Ford Mobile Charger 240V Plug...

[mkhuffman]

I'm not worried about bricking the car it's the mobile charger I don't want to brick. It's all I got right now.

As others have posted, I think it is harder on the charger to frequently disconnect and connect a new pigtail as you switch back and forth between 120V and 240V. It is best to unplug at the car and then unplug at the outlet, and leave the pigtail adapter undisturbed. Otherwise, unless you have a defective EVSE, I would not worry about bricking it just by using it.

Keep it plugged in except for when you want to take it with you in the car. Personally, I only use the Ford supplied EVSE when traveling as I have a hard wired EVSE installed in my garage. That is what I recommend as it gives you the most flexibility, and a backup charger in case the one in your house fails.

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[dtbaker61]

It's not the same as an extension cord plugged in OP, there is only power going to the end of the plug when the mobile charger verifies it's plugged in where a common extension cord has power going to the Female end as soon as it's plugged in.

The Ford Mobile charger that you plug into your car is kind of like a gate. It contains electronics that sense when the cable has been connected to the car. When this is confirmed, it closes a relay that allows the electricity to flow into your MachE.

You're really not connecting a live plug into your Mach and can't get a shock if your fingers got in the wrong place. The design means the charge plug and cable are not energized when unplugged. When you connect the plug into the vehicle the car will electronically hand shake with the charging station. Once the handshake is made, the relay in the charging station will open, allowing electrons to flow to the car. When you disconnect the plug, the electricity stops flowing through the cable.

We've kept ours plugged into our 220 30 Amp plug that was set up in our garage for a dryer and we leave the Ford Mobile Charger plugged in the whole time and just loop the end around and over a plastic bracket.
You can even get a UL listed Switch box that plugs into the dryer outlet, and has two receptacles, one for say MachE, and one for dryer. It won't let both items be powered on at the same time, if you decide to use your dryer, your Mach E charger no longer hets powered. They are not cheap, but you weigh the cost vs running another breaker and line.

exactly
there is no need to unplug the mobile charger from an outlet to prevent shock. The j1722 plug end is not 'live' until after plugged in and sensor verifies there is a car on the other end.

There is really no need to unplug, unless you are headed out on a trip and want to take your mobile charger with you.

If you unplug on a daily basis, just make sure the plug is clean, and you really don't have to worry about 'wearing it out'.

 

[DaMeatMan]

Ok but the second part of that is the question can I keep disconnecting at the neck instead of the socket so I don't get that degredation?

There is simply no way to avoid mechanical wear and tear, but buying something that is "industrial grade" like the Hubbell will give you longer life before it becomes a problem.

Best solution is to simply spend the money on a proper permanemtly installed hard wired EVSE. The mobile charger is designed to be mobile, kept in the vehicle as more of a last resort for charging, rather than used as the primary chargingsolution. In my personal opinion anyone that is using this as their primary EVSE is likely doing themselves a disservice and will run into issues sooner rather than later as they are simply not designed and built to operate in the way that your using them. The same goes for 14-50 outlets, and others have mentioned they are for the most part designed for appliances that do not pull a sustained 40 amps, and are not meant to sustain hundreds of plug and unplugs per year. Appliances that are plugged into these outlets like a dryer are typically plugged in once, and then unplugged at the end of their usable life, and as such the outlets are for the most part engineered with that in mind, unless made for industrial purposes in which case it would be more robust, but still not designed for hundreds of plug and unplug sessions per year.

 

[MG101]

Ok but the second part of that is the question can I keep disconnecting at the neck instead of the socket so I don't get that degredation?

Can? Yup. But now you're going wear the pins on the charger instead of the outlet.

Again, I unplug from the neck and leave it in the outlet but right now I'm only doing that on average less than once a week.

Can I do it that way? Yes. Should I? Probably not.

 

[Regularmache]

Yes they are concerned taking plug out of the wall will degrade socket or plug. Truth is, heavy receptacle prongs

exactly
there is no need to unplug the mobile charger from an outlet to prevent shock. The j1722 plug end is not 'live' until after plugged in and sensor verifies there is a car on the other end.

There is really no need to unplug, unless you are headed out on a trip and want to take your mobile charger with you.

If you unplug on a daily basis, just make sure the plug is clean, and you really don't have to worry about 'wearing it out'.

Yes our Ford Mobile charger has been plugged in Since February 2021, the only thing we plug and unplug is at the car going into the charge port. Our Ford Mobile Wall Plug has been plugged into a 3 pronged dryer outlet via a 12" adapter as shown below. 17 months zero problems

 

[fpasta]

Thanks again for the responses I'll go back to 240v leave the FMC plugged in. And will redo my set schedule charge.

 

[Robert_D]

Yes they are concerned taking plug out of the wall will degrade socket or plug. Truth is, heavy receptacle prongs
Yes our Ford Mobile charger has been plugged in Since February 2021, the only thing we plug and unplug is at the car going into the charge port. Our Ford Mobile Wall Plug has been plugged into a 3 pronged dryer outlet via a 12" adapter as shown below. 17 months zero problems

I have a ChargePoint level 2 hardwired at home, and was looking at getting a 3 prong 240V adapter to use with the Ford supplied portable charger since the 4th plug is neutral and not even used by the Ford charger. But I've read posts where people say the Ford charger won't work because it would have to charge at 24A instead of 30A and I'm like - huh? My girlfriend is currently living 200 miles away and has a 240V 30A NEMA 10-30R outlet which she says I can use. I have only charged at home, but I want to take the car to visit her instead of my 12mpg truck - any UIL approved 10-30R to 14-50R adapter should be fine right? FWIW: The only superchargers between us are 40 miles from my house - 160 miles from hers (some are being built 50 miles from hers). I don't really want to use superchargers or charge for over 2 days to get home again though... Is there something wrong with using a 3 prong 30A outlet with my Ford portable charger? What would I have to do besides using the adapter to get the best use from the 30A outlet? Any idea how many hours to charge a 2021 extended range GT from 10% to 90%? (I need to use 80% to reach her house because my real world range is 250 miles). Thanks!

 

[Jerrytball]

He's trying to disconnect it from electricity for safety. He figures leave the plug to not wear socket out, and disconnect it midway. I am saying disconnect nothing and hang it up.

Is there any reason he can’t just leave it plugged in altogether find the breaker switch and just turn the breaker off when he’s done?

 

[RickMachE]

Is there any reason he can’t just leave it plugged in altogether find the breaker switch and just turn the breaker off when he’s done?

Yeah, breakers aren't on/off switches. They're not meant to be used like that.

 

[HuntingPudel]

I have a ChargePoint level 2 hardwired at home, and was looking at getting a 3 prong 240V adapter to use with the Ford supplied portable charger since the 4th plug is neutral and not even used by the Ford charger. But I've read posts where people say the Ford charger won't work because it would have to charge at 24A instead of 30A and I'm like - huh? My girlfriend is currently living 200 miles away and has a 240V 30A NEMA 10-30R outlet which she says I can use. I have only charged at home, but I want to take the car to visit her instead of my 12mpg truck - any UIL approved 10-30R to 14-50R adapter should be fine right? FWIW: The only superchargers between us are 40 miles from my house - 160 miles from hers (some are being built 50 miles from hers). I don't really want to use superchargers or charge for over 2 days to get home again though... Is there something wrong with using a 3 prong 30A outlet with my Ford portable charger? What would I have to do besides using the adapter to get the best use from the 30A outlet? Any idea how many hours to charge a 2021 extended range GT from 10% to 90%? (I need to use 80% to reach her house because my real world range is 250 miles). Thanks!

Just do not do it. The Ford Mobile Charger (FMC) is not adjustable. It runs at 32A and requires a minimum of a 40A circuit. It will be a problem one way or the other. ??

You will be stuck either charging on the road or charging at your GF’s at 110V if you must use the FMC. If you cannot charge on the road, I would suggest a Tesla Mobile Connector with a 10-30P pigtail and a Tesla Destination to J1772 adapter. The Tesla will down rate to 24A so that it is safe on a 30A circuit. I use this exact setup at my co-worker’s duck club (10-30Rs at the camp site). ??

 

[Regularmache]

We charge at 30% and plug it into the 240 dryer 3 prong via the adapter and Ford Mobile Charger and by 3 or 430 am it's at 80%. Usually starts at 4 or 5pm. Charger doesn't seem to car it's really a 3 prong dryer outlet behind the adapter cord. Been fine for 21 FE and 22GTPE. Zero issues. Also have a 20' extension cable we use when the garage is full that plugs into the Ford Mobile charger Male end and goes out to the driveway. Thick cord, not sure if it's Braided Copper or not but no problems their either. Just got back from a trip and Hertz gave us a Niro Premium and no mobile charger. My parents house is 28 miles to the nearest charger and we really would never own an EV if I couldn't charge at home. Airport to parents house was 143 miles, used seat heaters instead of heat and watched the KIA go from 290 miles at the airport to 38 miles when we got to parents house. Spent 1hr 45 minutes to get it up to 85% so we could make it back to the airport. Absolutely robbed us time dealing with rural driving.

Never been that inconvenienced in Vacation before. Hertz is selling the majority of their EVs and I will never rent one again. If we were in the city, maybe, but in an area that has limited cell coverage, no way.

 

[HuntingPudel]

We charge at 30% and plug it into the 240 dryer 3 prong via the adapter and Ford Mobile Charger and by 3 or 430 am it's at 80%. Usually starts at 4 or 5pm. Charger doesn't seem to car it's really a 3 prong dryer outlet behind the adapter cord. Been fine for 21 FE and 22GTPE. Zero issues. Also have a 20' extension cable we use when the garage is full that plugs into the Ford Mobile charger Male end and goes out to the driveway. Thick cord, not sure if it's Braided Copper or not but no problems their either. Just got back from a trip and Hertz gave us a Niro Premium and no mobile charger. My parents house is 28 miles to the nearest charger and we really would never own an EV if I couldn't charge at home. Airport to parents house was 143 miles, used seat heaters instead of heat and watched the KIA go from 290 miles at the airport to 38 miles when we got to parents house. Spent 1hr 45 minutes to get it up to 85% so we could make it back to the airport. Absolutely robbed us time dealing with rural driving.

Never been that inconvenienced in Vacation before. Hertz is selling the majority of their EVs and I will never rent one again. If we were in the city, maybe, but in an area that has limited cell coverage, no way.

Most dryer outlets are on a 30A circuit. It is unsafe to use the Ford Mobile Charger on a dryer outlet because the FMC draws 32A. If you wish to continue using a dryer outlet, get an EVSE that can operate at 24A. Containing to use the FMC on the dryer outlet is a fire risk. ??

 

[Regularmache]

Great point, in my case it is a 40amp breaker. Early dryers, Kenmore and Philco among others, used 40amp breakers. The mobile charger, both from the 21 First Edition and now our 22 , has never pulled More than 28 amps reading with my Fluke clamp meter at any time.

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