I just received delivery on my 2023 MYLR and have a NEMA 14-50/240 v outlet with a 50 amp breaker. My electrician told me I can charge at 40amp but is worried about 50 amp, and of course the current TESLA OEM mobile charger delivers at 32amps. There are 40amp mobile or “portable” chargers on the market and I want to charge at a higher because I will be traveling with a camper/trailer (2100lbs) and would like to charge at a faster rate than 32amps. Does anyone have an opinion if there are “safe” 40amp mobile chargers for the MYLR? Why does TESLA only have 32amp mobile chargers and not have higher amp chargers on their Store website? The TESLA wall mount charger is 48amps but is not portable.
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Thoughts on current available 40amp mobile charging units
- Thread starter Gandolf52
- Start date
A bit of history; Tesla sold a Gen1 Mobile Connector that supported charging at 240V and up to 40 amps when used with a NEMA 14-50 power plug adapter and receptacle. There were reports of the Tesla Gen1 Mobile Connector overheating when used with the NEMA 14-50 power plug adapter, supporting 40 amps. There were some electrical fires.
For an additional margin of safety Tesla designed the Gen2 Mobile Connector to support charging at 240V and up to 32 amps. Tesla also started selling a Corded Mobile Connector that has a fixed (not modular) NEMA 14-50 power plug. The Corded Mobile Connector supports charging at 240V and 40 amps. There is one less interconnect in the design of the Corded Mobile Connector that makes it safe to use when charging at 40 amps. The Corded Mobile Connector is currently out of stock (this product is usually out of stock) on the Tesla.com online store.
I would recommend removing the NEMA 14-50 receptacle and have the electrician install the Tesla Gen3 Wall Connector. The Wall Connector supports charging at up to 48 amps (this requires a 60 amp circuit.) On a 50 amp circuit such as the one that is installed in your home the Gen3 Wall Connector can be configured for the 50 amp circuit, would enable charging at 40 amps. There are other benefits of using the Tesla Wall Connector over the Tesla Mobile Connector. These benefits include an all-weather design, longer 24 foot charging cord, restricting charging to specific Tesla vehicles and support for automatic load balancing when multiple Gen3 Wall Connectors are installed.
If you search on eBay you should be able to purchase one the Corded Mobile Connectors.
There are many off-shore manufactured EVSE that support charging at up to 40 amps using a NEMA 14-50 or 6-50 (similar to 14-50 but without the neutral connection). The 40 amp capable EVSE with NEMA 14-50 or 6-50 power plugs that I would consider include the Grizzl-E Classic 40 (made in Canada) and the ClipperCreek HCS-50P (made in US).
For an additional margin of safety Tesla designed the Gen2 Mobile Connector to support charging at 240V and up to 32 amps. Tesla also started selling a Corded Mobile Connector that has a fixed (not modular) NEMA 14-50 power plug. The Corded Mobile Connector supports charging at 240V and 40 amps. There is one less interconnect in the design of the Corded Mobile Connector that makes it safe to use when charging at 40 amps. The Corded Mobile Connector is currently out of stock (this product is usually out of stock) on the Tesla.com online store.
I would recommend removing the NEMA 14-50 receptacle and have the electrician install the Tesla Gen3 Wall Connector. The Wall Connector supports charging at up to 48 amps (this requires a 60 amp circuit.) On a 50 amp circuit such as the one that is installed in your home the Gen3 Wall Connector can be configured for the 50 amp circuit, would enable charging at 40 amps. There are other benefits of using the Tesla Wall Connector over the Tesla Mobile Connector. These benefits include an all-weather design, longer 24 foot charging cord, restricting charging to specific Tesla vehicles and support for automatic load balancing when multiple Gen3 Wall Connectors are installed.
If you search on eBay you should be able to purchase one the Corded Mobile Connectors.
There are many off-shore manufactured EVSE that support charging at up to 40 amps using a NEMA 14-50 or 6-50 (similar to 14-50 but without the neutral connection). The 40 amp capable EVSE with NEMA 14-50 or 6-50 power plugs that I would consider include the Grizzl-E Classic 40 (made in Canada) and the ClipperCreek HCS-50P (made in US).
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"worried" isn't the right word, "forbidden by code" is. All devices that are considered a "continuous load" like a car charger are only allowed to use 80% of the circuit capacity. So you can only draw 40A on a 50A circuit.
Tesla's Mobile Connector's 14-50 adapter is indeed limited to 32A - they did this since you are actually allowed to installed a 14-50 receptacle on a 40A breaker. And since people aren't savvy enough to realize/know/check this, they opted to limit the adapter's current draw to the lower 32A for those cases.
Did you get a Mobile Connector with your MYLR? I thought they had stopped giving people that with new cars. Maybe it is that they stopped giving the 14-50 adapter with it.
So, yes, you can purchase EVSEs with a 14-50 plug that will give you 40A charging rather than 32A. @jcanoe is right that Tesla's $200 corded Mobile Connector works at 40A, but last I checked it was out of stock. Third party EVSEs will have J1772 handle rather than Tesla handles.
The next option would be Tesla's Wall Connector at $425 which could be plugged into a 14-50 (supply your own 14-50 cord).
Or run a new 60A circuit to allow you to charge at 48A with the Wall Connector.
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Adding a power plug pigtail to the Tesla Gen3 Wall Connector, while possible, makes the installation not code compliant. Since Tesla does not provide instructions for adding a power cord to the Wall Connector the NEC does not allow this modification.
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SabrToothSqrl
Active Member
Corded Mobile Connector
The Corded Mobile Connector features a NEMA 14-50 plug and improved charging speeds in comparison to the Mobile Connector with NEMA 5-15 Adapter. Includes: 1x NEMA 14-50 Corded Mobile Connector - 20’ cable 1x storage bag Corded Mobile Connector Manual Note: The Corded Mobile Connector is...
shop.tesla.com
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davewill
Active Member
There used to be a Tesla "Corded Mobile Connector" that had a permanent 14-50 on it and would charge at 40a. The original Gen1 mobile adapter also used to charge at 40a on a 14-50. The closest thing now is the Corded Wall Connector that pops up on the Tesla site every now and again, but it's not portable as you noted.
In your shoes, I would personally just live with 32a. My reasoning is twofold. First most of the EVSEs you can buy that do 40a on a 14-50 are cheap chinese crap, and I don't trust them very much. The ones that aren't crap are much more expensive than the Tesla mobile connector. The second is that RV park outlets are on long wire runs, constantly plugged and unplugged, and just generally abused. It seems prudent to settle for 32a out of them.
I would also note that trying to run your trailer on the same pole (using the TT-30 or even the 5-15 outlets) AND drawing 40a from the 14-50 might also prove a bit much.
In your shoes, I would personally just live with 32a. My reasoning is twofold. First most of the EVSEs you can buy that do 40a on a 14-50 are cheap chinese crap, and I don't trust them very much. The ones that aren't crap are much more expensive than the Tesla mobile connector. The second is that RV park outlets are on long wire runs, constantly plugged and unplugged, and just generally abused. It seems prudent to settle for 32a out of them.
I would also note that trying to run your trailer on the same pole (using the TT-30 or even the 5-15 outlets) AND drawing 40a from the 14-50 might also prove a bit much.
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I now have 2 OpenEVSE units. Highly recommend. Works as a basic unit out of the box, but many advanced features and integrations available. I have mine tuned to charge when the grid is cleanest and solar is available via HomeAssistant. Super easy repairs if electronics go poof. 14-X plug works great at home and it's small enough to be a portable when need be.
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doghousePVD
My grandfather’s car
I camp a lot towing a trailer. Many campgrounds do not have reliable 50 A service. I often charge at 24, instead 32.
Canada is particularly prone to using 40 A breakers on 14-50 circuits. I’ve been told by RV camp technicians that 50 A breakers often have a life of less than a dozen trips before they start nuisance tripping, like at 20 A.
I was tempted to get the old 40 A charger, but now think it would rarely to be actually useful.
Canada is particularly prone to using 40 A breakers on 14-50 circuits. I’ve been told by RV camp technicians that 50 A breakers often have a life of less than a dozen trips before they start nuisance tripping, like at 20 A.
I was tempted to get the old 40 A charger, but now think it would rarely to be actually useful.
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I recently purchased one of Lectron's new 40A "chargers" with a NACS connector. I regularly charge while exercising at a local park after work and the 25% improvement in charging speed over Tesla's 32A Mobile Connector cuts reduces a 60-minute charge to 48 minutes or a two-hour charge to an hour and 36 minutes. I wanted a Tesla Corded Mobile Connector, but they were discontinued.
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Nice, but where do you find a 50A receptacle “at a local park”?I recently purchased one of Lectron's new 40A "chargers" with a NACS connector. I regularly charge while exercising at a local park after work and the 25% improvement in charging speed over Tesla's 32A Mobile Connector cuts reduces a 60-minute charge to 48 minutes or a two-hour charge to an hour and 36 minutes. I wanted a Tesla Corded Mobile Connector, but they were discontinued.
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There's a city-owned park near me that installed two 14-50 receptacles in front of four parking spaces several years ago for food trucks, but they allow EV charging. There's also a hardware store and insurance agency that installed 14-50 receptacles for public use.
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doghousePVD
My grandfather’s car
If you were responding to me, I can get about 150 miles towing my trailer. Not so coincidentally, that is about the same range as the base model Ford F-150 gets towing a trailer.
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I don’t know what speed you tow at. If you have 150 miles usable range I suspect you are staying below 60 mph. I have towed a 9000 lb load with a F150 at 65 to 70. We got 11 mpg with a 23 gallon fuel tank. I routinely tow a 5500 lb boat with a BMW X5 and get 14 MPG with a 21 gallon tank. That gives me the same range as my Model Y not towing anything.
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Well, the Lectron charger lasted just over a month. Last week, I noticed the wall plug was unusually hot when I unplugged after charging one evening. Until that point, it had only got "warm". Now, the plug gets so hot after charging for about 45 minutes that the charging current reduces from 40A to 16A. The plug is overheating in four different receptacles, so it appears to be a faulty plug. I sent an email to Lectron with this information to see what I need to do to get it replaced under warranty. I really wanted this to work because I like the 25% reduction in charging time compared to the Tesla Mobile Connector - and, it did work...until it didn't...which didn't take long.I recently purchased one of Lectron's new 40A "chargers" with a NACS connector. I regularly charge while exercising at a local park after work and the 25% improvement in charging speed over Tesla's 32A Mobile Connector cuts reduces a 60-minute charge to 48 minutes or a two-hour charge to an hour and 36 minutes. I wanted a Tesla Corded Mobile Connector, but they were discontinued.
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doghousePVD
My grandfather’s car
A lot of nominal 50 A outlets can’t really deliver 50 A, especially the cheap ones at big boxes and Amazon. Campgrounds often have worn out outlets. I sometimes have to charge at 24 A because the receptacle overheats at 32.
I’m not surprised that 40 A has problems. Tesla used to have a 40A charger, so they changed it to 32 A.
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It worked just fine for over a month in five different receptacles. Even after hours of charging, the plug was only slightly warmer than ambient temperature. Suddenly, something changed - and the common denominator is the plug - not the receptacles.
Lectron replied to my email asking for a video of the issue. I reminded them that a video doesn't show temperature. Bad product. Bad customer service.
Lectron replied to my email asking for a video of the issue. I reminded them that a video doesn't show temperature. Bad product. Bad customer service.
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