14-30P 24 amp -- is the Tesla Mobile Connector + Tesla Tap the best option?

[Maquis]

My main concern is making sure the folks reading this forum are not underestimating the implications of using a light extension cord to charge their EVs.

Not trying to argue with you. You can believe what you like. My math is not wrong, nor are my facts. The stranded wire needs to be a higher gauge to carry the same amperage regardless of what NEC lets you get away with. Here is a typical cross-sectional area of a standard 7-strand wire vs a solid wire of the same gauge. It's an exaggeration since there are many more strands in a typical extension cord, but the cross-sectional areas are not the same.

There are no dimensions on that sketch. Just stop already.

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[Adventureboy]

There are no dimensions on that sketch. Just stop already.

Correct and accurate cross-sectional area calculations. The information is correct and there is a significant difference when dealing with constant loads.

 

[Hammered]

My main concern is making sure the folks reading this forum are not underestimating the implications of using a light extension cord to charge their EVs.

Again, matching a load to a conductor is key. This whole 'duty' rating you're harping on about is an arbitrary advertising metric.

 

[Hammered]

Correct and accurate cross-sectional area calculations. The information is correct and there is a significant difference when dealing with constant loads.

You're trying to school people on wire gauge while simultaneously failing to acknowledge you know nothing about it. Electrical wire gauge is determined by the sum of the area of copper. For stranded wire, the AWG is the sum of all of the cross-sectional areas of the individual strands, not including the spaces between the strands. For this reason, the actual diameter of a stranded wire is larger than the diameter of a solid wire having the same gauge.

Now you know why there's 2 sets of numbers on wire strippers.

 

[Adventureboy]

You're trying to school people on wire gauge while simultaneously failing to acknowledge you know nothing about it. Electrical wire gauge is determined by the sum of the area of copper. For stranded wire, the AWG is the sum of all of the cross-sectional areas of the individual strands, not including the spaces between the strands. For this reason, the actual diameter of a stranded wire is larger than the diameter of a solid wire having the same gauge.

Now you know why there's 2 sets of numbers on wire strippers.

You're right. I'll eat crow on the wire gauge.
I'll still run 12 gauge or more for EV charging 12 amps for no other reason than that it is safer and cost less and I truly hope others do the same.

 

[Homestead]

Check the gage wire that is installed for that circuit. If the wire can support a 40A breaker, then you could swap the breaker and do your Ford-mobile-charger-with-adapter idea.
Its unlikely they oversized the wire though, and you should check with an electrician as to what gage would be required for a 40A breaker to be swapped in your brothers location.

I thought of that but that would still be a 30amp max connector. If the wire size is big enough could just change the connector to nema 14-50.

 

[bshaw]

I thought of that but that would still be a 30amp max connector. If the wire size is big enough could just change the connector to nema 14-50.

14-50 would require a 50A breaker. The 40A breaker suggestion was trying to brainstorm a middle ground that was safe to use continuously at 32A.

 

[Homestead]

14-50 would require a 50A breaker. The 40A breaker suggestion was trying to brainstorm a middle ground that was safe to use continuously at 32A.

50amp is the max for that connector, but you can use a smaller breaker(40amp) if the wire size won't support 50 amps and use a level 2 charger that goes up to 32 amps like the ford charger.

 

[music_cities]

14-50 would require a 50A breaker. The 40A breaker suggestion was trying to brainstorm a middle ground that was safe to use continuously at 32A.

I know this is hard to believe but I've been told that the electrical code allows a larger receptacle on a smaller breaker:

2017 NEC 210.21(B)(1). A single receptacle installed on an individual branch circuit shall have an ampere rating not less than that of the branch circuit.

(emphasis added).

There are no 40 amp receptacles, so in fact the only receptacle you are legally allowed to use on a 40 amp circuit is a 50 amp receptacle. People say that you should label it "maximum 40 amps" if you install this receptacle on a 40 amp breaker, but I don't think such labelling is required by the NEC.

(I am not an electrician, though, so maybe I'm wrong. This is just what I copied/pasted from another discussion.)

If it was my own house I wouldn't put a 50 amp receptacle on a 40 amp breaker, I'd hardwire in a 32 amp charger if I had a 40 amp breaker.

 

[SWO]

Keep in mind that if you use the 120v head on the ford adapter and feed it 240v, it puts out 2.88kW instead of the 1.32kW when fed by 120v. (Verify that he did install a 240v circuit and not a 30a 120v)

To make this work simply cut the head off a small / cheap extension cord and wire it up to one of these so the 120v charging head can plug into it and receive 240v.
https://www.amazon.com/ELEGRP-L14-30P-Generator-Grounding-Industrial/dp/B08CXQSYBD/

Are you wiring one of the hots to the neutral on the 120v side to do this?

 

[Hammered]

Are you wiring one of the hots to the neutral on the 120v side to do this?

The neutral is not used. 2 hots + ground.

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