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14-50 v 6-50 outlet
- Thread starter Faren451
- Start date
Either 14-50 or 6-50 will work and you will be able to charge at the same rates.
The 6-50 would probably be slightly cheaper since he'd have to only run 3 wires instead of 4. Since the 4th wire isn't used by the mobile connector, it really wouldn't be needed unless you had some other device that needed 14-50.
Mobile Connector
You can buy either the 14-50 or 6-50 adapter at Tesla's online store for $35.
Gen 2 NEMA Adapters
We used to have 14-50 outlets installed in our garage (before we installed hard-wired wall connectors) and my brother has a 6-50 in his. Whenever I visited, I would just swap out the 14-50 adapter and use the 6-50 adapter. Since I have the gen 1 mobile connector, I could charge at 40 amps vs. 32 amps of the gen 2 (current) mobile connector.
If you are considering putting in a hard-wired wall connector later, then you'd probably want them to put in wiring to support a 60 amp circuit so you could charge at up to 48 amps. If they only put in 14-50 or 6-50, the wiring and breaker probably wouldn't be sufficient for adding the 60 amp breaker later.
The 6-50 would probably be slightly cheaper since he'd have to only run 3 wires instead of 4. Since the 4th wire isn't used by the mobile connector, it really wouldn't be needed unless you had some other device that needed 14-50.
Mobile Connector
You can buy either the 14-50 or 6-50 adapter at Tesla's online store for $35.
Gen 2 NEMA Adapters
We used to have 14-50 outlets installed in our garage (before we installed hard-wired wall connectors) and my brother has a 6-50 in his. Whenever I visited, I would just swap out the 14-50 adapter and use the 6-50 adapter. Since I have the gen 1 mobile connector, I could charge at 40 amps vs. 32 amps of the gen 2 (current) mobile connector.
If you are considering putting in a hard-wired wall connector later, then you'd probably want them to put in wiring to support a 60 amp circuit so you could charge at up to 48 amps. If they only put in 14-50 or 6-50, the wiring and breaker probably wouldn't be sufficient for adding the 60 amp breaker later.
Thanks for the response.
The 4 wire v 3 wire issue is what my electrician mentioned. Can I still use a 14-50 or 6-50 with proper wiring and 60amp breaker in order to get to 48amps? Or does the wall connector have to be hard wired to get too 48amps. the rational would be in case i move or whatever I could just unplug and take the wall charger with me .
The 4 wire v 3 wire issue is what my electrician mentioned. Can I still use a 14-50 or 6-50 with proper wiring and 60amp breaker in order to get to 48amps? Or does the wall connector have to be hard wired to get too 48amps. the rational would be in case i move or whatever I could just unplug and take the wall charger with me .
The current mobile connector is limited to 32 amps. You'll need a wall connector to get higher than that. The electrician could probably put in wiring to support 60 amps and put in a 50 amp circuit for a 6-50 outlet. Then if you upgrade to the wall connector later, the electrician wouldn't have to run new wire and could upgrade the breaker to 60 amps, remove the 6-50 outlet and install the hardwired wall connector. The hardwired option would only use 3 wires. If you decided to move, you could remove the wall connector and then reinstall the 6-50 and 50 amp breaker.
@Rocky_H can you make sure I got things right?
If you're going to plan to install a Tesla Wall Connector, you don't need the neutral. But, if you ever wanted to install a relatively common 14-50 outlet in the future, you will need the neutral. It is better in terms of labor cost to have them run the hot, hot, neutral, ground to the 14-50 setup and disconnect/cap the neutral and leave it in the wall for future considerations. I don't know how much of a difference in cost it would be, but I could almost guarantee it would be cheaper than having an electrician come back a second time in the future and try to run the neutral through to the outlet.
If you're going to install a 6-50 or 14-50, this is a 50 amp breaker, that's code for sure. If you're going to upgrade to a HWC in the future, the breaker can be changed to 60 amps *IF THE GAUGE WIRE ALLOWS THAT MUCH AMPERAGE* and then yes, your HWC will maximize at 48A.
And yes, the current Gen2 mobile connector is limited to 32A regardless of the outlet, wiring, or breaker.
The key in this is if you're looking to eventually upgrade to a HWC and charge at the maximum 48A, you should have the proper wiring installed that can support it.
Circuits on 50A require 8 gauge wire. Circuits on 60 (maximum 65A) require 6 gauge wire. Some people choose to install 4 gauge wire for less resistance losses. There are some other perks of using 4 gauge wire if you try to powershare between multiple HWC in the event you have multiple Teslas that need to charge simultaneously.
Personally, if I do install a HWC, I am going to plan for 6 gauge wire and run it on a 60A breaker and hardwire it. But, another option could be to have the 14-50 and use your MC. You *CAN* install the HWC with lower amperages but you have to be sure that it is set and installed properly - you COULD remove the 14-50 you install, install the HWC, and charge at 40A without changing the wiring or breaker, as the whole circuit is already set for 40A continuous pull. In this case, I would use 8 gauge wire unless the cost difference was negligible.
Just for reference in terms of energy, before some efficiency losses are factored:
32 amps * 240 volts = 7680 watts per hour
40 amps * 240 volts = 9600 watts per hour
Your Model Y has around a 72.5 kW usable pack, so that means it would take around 9 1/2 hours to go from completely empty to completely full. Most people only charge to 80% for typical use unless they need it, which would be around 58 kW.
With the Mobile Connector and 32 amps, you'd charge from your 0% to 80% SOC in about 7.5 hours.
With the HWC and 40 amp charge rate (50A circuit), you'd do the same in 6 hours.
With the full HWC on a 60 amp circuit (charging at 48A), it would take 5 hours.
Only you can determine how quick you need to charge. There are benefits to charging faster - like time of use billing from your utility, where you get super cheap rates overnight for example, so you want to charge as much as you can from, say, midnight until 6 AM.
As someone that only drives around 30 miles per day, I *personally* don't really have a need for anything really beyond a 6-20 or 14-30, so it all depends on what your driving habits are, and how long you have to charge before you need to use the vehicle again.
If you're going to install a 6-50 or 14-50, this is a 50 amp breaker, that's code for sure. If you're going to upgrade to a HWC in the future, the breaker can be changed to 60 amps *IF THE GAUGE WIRE ALLOWS THAT MUCH AMPERAGE* and then yes, your HWC will maximize at 48A.
And yes, the current Gen2 mobile connector is limited to 32A regardless of the outlet, wiring, or breaker.
The key in this is if you're looking to eventually upgrade to a HWC and charge at the maximum 48A, you should have the proper wiring installed that can support it.
Circuits on 50A require 8 gauge wire. Circuits on 60 (maximum 65A) require 6 gauge wire. Some people choose to install 4 gauge wire for less resistance losses. There are some other perks of using 4 gauge wire if you try to powershare between multiple HWC in the event you have multiple Teslas that need to charge simultaneously.
Personally, if I do install a HWC, I am going to plan for 6 gauge wire and run it on a 60A breaker and hardwire it. But, another option could be to have the 14-50 and use your MC. You *CAN* install the HWC with lower amperages but you have to be sure that it is set and installed properly - you COULD remove the 14-50 you install, install the HWC, and charge at 40A without changing the wiring or breaker, as the whole circuit is already set for 40A continuous pull. In this case, I would use 8 gauge wire unless the cost difference was negligible.
Just for reference in terms of energy, before some efficiency losses are factored:
32 amps * 240 volts = 7680 watts per hour
40 amps * 240 volts = 9600 watts per hour
Your Model Y has around a 72.5 kW usable pack, so that means it would take around 9 1/2 hours to go from completely empty to completely full. Most people only charge to 80% for typical use unless they need it, which would be around 58 kW.
With the Mobile Connector and 32 amps, you'd charge from your 0% to 80% SOC in about 7.5 hours.
With the HWC and 40 amp charge rate (50A circuit), you'd do the same in 6 hours.
With the full HWC on a 60 amp circuit (charging at 48A), it would take 5 hours.
Only you can determine how quick you need to charge. There are benefits to charging faster - like time of use billing from your utility, where you get super cheap rates overnight for example, so you want to charge as much as you can from, say, midnight until 6 AM.
As someone that only drives around 30 miles per day, I *personally* don't really have a need for anything really beyond a 6-20 or 14-30, so it all depends on what your driving habits are, and how long you have to charge before you need to use the vehicle again.
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PalmBeachPaul
Member
I agree. There are more options to purchase chargers with 14-50 than 6-50. I purchased a 40A 1772 charger to charge my Tesla (With adapter) and Mini Cooper ES on order.
If you install a Wall Connector on a 60 amp circuit, then later move, don't worry. Just flip off the breaker, remove the WC, cap off the wires and you are done.
@MorrisonHiker Perfect.
Please don't try to oversimplify that, because you're putting out unintentionally wrong information. Different versions of wire and cable have different amp ratings. Many people will be using Romex cable inside walls, and if they followed your gauge recommendations for that, they would have wrong and dangerous installs. The wire gauges you are referring to are correct only if they are individual wires in conduit. So please, people, look this up in an ampacity table for what level of circuit it is, and then what wire type you are using to see the appropriate thickness to use.
This is far from the first time I've seen it here, and there is no way someone should be just giving just a simple one number answer for wire gauge. Romex cable versus wire in conduit are both very common install methods, and I couldn't begin to guess which side of 50/50 is the majority. And depending on which one it is, the wire gauge will probably be different for a given level of circuit. So it's fine to give both answers or show how to find which answer applies.
That's fair enough, and I can't edit the original post above, and I agree with what you're saying: there is a difference between Romex and other wiring like THHN or THWN. I strongly advise anyone to contact their local electrician, even if you plan on doing the labor yourself, pay them for a little time and knowledge and get the job done right. There are serious consequences to cutting corners here.
Okay - I'm confused.
In the posts above, folks keep referring to the "mobile connector." As I understand it, the "mobile connector" that comes with the MY is 120 volts.
When referring to the mobile connector, are you actually referring to the "corded mobile connector," rated at 220 volts (32 amps) that Tesla sells for $520?
In the posts above, folks keep referring to the "mobile connector." As I understand it, the "mobile connector" that comes with the MY is 120 volts.
When referring to the mobile connector, are you actually referring to the "corded mobile connector," rated at 220 volts (32 amps) that Tesla sells for $520?
The universal mobile connector (UMC) comes with a 5-15 (120V, 15A) adapter. There are also a number of other adapters available for $35 each - including the 6-50 and 14-50 adapters.
No, this is one of those things where other brands of auto makers have given electric cars a bad reputation. They come with these pathetic, dinky, low power charging cords with thin wire that can only handle regular household outlets as 120V 15A, and then people generally really do need to buy some kind of "charging station" extra to get any decent charging speed.
Tesla's mobile charging cable that comes with all of their cars is a fantastic piece of equipment with really good value. It can handle 120V or 240V sources, has decently thick cable, and has swappable adapters that can be used for many types of outlets up to the 240V 50A type.
You've got some mistaken numbers about that. The Corded Mobile Connector is based on the original 1st generation mobile charging cord that Tesla used to offer, so it can provide up to 40A of current, not just 32A. That's why it costs more than the current 2nd generation charging cable with the swappable adapters that is only $275 and can only provide up to 32A.
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