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Using Existing Nema 14-50 Power Outlet to charge Model 3 Performance

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I am really happy to hear this. When I first heard the Volt was coming out, I was thinking of this very situation. I had hoped a lot of people would do this very thing: wanting to try out electric but wanted the gas backup. And then I was hoping they would discover that they had barely put any gas in it over the next several months and realize their driving patterns really worked for this, especially if the electric range was 200 or so miles, and finally make the full switch to electric.

Indeed. Our Volt was purchased primarily for my wifes commute - about 35 miles/day. She even got 2 hours of free workplace charging/day. It worked brilliantly for several years. I used to only keep a couple of gallons of gas in the tank because we'd hit the annual "Fuel Maintenance Mode" and have less gas to burn off. As of when Voltstats got frozen earlier this year, we were at 95.2% EV with it.

I also used it to explore the L2 charging around the Bay Area using various charging networks. Sure it was usually more expensive than charging at home, and sometimes more expensive than using gas. But that wasn't the point.

In fact my wife still prefers to drive the Volt over my Model 3. She likes the more conventional controls, and the ICE backup. But for me, there is no question which car I'd rather drive.
 
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I am really happy to hear this. When I first heard the Volt was coming out, I was thinking of this very situation. I had hoped a lot of people would do this very thing: wanting to try out electric but wanted the gas backup. And then I was hoping they would discover that they had barely put any gas in it over the next several months and realize their driving patterns really worked for this, especially if the electric range was 200 or so miles, and finally make the full switch to electric.
I believe this type of driving pattern was behind the development of the first generation Nissan Leaf with its ~73 mile range. I thought to myself 73 miles is really limited. After living with ~53 mile range day in and day out I can see where that range wouldn't be much of an issue. Though I think I would have range anxiety since it doesn't have an ICE backup.
 
I believe this type of driving pattern was behind the development of the first generation Nissan Leaf with its ~73 mile range. I thought to myself 73 miles is really limited. After living with ~53 mile range day in and day out I can see where that range wouldn't be much of an issue. Though I think I would have range anxiety since it doesn't have an ICE backup.
Well, that's a tough and different situation though. 50 miles with a backup is quite different than 50 miles without a backup. That's what made all those 80 mile BEVs such a problem. The Leaf problem is that about once every month or two (or some frequency that is not really that rare), people are going to have days that run over that, and then it is irritation, stress, headaches, etc. And there are not very good solutions or backup plans. The demonstration or lesson to be learned from the Volt is that the 50 miles does work for most of the time, and if there were an extra 100 or so miles, that could be the occasional backup instead of the entire gas engine fuel system.
 
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And there are not very good solutions or backup plans.
For 2 car families, a very good backup plan that works for us is a second car that does not have the LEAF's limitations. In our case the general purpose car is a Tesla.

I like to call our LEAF a 1/2 car, and 1.5 cars works very well for us. This is something of a POV kinda thing: people see the small battery as limited (and surely it is.) I view it as enabling inexpensive cars that fill niches.
 
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For 2 car families, a very good backup plan that works for us is a second car that does not have the LEAF's limitations. In our case the general purpose car is a Tesla.

I like to call our LEAF a 1/2 car, and 1.5 cars works very well for us. This is something of a POV kinda thing: people see the small battery as limited (and surely it is.) I view it as enabling inexpensive cars that fill niches.
Oh yeah. I've tried to talk through that with several other people too. Most households of people I know have at least two cars. I've talked through that with them, like why does EVERY one of those need to be a gas car? It's not that hard to arrange for a certain vehicle to be used or not be used for a certain thing that comes up once a month or so, which could enable one of those to be the around town electric car.
 
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My non Tesla ordered UMC arrived over the weekend and before I plug it into the car I wanted to verify I have the correct UMC. The part number is 1475281-00-B. The seller stated it was compatible however I want to ensure it is before plugging it in and finding out it's not and potentially damaging something. Can anyone confirm this UMC will work with my 2019 Model 3 Performance?

For those who may be wonder: Yes, I did order one directly from Tesla but hadn't received notice that the UMC had shipped (even though the 14-50 adapter had) so I decided to pick up another on Ebay. I'll use the Ebay one in my garage and put the Tesla one in the car.
 
Not sure about that P/N. My own UMC that came with my 2018 has a P/N 1101789-91-F. From what I can see on eBay, your P/N looks like a genuine Gen2 UMC....

edit: ...albeit maybe a non-domestic version. Here's a photo of my label:

tesla_umc_1101789-91-f.jpg
 
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Thanks Ray. I've attached a pic of the label from the adapter that I received. I am concerned with the comment of non-domestic as well as the 13A, 220 volt marking on this adapter. It suggests it may be limited.
Tesla UMC.jpg


Is there any way I can edit my post? I would have liked to have inserted the image there.

EDIT: I can edit this post...lol! The Ebay listing stated the manufacturer part number is 1101789-00-J. Is this part number more helpful? Not sure how they're matching the two part numbers. I would think the part number on the UMC would be the correct part number.
 
Looks like the image is there; but only half of it. From looking at eBay listings, there's the Deer Creek Road address of Tesla under the logo that's missing, and the Japanese or Chinese characters under that. Another thing that might raise a flag is the "Manuf. By: APTIV PLC". APTIV was previously known as Delphi Automotive, a large multi-national company in the business of servicing the automotive sector. I don't know if they were/are licensed to make these UMCs but they are a reputable company (IMHO).

I would say that as long as you have a return guarantee with the item, that you can plug in your 14-50 adapter and see what your car reports as the charging current/voltage. Closely monitor the charging session and be prepared to unplug at a moment's notice. I don't think it will damage your car; there should be enough protection built into the car to prevent that. Worst case, the UMC doesn't supply any charge to the car and you have to return it. Well, worser would be if the thing caught fire...

edit: Looked closer at your label... the KC EMC Cert:, the KC Cert: and especially the UNIVERSAL MOBILE CONNECTOR, KR, would point to this being an item for the South Korean market.
 
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That charger is intended for S. Korea (KR) instead of North America (NA). It might be identical to the American version but relabeled with limited specs in accordance with Korean approval testing or regulations. Or it might be a simplified version that doesn't handle 110V and/or higher currents. I think it's likely that they would eliminate 110V support since this is a significant complication, and if Korean laws/practices limit these to 13A for whatever reason it would certainly be worth the effort to produce a lower capacity version for that market.

Screenshot 2021-08-15 135909.png
 
@volty25 I've now seen several eBay listings for UMCs. Some will list the part number for what looks like every single version of UMC ever sold; i.e., stated as "compatible with". If @Gauss Guzzler is correct in saying that your UMC will only handle 220V input and is limited to 13A, not 240V which is the US standard (give or take a few volts) and up to 32A continuous (80% of a 40A breaker), then I retract my suggestion that you plug it in with a 14-50 adapter and see what happens.

Close inspection of the wording in the eBay listing should determine if you can send it back for a refund.

edit: Corrected current to maximum of 32A
 
Thanks everyone. I think it will be OK to use but I don't want to accept any limitations this may have. It sounds like the best thing to do is return it. The one I ordered from Tesla should arrive tomorrow and, given the confusion of this item, I think it would just be best to return it.
 
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Looks like the image is there; but only half of it. From looking at eBay listings, there's the Deer Creek Road address of Tesla under the logo that's missing, and the Japanese or Chinese characters under that. Another thing that might raise a flag is the "Manuf. By: APTIV PLC". APTIV was previously known as Delphi Automotive, a large multi-national company in the business of servicing the automotive sector. I don't know if they were/are licensed to make these UMCs but they are a reputable company (IMHO).
The entire image is there, I just took a picture of the side which contained the part number. Here is the entire sticker:

Tesla UMC 2.jpg
 
I just bought a Tesla Gen 3 WC, I already have a NEMA 15-50 outlet in my garage, so my electrician is going to wire in a 50 amp appliance plug for me. I'm retired and 40 amps or 36 mph of charging speed is overkill. I like the options the 14-50 provide.
 
I'd never heard of a 15-50 'til you mentioned it. What is that normally used for?

And I agree with you - a 14-50 is plenty for all normal purposes, and provides for easy future changes - perhaps purchasing a Porsche Mission E is in your future, and you need a different EVSE.