adb04

The new 450H+ Plug-in hybrid has an onboard 6.6kW charger which is supposed to take about ~3 hours to fully charge the 18kW battery/36 Miles. I am curious, why didn't Lexus choose more faster charger or battery technology that could have charge the full system within hour or so? Pardon my ignorance about the battery technology, but when Teslas can be fully charged (~70kW battery/310 Miles) within an hour (of course faster charger), wouldn't be great if Lexus gave us an option for more faster EV charging option? Or was there any specific technology limitations?

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RXWes

Doesn’t the Tesla use a different system like DC power. Where the Lexus NX uses the same RAV4 battery system that’s been out 5 years?

Also to get those quick charge times on the Tesla. Don’t you need to use one of the Super charger stations? How many homes have those available?

adb04

Yes, Tesla uses a different system. In home charging system (240v), Tesla can put 30+ miles per hour, whereas Lexus can only do 10-12 miles per hour. I was wondering what might be the reason Lexus didn't choose an efficient system in their luxury plug-in hybrid model?

DaveDude

Since you have a gas engine in the 450h range anxiety should not be an issue. Thus less need for fast charging. Whereas in a Tesla you could be stuck for hours without a faster charger on a longer trip.

Jawnathin

Yup, what Dave said. An EV would be stuck for hours if it couldn’t fast charge while a PHEV can continue on using gas when it’s battery is depleted. The fast charge equivalent for a PHEV is the gas station. <5 minutes for 500 miles beats any EV charging system today.

3.3kwh or 6.6kwh chargers are very common on PHEVs. I don’t think any PHEV uses anything faster. The battery pack is much smaller in comparison to an EV. It doesn’t need the complexity and cost associated with a higher speed chargers. In day to day use, the 2-4 hour charge times is plenty quick enough. Even less time if the battery isn’t empty. I’ve found that even the slow 120v power outlet charger to work fine for me. Just plug it in when I get home and it’s full the next morning.

HondaChuck

Driving any Lexus 450h used to charge the battery (there was no plugging in). Does the 450h+ still charge the battery when driving or do you have to plug it in?

Jawnathin

The 450h drives like a normal self-charging hybrid when not plugged in. It will use regenerative brakes to send energy back to the battery.

alvinklee

The charging speed is good enough, if they want us to spent more money, I rather have that go to the battery size if anything.

Pharbor

Lexus is focused on durability, Tesla will cover the model 3 battery for 8 years and 100,000 miles (up to 120K for Long Range) - https://www.tesla.com/support/vehicle-warranty - Lexus covers the batteries for 10 years and 150K. Fast charging is a higher stress on batteries than slow charging - I suspect that is why the warranty is longer - Lexus tends to be more focused on durability - it is part of their brand identity. Tesla will only warranty the battery if less then 70% charging - Lexus doesn't specify,

Pharbor

It slowly charges the main battery - as others have said - like any other Hybrid - but the charge times are slow - about the same as when plugged into 110 V outlet.

mcomer

Give them room for a "New & Improved" model later!

AoshiZ

I have the NX450h+.
I can attest that the regenerative brakes can charge pretty fast. Much faster than the 110V wall charger and closer to the fast charging. The reason it doesn't feel fast is because there are usually an equal number of braking/charge times as acceleration/depletion times. However, I was able to verify that regenerative charging is fast because I recently went on a trip to a mountain (Big Bear). On the way down from the mountain, I was initially completely depleted and was able to charge up to about 12 miles in a little over 30 minutes of continuous downhill driving. Once at the bottom of the mountain, I had a flat drive and verified the approximate distance in EV only mode.

Hope that helps

wingman75

I just placed my order for a 450h+ today! In order to take advantage of the government rebates in my area, I was restricted to the Ultra Premium trim level, which I think is what I would selected regardless.

So, I have been researching the charging... and reading these posts has been very helpful.

So to be clear,

• I can use the included charge cable connected to a standard 120v outlet to charge the battery in ~11h
• I can use the EVDOUBLER (or similar) to connect the included charge cable to a 240v outlet and charge the battery in ~6h
• In order to achieve the ~2h charge time, I would have to purchase and install a dedicated Level 2 charger connected to the 240v outlet (recommeneded brands are Lectron, ChargePoint, Schimacher)

Luckily I already have a 240v outlet in my garage and there is a government rebate available for the purchase and installation of an EV charger. I have not yet verifed the breaker amperage, but I think it is (double pole) 30A

Thank you

davidu21

It’s super helpful.
do you find it practical or realistic to buy NX 450+ for those who do not have a garage to charge at home every night?I’m trying to see if relying on regenerative brakes to charge EV battery is realistic. Did you try fast charging at public charging station?

timdakao

To be honest, if you don't have a place you can regularly charge the battery it's not really worth it to get the 450h+. The battery is bigger on the 450h vs the 350h but that also makes the car heavier and slightly less fuel efficient on hybrid only. People have been getting upwards of 84 MPGe on the 450h because they top off their batteries every day. You're also limited on the options you can get if go with the 450h (mark levinson, pano roof, etc.) I think the EPA range of the 350h is around 40 mpg while the EPA range of the 450h without plugging in is about 36 MPG, not to mention the $10k premium for the plug in. It's also much harder to even find a 450h these days unless you're willing to pay ridiculous markups (Beverly hills is asking for $20k over MSRP) or wait (all the dealers around me asking for less than $5k in markups quoted me over 9 months). Hope that helps.