Issue of having 1 NEMA 14-50 receptacle and 2 EV cars

[Mashina]

I have been using the NEMA 14-50 receptacle to charge my Model 3, my wife's Leaf can connect at the same outlet, but the hassle of unplug and re-plug is cumbersome and the outlet is getting loose. ( I need to mention that we don't want to charge simultaneously). Do you guys have any suggestions, like having a double outlet, where both charging cable from Tesla and Leaf are permanently connected ( of course charging only one at the time) or an adapter where charging cables could interchangeably connected to.

 

[pb2000]

Assuming you have >150A service the best option would be to run a new 6-20 outlet for the Leaf.

Next best would be to convert the 14-50 to a sub panel. The wire (assuming copper) you ran dictates what the split can be:

#8 romex 2x 20A
#6 romex or #8 conduit 30A + 20A (or 40A + 15A for #6)
#6 conduit 40A +20A

You could also just get a J1772 EVSE and use the adapter.

 

[Tronguy]

Um. Get a J-1772 based wall connector with one cable with the reach to get to both cars.

The NEMA 14-50 can handle a steady 40A load, that’s not a problem. But even with a high quality socket, those things’ fundamental technology isn’t really designed for multiple insertions and removals over time, as you’re finding out. A good quality one will last longer, true, but will eventually die. One that stays plugged in will last indefinitely.

 

[charliepmayer]

Home EV Charging Installation Made Easy | NeoCharge

Go to "Products" ------ "Smart Splitter"

Load sharing device feeds two loads (one at a time) from a single outlet.

Multiple options available.

Mine works flawlessly. Nice concept.

Device (or similar) discussed somewhere in these forums - couldn't find where - sorry.

Safe, and much less expensive than panel/wiring changes.

 

[Don.Church]

Totally agree with Charlie, get a NeoCharge adapter. It is the answer to your problem.

 

[Mashina]

The NeoCharge adapter cost $349, the ONETAK NEMA 14-50P to 2 Outlet 14-50R Y Splitter cost $88.
Will the splitter work for me?

Amazon.com

 

[swaltner]

The NeoCharge adapter cost $349, the ONETAK NEMA 14-50P to 2 Outlet 14-50R Y Splitter cost $88.
Will the splitter work for me?

Amazon.com

The outlet splitter will work, but it is risky. There is no automatic lockout against attempting to charge both vehicles at the same time. If that happens and the breaker is bad and doesn’t trip, you’ll get a fire and burn your house down. Having installed a device that is totally against electric code (NEC requires that EV charging is done on dedicated circuits), your home owners insurance could deny the claim.

Do it the right (slightly more expensive) way. Either install:

• 40 amp J1772 EVSE and use the J1772 adapter on your Tesla.
• Install a DryerBuddy or NeoCharge like mentioned above to force only one EVSE to be active at a time

 

[charliepmayer]

Yep.

My Neocharge splitter won't allow dual-load service. I tested it - worked for me - don't know about anyone else.

Simple outlet splitter (bridge? tap? other?) (same word - but completely different operation) is indeed risky - please don't use if combined load is inappropriate for your breaker - 80% of breaker rating in my area. Cheaper cost is not worth the risk.

 

[srs5694]

I agree with @Tronguy -- use one J1772 EVSE and Tesla's J1772-to-NACS adapter to charge the Tesla. For convenience, you could buy a new adapter so that you can have one permanently in the Tesla and keep the other one with the EVSE, but that wouldn't be strictly necessary.

I don't know the specs of the J1772 EVSE you're using now. Is it the one that came with the Leaf? It might well be perfectly adequate for charging your Tesla, so this could be a no-cost solution if you don't want a second J1772 adapter. Even if the Leaf's EVSE is a little lower-powered than the Tesla's Mobile Connector, that'd probably be fine; it's rare for a person to need to charge at the 32A you'd get from Tesla's Mobile Connector.

Alternatively, you could get an NACS-to-J1772 adapter and use the Mobile Connector to charge the Leaf. Many companies make such adapters. They typically cost more than Tesla's J1772-to-NACS adapter, but if Tesla's Mobile Connector is faster than your J1772 EVSE, then this approach would have that advantage; and having this adapter could be handy if you wanted to go somewhere in the Leaf where there are Tesla Wall Connectors available.

 

[SVMike]

The outlet splitter will work, but it is risky. There is no automatic lockout against attempting to charge both vehicles at the same time. If that happens and the breaker is bad and doesn’t trip, you’ll get a fire and burn your house down.

I agree that this isn't the right way to do it. But I don't like your logic.
By your logic you should never use a multi-outlet power strip either, because if someone were to plug in, for example, two hair dryers (or two toaster ovens or whatever) and the breaker is bad and doesn't trip then you'll get a fire and burn your house down.

 

[Rocky_H]

I agree that this isn't the right way to do it. But I don't like your logic.

Why not?

By your logic you should never use a multi-outlet power strip either, because if someone were to plug in, for example, two hair dryers (or two toaster ovens or whatever) and the breaker is bad and doesn't trip then you'll get a fire and burn your house down.

Yes, that logic is sound, as that would be a likely outcome in that scenario too. You stated that as if you thought it was a rhetorical example that obviously wouldn't happen, but that's not the case.

The point is that breakers are a good safety device, and we hope that they would catch our mistakes if they happen accidentally, but they aren't foolproof. So with high amperage things, that are even more risky, don't INTENTIONALLY set up something that would need the breaker to be involved.

 

[EfficientWatts]

I agree that this isn't the right way to do it. But I don't like your logic.
By your logic you should never use a multi-outlet power strip either, because if someone were to plug in, for example, two hair dryers (or two toaster ovens or whatever) and the breaker is bad and doesn't trip then you'll get a fire and burn your house down.

That is a bad example, because unlike a 14-50 outlet there can be multiple receptacles on one 120v circuit (legally of course). By your logic you should never use more than one outlet because it could overload.

There's also a big difference between two toast ovens (2x1500W or higher) vs 2 EVSEs going at the same time (if 32a, as much as 7.6kW*2).

 

[Tronguy]

It's like this: There's BEST, Worst, and Cost-Effective.

When one has a Tesla, the BEST is when one has a dedicated 60A circuit going to a Tesla Wall Connector. Wonderful: One gets 48A (80% of 60A) of charging current, a charging rate of around 45 miles of charge per hour, and the Wall Connector is around, what, $350 these days. There's the cost of the breakers, running the feed from the breaker panel to the TWC, and all that. If one is starting in a greenfield situation (i.e., there's no other 240 VAC circuits near the car) this is probably the most cost effective way of doing something.

But the OP already has a 240 VAC, 50A socket with, presumably, a dedicated 50A breaker in a box somewhere.

The Worst ways to do any of this:

• Violate code by creating just kinda wiring up a second outlet, in parallel with the first, and Pinky-Swear never to connect both cars at the same time. There's this thing: Power dissipation in resistive wires goes as I*I*R. That's Power, as in Heat. Get Too Much Heat and Things Catch Afire, and I am NOT joking. Wire gauges are selected via tables that are, essentially, talking about how much heat those wires are going to generate and how much thermal insulation around those wires (from the insulation, from the insulation in the wall, and so on) is going to result in those wires getting hot enough to char other stuff and, eventually, burning down the house. The standards in the NEC are there for a reason. And a building inspector who found that somebody had done something like this would probably faint dead away. When he/she came to, there would be !$#@! to pay, and for good reason.
• Grab a cutesy little current sharing widget from a manufacturer who may or may not be around 15 years from now that, electronically, figures out that there's Too Much Load and cuts one load or the other out of the circuit. Cute. It Works. But it is, to my mind, a single point of failure with moving parts upon one is depending not to develop a failure that Burns The House Down. I'm sorry: I'm a solid believer in the simple-stupid theory: If it's dead simple and dead stupid and can't fail because it's both of those, then that's an attractive option. Yes: Gen 2 Tesla Wall Connectors will share a single 60A circuit. But, interestingly, Tesla doesn't really sell those much, any more.

Now, Cost Effective. The OP has a 240 VAC, 50A, NEMA14-50 socket in the wall, presumably built to code, and it's Paid For. Changing something, like putting in heavier wire, or adding a second circuit, is going to cost a minimum of $200, more likely $500, and maybe over $1000, especially if a second circuit is added. And.. for what?

As it happens, the house over here has two Teslas in it, a 2018 M3 and a 2021 MY. When the 2018 M3 went in, I went ahead and got a 60A circuit and a Tesla Gen 2 Wall Connector installed; luckily, the house breaker panel is in the garage. At this time, the SO and I have never had an issue where both cars needed charging at the same time. Now, that's us: If one is driving 200 miles a day, then daily charging would be in one's future. We're well less than 100 miles a day, so a car needs charging once or twice a week. With that, just uncoiling the cable from the WC and plugging in $RANDOM car is no great shakes.

The basic solution: Just plug in one wall connector. Either: use the one that came with the Leaf and use the J1772-to-Tesla adapter that comes with the M3, as long as the cable will reach both cars; get a J1772-based wall connector with a long cable that (if it's not hard) can do 40A that can do both cars with the aforementioned Tesla adapter; or get a Tesla Wall Connector with the long cable and use whatever adapter there is on the open market that can go from a Tesla cable end to the Leaf socket. The first is cheapest; #2 and #3 are probably around the same cost.

And you'll stop plugging things in and out of that NEMA14-50 socket. Plug something in and leave it that way.

 

[brkaus]

I charge our leaf using a Tesla to J-1772 adaptor on our Tesla wall charger.

Tesla to J1772 Adapter – EVSE Adapters

With our new Tesla to J1772 adapter, now you can charge any electric vehicle at most Tesla charging stations in North America!

www.evseadapters.com

2 teslas and one leaf. We try to share

 

[ucmndd]

and the outlet is getting loose.

You need to replace this receptacle.

Pick one EVSE, use it to charge all of your cars, and leave it plugged in.

 

[Rocky_H]

We're well less than 100 miles a day, so a car needs charging once or twice a week. With that, just uncoiling the cable from the WC and plugging in $RANDOM car is no great shakes.

I'll just pitch in my example that we also have two EVs and just one outlet. It's a mobile connector that stays permanently plugged in, and it's at the back left of the garage, with both of our cars pulled in forward, so it's not a big deal to plug one car in every few days as needed. The cable lies across the floor behind the left car when we need to plug in the car on the right, but we don't use both cars every day, so that's not a big deal.

 

[Mashina]

Based on your helpful posts, apparently the Tesla charger is faster, so I will keep it connected to the outlet and buy an adapter for the Leaf.
It lookslike th ebest deal is on evseadapters.com as brkaus posted, bu there are 2 types, the 40 AMP and 48 AMP. Which one I go with?

 

[3sr+buyer]

40A is suitable for 14-50 or 6-50 plug-in EVSEs (most of which do 32A). 48A is needed for 48A EVSEs hardwired to 60A circuits (which may be encountered on the road at hotels, workplaces, etc).

If your outlet is getting loose, replace it (with a non-Leviton outlet).

 

[Mashina]

40A is suitable for 14-50 or 6-50 plug-in EVSEs (most of which do 32A). 48A is needed for 48A EVSEs hardwired to 60A circuits (which may be encountered on the road at hotels, workplaces, etc).

If your outlet is getting loose, replace it (with a non-Leviton outlet).

Since the 48 AMP is only $5 more, would you recommend getting it instead of 40 AMP? also, I checked the outlet, the lazy installer used only 2 screws to fasten it!!!

 

[Tronguy]

So, this depends on a few things. General rule: Lowest Number Wins.

Hooking up the Tesla WC to a NEMA14-50? Limit of steady state current is 80% of 50A, which is 40A. Your Tesla won’t charge any faster than that and neither will the Leaf.

Call an electrician, ditch the NEMA14-50 for a direct connect to the breaker panel, rewire the connection for heavier wire that can support 60A, and pit a 60A breaker in the panel. Steady state load is 80% of 60A, which is 48A.

Next, the cars. A SR M3 has a max AC charge current of 32A. LR and P have a maximum charge rate of 48A. So, if you've got a SR, then getting a 60A circuit that can support 48A isn't going to do anything for you - 32A is what you're gonna get, the car being the limiting factor.

I don't know what the max AC charge current at 240 VAC is for a Leaf. Same calculus applies, though: If its max charge current is 32A, then a 40A adapter gets you there, a 48A adapter won't do anything for you.

So, in order:

1. Figure out what the max charge currents are for the two cars. If it's 32A or less for both of them, then don't bother changing out the NEMA14-50, it can handle it. Best bet is to wire a NEMA14-50 socket to the Tesla WC or use the pre-existing J1772 if it can do 32A and don't bother with a Tesla WC, you'd just be wasting money.
2. If whichever car has the bigger max charge current has a max current of 40A or greater, then you can do 40A with the NEMA14-50 and Stop Right There. If the pre-existing Leaf charger can do 40A, fine, stick with that for both cars. If the Leaf charger can only do 32A, then think about getting a Tesla WC, which can be wired to that NEMA14-50, and can then do 40A. The Leaf, in that case, if its max charge current is less than 40, will be fine
3. If one of the cars can hit 48A max charge current, then you can think about whether or not you want that 60A circuit and the Tesla WC that would go with it. (There's J1772 wall connectors that can hit high current numbers, but they're usually a lot more expensive than the Tesla WC). You're going to pay somewhere north of $500 for the privilege, though, since you'll need heavier wire and a bigger breaker in the breaker panel. If the Leaf can do more than 40A, then you'd probably want the 48A Tesla-to-J1772 adapter.

Cheapest solution is to use the existing NEMA14-50 and whatever wall connector you already have, especially if it can do 32A, which is common. On the Tesla, that'll give you roughly 32 miles of charge per hour.

If the existing wall connector won't reach both cars, then you'll go up one step for a Wall Connector, Tesla or otherwise, that'll reach. The Tesla, which can come with an 18' cable, can handle up to 40A with that exiting NEMA14-50, which may or may not do anything for you if the max charge currents on both cars is 32A or less.

If the Tesla you're getting can do 48A (that's the max across all the Tesla varieties at this time), then you think if you want to spend $$ to upgrade the house to a 60A circuit, which you definitely don't have now. That would be the most expensive option.

And there you are.