Just placed my order for my first ever Tesla model 3 standard in a Tesla showroom. I let them know I would like the mobile connector set with my order the employee mentioned that it can be ordered on the app and left it out of the order. Now after the order I check and they are sold out with no option to pre order. As it is my first Tesla I am nervous I won’t have a home charger I have a garage that I can install a wall connector. ETA in delivery is sep-dec 2022 should I wait and see if the mobile connector come in stock or order a wall charger and have some come out and install. (It is also my first post in Tesla motor club so I apologize if I did it incorrectly)
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Mobile connector or wall connector
- Thread starter Aagmv2
- Start date
No it does not. That's one of the things that is really nice about Tesla's wall connector. It is a variable setting device. You could do a 50A circuit for either. Or you could do the wall connector on a 30A circuit, or 20A, etc.
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AlanSubie4Life
Efficiency Obsessed Member
Not sure your exact setup but if the Mobile Connector when plugged into this circuit thinks it can supply 32A, from a circuit actually rated (per your words) to only 30A (24A continuous), then you have a problem. Dialing it down in the app to 29A may prevent a breaker opening but it would exceed the rating of the circuit (substantially). And even if you dialed it to 24A in the app, the car can easily reset to 32A for no reason at all, so that is not allowed technically either (I’ve dialed it down to 24A once when I wanted to use my Mobile Connector 14-50 adapter with my extension cord off of a 30A circuit with an adapter, but I would not make a habit of it).
Again, your situation may actually be different than what I am interpreting from what you said and it could be fine.
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I just discovered that a friend was doing that at his house and almost burned up his garage. He was using his own NEMA 14-30 to 14-50 adapter with the 14-50 pigtail on the mobile connector. It was generating so much heat that it melted the adapter and his receptacle, but it wasn’t enough to trip the breaker.
If you have a 30 amp circuit, you should only charge at 24 amps. You should also use the proper Tesla adapters or a third party adapter from a reputable place like EVSEadapters that automatically causes the mobile adapter to adjust to the correct amperage, without you having to manually turn it down in the car.
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davewill
Active Member
I really don't understand people's thought processes sometimes. I'm comfortably sure that the parts to build his homemade adapter cost at least as much, probably more, than the 14-30 adapter from Tesla. Did he do this so that he could charge at 29 or 30 amps instead of 24a?
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AlanSubie4Life
Efficiency Obsessed Member
Only (valid) reason I can think is that he wanted to use a 14-50 extension cord. However, certainly sounds like he was just using an adapter, which is a bit odd.
I have a 14-50 cord and 14-30 to 14-50 pigtail which I take with me when traveling to remote places. And have used that setup on the North Rim. Bit different situation though.
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davewill
Active Member
Yes, there are many lashups that make sense as a travel or emergency use, that I would never condone as an ongoing solution. For example, at home I still use a wall mounted EVSE plugged into a 6-50, from the days before I bought a Tesla. Back then, I used an OpenEVSE (with configurable amperage) as a travel unit. it has a 14-50 plug on it. I made a 6-50 adapter so I could use it at home temporarily in the event my wall mounted EVSE broke, which it did once. I also made a few others for travel.
I still have those adapters, and wouldn't hesitate to use them for those same purposes. However, it they didn't already exist, I would NOT make them again, I'd get the proper Tesla ones (actually I would wait until I actually had a need, as my adapters have mostly just collected dust), and I would NEVER use any of them as a daily charging solution.
BTW, that OpenEVSE is now wall mounted and plugged into a new 14-50 for daily charging my wife's RAV, and I still use that original EVSE plugged into the 6-50 as my daily charging solution for the Tesla. I no longer really feel a need to carry a portable EVSE, although I do carry the Tesla one just because I have it.
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Just want to clarify I'm not using an extension cord with multiple NEMA adapters/gender benders/pigtails. I have an existing 30A dedicated charging circuit that I used for my first, non-Tesla EV. I continue to use this circuit with my Tesla MC and Tesla 14-50 NEMA adapter. You're all correct in that charging at 29A exceeds the standards for a 30A breaker so I agree it's a good idea to charge at 24A.
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It sounds like you have the wrong receptacle installed since you’re able to use a NEMA 14-50 adapter on your mobile connector.
If you have a 30 amp breaker, you should be using a NEMA 14-30 receptacle and the corresponding Tesla adapter.
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Yes, the receptacle is 14-50 hence why I need a Tesla 14-50 adapter. Like I mentioned, I'm re-using this receptacle from a prior, non-Tesla EV where its native plug was 14-50 as opposed to installing a Wall Connector or new, 14-30 receptacle. Am I understanding you both correctly?
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AlanSubie4Life
Efficiency Obsessed Member
Is it not to code then? Or is the breaker just 30A for whatever reason (arguably safer for breakers to open sooner if you don’t need the current)? If it is a 14-50 the circuit should be able to support 40A (32A continuous) minimum (50A is more normal but 40A is allowed as I understand it).
The question here is what is the wire gauge used.
You’d need to change the breaker but then you have to think about GFCI breakers etc.
(Others…what are the rules on older circuits and GFCIs for stuff that is not hardwired? Do they have to have them? I thought the code changed so older stuff does not need them?)
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Mike Hawk
Member
NEMA 6-20 with existing wiring and the mobile connector served me just fine. Super cheap if you have an existing single run outlet near your car, 12 gauge wire, and space in your panel to put a double pole breaker.
However, I now have the 48a full beans HPWC at my house which is of course mo bettah.
At my office I have the 32a maxed mobile.
Tesla Model 3 10% battery recovery times to give you a real world scenario overview:
However, I now have the 48a full beans HPWC at my house which is of course mo bettah.
At my office I have the 32a maxed mobile.
Tesla Model 3 10% battery recovery times to give you a real world scenario overview:
Charge Type | Wattage / Amps | 10% Charge Time |
| Regular ole standard NEMA 5-15 outlet | 1,440w @ 12a (12a*120v) | 4h 30 min |
| NEMA 6-20 | 3,840w @ 16a (16a*240v) | 1h 45 min |
| Gen 2 Mobile Max | 7,680w @ 32a (32a*240v) | 50 min |
| HPWC Max | 11,520w @ 48a (48a*240v) | 30 min |
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davewill
Active Member
My understanding is that older circuits only have to meet the code that was current when they were installed. If you upgrade or intall a new circuit, then you have to meet new code. In some places I think a major remodel can trigger more sweeping code updates. All of this assumes the original install was properly permitted and inspected (if required in that jurisdiction). WIthout a permit, I think that any subsequent inspection can require all the unpermitted work to be brought up to current code.
In this case, does changing the breaker and outlet to match the new EVSE trigger a code update? Replacing an outlet or breaker with the same type (like doing a repair) doesn't, but that's not the same thing.
I'm aware of EVSEs from ClipperCreek that charge at 30a, but have a 14-50 plug on them, which may be the situation he had before. Which offers another solution to this problem; using his old EVSE instead of the Tesla MC. Then the car would charge correctly at 24a, and he doesn't need to change anything.
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Yep - that explains it. This installation is not up to electrical code since you have a 50-amp receptacle on a 30-amp circuit breaker. It also explains why your car was pulling 32 amps instead of 24, as the Tesla adapters set a limit on how many amps the car can pull.
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jackmott
Member
Wall charger is nice to have anyway so that you can leave the mobile connector in the car for trips. Also if you do a wall charger with max amps, you can charge a bit faster than a mobile connector, which will also tend to be more efficient, as the car gets done charging and back to sleep quicker.
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