Adapter between Tesla Wall Charger and Male End of NEMA 14-50 50amp extension cord?

[edooger]

Hi Folks,

Need some help here. Had a Tesla Wall Charger put in on the exterior of our home. We don't have a garage and an immediately adjacent driveway. Car is 50ish feet from home. My plan was to use the 20ish feet of cord from the Wall CHarger then use an adapter to plug into a 50 foot NEMA 14-50 50amp extension cord, put the female end in some kind of weatherized shelter near the car and then use the mobile charging cord that comes with the Tesla. It looks like the car will come with an adapter that can attach the mobile charging cord to the female end of the NEMA 14-50 cord, but I cannot seem to find any UL listed adapter that I can use to connect the male end of the NEMA 14-50 cord to the charging cord attached to the Tesla Wall Charger? Help anybody know of a UL approve adapter?

Do I need to pursue a plan B to have an electrician take the Wall Charger off and put a NEMA 14-50 plug in it's place? Advice please, thank you!

 

[jcanoe]

You need this: NEW! Tesla Extension Cord – EVSE Adapters

 

[jjrandorin]

Try contacting evse adapters to see if they have an extension cord for what you want (to extend the cable for the wall connector).

EVSE Adapters – Electric vehicle charging solutions, adapter cords for EV, RV, welders, and more. Charge anywhere.

www.evseadapters.com

NEW! Tesla Extension Cord – EVSE Adapters

www.evseadapters.com

 

[edooger]

Thanks for the responses. I have found this vendor in a few web searches. What should I make of the fact that their product is not UL listed? I'm not keen on using extension cords, but will do so since it's our only option for home charging, but would like to at least adhere to using UL listed products (we are also in rainy Oregon so trying to be a little xtra careful. Any UL listed options? Or thoughts about using plan B?

 

[jcanoe]

UL label means the manufacturer submitted the product, paid for UL to evaluate. The Tesla extension cord is a passive device, I see no reason for UL to test an extension cord.

The other scenario you described, adding an extension cord with a Tesla adapter and a female 14-50 connector, then using the Tesla Mobile Connector with the Tesla NEMA 14-50 power plug adapter would have too many interconnects, non-standard connections. I can't say it won't work but it looks like it would be a mess. Also, you don't want to have a 14-50 extension cord in use all of the time, especially in a rainy environment.

Another option, since you stated you can't park closer to the Wall Connector, is to move the Wall Connector closer to where the Tesla vehicle will be parked. This would require digging a trench and installing underground rated conduit, wire. The Wall Connector would be mounted to a post. There would be no exposed plug and receptacle connections where water could get in. The Wall Connector is fully weather rated. This would be more expensive but it is the better solution.

 

[edooger]

Thanks, yup we're indeed considering trenching to a post for the charger, but hardscaping on our property probably make it a $5k or more proposition, and that's on top of the $1k we spent (not counting the wall charger cost) to extend service to putting the Wall Charger on the outside of the house which probably wouldn't be usable for a full extension (sigh). We didn't get the best advice from our electrician. Not their fault they are probably just used to installing in garages or for people that park very close to their home in a driveway, our circumstances onsite are unique. Things are complicated by the fact that we're not 100% sure how much longer we'll be in our house. Not moving soon but doubt we'll be here in 10 years. Nonetheless we haven't ruled out doing this the best way. Don't want to rush it, as we'd likely want to future proof it and install it in a way that aligns with our future electric needs, our home is older, just 100amp service, panels pretty full now.

 

[jjrandorin]

I dont like your "plan B" since it involves removing the HPWC, putting in a 14-50, then changing out the breaker (all 14-50s are supposed to be on a GFCI breaker, while a hard wired device has no such requirement), then still using an extension cord, which will have the mobile connector exposed to weather, etc.

EVSE adapters is pretty well respected around here, as many have gotten their products. Most of the adapters they sell for tesla are for one off type situations (of which this is sort of one, actually).

That is out of stock it looks like, but I would be comfortable referring you to that company for an extension cord such as you ask for, as the other alternative is to have someone make you a cord you could hard wire into the HPWC that is the length you want.

 

[jcanoe]

Depending on local codes you may be able to bury an underground rated cable 8" deep, cover with concrete. Using concrete to protect the cable means you would not need to dig a deeper trench or use conduit.

The EVSE Adapters Tesla extension cable, when it is again in stock, would be much less expensive than relocating the Wall Connector.

 

[edooger]

I dont like your "plan B" since it involves removing the HPWC, putting in a 14-50, then changing out the breaker (all 14-50s are supposed to be on a GFCI breaker, while a hard wired device has no such requirement), then still using an extension cord, which will have the mobile connector exposed to weather, etc.

EVSE adapters is pretty well respected around here, as many have gotten their products. Most of the adapters they sell for tesla are for one off type situations (of which this is sort of one, actually).

That is out of stock it looks like, but I would be comfortable referring you to that company for an extension cord such as you ask for, as the other alternative is to have someone make you a cord you could hard wire into the HPWC that is the length you want.

Thanks I appreciate the perspective. I just joined so the forum, the posters and the company and products are all new to me. I can understand how first hand accounts from frequent posters on here and experience with the company would compensate for the lack of UL listing I will give some thought to contacting the company. I am considering that biting the bullet on trenching, extending service, and moving the wall charger ultimately may prove the best option once I get used to the sticker shock and because it also potentially would align with both near term and long term electrical upgrade that our property could use. Need to do some thinking about future proofing (i.e. what if we get a 2nd EV, what if it's not Tesla etc, do we want to also have 30amp plug on site for our travel trailer etc. Lots to think about. Thanks for the perspective and information.

 

[edooger]

Depending on local codes you may be able to bury an underground rated cable 8" deep, cover with concrete. Using concrete to protect the cable means you would not need to dig a deeper trench or use conduit.

The EVSE Adapters Tesla extension cable, when it is again in stock, would be much less expensive than relocating the Wall Connector.

Please see my post to jjrandorin, thanks to you as well for your perspective, suggestions and information, I appreciate it!

 

[jjrandorin]

Thanks I appreciate the perspective. I just joined so the forum, the posters and the company and products are all new to me. I can understand how first hand accounts from frequent posters on here and experience with the company would compensate for the lack of UL listing I will give some thought to contacting the company. I am considering that biting the bullet on trenching, extending service, and moving the wall charger ultimately may prove the best option once I get used to the sticker shock and because it also potentially would align with both near term and long term electrical upgrade that our property could use. Need to do some thinking about future proofing (i.e. what if we get a 2nd EV, what if it's not Tesla etc, do we want to also have 30amp plug on site for our travel trailer etc. Lots to think about. Thanks for the perspective and information.

Good luck in your decision making, and welcome to TMC!

 

[Rocky_H]

I'm surprised we're over 10 posts in, and no one had noticed that your original plan can't possibly work.

My plan was to use the 20ish feet of cord from the Wall CHarger [...] and then use the mobile charging cord that comes with the Tesla.

The wall connector and the mobile connector are both devices called Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE). It is the device that connects to a live AC electric circuit on one side, and then communicates with the car on the other side. It does some safety checks and negotiates with the car, and if all is well, then it closes a relay to connect the circuit to the car.

You can't use two of those inline, in series, in the same connection. It can't work that way. The connection needs to only have one of those.

So you can use either the wall connector or the mobile connector. Either way, you would need to extend the line of that circuit out nearer to where your car is and then either hard wire the wall connector out there or put an outlet on there to use the mobile cord. Since it's outside, I would always just recommend using the wall connector hard wired, since that's more suited to be out exposed to the elements.