Employer offered to let me charge....

[Saghost]

WOW!!!! OK, I stand corrected. I hadn't heard of that. That is huge news. How come that wasn't all over Electrek or some of the other EV sites? It only took Nissan, what, 7 years or so to finally get that? I guess I'll have to modify my statement then, that there is one other EV besides Tesla that comes with a 14-50 plug charge cord, and only for 2018 and later years.

As noted above, it's the most universal "big power" plug out there, largely due to RVs. I expect we'll see more OEMs following in Nissan's footsteps, eventually. As you say, long overdue.

 

[dhrivnak]

Hey all,

My employer offered to let me charge off the ONLY outlet on the front of the building. I’m told by HR he’s willing to upgrade the plug for me, BUT he is super picky about the building’s appearances and I highly doubt a Nema 14-50 is going in for me.

Having said that, what are the next best options? There is a regular outlet there now, is there something between the two? Or should I just inquire about getting as many amps out of the existing wiring/and plug setup that’s there?
I’m only a 30 mile commute from home, but I’ll take free charging where I can get it as the ground is too hard to install my home charger yet.
Is there something faster than the 15A socket that’s there, but not fast or as as “ugly” as a 14-50 and box on the outside of his building?

Thanks in advance....

Be sure to thank your boss and even a normal 120v outlet is good for about 35 miles in an 8 hour day. So that should be plenty for you. And check close as many “industrial” outlets are 5-20 which is good for about 45 miles if you get a new plug.

 

[srs5694]

I thought the charging cable that comes with the 2018 and later LEAF uses a 14-50 plug.

I'm pretty sure that's only on the top trim line. Lesser versions of the car come with a 120v-only EVSE.

GM's EVSE for the Gen2 Volt, which I think is the same one they deliver with the Bolt, is supposedly-but-very-unofficially capable of handling 240v current, albeit at only 12 amps. You'd need a very non-standard adapter to get it to work. (I've seen posts from people who sell these on a Volt forum.) Personally, I don't think I'd attempt it; I'd rather get something that's officially rated for 240v and that can deliver more amps than risk a mid-year manufacturing change or a mistake by somebody who did the evaluation.

 

[Vaderkickgass]

Am I okay to plug into a NEMA 30 outlet with an adapter from Home Depot or the like from my Nema 50 cord? I assume I would simply change the amps accordingly in the charging screen? Excuse the ignorance. https://www.amazon.com/Camco-55422-...ocphy=9030091&hvtargid=pla-449024579420&psc=1

 

[Darkfox021]

It's been awhile since I looked into it, but perhaps the Tesla Workplace charging program might be of use. They will pay to install nice looking Tesla HPWC, and your employer will only be on the hook for the power.

Better than a basic outlet, the HPWC will be professionally installed for a nice clean look, and they are free!

Under this program, does the Tesla HPWC need to be open to the public?

 

[Fiver]

Under this program, does the Tesla HPWC need to be open to the public?

For the workplace charging program, no. You can ask for them to not even be listed on the Tesla charging map at all.

For the regular destination charging program they need to be open to the "public", but you can limit them to patrons of your business.

 

[Darkfox021]

For the workplace charging program, no. You can ask for them to not even be listed on the Tesla charging map at all.

For the regular destination charging program they need to be open to the "public", but you can limit them to patrons of your business.

Thanks, I will reach out to them!

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Am I okay to plug into a NEMA 30 outlet with an adapter from Home Depot or the like from my Nema 50 cord? I assume I would simply change the amps accordingly in the charging screen? Excuse the ignorance. https://www.amazon.com/Camco-55422-...ocphy=9030091&hvtargid=pla-449024579420&psc=1

Theoretically OK.

However, I believe that the Tesla adapters cause the current to be limited to a safe continuous current for the socket.
E.g. -30 adapter limits to 24A, -50 adapters limit to 32A (because -50 sockets are used for 40A circuits), so you could get a Tesla adapter for it instead.

 

[ewoodrick]

Thanks, I will reach out to them!

Don't forget that this will limit the options to just Teslas. Not necessarily an inclusive move by an employer.

 

[Darkfox021]

Don't forget that this will limit the options to just Teslas. Not necessarily an inclusive move by an employer.

Yes, I totally understand.

Not totally ideal, but we're a very small company and can adjust pretty easily as needs change. Especially if the hardware costs are low.

 

[Saghost]

Don't forget that this will limit the options to just Teslas. Not necessarily an inclusive move by an employer.

There are adapters for other folks to plug in to Tesla Wall Connectors on the market these days.

Tesla also made two thirds of the plug in cars sold in the U.S. last month.

 

[srs5694]

Am I okay to plug into a NEMA 30 outlet with an adapter from Home Depot or the like from my Nema 50 cord? I assume I would simply change the amps accordingly in the charging screen? Excuse the ignorance. https://www.amazon.com/Camco-55422-...ocphy=9030091&hvtargid=pla-449024579420&psc=1

"NEMA 30" and "NEMA 50" are incomplete specifiers. It looks like the adapter to which you link connects a NEMA 14-50 plug to an L14-30 outlet. Thus, I assume you have access to an existing NEMA L14-30 outlet somewhere. The trouble with that approach is that the EVSE will think it can pull up to 40A (although it'll max out at 32A itself), which exceeds the 24A that the circuit can safely handle over an extended period. Although you can dial the maximum amperage down using Tesla's charging screen, there's a chance that something will go wrong with this -- you might accidentally reset it, for instance; or it might reset itself after a software update. If all goes well, the result will be a tripped circuit breaker, which will be a nuisance; but in a worst-case scenario, a fire could result. Also, every extra adapter or plug is an extra place where something can go wrong. You're probably better off using this third-party Tesla-specific NEMA L14-30 plug:

L14-30 Twist-lock Adapter for Tesla Model S/X/3 Gen 2

This should set the EVSE to draw no more than 24A automatically, and it eliminates the need for an extra adapter. It's $85, which is more than the $39 for the adapter you found; but an extra $46 is worth it for the safety and convenience benefits. A second-best solution would be to find an adapter for a NEMA 14-30 plug to the NEMA L14-30 outlet you presumably have, then buy the Tesla NEMA 14-30 adapter in addition to the 14-30-to-L14-30 adapter. Assuming a similar cost for the 14-30-to-L14-30 adapter to the one you found, the cost will be within $10 or $15 dollars of the EVSEadapters.com product above, so there's very little point to going this route unless you think you might also need a NEMA 14-30 adapter somewhere else.