48 Amp Charging

[Scott216]

I have a new Model S which supports 48 amp charging, but how do I get it do charge at 48 amps? I have a 60 amp circuit and I asked my delivery specialists if I should install a NEMA 14-60 receptacle. He said Tesla doesn't have any 14-60 plugs and I should just use the NEMA 14-50 receptacle, which I did. So my Tesla will charge at 40 amps, which I fine, but I'd like to know how to charge at 48 amps.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

I have a new Model S which supports 48 amp charging, but how do I get it do charge at 48 amps? I have a 60 amp circuit and I asked my delivery specialists if I should install a NEMA 14-60 receptacle. He said Tesla doesn't have any 14-60 plugs and I should just use the NEMA 14-50 receptacle, which I did. So my Tesla will charge at 40 amps, which I fine, but I'd like to know how to charge at 48 amps.

You need a HPWC (or just Wall Connector) to charge above 40 amps.

 

[FlasherZ]

You need either a Tesla Wall Connector configured for a 60A circuit, or a J1772 EVSE that is capable of doing 48A or greater.

The default UMC with the car may only be installed on a 50A circuit if using the NEMA 14-50 plug.

NEMA 14-60 is unsupported by Tesla (and is generally not found in the wild).

 

[Scott216]

okay, thanks for the info.

 

[TexasEV]

As a new model S owner it would really benefit you to read the charging page on the Tesla website and more importantly read the owners manual.

 

[davewill]

Is a 60a circuit on a 14-50 legal? I ask because I ran into it at business I visited to do some work. They let me pull into a bay to plug in and there was the 14-50 and when I checked to make sure it was really a 50a circuit, I found that it was on a 60a fuse. My car and portable EVSE can only do 40a charging so it made no practical difference, but I was curious.

 

[Lloyd]

Is a 60a circuit on a 14-50 legal? I ask because I ran into it at business I visited to do some work. They let me pull into a bay to plug in and there was the 14-50 and when I checked to make sure it was really a 50a circuit, I found that it was on a 60a fuse. My car and portable EVSE can only do 40a charging so it made no practical difference, but I was curious.

nope! the 14-50R is only rated to 50 amps

 

[FlasherZ]

Is a 60a circuit on a 14-50 legal? I ask because I ran into it at business I visited to do some work. They let me pull into a bay to plug in and there was the 14-50 and when I checked to make sure it was really a 50a circuit, I found that it was on a 60a fuse. My car and portable EVSE can only do 40a charging so it made no practical difference, but I was curious.

As Lloyd noted, no it is not. You cannot connect a 50A-rated receptacle to a 60A-rated circuit.

Now, here's a situation that you can sometimes encounter: A circuit protected by a 50A breaker in the service panel has a downstream disconnect rated/fused at 60A, which then goes on to a 50A receptacle. That's legal, because the circuit protection from the service panel is 50A. Some prepackaged disconnect switches come with 60A fuses in them.

 

[davewill]

As Lloyd noted, no it is not. You cannot connect a 50A-rated receptacle to a 60A-rated circuit.

Now, here's a situation that you can sometimes encounter: A circuit protected by a 50A breaker in the service panel has a downstream disconnect rated/fused at 60A, which then goes on to a 50A receptacle. That's legal, because the circuit protection from the service panel is 50A. Some prepackaged disconnect switches come with 60A fuses in them.

Ah, I bet that was what I ran into. I did not try to trace it back to the panel.