240V but only 20Amp circuit.

[DevSecOps]

I'll defer the admonishment to @DevSecOps

I must have a bullseye on my back today

I'm going to drive to Palo Alto (122 mi) in the Mach-E to get some Ramen Nagi and relax a bit. Anyone is welcome to join!

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[timbop]

I must have a bullseye on my back today

I'm going to drive to Palo Alto (122 mi) in the Mach-E to get some Ramen Nagi and relax a bit. Anyone is welcome to join!

One of my favorite t-shirts: "I didn't say it was your fault, I just said I was going to blame you" ?

Would love to take my cali route 1 to Palo Alto, but I don't think I'll ever drive cross country no matter how good bluecruise ends up being

 

[Zapata]

That makes sense...but I would still have the load calc performed.

I do have room for more circuits on the main service box. I may consider running a new circuit with a buried cable directly out to my driveway. Easy!

 

[Neilthepilot]

The charge point charger can be set at 16 amps which will charge at 12 miles per hour.

If you decide to upgrade you can deduct 30% up to $1000 on the cost of adding an EV charger, as of now this expires 12/31/2021.

 

[jimitoast]

No Mach-E yet but I bought a ChargePoint Flex and a separate adapter to convert from the Flex's 14-50 (50amp) plug to my garage's 14-30 (30amp) receptacle. I plan to set the max amperage at 24 amps. I have to confess being nervous about this setup after seeing a post (can't remember if it was this forum) about needing an "industrial" outlet (versus a "commercial" outlet, which they claimed was inadequate) for the long sustained output needed by an EV but the electrician assured me that the outlet, if installed properly, can be used for sustained EV charging at 80% of it's rating (eg 24amps on a 30amp circuit). The question is: is the typical outlet installed properly without anything that could result in a hot spot and something melting or catching fire?

I had two electricians quote a new direct 60amp circuit but the run was so long (175ft of wire from my service panel to my garage on the opposite side of a pretty big house) that they were both over $5K. Aint nobody got that much to spend on an outlet...

 

[Zapata]

I just looked at the Charge Point Flex. That would actually work perfect for my situation. I already have a NEMA 6-50 outlet because that is what the Miller Welders use (even though the models I have only draw around 18Amps max).

I like the programable Amperage.

 

[i8iridium]

Curious of the outlet type on the 20A 240v circuit? If it's a NEMA 5-20R, you can get a converter plug for the ford mobile charger and use the 120v on the charger. It'll auto-detect 240v and charge at 13A 240V. This is a bit faster than the standard 120v.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Curious of the outlet type on the 20A 240v circuit? If it's a NEMA 5-20R, you can get a converter plug for the ford mobile charger and use the 120v on the charger. It'll auto-detect 240v and charge at 13A 240V. This is a bit faster than the standard 120v.

No that won't work. With the Ford Mobile Charger, if it detects 240V it will try to charge at 32 amps. If it detects 120V it will charge at 12 amps. It can't see what adapter you're using. Therefore you should never adapt it to anything less than a 40A rated outlet or it will overload the circuit.

The Tesla charger is different, it is smarter and knows what plug is being used. The Ford is based on voltage detection only.

 

[i8iridium]

No that won't work. With the Ford Mobile Charger, if it detects 240V it will try to charge at 32 amps. If it detects 120V it will charge at 12 amps. It can't see what adapter you're using. Therefore you should never adapt it to anything less than a 40A rated outlet or it will overload the circuit.

The Tesla charger is different, it is smarter and knows what plug is being used. The Ford is based on voltage detection only.

It absolutely will work, the charger is dual voltage and doesn't care what voltage it's supplied. It controls the current. It detects which plug is attached based on a resister in the plug head and changes the amount of current that can be drawn. If you have the NEMA 14-50, it'll allow 32 amps. If you connect the NEMA 5-15, it'll allow 13 amps.

That's basically how all portable EVSEs work, except the Ford portable EVSE only supplies two types of plugs for the US market whereas Tesla (and others) make like 10 different plugs.

 

[i8iridium]

Here’s a little demonstration… 246 VAC * 12A = 2952 watts. Still within safe ranges when using the proper receptacle. My demo is for lab purposes. Don’t leave bare wire exposed in your driveway. Lol

 

[Zapata]

Here’s a little demonstration… 246 VAC * 12A = 2952 watts. Still within safe ranges when using the proper receptacle. My demo is for lab purposes. Don’t leave bare wire exposed in your driveway. Lol

It looks like you are proving that a wired 120v style plug will supply 240v but limit the current to 12 amps! That blows my mind. I could have saved $700.00. Oh well this is good to know in the future.

 

[Glen]

I got lucky . Built a new home 3 years ago. 200 amp service. Room in the panel to expand. The glitch is I built across the street from the beach. Hurrican Sandy 4 foot of water on the property. Anyway, everything to code now, the outlets go a minimum of 48" above the finished slab. Oh well. Mount the charger a bit higher.

 

[timbop]

It looks like you are proving that a wired 120v style plug will supply 240v but limit the current to 12 amps! That blows my mind. I could have saved $700.00. Oh well this is good to know in the future.

Yes, but inside the breaker panel you'd have to move the white lead (neutral) to one half of a 20A double pole breaker, with the black lead going to the other half of that breaker. Using normal 2 conductor (the bare ground doesn't count) wire also means you'd have no neutral.

You should never do that. You would still have to run 3 conductor wire that has a black, red, and white.

 

[Zapata]

Yes, but inside the breaker panel you'd have to move the white lead (neutral) to one half of a 20A double pole breaker, with the black lead going to the other half of that breaker. Using normal 2 conductor (the bare ground doesn't count) wire also means you'd have no neutral.

You should never do that. You would still have to run 3 conductor wire that has a black, red, and white.

I guess I wasn't clear.

My residential 240v circuit is limited to 20amps.

It seems, if I had made an extension cord that had a 240v male NEMA 6-50 plug on one end and a 120v NEMA 5-15 female plug on the other I could have run the stock Mach-e EVSE at 240v and 12amps.

 

[Xlch59]

Using two wire Romex for 240 volts if the device doesn't need a neutral is ok and meets code. A/C units don't need a neutral and typically use 8/2 or whatever size is needed. If you run 6/3 to a Tesla charger and hardwire it the neutral is capped inside and not used. Finding a white wire on a 2 pole breaker would not be a surprise to an electrician.

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