New wall charger option w/ Nema 14-50

[rhuber]

I was browsing the shop and noticed a new wall connector option with a built in 14-50 plug. I guess enough people wanted this that they decided to sell it. Curious if the wall charger itself is limited to 40amps max since that's the limit you can do through that pigtail without violating NEC

Wall Connector with 14-50 Plug

 

[iluvmacs]

'bout time. This has been rumored to be coming for like a year.

 

[TexasEV]

I was browsing the shop and noticed a new wall connector option with a built in 14-50 plug. I guess enough people wanted this that they decided to sell it. Curious if the wall charger itself is limited to 40amps max since that's the limit you can do through that pigtail without violating NEC

Wall Connector with 14-50 Plug

The link you gave answers that question- yes it’s 40A.

 

[SD_Engnr]

Interesting find!

Curious if the wall charger itself is limited to 40amps max since that's the limit you can do through that pigtail without violating NEC

Wall Connector with 14-50 Plug

Says in the description: "Provides 40 amps (9.6kW) of power for all Model S, Model X and Model 3 Long Range vehicles."

 

[Needsdecaf]

Hmm. $500 for an upgrade from 32 to 40 amps. Worth it? Would rather flip out the breaker to 60 A and hard wire the full connector for not much more since the wire is already run.

 

[glide]

Why is this any better than a Gen 1 UMC?

Heck, even a Gen 2 seems like a better buy for $200 less and close to the same charge rate.

 

[gilscales]

Why is this any better than a Gen 1 UMC?

Heck, even a Gen 2 seems like a better buy for $200 less and close to the same charge rate.

It's probably just a little more durable is all, my guess anyway

 

[SSedan]

25% faster is a meaningful difference.

I would/did do the hardwired HCWC though.

 

[pdp1]

Why is this any better than a Gen 1 UMC?

Heck, even a Gen 2 seems like a better buy for $200 less and close to the same charge rate.

It's got 4 extra feet of cord? That would be the only reason I buy it over a mobile connector.

Also, I wonder if you can plug two of these onto the same 50A circuit and have them negotiate charging two separate cars simultaneously without tripping the breaker... like the hard wired versions? If so, that would be another reason.

 

[TJPDX]

Wall Connector

I get about 23mph on my Gen 2 charger for my Model X, it seems a the 40amp would give me approx 25-26mph, which would be a very small improvement. For Model 3 owners it looks like you could go from about 30mph to 37mph, which is not a bad deal, and you get to keep the mobile adapter in your car.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

Some had these corded wall connectors nearly a year ago!

 

[rhuber]

The link you gave answers that question- yes it’s 40A.

To clarify - I meant I wonder if the wall connector is modified to not have the internal selector that allows you to change the amperage, up to the maximum of 100 that the wall connector supports when hardwired.

 

[glide]

To clarify - I meant I wonder if the wall connector is modified to not have the internal selector that allows you to change the amperage, up to the maximum of 100 that the wall connector supports when hardwired.

That would be my question as well. It could be a nice stop-gap if one planned to eventually hardwire.

But if it is truly limited I don’t see the appeal.

 

[gilscales]

That would be my question as well. It could be a nice stop-gap if one planned to eventually hardwire.

But if it is truly limited I don’t see the appeal.

Looking at the video posted and then on the Tesla site it appears they are one in the same and have a lighter smaller gauge cord feeding the handle, if you want a stop gap just get a 1" male thread cord restraint and a 14-50 NEMA pig tail just like this guy did and use the original HPWC gen 2

Parts are not much, a little over $20 for both
Lapp Group - S2201 - SLRN 29 (1IN) SKINTOP W/R BLACK UL; CSA; CE - Allied Electronics & Automation
Google Express

 

[glide]

Looking at the video posted and then on the Tesla site it appears they are one in the same and have a lighter smaller gauge cord feeding the handle, if you want a stop gap just get a 1" male thread cord restraint and a 14-50 NEMA pig tail just like this guy did and use the original HPWC gen 2

Yep. Looks like the Home Depot solution would be the way to go.

Interesting choice for a product release.

 

[gilscales]

Yep. Looks like the Home Depot solution would be the way to go.

Interesting choice for a product release.

I guess because without a pre installed cord then it cannot technically be deemed UL listed as it would be considered modified, my guess, not sure

 

[Sophias_dad]

To clarify - I meant I wonder if the wall connector is modified to not have the internal selector that allows you to change the amperage, up to the maximum of 100 that the wall connector supports when hardwired.

There's no mention of a selector in the manual, so its probably hardwired to 40 amps max. I'm surprised they didn't allow you to select lower-than-40...

 

[eprosenx]

I was browsing the shop and noticed a new wall connector option with a built in 14-50 plug. I guess enough people wanted this that they decided to sell it. Curious if the wall charger itself is limited to 40amps max since that's the limit you can do through that pigtail without violating NEC

Wall Connector with 14-50 Plug

Very interesting. Nice find!

We have seen some of these leak out onto eBay before (maybe pre production versions). The Tesla charging folks actually offered me to swap them for the hardwired versions since they did not want them out there for some reason.

I think it absolutely has use cases. Lots of houses are now being built with 14-50’s and so this is an easy DIY solution. Also good for folks that don’t plan on living somewhere for long or are renting.

I wish it were slightly cheaper $400 or even $450. They downgraded the cable it appears to lower gauge wire (maybe nicer for cable management) and who knows, they may have downgraded the contactor inside too.

I think the fixed form factor still has benefit over a second UMC. More durable and has built in cable management.

I wonder if there is still a rotary dial inside? It would be cool if you could at least set it to 32a or 40a. There are 14-50’s out there on 40a circuits.

I am curious how this works NEC wise. 2017 NEC says only 12 inch pigtails are allowed. Though I also don’t get how NEC can dictate that as EVSE’s like this that are plug in I don’t think fall under NEC (only UL).

 

[eprosenx]

FYI, I read the install manual and while it does not mention the ability to configure it to say a 32a limit (to go on a 40a circuit), I did notice a couple other interesting things.

It would appear that based the troubleshooting guide that it infers that there are temperature sensors in the end of the pigtail (so just like the UMC).

Then they also mention on the ground fault section that a ground fault could be a neutral to ground fault. That makes no sense unless the unit can accept a line + neutral feed like 120v or 277v. So perhaps it does support 120v like the UMC can and/or 277v like the regular wall connector can (though it is not allowed on a 14-50). The device is only listed for 208v and 240v fwiw...

It is very interesting to me! Nice to have another option.

I wish the “Corded Mobile Connector” was cheaper btw. I would like one for use at my moms beach house and my dads home. Would let me charge at 40a instead of 32 on my UMC Gen 2.

Also, Tesla really needs to add a NEMA 6-30 adapter for the UMC Gen 2. 14-30 has a useless neutral and 10-30 has no proper ground. Need a way to make use of 10/2 wire that is existing in some installs! A TT-30 adapter would be nice too.

 

[rhuber]

Looking at the video posted and then on the Tesla site it appears they are one in the same and have a lighter smaller gauge cord feeding the handle, if you want a stop gap just get a 1" male thread cord restraint and a 14-50 NEMA pig tail just like this guy did and use the original HPWC gen 2

Parts are not much, a little over $20 for both
Lapp Group - S2201 - SLRN 29 (1IN) SKINTOP W/R BLACK UL; CSA; CE - Allied Electronics & Automation
Google Express

This is similar to what I did with an HPWC, except that I swapped the breaker for 60A and installed a (rare-ish) nema 14-60 outlet in place of the existing 14-50 that was in the basement. The wire gauge was within spec for 60 amps so this seemed the best way to enable full 48 amp charging without needing to hardwire the connector, which limits flexibility.

I highly recommend 48 amp charging if someone goes HPWC, because 42 mi/hr is substantially faster than the 28 mi/hr you get with the UMC. It may not sound like much, but it really makes EV ownership in a rural area somewhat better, especially in winter.