Third Party 14-50 to 14-30 Adapters with Mobile Charger

[Fontiveros]

Just picked up my ’23 MYLR this week and took it on a short roadtrip from Raleigh to Richmond to visit my in-laws. My in-laws have a 30-amp plug and I used a 30-amp to 50-amp RV adapter attached to the mobile charger. The adapter gets power and it lights up green. But the mobile charger isn’t getting any power.

Is it safe to say adapters shouldn’t be used with the mobile charger?

I know the mobile charger works because I used it at my house with my 50-amp plug. I’m thinking the adapter isn’t rated for Teslas.

I have an official 30-amp plug for the mobile charger on order for my next trip.

Thanks

 

[Cosmacelf]

This is a common mistake. RV adapters do something special and just aren’t compatible with EV charging. You can buy 30A to 50A adapters which work, but not ones meant for RVs. Heres more info: Advice for EV Charging in North America

 

[Fontiveros]

Thanks. For the tip! Fortunately… there is a SC about 1.5 miles away.

 

[ATPMSD]

You should not use an sort of 30 to 50 amp adapter at all, just use the correct Tesla adapter from Tesla.

Gen 2 NEMA Adapters

Use a variety of household outlets to charge your Tesla with a Gen 2 NEMA Adapter. Simply attach the appropriate adapter to your Mobile Connector, plug into the corresponding outlet and begin charging. Adapter Max Distance Gained Per Hour of Charge Model S Model 3 Model X Model Y 5-15 3...

shop.tesla.com

If the 30-amp outlet is a TT-30, then I suggest this one:

TT-30 Adapter for Tesla Model S/X/3/Y Gen 2

Please go to this page to purchase: https://www.evseadapters.com/products/tt-30-adapter-for-tesla-model-s-x-3-gen-2/

www.evseadapters.com

 

[tga]

This is a common mistake. RV adapters do something special and just aren’t compatible with EV charging. You can buy 30A to 50A adapters which work, but not ones meant for RVs. Heres more info: Advice for EV Charging in North America

To add to this, this is not a Tesla- or Mobile connector-specific issue. No EV charging station with a 14-50 plug will work with a standard RV dogbone, since it will see 0V across the hot terminals.

 

[davewill]

To explain in more detail, RVs have an electric panel similar to a house that takes in two phases of a 240v source, and connects roughly half the 120v loads to each phase. A 30a RV outlet (TT-30) is 120v instead of 240v and only has one hot phase available. RV adapters from TT-30 to 14-50 connect the single HOT to both L1 and L2 in the 14-50 so that all of the 120v loads in the RV get 120v.

This doesn't work for EV charging since an EV expects either two separate hot phases on the L1 and L2 inputs (240v) or one hot and one neutral (120v). With the single hot connected to both L1 and L2, the car sees no voltage.

EV adapters from TT-30 to 14-50 connect the single hot to L1 and neutral to L2 so that the car sees 120v. However, it's a risky adapter to have around especially if the neutral wire is left disconnected as it can cause current to flow in strange ways and appliances to see strange voltages if used for an RV or a mixed voltage appliance like a dryer or range. They can also allow the car to draw too much current from a 30a circuit. Much better to get the TT-30 adapter for the mobile connector linked above.

 

[Mrbrock]

Just picked up my ’23 MYLR this week and took it on a short roadtrip from Raleigh to Richmond to visit my in-laws. My in-laws have a 30-amp plug and I used a 30-amp to 50-amp RV adapter attached to the mobile charger. The adapter gets power and it lights up green. But the mobile charger isn’t getting any power.

Is it safe to say adapters shouldn’t be used with the mobile charger?

I know the mobile charger works because I used it at my house with my 50-amp plug. I’m thinking the adapter isn’t rated for Teslas.

I have an official 30-amp plug for the mobile charger on order for my next trip.

Thanks

was The in laws plug a tt-30 EV plug or a 14-30 dryer outlet?

 

[Cosmacelf]

was The in laws plug a tt-30 EV plug or a 14-30 dryer outlet?

I assumed it would have been a TT-30 if he used an RV adapter. But you are correct in asking! We should know before dispensing advice.

 

[Mrbrock]

I assumed it would have been a TT-30 if he used an RV adapter. But you are correct in asking! We should know before dispensing advice.

I always think the 10/14-30 outlets are much more prevalent in houses than tt-30. But then I wouldn’t expect a 14-30 to 14-50 adapter not to work in this situation. Well maybe after pulling 32 amps through a 30A breaker it may shut off.