Another thread on Mobile Connector or Wall Connector - 14-50 Outlet Question

[coupedncal]

Here is my use case.

I have an existing NEMA 14-50 outlet in my garage.
I just purchased a MY.
I do not want to run another cable to my fuse junction box and I would like to use my 14-50 plug to charge my MY.
Wall Connector does not come with a 14-50 adapter. It must be hard-wired. It will cost $$ to have an electrician come out and hard-wire the Wall Connector.
Mobile Connector does come with a 14-50 adapter.
Question is can I just purchase the Mobile Connector and be done with it? This means I will charge my MY everyday on a Mobile Connector that I can mount on my wall. Is there an issue using Mobile Connector as my main charger? I understand Mobile Connector is not a smart unit which means I will need to get stats etc from my Tesla and not rely on stats from the EVSE itself. Not a big deal in my opinion.

 

[kbr0125]

I have a NEMA 14-50 in my garage as well, You could just buy a level 2 wall charger that has the J1772 and use the adapter piece. Then you can get a full 40amps if you really want to. 50 amp breaker only allows constant loads at 40amp (80%).

You could wire a tail onto the tesla wall charger, but that may not be up to code,

I have this same model in the 32amp version, I don't plan to upgrade as the 8amp difference isn't needed when I charge overnight. As i currently use this charger for my Toytal Prime. I don't want to rip up my garage walls again to run 4 gauge wire instead of the 6 I have for the NEMA 14-50.

 

[exxxviii]

Question is can I just purchase the Mobile Connector and be done with it? This means I will charge my MY everyday on a Mobile Connector that I can mount on my wall. Is there an issue using Mobile Connector as my main charger?

No issues at all.

 

[jcanoe]

Mobile Connector with 14-50 power plug adapter will charge your Tesla Model Y. Depending on the location of the existing 14-50 receptacle the ~18.5 ft charging cord (Tesla claims 20 ft.) on the Mobile Connector may not enable you to reach the charging port on the Tesla Model Y unless you back in to the garage. The Wall Connector has a 24 ft charging cord.

For the same 50A circuit the Wall Connector enables charging at 40A while the Mobile Connector supports 32A. The Mobile Connector 32A charging is fast enough (up to 29 miles per hour added) that you might never miss not having the 25% faster charging using the Wall Connector at 40A.

If you purchase the Mobile Connector be sure to support the Mobile Connector chassis with a wall mount bracket such as is included in the Tesla Cable Organizer (See Tesla.com Charging Accessories.)

 

[coupedncal]

Excellent feedback. Looks like Mobile Connector will do the trick.

 

[BrumsterMan]

I have a NEMA 14-50 in my garage as well, You could just buy a level 2 wall charger that has the J1772 and use the adapter piece. Then you can get a full 40amps if you really want to. 50 amp breaker only allows constant loads at 40amp (80%).

You could wire a tail onto the tesla wall charger, but that may not be up to code,

I have this same model in the 32amp version, I don't plan to upgrade as the 8amp difference isn't needed when I charge overnight. As i currently use this charger for my Toytal Prime. I don't want to rip up my garage walls again to run 4 gauge wire instead of the 6 I have for the NEMA 14-50.

The tails I've seen have 4 wires (BRWG) and the wall charger only uses BRG, so would have to do something to isolate the white wire? Wouldn't it be better to pull the 14-50 plug, remove those wires and wire into the wall charger directly?

 

[gr2020]

Excellent feedback. Looks like Mobile Connector will do the trick.

For sure. I've used a mobile connector every day for 6 years, with no issues. I have the older one that will charge at up to 40A, although I have the car set to use only 32A, as the full 40A seemed to make the cord and handle get pretty warm IIRC (and 32A has always been sufficient for what I've needed at home).

For the cord, I just use a hose rack on the wall - something like this:

Hampton Bay Heavy-Duty Wall-Mounted Hose Rack 691 - The Home Depot

The Liberty Garden Products Heavy-Duty Wall-Mounted Hose Rack is double eared to hold a garden hose securely in place. The 12-Gauge steel rack mounts easily with key slotted holes. It holds up to 125 ft. of garden hose.

www.homedepot.com

 

[comanchepilot]

I have a 50amp Wall connector on the side of the garage where my wife has her Model S. I JUST bought [Mon 1/23] a Model 3 Performance. We also have a 14-50 plug in the garage under the main electrical panel. I will be using this - its only on 30 amp breakers so it will charge at 24 amps - should be enough to charge me up ovr night from 20-25% to 75% [where my daily is set]. 24 amps should give me about 5kwh. 55% of capacity is 45kwh - so,, thats 9 hours. TEP [local electric utility] gives me 8 hours at 10 cents per kwh. Close enough.

I'll need to use a 30' extension cord from the 14-50 plug - so it'll have some losses on the way to the mobile connector - but it will work just fine.

 

[jcanoe]

I have a 50amp Wall connector on the side of the garage where my wife has her Model S. I JUST bought [Mon 1/23] a Model 3 Performance. We also have a 14-50 plug in the garage under the main electrical panel. I will be using this - its only on 30 amp breakers so it will charge at 24 amps - should be enough to charge me up ovr night from 20-25% to 75% [where my daily is set]. 24 amps should give me about 5kwh. 55% of capacity is 45kwh - so,, thats 9 hours. TEP [local electric utility] gives me 8 hours at 10 cents per kwh. Close enough.

I'll need to use a 30' extension cord from the 14-50 plug - so it'll have some losses on the way to the mobile connector - but it will work just fine.

You should change the 14-50 receptacle to a 14-30 receptacle. The Mobile Connector when used with the 14-50 plug adapter will always default to 32 amps. With a 14-30 plug adapter the Mobile Connector will be correctly set for 24 amps. A 240V/30 amp rated extension cord will cost less than one rated for 240V/50 amps.

 

[davewill]

I have a 50amp Wall connector on the side of the garage where my wife has her Model S. I JUST bought [Mon 1/23] a Model 3 Performance. We also have a 14-50 plug in the garage under the main electrical panel. I will be using this - its only on 30 amp breakers so it will charge at 24 amps - should be enough to charge me up ovr night from 20-25% to 75% [where my daily is set]. 24 amps should give me about 5kwh. 55% of capacity is 45kwh - so,, thats 9 hours. TEP [local electric utility] gives me 8 hours at 10 cents per kwh. Close enough.

I'll need to use a 30' extension cord from the 14-50 plug - so it'll have some losses on the way to the mobile connector - but it will work just fine.

I would encourage you to consider moving that 14-50 (and yes change it to a 14-30) to a location where you will not need an extension cord. Assuming it's inside the garage, you could run MC cable or THHN in conduit on the wall from the existing box to a new box also mounted on the wall. It will certainly look better than having a long extension cord strung across the garage and it will be safer, too.

 

[Rocky_H]

We also have a 14-50 plug in the garage under the main electrical panel. I will be using this - its only on 30 amp breakers so it will charge at 24 amps

I'm going to add weight to what @jcanoe said. You really need to switch that outlet to a 14-30 then.

 

[comanchepilot]

I'm going to add weight to what @jcanoe said. You really need to switch that outlet to a 14-30 then.

does it matter? Current supplied is only 30 amps. . . .does it matter what receptacle is in the wall? Its much easier since the Tesla Mobile Connector comes with a 14-50 plug and it'll only draw what it can draw

 

[davewill]

does it matter? Current supplied is only 30 amps. . . .does it matter what receptacle is in the wall? Its much easier since the Tesla Mobile Connector comes with a 14-50 plug and it'll only draw what it can draw

Yes it does. The mobile connector with a 14-50 adapter will draw 32a when charging. The most you are supposed to draw from a 30a circuit is 24a when charging. If you're lucky, you will merely blow the breaker. If unlucky, well...

Now you describe this outlet as being directly below the panel. Another option would be to upgrade the wiring and breaker to create a proper 50a circuit.

 

[comanchepilot]

Yes it does. The mobile connector with a 14-50 adapter will draw 32a when charging. The most you are supposed to draw from a 30a circuit is 24a when charging. If you're lucky, you will merely blow the breaker. If unlucky, well...

Now you describe this outlet as being directly below the panel. Another option would be to upgrade the wiring and breaker to create a proper 50a circuit.

strange - when I plugged it in the car was only drawing 24 amps . . . because understanding this I set my vehicle to only draw 24 amps. . . .

 

[Rocky_H]

does it matter?

Yes.

Current supplied is only 30 amps

...except that it isn't.

.does it matter what receptacle is in the wall?

It matters what real Tesla adapter you use in your mobile charge cable, because THAT determines the amp level it will draw.

Its much easier

...but less safe.

since the Tesla Mobile Connector comes with a 14-50 plug and it'll only draw what it can draw

Uh huh. And what it can and will try to draw is 32A from a 30A circuit. That is what we call Bad (TM).

So since it's really a 30A circuit, it should get a 30A outlet type on it, so it forces using a Tesla 30A plug type, which will correctly announce to the car to only use 24A maximum.

strange - when I plugged it in the car was only drawing 24 amps . . . because understanding this I set my vehicle to only draw 24 amps. . . .

Oh, that. That will be showing that you are using 24A at the moment out of 32A available. But that 32A shouldn't really be available. And that temporary 24A setting you lowered it to is not very reliable. I've been having some GPS drift on my car, and when I come home, and it thinks my car is a block away in the subdivision, it doesn't think my car is really at my house, so it doesn't open my garage door and doesn't use my home saved amp setting. Or sometimes software updates accidentally clear people's home amp settings.

That setup of a 50A outlet type on a 30A circuit is strangely technically allowed, but just shouldn't be left that way, when it can be made more proper and safer for this use by switching it to a 30A outlet.

 

[davewill]

strange - when I plugged it in the car was only drawing 24 amps . . . because understanding this I set my vehicle to only draw 24 amps. . . .

Yes, you can do that, but the setting is not reliable enough for daily charging. If the car's GPS location is off, or a software update happens, we've seen that limit be ignored.

 

[jcanoe]

The Tesla Model Y will remember the maximum charging amperage for the location; except when it doesn't.

 

[comanchepilot]

That would only happen for one of two reasons:

1. it is actually a 14-30 and you have the 14-30 adapter.
2. You have manually set the charging amperage in the car to 24a.

Like I said - I set the vehicle to only draw 24 amps - yes - I can always change out the receptacle - but don't see a reason to spend $50 on an adapter for no reason when I can simply set the current draw limit.

and if for some reason it ends up being a problem with the vehicle not remembering the type of line, charging set up and starts popping breakers I'll just go to #4 wiring for the 3 foot run from the box to the outlet and redo the breakers to 50 amps. The house has 400 amp service - so I'm not worried about having enough current. . .

 

[davewill]

Like I said - I set the vehicle to only draw 24 amps - yes - I can always change out the receptacle - but don't see a reason to spend $50 on an adapter for no reason when I can simply set the current draw limit.

and if for some reason it ends up being a problem with the vehicle not remembering the type of line, charging set up and starts popping breakers I'll just go to #4 wiring for the 3 foot run from the box to the outlet and redo the breakers to 50 amps. The house has 400 amp service - so I'm not worried about having enough current. . .

Penny-wise, Pound foolish is what I call that. Popping breakers is the LUCKY outcome. I emplore you to please run a proper circuit (with the right outlet on it) to a location where you don't need an extension cord.

 

[comanchepilot]

Penny-wise, Pound foolish is what I call that. I emplore you to please run a proper circuit (with the right outlet on it) to a location where you don't need an extension cord.

Thank you - I will chat with my electrician - honestly - I will - but there is no way to get a line over to that side of the house - without being all ugly conduit [brick wall] and if were to move power over there I would simply install a new wall connector - thus - until I get my electrician out here in a couple weeks - its temporary solution.