Charging at Campgrounds and RV Parks

[rsquared99]

I found a new (I think) source for finding RV parks along the Interstate system. It's at thenextexit.com and lists services at the numbered exits by highway and state. Particularly useful if your planned stop is somehow inoperable and you need closest service possible. Has either printed copy or online sources, but for a $20.00 fee. On a trip now and had to use it when I came up 17 miles short of my stop with a very low battery.

 

[bonnie]

Great find, thanks.

 

[richkae]

After reading posts by others regarding 30amp 120volt charging, I made a simple adapter from a TT-30 plug ( RV park 30amp 120volt connector )
http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/public/20cLEtT6jFWz2qbxU7SAIfFtroy_76Torke1Ske9zJitJsfai_kWFt0f_TeBkRM2KPmcC8VUCbxaH4kfSLG9KL4ZHZEZsmQ1FnfkfJO7F4rfqVkWYUJX_9PO-orbDOhjDGAM-R47vk11Y850CxLvjFOFJ56Og2TSxcNuJ_sUAq5X-OW-u3C6gzPIMkpnSKn6EjZ_EuYESBE
to a Nema 10-30 ( 30amp 240 volt outlet )
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31zkiMpPMBL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Then I can plug my Nema 10-30 pigtail into it and charge at 24amps 120volts.
If I visit an RV park and am expecting 50amp service, but it isn't available, I can charge at 24amps 120volts and get about 8.7 ideal miles per hour. ( Instead of 5.1 ideal miles at 16 amps, or 3.3 idel miles at 12amps )
It's not great but it should charge 100 miles in 12 hours, or 200 miles in 24 hours.

 

[TEG]

Yep, I had thinking ( & suggesting ) that the TT30 adapter would be a good idea. Also, my understanding is that many East Coast RV parks only have TT30 (120V), and no NEMA 14-50 (240V).

I thought the TT30 adapter would be of limited use when it was thought that 120V was only low current, but now that we know a way to force higher amps (even for 120V) it becomes more useful.

(See here on getting 24A @ 120V ):
Spare Mobile Connector a waste?

 

[roblab]

Don't know what shows on your screen at the bottom, but I see Grand Sierra Resort, Reno, ad. I stop by there on occasion and asked about their RV park out back and was told that they would let me charge my EV while staying at the Grand Sierra for $10. They also plan to put in a charger because they realize there are lots of EVs coming down the road. I wish we had a list or web site that would tell us of the FAVORABLE RV parks, and prices, before we hit town.

 

[doug]

I wish we had a list or web site that would tell us of the FAVORABLE RV parks, and prices, before we hit town.

Should also be added to EV Charger Maps or some such.

 

[roblab]

Agreed. Howsomever, I seem to be unable to add information to any of the EV charge sites that Google finds. Nice maps, though. EV Charger Maps is just a map. Anyone have an idea how to enter data on these sites?

 

[vfx]

Recargo is the next gen EV Charger Maps. It's not too hard to put in data. I'm not up on Open Source as it's not intuitive for me.

 

[TEG]

California campgrounds EV charging list:
Parks With Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

 

[TEG]

 

[VolkerP]

Excuse me for asking, I am not used to NEMA sockets. I guess it is (from left to right)
NEMA [email protected] with 1 phase breaker 30A
NEMA [email protected] with dual breaker 50A, one for every phase
dual NEMA [email protected], 20A breaker
correct?

Is it that obvious to everyone? There are no labels on the sockets. And there is no hint which breaker belongs to which socket. In a country where even toothpicks come with instructions approved by the legal department?

 

[TEG]

You are mostly correct, although the leftmost is the RV/Campground style "TT-30", not the home appliance NEMA10-30.

120V TT-30 Intended for camping trailers and RVs:

240V NEMA10-30 is used in homes for stoves/ovens/clothes-dryers/etc.:

In TT-30, it is just like a 30amp version of NEMA5-15, having 120V and a ground.
In NEMA10-30, it is 2 hots (240V across) plus a Neutral, so you can get 120V for other uses. For instance, a stove clock/timer might use 120V, but the burner elements use the 240V.
In other words, the TT-30 requires one breaker, but a 10-30 would require two. The 14-50 in the previous pictures has a ground separate from the neutral so it has 4 pins instead of 3.


Yes, you are correct on the way the breakers are connected. No, I don't think it would be obvious to everyone which breaker goes to which socket.
If one of them was obviously tripped (part way down) then you could easily figure out why your particular socket was not providing power.
But sometimes breakers seem to partially trip where the switch doesn't move very far. Those are the cases where someone says
"hold on everyone while I turn your power off for a moment as I hunt around trying to find which 'popped' breaker is going to my socket."
It would be nice if they had a better labeling system.

 

[ChargeIt!]

@Volker: Pretty much correct, except for two items. The left-most is NOT a NEMA10-30, it is a TT-30, which is often found in campgrounds, and the most important distinction is that it is 120V (not 240V that NEMA10-30 supplies). The other minor correction: Although many commercial locations are indeed 208V, the NEMA14-50 is generally rated to 240V, and at campgrounds that is typically what is supplied.

Oh, and we should call it 120V, not 110V.

(TEG jumped in while I was typing ... I should have known )

 

[TEG]

Indy Lakes RV Park | Electric Car Stations

 

[ChargeIt!]

TEG, thanks for that post for clarification for Volker. Except (!) it's funny how the listing at that website makes a similar mistake "This is an RV campground with NEMA 14-50 and NEMA 10-30 outlets ". (About the middle of the page ... I would assume (careful!) they meant to say TT-30 as well.)

Edit: After all, the TT in TT-30 means "Travel Trailer" ...

 

[TEG]

Yes, labeling at campgrounds is sometimes misleading and/or inaccurate.
Best come prepared with adapters, a "plan B", perhaps a voltmeter, and interest in finding the breakers behind the socket.

I submitted the following comment to that carstations.com listing:

Label under the picture says:
"This is an RV campground with NEMA 14-50 and NEMA 10-30 outlets"

Does it really have NEMA 10-30 (240V), or are they TT-30 (120V) Travel-Trailer sockets?
I think 120V RVs and trailers tend to use TT-30, not 10-30.

 

[zack]

After reading posts by others regarding 30amp 120volt charging, I made a simple adapter from a TT-30 plug...

Remarkable that this cannot be purchased here at the Tesla site?

 

[zack]

Upon further thought, why not simply make a pigtail specifically for this purpose?

Aside: Humorous that the TT (travel/trailer) plug requires the TT (Tesla Tattler) to get maximum performance.

 

[doug]

Edit: After all, the TT in TT-30 means "Travel Trailer" ...

I first read that as "Time Traveler".

 

[samcarney]

TEG, thanks for that post for clarification for Volker. Except (!) it's funny how the listing at that website makes a similar mistake "This is an RV campground with NEMA 14-50 and NEMA 10-30 outlets ". (About the middle of the page ... I would assume (careful!) they meant to say TT-30 as well.)

Edit: After all, the TT in TT-30 means "Travel Trailer" ...

If you are referring to the Indy lakes campground, I provided the information about the site, and that is my car in TEG's post. It is a NEMA 10-30 outlet supplying 30 amps at 240 volts.There is also a NEMA 14-50 and 5-20 at the campsite in the picture.