The effort they spent in bringing out this non-universal mobile connector would have been better spent on making the 14-30 and 10-30 and 6-50 UMC adapters available again.
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New Corded Mobile Connector
- Thread starter jvonbokel
- Start date
I could see buying one as the semi-permanent way to charge in my garage and then keep the original UMC in the car. However, since it is priced so close to the original UMC, I would probably just spend the extra $30 to get another mobile connector bundle which can be used with the adapters I have/will have: 5-15, 5-20, 10-30, 14-30 & 14-50 instead of one that is hard-wired to 14-50.
If it was priced more in the $450 - $500 range, then I might consider this one over the original UMC.
dgpcolorado
high altitude member
Hope you're right. My concern is that the current UMC would be discontinued when supplies are exhausted. We will see...
CmdrThor
Active Member
Do you think they would then try to come up with a 14-50 -> 5-15 adapter? How else are people going to charge 120V?
IMHO, it's the right evolution to make for this product. It should improve reliability, and reduce cost. Both contribute positively to the disruptiveness of Tesla's products at a small expense to its flexibility. And you can always buy or make your own adaptor(s) if you really need to, coupled with dialling down the current draw of course.
Also IMHO, NEMA 14-50 is in the exact right sweet spot for EV charging. Adequate current but not so much it excludes many homes' available power. The only beef is the unnecessary neutral conductor...
Also IMHO, NEMA 14-50 is in the exact right sweet spot for EV charging. Adequate current but not so much it excludes many homes' available power. The only beef is the unnecessary neutral conductor...
mikeash
Active Member
I think it would be a huge mistake to discontinue the 5-15 plug. Yeah, L1 charging is horribly slow and it sucks compared to L2. But it's awesome compared to not charging at all, and 5-15 outlets are about a million times more common. It's not something most people would want as a permanent solution at home, but it's extremely useful as a stopgap while you wait to get L2 charging installed, or while staying overnight somewhere. And you want the average electrically-illiterate Joe to be able to plug into an outlet and have it work, so a 5-15 to 14-50 adapter won't cut it there.
That said, I wouldn't be too surprised if Tesla did so, and attempted to standardize on 14-50 as part of a drive for simplification. I would be extremely disappointed, but not too surprised.
That said, I wouldn't be too surprised if Tesla did so, and attempted to standardize on 14-50 as part of a drive for simplification. I would be extremely disappointed, but not too surprised.
I suppose it's possible they could do something similar to what TurboCord does as their charger supports both 240v and 120v with just an add-on plug.
Perhaps Tesla will make 14-50 the default plug and then have add-on plugs for 5-15, 5-20, 14-30, etc.?
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Tesla really needs a more comprehensive redesign of the UMC. They need to have the following:
1. Larger current carrying pins on the adapter
2. Thermal sensing in every adapter
3. Current indicating resistors in every adapter
I think a 9"-12" tail for each plug type and a robust locking intermediate connector is needed. Whether that connector is inline on the line cord or on the body of the UMC doesn't really matter. In this respect, the Type-2 UMC is a much better design.
1. Larger current carrying pins on the adapter
2. Thermal sensing in every adapter
3. Current indicating resistors in every adapter
I think a 9"-12" tail for each plug type and a robust locking intermediate connector is needed. Whether that connector is inline on the line cord or on the body of the UMC doesn't really matter. In this respect, the Type-2 UMC is a much better design.
stopcrazypp
Well-Known Member
I hope that the current UMC would not be discontinued. I see it more like mikeash where it serves like a semi-permanent EVSE (where the current UMC sticks out more because of the adapter).
As others point out, they still have to figure out how to support 110V.
They almost already have that with the umc. You would have to see the actual plug on it to tell if they enabled any sort of extend ability.I suppose it's possible they could do something similar to what TurboCord does as their charger supports both 240v and 120v with just an add-on plug.
Perhaps Tesla will make 14-50 the default plug and then have add-on plugs for 5-15, 5-20, 14-30, etc.?
FlatSix911
Porsche 918 Hybrid
The original UMC has experienced some thermal failures and has more connection points that are prone to issues.
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I agree. I think this new charge cable is simply another choice that owners can purchase. I do not expect Tesla to discontinue the cable and adapters that are currently shipping with new cars. That would not make any sense. 14-50 outlets are hardly a universally available plug.
Curt
Roadster Signature #55
Basically, yes, but those are hand made from commercially available screw-together parts so they are expensive. They also don't have any thermal sensing. Do they even indicate the available current of the corresponding plug?
Electric Joe
Member
I've thought of doing this to gain a longer cable, but otherwise what is the advantage of adding a 14-50 plug to the HPWC? A 14-50R can only safely support 40 amps, the max that the UMC supports, so the only benefit I see is having a longer cable. Am I missing something else?
mikeash
Active Member
The advantage is just somewhat more robust hardware and a nicer-looking installation. It lets me keep the UMC in the car at all times, and the added cost over a second UMC was only $100 at the time.
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