16A Blue Adaptor

[evDrew]

HI All,
Got the Tesla on the way, and I'm just trying to wrap my head around the charging options for home. I probably only do about 50 km at most on a typical day. My plan was to go for the caravan type plug. Tesla call it a 16A Blue Adaptor on their page, but in other threads its referred to as a UMC. Hopefully I've got that right. Only problem is that there are no adaptors available. I've had the adaptor on email alert for the last 2 months.

Firstly, is the UMC options a good one based on the km I do. And secondly, does anyone know if there is anyone else that would sell a UMC adaptor in case it's a long wait from Tesla?

Also, what other adapter should I purchase for road trips so that I can make use of as many charge stations as possible?

Cheers Drew

 

[jjrandorin]

Welcome to TMC!

I am not familiar with charging options outside of the US. You can also try posting your question in the regional subforum that is for the area of the world you are in:

New Zealand

teslamotorsclub.com

Perhaps someone in that subform has more regional knowledge around the specific adapters etc available where you are.

Good luck, and pre congratulations on the purchase!

 

[evDrew]

Ahhh damn, thought I had. Maybe after registering I end back in the main area. Can I move this, or do I just start a new one?

 

[jjrandorin]

Ahhh damn, thought I had. Maybe after registering I end back in the main area. Can I move this, or do I just start a new one?

I can move it for you if you want. If so, simply report the first post and ask for it to be moved to the New Zealand subforum, and I (or one of the other mods that have access to this subforum) will move it for you.

 

[RayK]

HI All,
Got the Tesla on the way, and I'm just trying to wrap my head around the charging options for home. I probably only do about 50 km at most on a typical day. My plan was to go for the caravan type plug. Tesla call it a 16A Blue Adaptor on their page, but in other threads its referred to as a UMC. Hopefully I've got that right. Only problem is that there are no adaptors available. I've had the adaptor on email alert for the last 2 months.

Firstly, is the UMC options a good one based on the km I do. And secondly, does anyone know if there is anyone else that would sell a UMC adaptor in case it's a long wait from Tesla?

Also, what other adapter should I purchase for road trips so that I can make use of as many charge stations as possible?

Cheers Drew

Drew,

From what I can tell here in the USA, the Blue adapter is meant for caravan/motorhome (what we in the US would call RV) parks and appears to have different pins than your normal home outlets (round pins vs. flat pins). According to what I can find, residential NZ outlets are 230VAC 10A or 15A; the difference being the width of one of the pins. You can plug in a 15A plug into a 10A outlet but not the other way around. The UMC (universal mobile connector) that supplies power to your car requires the use of an adapter cord and appears to come with both 10A and 15A adapters:

Gen 2 Universal Mobile Connector

The Gen 2 Universal Mobile Connector is compatible with New Zealand adapters. The max charge rate is determined by the adapter. Every Universal Mobile Connector comes with a 6-meter cable to allow for maximum flexibility in parking locations. Recommended for Model S, Model 3 and Model X...

shop.tesla.com

The 16A Blue plug would obviously necessitate the matching power outlet to be in your home. I'm sure any qualified electrician can install one for you. The difference in charging rates between the standard UMC 15A adapter and the 16A Blue adapter will be very, very minor. If you already have a 15A outlet in your house, then I would just go with that. If all you currently have are 10A outlets, then upgrading to a 15A or 16A (Blue) outlet could be worth the gain in charging speed. Any existing equipment that has a 10A plug would still work in the 15A outlet. However, if you plan on traveling around the country, then the Blue plug will come in handy if you stay at a caravan (holiday) park.

In any event, a 230V 10A connection should result in about 7.5MPH (12KmPH) charge rate or about 4 hours of charging for your 50km daily drive. If you up it to a 15A outlet, then figure 11MPH (17KmPH); 80% continuous current load used in these calculations

ref: Electric car charging cost and time calculator

 

[Rocky_H]

The charge cable takes the different adapters and will be fine level of charging for what you need.

And secondly, does anyone know if there is anyone else that would sell a UMC adaptor in case it's a long wait from Tesla?

Stuff goes in and out of stock really frequently at Tesla. If you want an alternate source, a company called EVSEAdapters makes really great products, including adapter plugs that go with the UMC and do signal the proper amount of amps. Here is their section on European style adapters, including the red plug and blue plugs, which are the caravan types:

International EV Adapters – EVSE Adapters

www.evseadapters.com