EV / Tesla charging

Status
Not open for further replies.
O

olly

Senior Member
Location
Berthoud, Colorado
Occupation
Master Electrician
When it comes to EV charging, in this case, guy has a Tesla. I see there are cords that will plug into a 30A or 50A receptacle. There are also EV charging stations... What is the benefit to a charging station vs a cord that adapts to a 30 - 50A recp?

He just wants a 50 recp to plug his cord into.

I have heard of electricians recommending high end surge protective devices. I don't know if these electricians were just up selling or if this is needed?
 
olly said:
There are also EV charging stations... What is the benefit to a charging station vs a cord that adapts to a 30 - 50A recp?

He just wants a 50 recp to plug his cord into.
Click to expand...

The receptacle may work out well for him. Depends on how much he uses the vehicle and how fast he expect to charge the batteries.
 
In the Tesla system the Wall Charger will be able to provide higher amps than the plug in adapter given the wires and breaker being the same size. As mentioned above by growler it depends on how fast he wants to charge vs how much he wants to spend on the charging installation.
 
The wall charger can go up to 80 amps, iirc. It's max amperage is set internally by the electrician, who is supposed to match the setting to the wire and breaker they install.

In the case of the plug adapters, each NEMA plug has a certain max amps, and each Tesla charging cable adapter sends an electronic signal through the cable that tells the car which plug adapter is being used and therefore the max amps the car can draw. This is why you don't put a 40A plug on a 30A rated circuit. The highest rated plug Tesla supports is a 50A, I believe, but the car will only draw 40 on that because of continuous rating. It also depends on which model car.

I don't know what surge protection has to do with EV charging. Nothing I think.
 
But code allows a 40A receptacle on a 30A individual branch circuit...

Many car chargers want the 50A style range receptacle (with a neutral prong), not a 5-50. That is what I'd install for a car charger. Then the question is whether you make it a 40A or 50A circuit.
 
suemarkp said:
But code allows a 40A receptacle on a 30A individual branch circuit...

Many car chargers want the 50A style range receptacle (with a neutral prong), not a 5-50. That is what I'd install for a car charger. Then the question is whether you make it a 40A or 50A circuit.
Click to expand...

A 14-50 on a 50A circuit is common.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top