I had to purchase additional cable, plug, "charger", 40a/220v circuit breaker &40a/220v socket/surface mount enclosure to fabricate a charger source from my service box in the garage. Takes ~ 1:45 to fully charge battery to 46 miles capacity. It did not cost $699

 

Thank you. Can u tell me approximately how much it cost? Also, i don’t know what you mean by “charger”. Is it just the cable and plug?

 

The "Charger" sits between the plug to the car and your interface to the power panel(direct wire or plug & socket). It displays current flow to car. Total cost was ~$250+.

 

Can you give me the make and model number of the “charger” please?

 

What Toyota supplies is the handy dandy all purpose 110v, 15 amp charger/power cord that can plug into a standard household outlet. The lowest common denominator that anyone should have in their home.

What you need to get to take advantage of your vehicle's faster charging capability depends on the electrical source you need to plug into or wire into.
Go to Amazon and look at Level 2 EV chargers
There are dozens available. If you do not already have a 220v receptacle in your garage or other "close to parked vehicle" location, you will have to start at the breaker panel and run a new 220v circuit. Choose between "hardwire" and "plug in".

 

 

Thank you for all the information. Much appreciated. I just don’t understand why the car comes equipped with an “onboard 6.6kW charger” yet to charge the car faster, it requires that you have to buy a level 2 EV charger. It doesn’t make sense to me.

 

Read the first paragraph of my post #7. They include the cheap cable that can plug into any home outlet. Not bad to have to leave in the vehicle for that trip to Aunt Sally's.

You need high powered input to charge fast.

 

I did read it. Still doesn’t make sense to me. It the 6.6kW charger is “on board” it seems to me that all that should be needed is a plug that plugs into a 220 volt receptacle. If we have to buy a charger, what is “on board”?

 

What is on board is what I colloquially would call an inverter, changing the 110/220 v AC current to the ~368v DC battery storage.
Look at the OM for you vehicle, particularly the info regarding the charging cable and it's components. It is not just an extension cord, merely conducting power from an outlet to the car. Those same control functions are implemented, on higher power levels, as part of level 2 chargers.

They got you for $5k or more for the package that includes the 6.6kw. I guess they figure you can go for a few hundred more to actually use it. But what do I know about marketing?

 

What is on board is what I colloquially would call an inverter, changing the 110/220 v AC current to the ~368v DC battery storage. Look at the OM for you vehicle, particularly the info regarding the charging cable and it's components. It is not just an extension cord, merely conducting power from an outlet to the car. Those same control functions are implemented, on higher power levels, as part of level 2 chargers. They got you for $5k or more for the package that includes the 6.6kw. I guess they figure you can go for a few hundred more to actually use it. But what do I know about marketing?

TedL - Thanks for your excellent explanation of the two levels of charging offered by Toyota. Pretty much what I thought after looking at the hardware and reading other, but less clear explanations. You work is appreciated! TUVW

 

you are trying to compare a slow trickle charger to a robust much faster charger. A ton of engineering went into the high end chargers... so they will cost a bunch. They are probably proprietary. Only fit the specific car or brand, model.

 

They are probably proprietary. Only fit the specific car or brand, model.

Incorrect. Only Tesla has varied from the SAE standard, and they sell an adapter.

 

As I now understand it, the onboard charger allows you to have a fast charge at a charging station. It doesn’t help at you home. You still need a $700 level 2 charger to charge it at your house. Toyota could have explained it much better in their literature. I don’t think main of their sales staff knows what it actually means.

 

It doesn’t help at you home. You still need a $700 level 2 charger to charge it at your house

I would fine tune the language a bit, but basically correct. To have the 6.6 KW charger charge the traction battery at 6.6KW, it needs to have 6.6 KW supplied at the connection to the car. Makes sense, the charger does not create power, it takes external power and moves it into the battery.

6.6KW at 220 v = 30 amps. But....NEC requires a 20% derating of a circuit supplying a continuous load, defined as 2 hrs or more. Like a charger. So, you need a circuit rated at 37.5 amps or more. Practically speaking, there are no 37.5 rated devices or wiring, so realistically it means 40 amp. Or 50, if you want to accommodate full EVs. That's a 40 amp, 220 volt receptacle (or hard wired) for the charger.

The 110 v. 15 amp cable suppplied cannot be the connection between that circuit and the vehicle, unless you use an adapter between the Totota supplied NEMA 5-15 plug and the (commonly used for ranges) NEMA 14-50 receptacle. And settle for 12 A * 110 V = 1.32KW charging rate.

I would agree that most of the salespeople do not know this stuff. And the ones that do would not mention it, as it does not help sell the super delux package with the $5k sticker.

Small consolation: In addition to the car credit, there's a separate credit for the accessory do-dads and electrical wiring.

 

So I am also as confused as Pops109. I have a 220V 40A socket in my garage and the 6.6kW charger will not connect with it? Shouldn't the on-board charger need just a cord at that point with 8.8kW available??? Seems like the term "on-board charger" would be just that, an on-board charger.

 

The problem is your thinking that 220v 40A is a unique identifier. It is not, especially since there is no common 40 A receptacle configuration! You use 50A. It could have three slots; it could have four slots. But it could actually be 110/220v receptacle, with both voltages available. You need the NEMA receptacle (the number with the "R" suffix) to accept the NEMA plug (the number with the "P" suffix), which virtually always means the NEMA numerals must match. Or use an adapter to let them connect. There are a few receptacles that will accept plugs with different numbers, but I can't think of any besides the 120v 20A accepting the 120v 15A as well as 20A.

Google for a NEMA plug receptacle chart.

 

I have my Rav4 Prime on order at this time. I was advised that some power companies can be of help. Some will supply the charger at a reduced price and may even offer reduced rate power Off-Peak charging. It's worth looking into.
I am on a power co-op and they told me that they can get me one at cost.
Good Luck and safe driving!

 

All plug in electric hybrids have an on board charger that can accept 120 volt or 240 volt cord sets. Type 1 (120 volt) and Type 2 (240 volt) ‘Charging cord sets” connect to the vehicle On Board Charger. The vehicle charger and charging cord set communicate with each other to tell the capacity of the vehicle charger, the capacity of the charging cord set and the capacity of the the outlet. The allowable house outlets include , 120 volts 20 amp, 240 volts 30 amp, 240 volts 40 amp or 240 volts 50 amp. Besides communicating the currents the vehicle and cord set can handle, there are safety communications built into the cord set (i.e., ground faults) and other important information. The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Standard J1772 explains the requirements for a J1772 charging cord set.

Type 1 and Type 2 “Charging Cord Sets” are correctly called “Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment, or EVSE.” To repeat, they are not ”chargers.”

Unforunately, charging cord sets are often, mistakenly, called “chargers,” even by some of the second party manufacturers and journalists writing about charging vehicles. Type 1 and Type 2 are charging cord sets, not chargers. There is lot of confusion here.

Most plug in hybrids come with the less expensive Type 1 120 volt charging cord set which can often be used with an exiting 120 volt 20 amp circuit and allows overnight charging of the battery sizes used in plug in hybrids, since the batteries are relatively small, but most of the vehicle on board chargers also have capability for 240 volt charging at anywhere from 3 to 9 KW.

As noted, the Type 2 240 volt charging cord sets are usually not included with the new vehicle, so require purchase of a new cord set. My Chrysler Pacifica Plug In Hybrid requires about 12 hours to charge on Chrysler’s Type 1 cord set and about 2 hours to charge on a $499 Charge Point 32 Watt. I also had to have an electrician run a 40 Amp 240 volt circuit to the carport, at a cost of over $1500. This is partly covered by tax incentives.

Toyota RAV4 Primes come with either a 3.3 or a 6.6 KW on-board charger. Depnding on the size of the on-board charger, it will take approxiately 2 to 4 hours with a Type 2 charger to fully charge. Note, if your Toyota has the smaller 3.3 KW charger, charging speed is limited to 3.3 KW and will require around 4 hours. Putting in a larger cord set and running a larger house circuit, (i.e., 50 amp 240 volt) will not reduce charging time to 2 hours - you needed to buy the Prime with the 6.6 KW on-board charger to do this.

Many people will buy a larger cord set and run heavier wiring to cover future electric vehicle requirments. Once the electrician is running new wires, it is not much more expensive to have them run a 240 volt 40 amp circuit instead of the 240 volt 30 amp circuit that is sufficient for the 3.3 KW charger. The charging cord set can be set (or will automatically determine) the correct charging rate for your vehicle. I purchased the 40 amp cord set that is set for the 6.6 KW the on-board charger can handle.

Evertything changes with Type 3 chargers. They bypass the on-board charger and use an external high voltage/high amperage supply. Again, though, the vehicle and connecting cord communicate to set charging rates.

Some of the commentactors noted it would be easy, and not that expensive, to furnish both a 120 volt and a 240 volt charging cord set. The Chevrolet Bolt is doing exactly that. Their cord set has two set of plugs, one for 120 volt and one for 240 volt.

 

All plug in electric hybrids have an on board charger that can accept 120 volt or 240 volt cord sets. Type 1 (120 volt) and Type 2 (240 volt) ‘Charging cord sets” connect to the vehicle On Board Charger. The vehicle charger and charging cord set communicate with each other to tell the capacity of the vehicle charger, the capacity of the charging cord set and the capacity of the the outlet. The allowable house outlets include , 120 volts 20 amp, 240 volts 30 amp, 240 volts 40 amp or 240 volts 50 amp. Besides communicating the currents the vehicle and cord set can handle, there are safety communications built into the cord set (i.e., ground faults) and other important information. The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Standard J1772 explains the requirements for a J1772 charging cord set.

Type 1 and Type 2 “Charging Cord Sets” are correctly called “Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment, or EVSE.” To repeat, they are not ”chargers.”

Unforunately, charging cord sets are often, mistakenly, called “chargers,” even by some of the second party manufacturers and journalists writing about charging vehicles. Type 1 and Type 2 are charging cord sets, not chargers. There is lot of confusion here.

Most plug in hybrids come with the less expensive Type 1 120 volt charging cord set which can often be used with an exiting 120 volt 20 amp circuit and allows overnight charging of the battery sizes used in plug in hybrids, since the batteries are relatively small, but most of the vehicle on board chargers also have capability for 240 volt charging at anywhere from 3 to 9 KW.

As noted, the Type 2 240 volt charging cord sets are usually not included with the new vehicle, so require purchase of a new cord set. My Chrysler Pacifica Plug In Hybrid requires about 12 hours to charge on Chrysler’s Type 1 cord set and about 2 hours to charge on a $499 Charge Point 32 Watt. I also had to have an electrician run a 40 Amp 240 volt circuit to the carport, at a cost of over $1500. This is partly covered by tax incentives.

Toyota RAV4 Primes come with either a 3.3 or a 6.6 KW on-board charger. Depnding on the size of the on-board charger, it will take approxiately 2 to 4 hours with a Type 2 charger to fully charge. Note, if your Toyota has the smaller 3.3 KW charger, charging speed is limited to 3.3 KW and will require around 4 hours. Putting in a larger cord set and running a larger house circuit, (i.e., 50 amp 240 volt) will not reduce charging time to 2 hours - you needed to buy the Prime with the 6.6 KW on-board charger to do this.

Many people will buy a larger cord set and run heavier wiring to cover future electric vehicle requirments. Once the electrician is running new wires, it is not much more expensive to have them run a 240 volt 40 amp circuit instead of the 240 volt 30 amp circuit that is sufficient for the 3.3 KW charger. The charging cord set can be set (or will automatically determine) the correct charging rate for your vehicle. I purchased the 40 amp cord set that is set for the 6.6 KW the on-board charger can handle.

Evertything changes with Type 3 chargers. They bypass the on-board charger and use an external high voltage/high amperage supply. Again, though, the vehicle and connecting cord communicate to set charging rates.

Some of the commentactors noted it would be easy, and not that expensive, to furnish both a 120 volt and a 240 volt charging cord set. The Chevrolet Bolt is doing exactly that. Their cord set has two set of plugs, one for 120 volt and one for 240 volt.

To see if I'm understanding this comment. (#20) If I have a 3.3KW on-board charger. Will I still charge at 3.3KW even if I plug in to a 6.6KW at the 240 volt? Meaning having a 3.3KW on-board charger limits me to Tier I charging speeds.

 

to see if I'm understanding this comment. (#20) If I have a 3.3KW on-board charger. Will I still charge at 3.3KW even if I plug in to a 6.6KW at the 240 volt? Meaning having a 3.3KW on-board charger limits me to Tier I charging speeds.

 

Almost all plug-in hybrids have on-board chargers than can handle either Type 1 120 volt cord sets or Type 2 240 volt cord sets. The on-board charger is both a 120 volt charger and a 240 volt charger, and charges according the the ability of the cord set and the circuit it is plugged into.

When connected to a Type 1 cord set, the vehicle charger will operate at 120 volts and provide approximately 1.2 kW to 1.5 kW (1200 to 1500 Watts).

When a RAV4 Prime with a 3.3 kW on-board charger is connected to a Type 2 240 volt cord set, the on-board charger changes to 240 volt, and so it is considerably faster than the Type 1 120 volt connection.

So, yes, you are understanding correctly. If you have a 3.3 kW (3,300 Watt) on-board charger it will still only charge at 3.3 kW even if connected to a charging cord set that is 'capable' of providing 6.6 kW (6,600 Watt). The vehicle charger just can't provide more than 3.3 kW. Your are stuck at a much slower charging rate than those RAV4 Primes that have the 6.6 kW on-board charger.

However, when plugging in and using a 240 volt cord set you will be charging much faster than the Type 1 120 volt charging cord set.

Not all Type 2 on-board chargers are created equal, as shown by the RAV4 Prime. The 3.3 kW on-board charger and the 6.6 kW on-board charger are both called Type 2 chargers, since they both use 240 volts. They are faster than the Type 1 120 volts, so your comments asking if you are limited to a "Tier 1 (sic)' charging speed is not quite correct. It's faster than a Type 1. The 3.3 kW is a Type 2, but only about 1/2 as fast as the 6.6 kW Type 2.

I wonder how many people have purchased a cord set capable of providing 6.6 kW for a vehicle with a 3.3 kW on-board charger only to find the vehicle charges half as fast as they expected.

If you want to use your 3.3 kW capacity, check with your electrician as it is quite likely an existing clothes dryer 240 volt circuit will have sufficient capacity to handle the 3.3 kW on-board charger. You will need to purchase a Type 2 charging cord set with appropriate 240 volt house plug.

CAUTION!! The 120 volt cord set is designed only for 120 volts. Never change plugs or use adapters to plug it in to a 240 volt circuit, which could damage the cord set, the vehicle, the house wiring and increase the risk of shock and fire. Modifying them (as shown in some YouTube videos) is not safe.

An interesting aside. As a safety feature, until the vehicle and the cord set are connected and have communicated with each other the main 120 or 240 volt circuit to the vehicle is not energized.

Some full electric vehicles (EV) are now shipped with up to 11.0 kW on-board chargers. These require a 50 or 60 Ampere 240 volt service which might require an upgrade to the house electrical service, and a cord set rated to deliver 11 kW. Even though they provide much faster charging, they are still called Type 2 chargers, since they operate on 240 volts and use the vehicle's on-board charger. Providing such a large on-board charger for a plug-in hybrid, with a relatively small battery, would probably be over-kill for most plug-in users , but very useful for at home charging of an EV.

Type 3 cord sets do NOT use the vehicle's on-board charger, so can charge even faster. Plug-in Hybrids, like the RAV4 Prime and the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, do not accept Type 3 cord sets, and will only at Type 1 or Type 2 speeds using the on-board charger.

Home Type 3 charging is, in general, cost prohibitive and not practical for at-home charging. And again, not available to us plug-in hybrid owners.

 

In my previous posts I incorrectly referred to Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 charging as “Type1,2, and 3.” Please change all references from Type to Level.



An excellent article in cars.com, “5 Things That Could Slow Your EV’s Home Charging Speed” is well worth reading. The five factors are:

1. The capacity of the vehicle on-board charger, typically 3.3 to 11 kW.

2. The charging cord set (Electric Vehicle Service Equipment, EVSE) capacity.

3. The house wiring, including wiring size and distance to the service panel.

4. The circuit breaker size, which must be sized to the wiring and the EVSE.

5. The service panel, which must have electrical capacity and space for the circuit.



All the items can be upgraded. Changing the capacity of the vehicle on-board charger is best done before purchase by upgrading to a RAV4 Prime with the 6.6 kW on-board charger. The other four items can all be upgraded after vehicle purchase, although at a cost.

 

Our 2021 RAV4 Prime XSE came equipped with the onboard 6.6kW traction battery charger. I cannot find any information on how to make use of it. The dealer is telling me I have to purchase a EV Charger for $699. That doesn’t make sense to me. What is the “6.6kW onboard charger“ for if I need to purchase a charger?? Couldn’t it be just plugged into a 220 volt recepticle?

Toyota rep here: There is a bit of miscommunication on this thread. The vehicle can charge with the provided cable at home, you can get a home charger as well. The vehicle can also partially charge itself with "onboard charging" when the engine is running. The on board charger is the when you hold the "Charge Hold" button. This means the vehicle will recharge itself with the engine.

 

Our 2021 RAV4 Prime XSE came equipped with the onboard 6.6kW traction battery charger. I cannot find any information on how to make use of it. The dealer is telling me I have to purchase a EV Charger for $699. That doesn’t make sense to me. What is the “6.6kW onboard charger“ for if I need to purchase a charger??
Couldn’t it be just plugged into a 220 volt recepticle?

Toyota rep here: There is a bit of miscommunication on this thread. The Rav4 Prime can charge in a few different ways. The in car cable, you can get a home charger, or the vehicle can also partially charge itself with "onboard charging" when the engine is running. This 3.3 or 6.6 kilowatt charger is activated with you hold the "Charge Hold" button on the car.

 

I don't know why you are trying to muddy the waters here by talking about a different topic. The rest of us are talking about what the OM calls the "(3.3 or) 6.6 kW onboard traction battery charger".

It's like filling a bucket using a garden hose. You can connect to a 1" pipe with steady 70psi. You can use a short 3/4 inch hose that could easily deliver 10 gpm. But if you run it through nozzle with an opening restricted to limit flow to 2 gpm, that's all you will get into the bucket.