Tesla charging rates with different connectors, same voltage

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Designer69

Senior Member
tesla has a standard 240V adapter/cable that they say to use a 50A breaker with, draws 38 Amps.

then they have the wall connector, also at 240V which can use a 60A breaker and draws 48 Amps.


how do they control the amp draw between the two methods? Some sort of resistor in the circuit that is bypassed when the wall connector is used? (they charge $500 for the wall connector)
 
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rlundsrud

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Location
chicago, il, USA
They don't control it. It is larger cable for the 60 amp version (I would guess the connector is the same). This is rated for and allows more current, hence the use of the larger breaker.

The added price is due to more expensive material costs, although I'm sure they have a larger profit margin on it.
 
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Designer69

Senior Member
rlundsrud said:
They don't control it. It is larger cable for the 60 amp version (I would guess the connector is the same). This is rated for and allows more current, hence the use of the larger breaker.

The added price is due to more expensive material costs, although I'm sure they have a larger profit margin on it.
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I'd bet that's not how it's done. They're not controlling how much current goes thru by the size of the cable.

There must be a selection setting on the screen for charging configuration. prob software/hardware controlled cycling of resistors.
 
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Open Neutral

Senior Member
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Inside the Beltway
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Engineer
I believe the lower current scheme is a AC connection to the on-board charger.

The higher current system is a wall-mounted charger providing DC to the car. Its output is adjusted by the car based on battery condition, temperature, and other factors.
 
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jaggedben

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Northern California
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Solar and Energy Storage Installer
Car charging in general is not done with dumb circuits. There is always some signal that the charging unit provides to the car to tell it how much current can be drawn. It's generally automatic and does not allow much room for user error. i.e. the user does not select on a screen.
 
Dennis Alwon

Dennis Alwon

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Location
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The one I installed can be set inside by changing dip switches. It went from 20 amp to 80 amps. We set it at 48 amps on a 60 amp circuit.
 
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Designer69

Senior Member
awesome, question answered.

For the wall connector obviously you set the current with the dip switches.

For the mobile connector, the car draws different current depending on the adapter used. There's some kind of feedback signal from the adapter telling the car which adapter is being used.


Clearly it's a extra $ making idea by tesla. There's no reason the Wall Connector ($500) can be on a 60A bkr and draw max 48A battery charging current while the mobile connector can only be on a max 50A bkr and draw max 32A.

Good for them though, plus electricians will get more work so I like it.
 
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jaggedben

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Location
Northern California
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Solar and Energy Storage Installer
Designer69 said:
...

Clearly it's a extra $ making idea by tesla. There's no reason the Wall Connector ($500) can be on a 60A bkr and draw max 48A battery charging current while the mobile connector can only be on a max 50A bkr and draw max 32A. ...
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Well...

How would the adapter know that the outlet and breaker are rated for 60A instead of 50A?
 
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Designer69

Senior Member
jaggedben said:
Well...

How would the adapter know that the outlet and breaker are rated for 60A instead of 50A?
Click to expand...



there are different adapters for different bkr/amp ratings. IE, if you are going to use the 50A breaker, you use adapter A if you're going to use the 30A bkr you use adapter B etc.
 
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