Can I use a 3-prong 240 volt plug with an adapter?

[Rusty0601]

My dryer is right next to my garage. The standard cable will reach my MME.

But, the adapter is a 4-prong plug and my dryer outlet is a 3-prong plug.

Can I get an adapter to convert the 3 to a 4-prong adapter? or do I need to have the plug rewired?

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[Carsinmyblood]

Welcome to the forum.

First things first... The Ford supplied charger draws between 28 and 30 amps (load), so you MUST have wiring that will support that load at least. Code requires that circuits be rated higher than the load by 10 to 15%. You should have at least a 40 amp circuit to use the charger. Don't be tempted to replace a 30 amp breaker with a 40 or 50. Breakers keep your house from burning down.

The configuration of the spades in the socket should tell you how much load the circuit can handle, it might be imprinted in the face of the outlet (XXA). The breaker in the panel will be sized for the wire in the wall.

6/3 wire (6 gauge/3 conductor plus the bare copper ground) is about as light as you should go for the charger's load. If you have a 3 prong outlet, it's not substantial enough to use, and it's lacking the 4th connector means it's not likely to be wired properly for use as a charger outlet.

Consult an electrician, it's what they do.

 

[HuntingPudel]

There is only one 3-prong outlet that supports 50A, the NEMA 6-50R. None of the other 3-prong outlets are spec’d to support the amperage needed for an L2 car charger. If your outlet is not a 6-50R, you can assume that the wiring going to it will also not support your car charger. Even if it is a 6-50R, there is a good chance the wiring is not a large enough gauge, as dryers don’t generally pull as much as a car charger. As @Carsinmyblood said, consult an electrician.

edit: An electrician can pull your panel apart and figure out what gauge wire is on that circuit so that you can know What amperage the circuit can support.

 

[highland58]

As I remember, dryer 30A outlets have 2 styles, the one used in manufactured homes has 3 prongs and stick built homes have 4 prongs. When I lived in a mobile home we had to get a different cord for the dryer that had 3 prongs. I'm not sure which one is deleted in the 3 prong, perhaps the ground. I have an adaptor from 4 prong 30A to 4 prong 50A, not sure about what to do for yours.

 

[ocdxfv]

I use an OpenEVSE set to 24a and plugged into a 30a dryer outlet, which works just fine for me. Depending on how much it costs to install the correct circuit, this might be a more affordable option for you.

 

[phidauex]

My dryer is right next to my garage. The standard cable will reach my MME.

But, the adapter is a 4-prong plug and my dryer outlet is a 3-prong plug.

Can I get an adapter to convert the 3 to a 4-prong adapter? or do I need to have the plug rewired?

As others have said, the answer is “maybe”. Can you post a photo of the outlet itself, as well as the breaker in your electrical box that feeds it? That will help us make a better recommendation.

There are indeed 6-50P to 14-50R adapters for $15 or so that can work, but only if the plug and the breaker (and the wire, but we can probably trust that if the breaker is good) are correctly rated.

 

[vinny2487]

My dryer is right next to my garage. The standard cable will reach my MME.

But, the adapter is a 4-prong plug and my dryer outlet is a 3-prong plug.

Can I get an adapter to convert the 3 to a 4-prong adapter? or do I need to have the plug rewired?

In theory yes you can use an adapter, as long as you have a car charger that's rated for 24A or lower. You won't be able to use Ford's included charger because it'll trip the breaker, or worse start a fire.

When I had an electrician install a 14-50a outlet, I asked them about these dryer outlets. They recommend NOT using it to charge your car mainly because those outlets and wires weren't meant for continuous loads for hours on end.

I would get a 14-50 50amp outlet installed. Not only will it charge your car faster, it's also safer. As others have mentioned, better to consult an electrician.

 

[RedStallion]

You can use something like Splitvolt to connect to the drier outlet. But you won't be able to use the included Ford 240v EVSE, because it draws 30A and will trip the breaker. You would need to additionally install an EVSE that would limit the current to 24A like Grizzl-e.
Alternatively, I saw EVSE on Amazon that does all that in one unit, but you won't be able to use the drier without plugging/unplugging all the time, which isn't practical.

 

[Rusty0601]

In theory yes you can use an adapter, as long as you have a car charger that's rated for 24A or lower. You won't be able to use Ford's included charger because it'll trip the breaker, or worse start a fire.

When I had an electrician install a 14-50a outlet, I asked them about these dryer outlets. They recommend NOT using it to charge your car mainly because those outlets and wires weren't meant for continuous loads for hours on end.

I would get a 14-50 50amp outlet installed. Not only will it charge your car faster, it's also safer. As others have mentioned, better to consult an electrician.

An electrician is on the way and he confirmed that the Ford charger would trip the circuit, so it appears I a getting a new outlet as mentioned above.
This is good education for everyone. I assumed that my 220v dryer outlet which is right next to my garage would be usable and it is definitely not usable.

 

[Mathington]

I have been wondering the same thing. The problem that I have is it would cost a ton for me to upgrade my electrical to run new wiring and outlet to the garage as the breaker panel is in the rental unit on the main floor of my house.

I will have to check the breaker and wire used for my dryer but I'm hoping that I can use a EV charger extension cable with something like a Grizzl-e on 24amp mode.

 

[Sweetwater]

I have read so very many posts on wiring. I can not understand why
we buy a 60K Mach E and want to use any electric we can find.
Please stop people ! Get it done correctly by a qualified electrician.
I don't know how you sleep at night hoping your electric won't burn.

 

[DaveHsr]

I have read so very many posts on wiring. I can not understand why
we buy a 60K Mach E and want to use any electric we can find.
Please stop people ! Get it done correctly by a qualified electrician.
I don't know how you sleep at night hoping your electric won't burn.

It is 200 miles to my brother's house, far from any fast charger, and I'd like to use his NEMA 10-30 dryer outlet to get enough charge to make it home. So of course be careful with your home charging outlet, but I can imagine many scenarios where one might want to temporarily use a 30 amp circuit, until the fast charging network is more built out.

My plan is to buy a Lectron Level 2 16 amp charger, which has a long cord. I'm guessing this will add 8 miles / hour or so, but that's a guess. Wish we could just use an adapter and set the included Ford charger to a lower drawl, but perhaps Ford worried customers would make mistakes.

 

[FordMachEGo]

It is 200 miles to my brother's house, far from any fast charger, and I'd like to use his NEMA 10-30 dryer outlet to get enough charge to make it home. So of course be careful with your home charging outlet, but I can imagine many scenarios where one might want to temporarily use a 30 amp circuit, until the fast charging network is more built out.

My plan is to buy a Lectron Level 2 16 amp charger, which has a long cord. I'm guessing this will add 8 miles / hour or so, but that's a guess. Wish we could just use an adapter and set the included Ford charger to a lower drawl, but perhaps Ford worried customers would make mistakes.

What Ford should have done is to allow us to limit the amperage on the car via the middle screen, like other car manufacturers. It seems to me that this is the safer option rather than not mention it at all and not have any mechanism to use the Ford 220v EVSE on a 30 amp circuit, which can certainly lead to mistskes and possibly fires. I had to purchase a Grizle EVSE and set it to 24 amps to use my dryer circuit in my garage. I was quite surprised that Ford did not allow to set the maximum charging rate from the car. Perhaps in a future update.

 

[macchiaz-o]

What Ford should have done is to allow us to limit the amperage on the car via the middle screen, like other car manufacturers. It seems to me that this is the safer option rather than not mention it at all and not have any mechanism to use the Ford 220v EVSE on a 30 amp circuit, which can certainly lead to mistskes and possibly fires. I had to purchase a Grizle EVSE and set it to 24 amps to use my dryer circuit in my garage. I was quite surprised that Ford did not allow to set the maximum charging rate from the car. Perhaps in a future update.

For the majority of vehicle operators, setting current limitations from the vehicle is the more dangerous approach.

There is *no way* for any vehicle to communicate with a household circuit and answer the question "how much current can you safely carry?"

One of the reasons we use EVSEs like the Ford Mobile charger or a Grizzl-E is to answer that question.

In the case of the Grizzl-E, it's the installer's responsibility to program in the correct answer via dip switches.

Ford's mobile charger assumes that national electric codes designed for fire safety were followed. If a 14-50 connector is plugged into the Ford mobile charger, then per the NEC limitations on the use of that type of plug and receptacle, and limitations of the EVSE itself, the EVSE informs the car that it may draw up to 30-32 amps of current. This is the right way to do it. The only bad thing is that Ford isn't selling mobile charger connectors for other NEMA receptacles like 14-30 and so on.

European Mach-E owners are able to buy a variety of connectors for their various standards/limits. Maybe someday we'll have something comparable.

 

[Sweetwater]

For the majority of vehicle operators, setting current limitations from the vehicle is the more dangerous approach.

There is *no way* for any vehicle to communicate with a household circuit and answer the question "how much current can you safely carry?"

One of the reasons we use EVSEs like the Ford Mobile charger or a Grizzl-E is to answer that question.

In the case of the Grizzl-E, it's the installer's responsibility to program in the correct answer via dip switches.

Ford's mobile charger assumes that national electric codes designed for fire safety were followed. If a 14-50 connector is plugged into the Ford mobile charger, then per the NEC limitations on the use of that type of plug and receptacle, and limitations of the EVSE itself, the EVSE informs the car that it may draw up to 30-32 amps of current. This is the right way to do it. The only bad thing is that Ford isn't selling mobile charger connectors for other NEMA receptacles like 14-30 and so on.

European Mach-E owners are able to buy a variety of connectors for their various standards/limits. Maybe someday we'll have something comparable.

My 2010 Tesla Roadster was plugged into 14/50 4 wire circuit. I could
dial in any amps and time to charge on the screen in the car.
This was possible then but why not now ?

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