NEMA 6-50 and 14-50 adapters are labeled 30A

[kishkaru]

I recently bought a NEMA Adapter Bundle from Tesla. All the adapters look good except for the NEMA 6-50 and 14-50 ones.

They are both labeled as rated for 30A continuous on the adapter. The Gen 2 Mobile Connector is able to output 32A max, so shouldn't these two connectors be rated for 32A continuous? I wonder if this is a recent change, as I notice that they are both labeled as "-D" revision.

Unfortunately, I don't have either one of these two outlets at home to test whether the car pulls 30A or 32A. Does anyone else with one of these two "-D" revision adapters test whether it provides 30A or 32A?

A) If it outputs 30A, then I want to return this bundle and try to find one of the older A/B/C revisions that provided the full 32A
B) If it does output the full 32A, then why are they labeled at 30A? It's confusing for the consumer.

For comparison, the NEMA 10-30 and 14-30 adapters in the bundle does still say 24A, which is the expected number.

 

[gaswalla]

yeah... someone posted this typo a while back.. Can't believe they haven't fixed it yet.
it's an error

 

[kishkaru]

Knowing Tesla, it's probably not a "typo". They likely created a new revision "-D" solely to change the label to 30A to please some regulation (NEMA? NEC? UL?), but are telling us it's a "typo" to avoid telling us the real reason why they had to change it.

 

[iluvmacs]

My adapter from early 2018 (car VIN 005xxx), whichever revision it is, says 30. I noticed it right away, and it pretty certainly is an error in labeling. Pulling 32A through a 30A rated device would be an immediate UL violation, if nothing else. I don’t know how they wound up in this position and why it hasn’t been fixed. As a very meticulous electrical engineer, it bothers me too.

 

[nwdiver]

Maybe... maybe that's what the '~' is for? ~30A and ~250v?

 

[kishkaru]

I found this post from another member who had the same question, and their investigation yielded:

So I got a call back the other day from Tesla Support about this.
They say that the change from 32a to 30a was intentional, but that the car will still charge at 32a.
They said something about the value printed on there needing to be plus or minus ten percent of actual.

I don't buy this at all. If this is true, then why not update the labels on the other adapters as well?
So far the one datapoint we have points to them clearly violating the code, if they changed the label on purpose, and the adapter in fact does let the car pull 32A?

 

[kishkaru]

Maybe... maybe that's what the '~' is for? ~30A and ~250v?

'~' refers to AC voltage. Its a standard symbol used in engineering/electronics.

 

[GtiMart]

It's also a mathematical sign for "approximate"

 

[Rocky_H]

I don't buy this at all. If this is true, then why not update the labels on the other adapters as well?
So far the one datapoint we have points to them clearly violating the code, if they changed the label on purpose, and the adapter in fact does let the car pull 32A?

It's been that way ever since the 2nd generation mobile connector came out, and yeah, of course it raised eyebrows back then too. And 32A draw is fully allowed, so your accusations of "violating the code" seems like nonsense. You found the answer and pasted it in there, that it's some kind of jumping through hoops of labeling conditions or somesuch, which does sound realistic, despite your "not buying it".

 

[kishkaru]

I had my friend who bought his NEMA 14-50 adapter last year (2019) send me a picture of his, and his is revision "-C" and is labeled 32A. So your claim of "its been that way since the beginning" is 100% wrong. It's looking more like this is a change in the revision "-D", and Tesla is violating the code on purpose.

Anyone that has one of these two adapters, please check your label and the revision and vote above in the poll or post post below.

 

[kishkaru]

I contacted Tesla support about this. They said that the NEMA 6-50/14-50 adapters are 30A and that's all they can provide since the Gen 2 Mobile Connector can only provide 30A max. Then I pointed him to the owners manual (dated 4/30/2019) which clearly state that they can provide up to 32A maximum with the 6-50/14-50 adapters (page 5/6).

Then he changed his tone and said that it must be a change from revision "C" to "D", and "it must have been to maximize charging capability given the specs for the design D". Short version is that they are now 30A so 'deal with it'. He said that the extra 2 amps is not a big deal, and if I am unhappy, I should purchase a Tesla Wall Connector instead.

I pressed further saying that I can't install a Wall Connector since I'm a renter, and can only use the existing 14-50 outlet at the house, thus I need those extra 2 amps to maximize the charging speed. He then finally said that I should just return the adapters and try to find the revision "C" adapter by contacting my local Tesla store to see if they have any of the older revisions in stock.

 

[Rocky_H]

I had my friend who bought his NEMA 14-50 adapter last year (2019) send me a picture of his, and his is revision "-C" and is labeled 32A. So your claim of "its been that way since the beginning" is 100% wrong. It's looking more like this is a change in the revision "-D", and Tesla is violating the code on purpose.

OK, it looks like I was incorrect on that part. I did not know they had done a few marked with 32A before they made that marking change. It was very early when the 2nd gen started shipping, so I thought they began that way.

 

[GtiMart]

Mine is also marked 30A, yet I'm almost sure it allowed pulling 32A when I tested it. I am not equipped to test it at home... Since it's the plug that tells the mobile charger the maximum it can pull, isn't there a mistake somewhere? I'm all for pulling 32A mind you

 

[Rocky_H]

Mine is also marked 30A, yet I'm almost sure it allowed pulling 32A when I tested it. I am not equipped to test it at home... Since it's the plug that tells the mobile charger the maximum it can pull, isn't there a mistake somewhere? I'm all for pulling 32A mind you

They had to change the labeling that was printed on them for whatever that reason was, but both versions still actually do 32A, I think.

 

[GT!!]

They had to change the labeling that was printed on them for whatever that reason was, but both versions still actually do 32A, I think.

I just checked mine and it is labelled 30a, but unless my car is lying it is definitely pulling 32a (it's my daily charger).

 

[Newtothiscar]

I recently bought a NEMA Adapter Bundle from Tesla. All the adapters look good except for the NEMA 6-50 and 14-50 ones.

They are both labeled as rated for 30A continuous on the adapter. The Gen 2 Mobile Connector is able to output 32A max, so shouldn't these two connectors be rated for 32A continuous? I wonder if this is a recent change, as I notice that they are both labeled as "-D" revision.

Unfortunately, I don't have either one of these two outlets at home to test whether the car pulls 30A or 32A. Does anyone else with one of these two "-D" revision adapters test whether it provides 30A or 32A?

A) If it outputs 30A, then I want to return this bundle and try to find one of the older A/B/C revisions that provided the full 32A
B) If it does output the full 32A, then why are they labeled at 30A? It's confusing for the consumer.

For comparison, the NEMA 10-30 and 14-30 adapters in the bundle does still say 24A, which is the expected number.

Anyone figured

I recently bought a NEMA Adapter Bundle from Tesla. All the adapters look good except for the NEMA 6-50 and 14-50 ones.

They are both labeled as rated for 30A continuous on the adapter. The Gen 2 Mobile Connector is able to output 32A max, so shouldn't these two connectors be rated for 32A continuous? I wonder if this is a recent change, as I notice that they are both labeled as "-D" revision.

Unfortunately, I don't have either one of these two outlets at home to test whether the car pulls 30A or 32A. Does anyone else with one of these two "-D" revision adapters test whether it provides 30A or 32A?

A) If it outputs 30A, then I want to return this bundle and try to find one of the older A/B/C revisions that provided the full 32A
B) If it does output the full 32A, then why are they labeled at 30A? It's confusing for the consumer.

For comparison, the NEMA 10-30 and 14-30 adapters in the bundle does still say 24A, which is the expected number.

Are they using only awg 10-3 cable for that adapter?