Tesla no longer selling NEMA 6-50 Adapter

[ChrisH]

Clumsy wording on my part. Tesla is required to go by code ("being conservative" wasn't the right phrase), and I've been told that code doesn't allow you to get by with a programmed limit in the device (car in this case). Somebody could plug something else in without the reduced setting and cause an issue.

I think the core issue is that the 6-50 outlet is really designed for applications that aren't continuous draw, where the lower breaker value and wire size is fine. Not to point fingers, but the standard for charging applications is a 14-50 with a 50 amp breaker. What was your electrician thinking?

Bottom line, the post by miimura is probably the best:

Yeah I'm not sure why the builder uses a 6-50 for their car charger instead of a 14-50.

How does the wall connector work? It talks about a 60amp circuit breaker on the product page?

 

[ChrisH]

We also have a 14-30 dryer outlet in the garage with a 30amp breaker switch. Would I have to manually set the car to 24 for that to work correctly or would it automatically charge correctly?

Thanks.

 

[brkaus]

Yeah I'm not sure why the builder uses a 6-50 for their car charger instead of a 14-50.

How does the wall connector work? It talks about a 60amp circuit breaker on the product page?

It saves them a few bucks. One less wire as the 6-50 doesn't have a neutral. Also looks like they all size down saving a few more $. Kinda sad.

The wall connector has a dial inside that you set to match the wiring/breaker configuration. I believe it goes down to 12a.

We also have a 14-30 dryer outlet in the garage with a 30amp breaker switch. Would I have to manually set the car to 24 for that to work correctly or would it automatically charge correctly?

Thanks.

There is a 14-30 adaptor that will set the current to 24a max

 

[MP3Mike]

We also have a 14-30 dryer outlet in the garage with a 30amp breaker switch. Would I have to manually set the car to 24 for that to work correctly or would it automatically charge correctly?

Thanks.

As long as you use the Tesla 14-30 adapter you should be fine.

 

[brkaus]

A workaround (which could help @ChrisH as well) - order the Canadian 14-50 adapter, which automatically sets the charge rate to 32A, then buy or build a 14-50R to 6-50P adapter.

Outlet adapter - NEMA 14-50R to 6-50P Adapter
UMC adapter - Tesla — NEMA 14-50 - be sure to select Canada from the drop down, and (just to be safe) add a note to the order saying you intended to order the Canadian version, not the US.

Although, if you want to get pedantic, this setup would probably be a code violation, since Tesla says not to use extension cords, and the NEC requires you to follow the manufacturers requirements.

This is a great idea! I already have the pigtail evse adapter I bought before they brought back the 6-50. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[gregd]

It saves them a few bucks. One less wire as the 6-50 doesn't have a neutral. Also looks like they all size down saving a few more $. Kinda sad.

And, lacking that neutral wire, you can't simply convert the outlet to 14-30, which needs it.

 

[TexasEV]

This is what Tesla recommends for installing a 50A outlet, for anyone in the process of building now:
https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/downloads/US/universalmobileconnector_nema_14-50.pdf

 

[ChrisH]

Thanks for all of the replies. Very helpful. I’m debating just using the 14-30 if/when I ever get a 3. I should get 15-17mi/hr charge on that....my 32amps on my 6-50 will probably get me 24/hr but seems like more work to worry about the setting being correct all of the time or an extra $550 for the wall connector.

What are the odds my builder used copper wire as Tesla requires on their specs sheet?

Also, does anyone know why my receptacles are called 6-50R and 14-30R? Does that just mean receptacle or something?

 

[MIT_S60]

Thanks for all of the replies. Very helpful. I’m debating just using the 14-30 if/when I ever get a 3. I should get 15-17mi/hr charge on that....my 32amps on my 6-50 will probably get me 24/hr but seems like more work to worry about the setting being correct all of the time or an extra $550 for the wall connector.

What are the odds my builder used copper wire as Tesla requires on their specs sheet?

Also, does anyone know why my receptacles are called 6-50R and 14-30R? Does that just mean receptacle or something?

R = Receptacle, P = Plug

 

[gregd]

Thanks for all of the replies. Very helpful. I’m debating just using the 14-30 if/when I ever get a 3. I should get 15-17mi/hr charge on that....my 32amps on my 6-50 will probably get me 24/hr but seems like more work to worry about the setting being correct all of the time or an extra $550 for the wall connector.

What are the odds my builder used copper wire as Tesla requires on their specs sheet?

Also, does anyone know why my receptacles are called 6-50R and 14-30R? Does that just mean receptacle or something?

Odds are pretty good it's copper. The only time aluminum is used these days is on the really heavy gauge stuff, like feeding a sub-panel. I believe you are correct that the R is for receptacle; P would be for Plug. More info than you need is here: NEMA connector - Wikipedia

For what it's worth, I charged my Roadster for 2 years from a dryer plug (24 amps), and never had a problem getting enough charge in a night. But converting the 6-50 to a 14-anything is problematic because of the missing neutral wire. EVSE chargers don't use the neutral line, so some folks cheat a little and leave that pin unconnected, and put a big warning label on the outlet ("EV charging only"). Effectively, that's what's happening anyway inside the EVSE box, but if something else gets plugged into the oddly wired outlet, bad things could happen. The more I think about this, the more I come to the conclusion that the right answer is an EVSE of some kind, either plugged into the existing 6-50 outlet or hardwired to the existing wires, and dialed down to 32 amps.

 

[ChrisH]

Odds are pretty good it's copper. The only time aluminum is used these days is on the really heavy gauge stuff, like feeding a sub-panel. I believe you are correct that the R is for receptacle; P would be for Plug. More info than you need is here: NEMA connector - Wikipedia

For what it's worth, I charged my Roadster for 2 years from a dryer plug (24 amps), and never had a problem getting enough charge in a night. But converting the 6-50 to a 14-anything is problematic because of the missing neutral wire. EVSE chargers don't use the neutral line, so some folks cheat a little and leave that pin unconnected, and put a big warning label on the outlet ("EV charging only"). Effectively, that's what's happening anyway inside the EVSE box, but if something else gets plugged into the oddly wired outlet, bad things could happen. The more I think about this, the more I come to the conclusion that the right answer is an EVSE of some kind, either plugged into the existing 6-50 outlet or hardwired to the existing wires, and dialed down to 32 amps.

Yeah seems like a dryer outlet is good enough to get plenty of range. Not the fastest but it works.

 

[miimura]

Yeah I'm not sure why the builder uses a 6-50 for their car charger instead of a 14-50.

How does the wall connector work? It talks about a 60amp circuit breaker on the product page?

The current generation Wall Connector has a rotary switch to set the amperage to match your circuit breaker. It can be installed on almost any circuit you could find in North America that's not shared with another appliance. You can also install up to 4 Wall Connectors in Master/Slave mode sharing one circuit. They communicate to make sure the sum of all connectors does not exceed the circuit rating.

 

[ChrisH]

So for $550 plus install of the power wall I can use my 6-50 to get ~6 more miles per hour charge haha. Ugh. It is a nice setup for systems that were set up correctly in the first place. Not sure it makes sense for me with the 14-30 in the garage as well.