Gen 2 Mobile Connector Bundle

[PagodaY]

Looking to get a second cable to carry with me (the one that comes with the car will stay at home).
The description at the Tesla web site seems to indicate it's the same setup as what comes with the car, a NEMA 5-15P is included.

Below the description it shows

Max power output of 1.3kW
Charging speeds between 2-3 miles of range per hour

My Q is - that 1.3kW, is that because of the 5-15P? If I put another adapter on it (10-30) will I be able to get more "juice"?

 

[spsheridan]

Yes, you'll get a lot more juice (about 22 mi/hr for the Model 3 which will likely be close to Model Y) out of a 10-30 adapter, but you'll need to have a 240V/30A receptacle that will accept a 10-30 plug. The 5-15P will work with a standard 120V/15A circuit, albeit with a low charge rate.

Check Tesla's Mobile Connector ordering page to see the types of receptacles and charge rates corresponding to their adapters.
Mobile Connector

 

[PagodaY]

So what you're saying is the mobile connector can handle the larger amperage, it all depends on the adapter.

I choose the 10-30 because I've got the outlet already installed in the parking area (did it a couple of years ago in anticipation). Also, my brother has one so I can skim some of his solar power when I'm visiting.

22/mi/hr is just fine.

thanks

 

[spsheridan]

Yes @PagodaY, if you have a 10-30 outlet installed and you get the 10-30 adapter, Tesla's mobile charger will handle the higher voltage and current and you should get about 22 mi/hr (assuming MY charges at the same rate as M3).

 

[user212_nr]

You may want to purchase the "wall connector" unit instead of a second mobile connector. It is only $200 more and looks a lot nicer, more durable, and mounts sturdily to your wall. Also has some power

You can build a 10-30 plug for the wall connector and set it to 30A.

If you are not renting or selling your house soon, better to spend the extra $ and time.

Also, my personal experience, I've yet to use the mobile connector outside the home. I've only done 1 trip outside the car's range and I was able to get what I needed at the supercharger. Plugging in to 120v for 6 hours equals 2.4 minutes at the supercharger, and only gets you 18 miles.

 

[frankvb]

You can build a 10-30 plug for the wall connector and set it to 30A..

Circuits only allow 80% current draw on a continuous basis, so a 10-30 will allow 24A charging.

 

[Shayne]

Looking to get a second cable to carry with me (the one that comes with the car will stay at home).
The description at the Tesla web site seems to indicate it's the same setup as what comes with the car, a NEMA 5-15P is included.

Below the description it shows

Max power output of 1.3kW
Charging speeds between 2-3 miles of range per hour

My Q is - that 1.3kW, is that because of the 5-15P? If I put another adapter on it (10-30) will I be able to get more "juice"?

I have decided to go with the Nema 14-50 adapter as it is the same you will find at a 50 amp rv camp or possibly your stove. The nema 10-30 is a clothes drier and gives you 22 miles/hour the 14-50 charges a bit faster at 30 miles/hour.

Look at the chart on this page Gen 2 NEMA Adapters

 

[PagodaY]

Shayne - I'm restricted by the service to the location. 30 years ago when I was anticipating the car parking situation I pre-ran a 50 amp service. 7 years ago when I finally put in the car port/barn I pre-ran a 30 amp line to the car parking area. So unless I want to do some major upgrade ($$$) I'll have to go with the 30A. 22/m/h works fine for overnight regular use. There's a supercharger all built and ready to be turned on about 7 miles away, that's my backup. If (when) I get another electric vehicle I will have to do some juggling.

Bottom line - for me it works. Good decision to go with the 14-50. If I had it to do all over again, I would have put a 200A service to the car/barn and put in a 100A service to the car parking area. I encourage anyone who is doing new construction to put in as much as possible, you never know.

 

[user212_nr]

Circuits only allow 80% current draw on a continuous basis, so a 10-30 will allow 24A charging.

The V3 wall connector uses the circuit breaker amperage, and the HPWC manual gives a chart with both the circuit breaker amperage and the max charge rate.

So for the V3, you would explicitly set to 30A. For HPWC you would do the "setting 4" according to the chart.

 

[frankvb]

Yes, that's correct - for some reason (probably to limit confusion for most people not familiar with these rules) Tesla decided to have settings that match the line citcuit/breaker, and then use 80% for charging.

Waiting for my wall charger to arrive today, ordered last week in the brief window it was available. Will connect it to a 14-50 socket (already installed and currently used for Leaf EV charging). Using this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RL9JAW

The V3 wall connector uses the circuit breaker amperage, and the HPWC manual gives a chart with both the circuit breaker amperage and the max charge rate.

So for the V3, you would explicitly set to 30A. For HPWC you would do the "setting 4" according to the chart.

 

[dgpcolorado]

The Gen 2 Mobile Connector is back in stock as of a few minutes ago. The 14-50 adapter is, once again, out of stock. I ordered a 14-30 since 24 amps is plenty for home charging and I can use my Gen 1 MC for road trips or emergencies (it has been serving me well for three years both at home and at campgrounds on road trips). $275 + $35 + sales tax + free shipping seems like a bargain for a versatile spare MC to me!

I'll just saw off the neutral pin on the 14-30 adapter to use it in my garage 14-50 outlet, as well as with my TT-30P to 14-50R adapter at "30 amp" campgrounds.

14-50 outlet and meter in garage (the meter was just for fun to track electricity usage for my first EV):


While most people prefer to lay the charge cable on the floor, I route mine along the ceiling to keep it out of the way (my garage floor also gets rather muddy in winter):


Charging on TT-30 ("30 amp") at the campground at Zion National Park, Utah:


Charging on TT-30 ("30 amp") at Rifle Falls State Park, Colorado:


Charging on 14-50 ("50 amp") at Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah:

 

[PagodaY]

Thanks for the pix of charging at Dead Horse, you've restored my wife's enthusiasm. We're ready to throw the tent in the back and go! Now, if I could get Elon to send me my car... (after the virus settles down)

 

[dgpcolorado]

Thanks for the pix of charging at Dead Horse, you've restored my wife's enthusiasm. We're ready to throw the tent in the back and go! Now, if I could get Elon to send me my car... (after the virus settles down)

My recollection is that a camping reservation at Dead Horse Point State Park also includes the entrance fee.

The reason I mention camping is that many of us forget that most campgrounds nowadays have RV pedestals that can be used to charge an EV while camping. It makes it easier to get away from the Supercharger network. Just be aware that some campgrounds have only "30 amp" electric service and that requires a special TT-30 adapter that Tesla doesn't make. It is also rather slow: 120 V x 24 A = 2.88 kW. Overnight is a decent charge, but generally not close to "full." A TT-30 adapter that fits the Gen 2 Mobile Connector can be purchased at evseadapters.com: TT-30 Adapter for Tesla Model S/X/3 Gen 2 – EVSE Adapters (currently $69)

Most commercial RV parks and some state parks have "50 amp" service, which means a 14-50 outlet that will allow charging much like one gets at home. In more than 40,000 miles of Tesla road trips I've become a fan of state park campgrounds. They tend to have nicer, more spacious, campsites than commercial RV parks and usually have decent to very nice restroom facilities, often including showers. National Park campgrounds with RV pedestals are less common, but there are some. (Be aware that some commercial RV parks do not allow tents in RV sites, so check first.)

This is a typical campground RV pedestal:


^ That's a 14-50 outlet on the left and a TT-30 outlet on the right.

A good resource for finding campgrounds with electric service is rvparky.com One can filter the results to select for just public parks, such as state, county and city park campgrounds with electric service.

 

[yuhong]

So what you're saying is the mobile connector can handle the larger amperage, it all depends on the adapter.

I choose the 10-30 because I've got the outlet already installed in the parking area (did it a couple of years ago in anticipation). Also, my brother has one so I can skim some of his solar power when I'm visiting.

22/mi/hr is just fine.

thanks

Note that you should be using the 14-30 and not the 10-30 for new installations.

 

[PagodaY]

The 10-30 matches my brothers installation, that's why I went with that. They're easy enough to change to the 14-30 (the wires are all there) at some point.

 

[tonyb99]

I have a GE charger connected to a 40amp circuit with a NEMA 14-50 plug. My choices as I see it are:- use the GE charger with the Tesla supplied J1772 adapter, or buy the 14-50 adapter and plug directly into the 14-50 socket. Are they equivalent in performance?

 

[frankvb]

I have a GE charger connected to a 40amp circuit with a NEMA 14-50 plug. My choices as I see it are:- use the GE charger with the Tesla supplied J1772 adapter, or buy the 14-50 adapter and plug directly into the 14-50 socket. Are they equivalent in performance?

What's the rated charging current for the GE charger? The Tesla mobile charger would charge @ 32A on that circuit.

 

[tonyb99]

7.2kW @ 30A

 

[frankvb]

7.2kW @ 30A

Ok, so it would be marginally faster at 32A

 

[dgpcolorado]

Got the MC bundle and a 14-30 adapter today. As I mentioned above, I sawed off the neutral pin on the 14-30 adapter so that it will fit a 14-50R, as well as a 14-30R, since Tesla doesn't use the neutral pin.

Lest anyone wonder whether that really works, yes it does. Charges fine on my home 14-50 outlet, and limits current to 24 amps as expected. That's plenty fast enough for home charging for me (although the real reason I want a modified 14-30 adapter is to use it with my old TT-30P to 14-50R adapter at "30 amp" campground pedestals, without having to set the current limit).


^ 14-30 Gen 2 MC adapter with neutral pin removed.


^ Charge screen showing that it charges on my 240 volt 14-50 outlet, automatically limited to 24 amps.