250V at 20-30 amps. The EVSE only takes 12A at 240V, which is way below the rating of the dryer's 40A wiring.

 

Burnout--I find it hard to justify the cost of the 240 volt L2 EVSE when I can only get about 30 miles on a charge.
Tideland--I don't agree with you about putting the EVSE into my permanent home for the reason above. However, if I did, I'd do what you suggest and run a 50 amp circuit for a future 40 amp EVSE--if my panel has the capacity.
Digloo--Your jury rigged set up might be OK for just you and nobody else to touch. Someone else could inadvertently plug a 120 v plug into a 120v connector supplying 240 volts and fry something expensive or maybe get a flash burn. If you're only using your original equipment charging cable in your 240 volt set up, I'd put a 240v plug on it and connect it to a 240v receptacle.