NEMA 14-30 VS NEMA 14-50 charging speed for Model 3 Standard Range Plus

[Bigmouse]

The max current draw of NEMA 14-30 is 30A, and 50A for NEMA 14-50.
However, the max Level 2 charging current of Model 3 Standard Range is limited to 32A.
So I assume that there will not be noticeable difference between charging using NEMA 14-30 and NEMA 14-50, because the current draw will be maxed at 32A using NEMA 14-50 anyway.
Has anybody compared the charging current between using NEMA 14-30 and NEMA 14-50 on Standard Range Plus?

 

[neurocutie]

14-30 being rated at max 30A means that you shouldn't be drawing more than 24A continuous from it. So its 24A vs 32A.

Its about 20mph vs 30mph charging rate. So if you charge for 10 hours you'll get 200miles vs 300miles. Figure out what you need...

(why do you want a 14-30? some reason you prefer it?)

 

[Bigmouse]

14-30 being rated at max 30A means that you shouldn't be drawing more than 24A continuous from it. So its 24A vs 32A.

Its about 20mph vs 30mph charging rate. So if you charge for 10 hours you'll get 200miles vs 300miles. Figure out what you need...

(why do you want a 14-30? some reason you prefer it?)

Thans man. You are right. 24A VS 32A.
Tesla Model 3 Home Charging Guide | TeslaTap

NEMA 14-50 adapter is constantly out of stock, which is pretty annoying, and my dryer plug NEMA 14-30 is so close to the garage.

 

[kwoody51]

If you have the wiring to support it why wouldn’t you do 14-50? Swapping out a 14-30 to 14-50 is maybe 10 min work, again assuming you have the proper wiring.

If you have a 14-30 today it will work, but as mentioned above it will charge slower which only you can decide if that matters to you.

 

[SSedan]

If you have the 14-30 it should do the trick.
Understand though cold dramatically increases energy use. Cabin heating uses a lot and the battery has to be above freezing to charge so pack warming uses power as well.

I would not install a line for a 14-30 for EV charging in a cold climate unless the breaker box is limiting you to it, I prefer a bit of overkill, today's commute and vehicle are not the only ones you will ever have and there can be emergencies where a faster rate comes in handy.
If it is there though use it. I got by on a 14-30 one winter with a P85 which is a colder climate and a hungrier car than yours, it was getting by though far from ideal, then a family emergency popped up which involved cutting a vacation short rushing home and leaving again and the slow charge rate created hassles for 2 days. I then put in a wall connector on a 100amp circuit, my car can receive 58miles per hour. Don't use the capability much but when I need it it is there.

 

[electrongeek]

You might also consider a 6-50 receptacle. It has the same current rating as a 14-50. A Tesla does not need the neutral that a 14-50 or 14-30 supplies.

 

[neurocutie]

its silly to make these kind of decisions based on whether Tesla has the 14-50 adapter in stock, a $35 item. There are alternatives, whether to buy 3rd party, ebay or find a SC that has one (which i what I did).

 

[davewill]

its silly to make these kind of decisions based on whether Tesla has the 14-50 adapter in stock, a $35 item. There are alternatives, whether to buy 3rd party, ebay or find a SC that has one (which i what I did).

Besides, it will come back in stock. Just register to be notified, then buy it as soon as it gets back in stock.

 

[Eno Deb]

Thans man. You are right. 24A VS 32A.
Tesla Model 3 Home Charging Guide | TeslaTap

NEMA 14-50 adapter is constantly out of stock, which is pretty annoying, and my dryer plug NEMA 14-30 is so close to the garage.

If you already have a ready-to-use 14-30 outlet, I'd just use that. I've been using a 10-30 (same charging power) since I got my LR AWD and I have never missed anything. ~22 miles/hour is plenty fast for overnight charging, and in a real emergency I'd just use a nearby supercharger (but that hasn't happened so far).

Replacing the 14-30 with a 14-50 will probably require running new wires (unless the previous installation was over-provisioned for some reason).

 

[neurocutie]

If you already have a ready-to-use 14-30 outlet, I'd just use that. I've been using a 10-30 (same charging power) since I got my LR AWD and I have never missed anything. ~22 miles/hour is plenty fast for overnight charging, and in a real emergency I'd just use a nearby supercharger (but that hasn't happened so far).

Replacing the 14-30 with a 14-50 will probably require running new wires (unless the previous installation was over-provisioned for some reason).

Agreed provided the logistics are reasonable... I also have a 10-30 socket available in my laundry room which is 7 feet from my garage (for an electric dryer but we use gas). i was sorely tempted to just buy a $50 10-30 extension cable and charge off of that. However it would have meant an ugly extension cable running on the floor, across two doorways into the garage which is very cold in winter time. And that door has always been closed/locked. So from an electrical/charging/cost standpoint, it would have been fine/great. But from a logistical standpoint, it was an ugly idea (the wife would have hated it).

I did ask electricians about running a short wire between that 10-30 outlet and the garage (up the wall, across the ceiling, etc) -- it would have been also a pretty cheap option, but in the end, I opted for a whole new run from the breaker box and a proper 14-50 outlet in the garage. Remember there *is* a 30% tax credit for in-home charging setups.

 

[Rocky_H]

NEMA 14-50 adapter is constantly out of stock, which is pretty annoying, and my dryer plug NEMA 14-30 is so close to the garage.

If you have the wiring to support it why wouldn’t you do 14-50?

The answer was already given before you even asked this question.

its silly to make these kind of decisions based on whether Tesla has the 14-50 adapter in stock, a $35 item. There are alternatives, whether to buy 3rd party, ebay or find a SC that has one (which i what I did).

It is not silly. Because Tesla themselves can't keep in stock on these very well, scalpers have seen the opportunity and continually buy them out as soon as they become available, and even some people when they get notified that they are in stock can't get one purchased fast enough before the scalpers get them all. The ones on Ebay are generally going for over $100. So going for several weeks not being able to get a 14-50 adapter doesn't seem like a wonderful choice when a 14-30 could serve the purpose just fine, so people can have easy home overnight charging.

 

[neurocutie]

It is not silly. Because Tesla themselves can't keep in stock on these very well, scalpers have seen the opportunity and continually buy them out as soon as they become available, and even some people when they get notified that they are in stock can't get one purchased fast enough before the scalpers get them all. The ones on Ebay are generally going for over $100. So going for several weeks not being able to get a 14-50 adapter doesn't seem like a wonderful choice when a 14-30 could serve the purpose just fine, so people can have easy home overnight charging.

I wasn't saying the OP was silly rather the situation is silly, ridiculous if you will. And yes at least half of the blame goes to Tesla itself. It should flood the market with these things so the scalpers take a loss.

Anyways, $65 is the upper bound on an immediate solution (from NEMA 14-50 Adapter for Tesla Model S/X/3 Gen 2 – EVSE Adapters), only a $30 hit, not too, too outrageous a premium for an immediate solution. I agree, don't let the ebay scalpers win. So that leaves either limping along for a few weeks or canvasing SC's for their stock, if the $30 penalty is too much. But sure, if 14-30 or 6-50 is all the same to the OP, do that instead. However if down the road you find you really did want 14-50, then you really didn't save yourself $30. Regardless, the situation is silly and quite a much of a muchness... (i.e. just get what you really need/want based on usage etc)

 

[M3BlueGeorgia]

14-30 being rated at max 30A means that you shouldn't be drawing more than 24A continuous from it. So its 24A vs 32A.

Its about 20mph vs 30mph charging rate. So if you charge for 10 hours you'll get 200miles vs 300miles. Figure out what you need...

(why do you want a 14-30? some reason you prefer it?)

I'm using 14-30 because we had a 14-30 socket setup in the carport already.

 

[M3BlueGeorgia]

Agreed provided the logistics are reasonable... I also have a 10-30 socket available in my laundry room which is 7 feet from my garage (for an electric dryer but we use gas). i was sorely tempted to just buy a $50 10-30 extension cable and charge off of that. However it would have meant an ugly extension cable running on the floor, across two doorways into the garage which is very cold in winter time. And that door has always been closed/locked. So from an electrical/charging/cost standpoint, it would have been fine/great. But from a logistical standpoint, it was an ugly idea (the wife would have hated it).

I did ask electricians about running a short wire between that 10-30 outlet and the garage (up the wall, across the ceiling, etc) -- it would have been also a pretty cheap option, but in the end, I opted for a whole new run from the breaker box and a proper 14-50 outlet in the garage. Remember there *is* a 30% tax credit for in-home charging setups.

Always strongly suggest people upgrade from the pre-1997 un-grounded 10-30 to the grounded 14-30, especially since the Tesla really wants a grounded outlet. Going to 14-50 is desirable, but may not be worth it if you have to run lower gauge wiring to support the higher amperage.

 

[electrongeek]

Always strongly suggest people upgrade from the pre-1997 un-grounded 10-30 to the grounded 14-30, especially since the Tesla really wants a grounded outlet. Going to 14-50 is desirable, but may not be worth it if you have to run lower gauge wiring to support the higher amperage.

So if the the EV is not using the neutral in a 10-30 as a current carrying wire, and the neutral is properly grounded at the load center, why would it be advantageous to replace that receptacle? I can understand if it is still being used by an appliance that needs 120V in addition to 240V - in that instance the neutral is a current carrying wire and it is best to have a ground that normally carries no current.

 

[Rocky_H]

Always strongly suggest people upgrade from the pre-1997 un-grounded 10-30 to the grounded 14-30, especially since the Tesla really wants a grounded outlet. Going to 14-50 is desirable, but may not be worth it if you have to run lower gauge wiring to support the higher amperage.

So if the the EV is not using the neutral in a 10-30 as a current carrying wire, and the neutral is properly grounded at the load center, why would it be advantageous to replace that receptacle? I can understand if it is still being used by an appliance that needs 120V in addition to 240V - in that instance the neutral is a current carrying wire and it is best to have a ground that normally carries no current.

There is a slight risk of using dual voltage appliances on the 10-XX series of outlets, but not really any when using EVSEs on them, since they are just using that neutral as if it were a ground.

But I wouldn't bother to recommend switching it to a 14-XX type outlet if the wiring in the wall didn't already have the neutral and ground available. It's not worth rerunning wire for that. But that's what the 6-XX series of outlets are for. They are just 240V and ground. So that is the proper, modern, safe, code compliant thing if you only have three wires in the wall and is what I might recommend if you want to change the 10-30 to something else.

 

[Rehath Kalon]

The max current draw of NEMA 14-30 is 30A, and 50A for NEMA 14-50.
However, the max Level 2 charging current of Model 3 Standard Range is limited to 32A.
So I assume that there will not be noticeable difference between charging using NEMA 14-30 and NEMA 14-50, because the current draw will be maxed at 32A using NEMA 14-50 anyway.
Has anybody compared the charging current between using NEMA 14-30 and NEMA 14-50 on Standard Range Plus?

Followup question, does it make sense to install a Tesla home charger if you have a NEMA 14-30 plug in your garage?

 

[RayK]

Followup question, does it make sense to install a Tesla home charger if you have a NEMA 14-30 plug in your garage?

Only if you really need the additional charge rate that the wall connector could provide. With a NEMA 14-30 adapter plug connected to the mobile connector, you'll get at best 22 miles of range per hour. With a wall connector on a 60A breaker, you'll get 44 miles per hour. If, however, you're limited by your electrical panel or by a load calculation to using only a 30A breaker, you'll get the same charging rate as the 14-30.

Cost is the other concern. The wall connector will run $550 from the Tesla Store. Then the cost to install it will depend upon how far away from the electrical panel your proposed location is. With the mobile connector, which I'll assume you already have, the NEMA adapter is only $45.

ref: Wall Connector or 240V Charger adapter

 

[M3BlueGeorgia]

Followup question, does it make sense to install a Tesla home charger if you have a NEMA 14-30 plug in your garage?

Followup question, does it make sense to install a Tesla home charger if you have a NEMA 14-30 plug in your garage?

Nope.

I don't.

 

[BillRadio]

Has anybody compared the charging current between using NEMA 14-30 and NEMA 14-50 on Standard Range Plus?

Let's say you drove 40 miles a day (the national average), and one day maybe 100 miles. At 24 Amps, you will recover that 40 miles in less than 2 hours, and that 100-mile day in just over 4 hours. Add in some cold days or using Sentry Mode often and you may increase your usage by 10-20%. You're still within the capabilities for a fill-up with an overnight charge at 24 Amps.

Makes me wonder why I'm paying an electrician to get more.