Best charger/adapter for charging Bolt on 14-50 (where I charge my Tesla)

[ezevphl]

So I have a curbside 14-50 outlet on a post and use the mobile connector to charge when I need to.

One of my new neighbors has a Bolt and no place to charge. They currently go across the city to the lone CCS combo fast charge point that takes about 4 hours. (Now thats dedication to EV ownership).

I would like to figure out the best way for them to occasionally charge from my outlet at a low initial investment.

Is there a reputable adapter from a Tesla UMC to J1172 ?

Is a better option just to try to find a TurboCord on ebay that plugs in to 14-50?

I know the specs for Model 3 a lot better than I do for a Bolt.

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

That sounds awful... Did they not know about Tesla?

 

[vletnguyen]

They just need to buy a level 2 charger. Most should work with 14-50 outlet. The Volt's included charger could be "upgraded" to 14-50, not sure about the Bolt.

Go Cable™ is THE 20 amp J1772 portable charging solution!

or

if using yours, but for the price isnt ideal.
JDapter Stub

 

[Boourns]

Does the Bolt not come with a 14-50 adapter? I guess that is a dumb question considering you posted this, but you may want to double check with your neighbor.

 

[ezevphl]

That sounds awful... Did they not know about Tesla?

Sounds like they were a Chevy fan.... had another one beforehand. Its a decent deal for someone that doesn't need to travel long distances and can't wait for the SR 3.

 

[ezevphl]

Does the Bolt not come with a 14-50 adapter? I guess that is a dumb question considering you posted this, but you may want to double check with your neighbor.

They said it doesn't.

 

[eprosenx]

This is the only adapter I know of:

New Tesla to J1772 adapter allows other electric cars to charge at Tesla’s Destination Chargers

Though I might just buy a standard J1772 EVSE that had a 14-50 plug. Optimally whatever the max rate the Chevy can handle.

Can they not install their own charging receptacle at home?

What model of EVSE does the neighbor have included with the car? Maybe just an adapter that goes from 14-50 to like 6-20 or something would allow them a slow charge and would be really cheap (adapter probably should have overcurrent protection built in).

 

[ewoodrick]

I've heard that someone may have the Tesla to J-1772 adapter, link below. Looking at the Bolt's EVSE, it seems to be 120V only, Chevy is cheap (as well as some others).
Plugging and unplugging a 14-50 cable daily isn't recommended, lots of wear and tear on the connector, periodically would be fine. Next option would be to get you neighbor to get a 220V J-1772 EVSE and plug it in at you house permanently, you then use the J-1772 to Tesla adapter, which would be less ease for you.

Oh, and BTW, a CCS charge shouldn't take 4 hours if it is a DC fast charger, should be more like 30 minutes. I also see like 10 CCS chargers in the Philly area and literally too many to count J-1772 chargers. A J-1772 should take 4 hours, the CCS 30 minutes. So I'm guessing your neighbor may not know the difference. plugshare.com



https://www.amazon.com/TeslaTap-Tesla-to-J-1772-Adapter/dp/B0754YX3NH

EVSE options
32A Level 2 EVSE HCS-40P with NEMA 14-50 | Clippercreek
OpenEVSE | SAE J1772 IEC | Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

And a partial, but "better than they have" option
EVSE Upgrade for 2016-2018 Chevy Volt / Bolt EVSE [UC2R1] - $149.00 : EVSE Upgrade, Low-Cost EV Charging Solutions

 

[Eno Deb]

I'd recommend an inexpensive mobile EVSE with 14-50 plug, such as these (ideally it should be 32A, since that is the Bolt's limit):

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071K874MG
12-32A Adjustable 120-240V Charger EVSE

If the outlet is publicly accessible you may need some kind of locking solution to prevent theft, since the Bolt doesn't automatically lock the charger plug like the Tesla does.

 

[jsmay311]

This might work if 120V 12A is enough -- but I doubt it would be.

It's probably not worth the hassle or the risk... but I had read on a Bolt forum that the OEM EVSE will work on either 120V or 240V power. So you could make your own custom 14-50 to 5-15 adapter and wire the 5-15 plug with 2 hots instead of 1 hot and 1 neutral to get 240V 12A. I wouldn't recommend that route tho... bad things could happen if it gets messed up.

It's probably better for both of you not to try to pinch pennies on this one and just buy the TeslaTap or a dedicated plug-in EVSE. Or better yet, have your neighbor just be an adult and figure their own *sugar* out.

 

[Rocky_H]

They just need to buy a level 2 charger. Most should work with 14-50 outlet. The Volt's included charger could be "upgraded" to 14-50, not sure about the Bolt.

Go Cable™ is THE 20 amp J1772 portable charging solution!

Well, "most" don't, but that Go Cable looks like a really good solution at a good price. It's made with a 20A L6-20 plug, but then you can add extra adapters to other outlet types. So you add the one for 14-50 for $10 more, and the whole thing is only $209, which is pretty decent.

 

[strangely]

If the Bolt charger is the same 120V one as the one that came with the Volt, then you can make a cheap adapter to convert it to 240V.

Its well documented online elsewhere that the stock chevy one was rated for 240, but they opted for a 120V plug on it.

I have an adapter I built for my old one with a 14-50 plug, and would gladly give it away as its not needed anymore.

 

[Mahkus]

Jdapter stub (Tesla to J1772 adapter) or getting a Jesla Jr. (Tesla mobile EVSE with the Tesla plug replaced by a J1772 plug, capable of 32 amps at 240V) are both good options. I had a Jesla Jr when I had a Bolt and it worked great.

 

[cwerdna]

Does the Bolt not come with a 14-50 adapter? I guess that is a dumb question considering you posted this, but you may want to double check with your neighbor.

Other than Tesla, very few EVs/PHEVs sold/leased in the US come standard with an EVSE that allows charging at 200 to 240 volts, let alone with a 14-50 plug or adapter. Nissan started including one (L1/L2, NEMA 5-15 and 14-50) starting w/model year 2018 but it's standard on the highest trim (SL). For the two lower trims, it's part of a package. This did NOT exist prior to model year '18.

A few automakers started including stuff like Turbocord (e.g. Volvo). And, eventually BMW started offering (IIRC) the Turbocord as an option. But Turbocord is only 16 amp max output and comes with a NEMA 6-20 plug.

Almost everyone else ships with just at L1 120 volt EVSE, typically 10 to 12 amps max. This was especially true prior to Volvo's announcement in 2015 (Visit Aerovironment Inc.) which didn't ship until later in 2015. (Sure, there were promos on/off (e.g. Leafs at some points included a "free" Aerovironment L2 EVSE (Nissan LEAF Level 2 Charger Giveaway) and lease only Fit EV for awhile included a free Leviton L2: Honda Reduces Fit EV Lease Price). But Fit EV was lease only and only 1,100 were made for the US.