Canadian mobile connector limited to 32A... connector or car?

[bcsteeve]

It must be a metric thing*, because Canadian Teslas are limited to 32A on the mobile connector while Americans get 40A (don't know about the rest of the world).

* Sarcasm

What I'm wondering... does anyone know if it is the charger that is limited to 32A? Or the car's programming? If the charger, then I should be able to buy an American charger and bring it home and charge at 40A (I want a 2nd one anyway). If the car, then I'm S.O.L.

What really sucks is that I found out about this limitation after buying the materials for the charge port install. Had I known it would be limited to 32A then I could have ignored Tesla's recommendation about super-expensive-and-heavy-and-hard-to-work-with 6 AWG wire (rated for 55A) and more expensive 50A breaker and instead used 8 AWG (40A rating) and a 40A breaker. Since going through that, I'd rather get the extra 8A, tyvm.

 

[sandpiper]

It's the connector. Or more specifically it's the Canadian ESA. The original mobile connectors were 40 amp. But at some point the ESA stuck their nose in and decided that they needed to be limited to 32 amps. Tesla ended up sending all of the existing owners new mobile connectors, limited to 32 amps, with instructions to return the old ones.

Rumor has it that not all existing owners returned the old units, and now have two - a 40 amp unit and a 32 amp unit.

 

[rypalmer]

It's customary to install NEMA 14-50 plugs on 40 amp circuits in Canada for whatever reason. In which case 32 amps is the correct load to draw. It must be a different situation in the US.

 

[davewill]

It's customary to install NEMA 14-50 plugs on 40 amp circuits in Canada for whatever reason. In which case 32 amps is the correct load to draw. It must be a different situation in the US.

Actually it's exactly the same in the U.S. It's VERY common for electric ranges to use a 14-50, but be wired with a 40a breaker. My 30a EVSE is wired like that, except that it has a 6-50 instead of a 14-50.

 

[bcsteeve]

HMM, OK... I didn't realize this was a situation that changed at some point. I just looked at the label on my charger and it says 40A, so am I going to be in luck?

As mentioned, I've bought the stuff but haven't done the install yet (I was just looking for the guide when I saw the 32A Canadian notice).

So do I have an "old" charger that's really 40A? Or did they never change the label?

Bonus? Can I also get them to send me a 32A for free? lol

 

[f-stop]

I thought the specific current limit is set by the adapter on the end of the UMC, not the UMC unit itself?

I read that the Canadian 14-50 adapter at some point changed to only allow 32A, and has different part number than the 40A US adapter
UMC charging limited to 32A in Canada?

 

[bcsteeve]

How can a hunk of metal determine a charge limit though? There's no "brains" in that adapter, is there? On my adapter, it is marked 50A right on it... not 40 and not 32.

 

[f-stop]

How can a hunk of metal determine a charge limit though? There's no "brains" in that adapter, is there?

There’s a resistor in the adapter whose value the UMC reads to set the allowable current. So each type of adapter has a different resistor value, I believe someone else here previously decoded the values

 

[bcsteeve]

Ok, that makes sense. Interesting that they'd do it that way.

I guess I'll just see what I end up getting Regardless, I should have gone with 8AWG instead of 6 and I wish they'd update their installation instructions because 6 has a whole lot of costs that are totally unnecessary if we're limited to 32A anyway.

 

[scottm]

There’s a resistor in the adapter whose value the UMC reads to set the allowable current. So each type of adapter has a different resistor value, I believe someone else here previously decoded the values

Tesla uses values that are J1772 standard values.

See the "signaling" section of this SAE J1772 - Wikipedia

See "pilot function".

 

[gregd]

Ok, that makes sense. Interesting that they'd do it that way.

I guess I'll just see what I end up getting Regardless, I should have gone with 8AWG instead of 6 and I wish they'd update their installation instructions because 6 has a whole lot of costs that are totally unnecessary if we're limited to 32A anyway.

If your breaker really is 50 amps, and the wire really is #6, there is no reason you can't continue to use the 40 amp charging rate. At least, I don't know of one. But if the breaker is the more typical 40 amps (with thinner wire to match), then you need to dial things down and/or get the lower rate adapter. Just be aware of what you're plugging into.

 

[bcsteeve]

You have reason to doubt me? I bought it myself. Yes it is a 50A breaker and AWG 6 wire (and a very short run), but no I can't charge over 32A.

 

[miimura]

If you come to the States you can stop by a Tesla service center and buy a 14-50 adapter here that is coded to 40A. Since you went to all the trouble to install the 50A breaker and #6 wire, you might as well take advantage of it.

 

[bcsteeve]

Before I order one, can someone please confirm the following:
- A US adapter (that's not too old) has a white or light grey socket side? Or it is all black?
- If white/light grey, it absolutely does charge at 40A?

Bizarre because by what I can see the part number is the same for US or Canada, and it seems the black ones charge at 40A and the newer grey ones charge at 32A, but somehow only in Canada? With the same part number?? I've seen posts saying, "ALL new Teslas charge at 32A" but it is unclear if they're saying All [Canadian] or All [period].

To illustrate the color, I refer you to this image (this is actually a 6-50 not a 14-50, but the coloring is the same)

 

[ccdisce]

Before I order one, can someone please confirm the following:
- A US adapter (that's not too old) has a white or light grey socket side? Or it is all black?
- If white/light grey, it absolutely does charge at 40A?

Bizarre because by what I can see the part number is the same for US or Canada, and it seems the black ones charge at 40A and the newer grey ones charge at 32A, but somehow only in Canada? With the same part number?? I've seen posts saying, "ALL new Teslas charge at 32A" but it is unclear if they're saying All [Canadian] or All [period].

To illustrate the color, I refer you to this image (this is actually a 6-50 not a 14-50, but the coloring is the same)

I took delivery of my car last week in the USA.
The 6-50 adapter supplied looks the same grey/black however, the alphanumeric string under the QR Barcode is different which to me indicates that there could be pertinent information in the barcode.
I was unable to scan the Barcode but the human readable code reads as D17F0056227 which is a bit different than what is on yours.
Looking at my 14-50 adapter it reads D17C0043637.
These adapters seem to be a logical place to place the circuit current capability resistors on one of the sense leads to GND....IMHO but what do I know ....just a Canadian trained engineer here and a prodigal son of Martha.

My 14-50 receptacle has not been installed as yet and I would not be pleased that when the electrician gets it installed and UMC plugged in and charging the car it charges at 32A instead of 40A in spite of the usage of 6AWG wire, into a Industrial grade outlet (probably made by Hubbell part # HBL9450A, or Cooper part #5754N as suggested by Tesla), a wire run of less than 150ft on a 50A breaker in an installation that is quoted to cost in excess of $800 with permit.

In a thread here on TMC the input connector 'stacks' and 14-50 residential grade wall sockets may overheat because of poor 'fitting' of connectors or the use of residential receptacles or whatever , you may want do a search.

The Mothership sent me an e-mail shortly after delivery where an accessory suggested is a Corded Mobile Connector, on the AC side is a molded 14-50 plug with a short run to the 'block'. The block is actually chock full of electrical/electronic components.
This corded mobile connector does not appear on the home charging web page.

Happy EVing.

 

[bcsteeve]

I just bought a used 14-50 from a US member here. I probably won't get it until Christmas, so don't expect a quick update but for now consider this resolved.

Thanks everyone.

 

[sandpiper]

HMM, OK... I didn't realize this was a situation that changed at some point. I just looked at the label on my charger and it says 40A, so am I going to be in luck?

As mentioned, I've bought the stuff but haven't done the install yet (I was just looking for the guide when I saw the 32A Canadian notice).

So do I have an "old" charger that's really 40A? Or did they never change the label?

Bonus? Can I also get them to send me a 32A for free? lol

Maybe? I don't know. I just had one show up in the mail one day. I didn't do anything to request it.

 

[bcsteeve]

Ok, so this is interesting. I have the part number ending in E and with the grey faceplate, and this is a Canadian car so by all accounts I should be limited to 32A. Today I plugged into a 30A/250V (not a typo) circuit at a VERY old house and it was happy sucking down 40A!! I expected it to max out at 32 and also figured it would trip the breaker (especially at 40A) but it didn't. I manually lowered it to 24A. It is running at 248V which seems bizarre, but nothing is complaining.

There's no way everyone's wrong about the adapter and instead it is geo-based, is there? This house is right on the border and cell phones often connect to US towers and websites (including Netflix) often mis-identify is as being in the USA... so any chance that's why I'm getting 40A? I really doubt that, of course, and can confirm once my circuit at home is finished.

 

[davewill]

The gray is not US/Canada, but pre-recall vs. post-recall. The black ones were melting on people, so they were recalled and redesigned. The new adapters were gray inside. Around the same time, the Canadian 14-50s became 32a.

P.S. there are no smarts that would detect geo-location. You somehow already have a 40a adapter.

 

[gregd]

You have reason to doubt me? I bought it myself. Yes it is a 50A breaker and AWG 6 wire (and a very short run), but no I can't charge over 32A.

Not doubting what you have, just saying that my understanding of the 32 amp limit is only because there are apparently so many 40 amp breaker/wire setups up there, not because there's a need to go lower than 80% of the breaker value. As others have noted, the trick is to get the "proper" adapter for your setup, which it sounds like you have located.

The only other comment is that if you're out visiting others, be sure which version you use for their situation. Maybe keep the 32 amp adapter in the car, and leave the 40 at home, just to be safe.