Charging supplies for road trips, a list with links.

Nak

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****Warning**** The following is what I imagined I would do if manufacturer legal departments were willing to approve extension cord use for charging. Bear in mind this is simply a theoretical exercise, it's purely fiction. I would NEVER recommend anything other than manufacturer approved accessories for charging. Far better to run your EV dead and walk home.

I'm preparing for a road trip into an area with very little charging infrastructure. So I did a bit of research on what it might take to charge an EV. I found out that not all adapters will work! ***NOTE*** Bear in mind the following information is about Teslas, but I "BELIEVE" the Mach-e will be the same. Some 240v plugs have 4 prongs--hot, hot, neutral, ground--Some adapter plugs have three. The ones with three are the issue. Let me explain. The most common 240v outlet that you might use to charge is apparently the 14-50 outlet. (220v, 50amp.) That's great because an extension cord that has a 14-50 plug and receptacle can be adapted to every other outlet we might use. It's a four prong plug. But what if we adapt it to a three prong receptacle? (Hot, hot, ground.) we lose one connection. That's fine, we only need three. But for our mobile charger to work, we need a GROUND connection. Some adapters will connect the ground from the receptacle to the NEUTRAL of our extension cord. Your EV will not charge with such an adapter connected.

So anyways, I researched and found basically every adapter you might need in North America. I havte the links listed below. I did not include any of the twist lock adapters. Those are mostly found at docks. Do your research before you go somewhere odd and make sure you have a twist connector if you might need it.

I also include a link for a 30 foot extension cord. Between that and your 20 foot mobile charger 50 feet should get you connected.

*****Caution**** reduce the max current your car will draw to 80% of the circuits rated capacity. For a 20a circuit, 16 amps is max. The approved accessories will do this automatically. (Tesla does, I'm sure Ford will to, but check first.) In our fictional theoretical exercise, we have to manually reduce max current draw to 80% of the circuits capacity for safety's sake.

***NOTE*** The extension cord is 14-50 and all the adapters connect some other receptacle to 14-50. You will need an adapter to plug your mobile charger into a 14-50 outlet. (The extension cord.) You then plug whatever adapter fits into your chosen receptacle and plug it into the end of your extension cord. I also included one adapter without a cord for converting a 20a 220v receptacle into a 15a 220v receptacle. You probably won't need it because most 20a receptacles will also accept a 15a plug. But it's small and easy to put in the charging kit so I have one just in case.

You won't need any of this if your trip is in an area with lots of charging infrastructure. But if you have just one charger in a spot that's going to be a critical charge, what do you do if it's out of service? With this kit you'll be able to charge almost everywhere. Well, we could if this wasn't just a theoretical exercise for the purpose of generating an interesting discussion.

When I got these parts, they were all stamped with the UL logo. Suppliers change though. You should check for that logo.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0024ECIP0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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macchiaz-o

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Be careful. Reduce the vehicle's charging rate when using extension cords, due to the increased resistance, which leads to increased heat, which may cause a fire.

It's probably the case that none of the products in your list are UL or ETL listed. Be especially careful with those adapters that let you change the EVSE's 50A rated plug to fit into a smaller receptacle (e.g. 30A dryer outlet). To be safe, and to avoid tripping breakers, you have to cut the charging rate down to 24A or less for that 30A dryer circuit.

Tesla sells adapters which make it safe to plug in their mobile charger into a variety of outlets: https://shop.tesla.com/product/nema-adapter-bundle

I hope Ford will do the same.
 
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Nak

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Be careful. Reduce the vehicle's charging rate when using extension cords, due to the increased resistance, which leads to increased heat, which may cause a fire.

It's probably the case that none of the products in your list are UL or ETL listed. Be especially careful with those adapters that let you change the EVSE's 50A rated plug to fit into a smaller receptacle (e.g. 30A dryer outlet). To be safe, and to avoid tripping breakers, you have to cut the charging rate down to 24A or less for that 30A dryer circuit.

Tesla sells adapters which make it safe to plug in their mobile charger into a variety of outlets: https://shop.tesla.com/product/nema-adapter-bundle

I hope Ford will do the same.
Good points, especially the one about reducing max current to 80% of the circuits rated capacity. I'll add that to the original post.

You should always of course follow manufacturer recommendations about use of extension cords. The Tesla cord is 20 feet long. The Ford version will most likely be similar. I personally would never use the cord, I carry it simply for additional weight to improve traction.

The extension cord listed is 6 Gauge wire, which is considerably heavier than the tesla mobile charging cord, and probably considerably heavier than the Ford cord as well. It is a big, heavy cord. The cord and adapters I received were all marked with the UL logo, but of course suppliers could change and you should always check for that logo.
 

JamieGeek

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That's the wrong extension cable. You want one for the other end, the J1772 end. Like this one (Amazon) that way your extension cord works with any of your adapters.

They work fine:
Ford Mustang Mach-E Charging supplies for road trips, a list with links. BoltExtension2


In reality you'll only need, perhaps, a couple of adapters: one for a normal dryer plug and one 14-50 that fits an RV park's 50 amp plug. There are RV parks everywhere--especially out in the middle of nowhere where you're most likely to need a charge.

Check out Campground Reviews to see some in your state.
 

dbsb3233

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Sounds like the NEMA 14-50 is the most common plug at RV parks.

I'm not quite sure how the payment works, but I do question how useful they really are for a road trip. If using the included Ford Mobile Charger, for instance, it takes longer to charge than the driving time you get out of it.

For instance, lets say you're counting on using an RV park in Green River, UT when crossing the state on I-70 (because it's a dead zone hole in EA's network). You pull in to do a charge after stopping at a Taco Bell to grab take-out so you can kill some time sitting at the RV park doing a 1-hour charge. On the mobile charger, one hour gives you 22 miles. You've just added a whopping 20 minutes of drive time from a 60 minute stop. That sure doesn't cut it.

I suppose if there's a hotel in walking distance and you plan on spending the night, that might be useful. But otherwise, it doesn't seem like a viable option.
 


JamieGeek

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Sounds like the NEMA 14-50 is the most common plug at RV parks.

I'm not quite sure how the payment works, but I do question how useful they really are for a road trip. If using the included Ford Mobile Charger, for instance, it takes longer to charge than the driving time you get out of it.

For instance, lets say you're counting on using an RV park in Green River, UT when crossing the state on I-70 (because it's a dead zone hole in EA's network). You pull in to do a charge after stopping at a Taco Bell to grab take-out so you can kill some time sitting at the RV park doing a 1-hour charge. On the mobile charger, one hour gives you 22 miles. You've just added a whopping 20 minutes of drive time from a 60 minute stop. That sure doesn't cut it.

I suppose if there's a hotel in walking distance and you plan on spending the night, that might be useful. But otherwise, it doesn't seem like a viable option.
Well yeah an RV park would be a last resort kind of thing and you'd want to stay for a few hours as you are just going to get Level-2 rates out of the 50 amp service there.

If you're at a nicer park, like a KOA they have cabins and such to rent (may make a better overnight than a hotel--and cheaper too).
 

JamieGeek

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That is very park dependent and would require a phone call to the park. The ones I've read about on the net have charged a small flat fee like $10 for however long you stay.
 
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Nak

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That's the wrong extension cable. You want one for the other end, the J1772 end. Like this one (Amazon) that way your extension cord works with any of your adapters.
Sounds like a great idea, if you have a J1772 receptacle on your car. I might be mistaken here, but doesn't the Mach-e just have a CCS receptacle with a J1772 adapter? So, to use this cord you're going to need to convert from CCS to J1772, and then J1772 to CCS. Again, great idea--but to be useful you'll need to post links to the appropriate adapters... That would be great, because this would be a better solution.

Edited to add: Looking at the page, no where does it mention wire gauge. That's a little scary. They also mention "Superconductivity" which is also scary since it isn't. The fact that they don't even know what important electrical terms mean concerns me greatly.
 
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Nak

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In reality you'll only need, perhaps, a couple of adapters: one for a normal dryer plug and one 14-50 that fits an RV park's 50 amp plug. There are RV parks everywhere--especially out in the middle of nowhere where you're most likely to need a charge.
That's kind of why I said do your research. Know which adapter you might need. And no, there, aren't RV parks everywhere, just most places. For instance, one place I'll go is my high school buddy's house who lives out in the middle of nowhere. No RV parks. But he has a 6-50 outlet in his shop for welding. So, with the right adapter I can visit him and charge by his shop overnight. Much better than hanging out at an RV park. RV parks are great resources, yes. But sometimes you might want to charge elsewhere. Do your research, buy and bring the adapters you need.
 

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Sounds like a great idea, if you have a J1772 receptacle on your car. I might be mistaken here, but doesn't the Mach-e just have a CCS receptacle with a J1772 adapter? So, to use this cord you're going to need to convert from CCS to J1772, and then J1772 to CCS. Again, great idea--but to be useful you'll need to post links to the appropriate adapters... That would be great, because this would be a better solution.
Mach-E has the same J1772/CCS plug the Bolt does (and any other BEV in the US that supports CCS). On the Bolt the two CCS plugs have a separate dust cover so that they can remain covered when you charge via J1772 only.

A CCS plug is just a J1772 plug with the two DC connectors at the bottom.

For US cars it looks like this:
Ford Mustang Mach-E Charging supplies for road trips, a list with links. e-1-Socket-Electric-Car-Vehicle-Charging-AC-63A-DC


Here is a better picture:
050312-CombinedChargingSystem-web1.jpg


The J1772 portion is the top round connector and the "CCS portion" is the two plugs at the bottom.

The bottom line is you plug the J1772 plug into the round top plug and the CCS plug plugs into both spots.

Now if you're thinking the J1772 extension cable will work for CCS charging then: Nope it won't. Those wires are far too small for that kind of current (and there is no active cooling either).
 
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Nak

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See, this is what happens when all of your EV experience is with a different standard. Thank you. I concur that your solution is better.
 

ClaudeMach-E

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That's the wrong extension cable. You want one for the other end, the J1772 end. Like this one (Amazon) that way your extension cord works with any of your adapters.

They work fine:
Ford Mustang Mach-E Charging supplies for road trips, a list with links. 050312-CombinedChargingSystem-web1


In reality you'll only need, perhaps, a couple of adapters: one for a normal dryer plug and one 14-50 that fits an RV park's 50 amp plug. There are RV parks everywhere--especially out in the middle of nowhere where you're most likely to need a charge.

Check out Campground Reviews to see some in your state.
This J1772 extension cord could be very practical if you are ICE at a DCFC charging station, so then the ICE vehicule has to wait for you leaving the premises.
 

dbsb3233

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This J1772 extension cord could be very practical if you are ICE at a DCFC charging station, so then the ICE vehicule has to wait for you leaving the premises.
Not sure I follow. Do you mean a car (ICE or otherwise) parked in a charging spot that isn't using the charger? Such that you use the extension cord to reach the charger from a nearby spot instead, in a way that's blocking them in?

Dispicable as it is for someone to park in a charger spot without using it, I don't think that would stop anyone from leaving. They'd likely just either run over the cord (if it's draped on the ground), or they'd unplug your vehicle to get the cord out of the way if it's blocking them in.
 

JamieGeek

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Not sure I follow. Do you mean a car (ICE or otherwise) parked in a charging spot that isn't using the charger? Such that you use the extension cord to reach the charger from a nearby spot instead, in a way that's blocking them in?

Dispicable as it is for someone to park in a charger spot without using it, I don't think that would stop anyone from leaving. They'd likely just either run over the cord (if it's draped on the ground), or they'd unplug your vehicle to get the cord out of the way if it's blocking them in.
Unless, of course, you simply parked behind them and used the extension to reach the charger. Then they are blocked until you leave. Of course you'd be "in the road" and may be towed as well but hey ;)

Taking the high road: I'd just park in a spot away and use the chord to charge (not blocking anyone). That may frustrate them enough anyway since the point was to prevent someone from charging to begin with. (The extension comes with a lock so you can lock the cord to your vehicle to prevent theft and people from unplugging it.)
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