Mobile EVSE that can charge at 120v 24A?

[DaMeatMan]

It's expensive, but the "J+ Booster 2" EVSE is adjustable current and has an optional TT-30 (120V) pigtail. L5-30 to TT-30 adapters seem common.

Like I said, expensive......

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B4PGMHK...&colid=V5OYTRAO8WHI&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1

Thanks, I had not come across that before. But like you said it's expensive, and even more so in Canada to the point of being absurd! It's about $1000 more ?? than the average mobile charger, so I'll keep looking lol.

Sponsored

 

[Jay_in_Austin]

How were you able to supply 240V using the 120V pigtail? There’s only 1 hot, a neutral and ground available with that pigtail. To get 240V, both hot legs need to be connected.

I have a lab AC supply that is adjustable from 0VAC to 300VAC. If I remember correctly, the 240V plug has a neutral pin but it isn't connected to anything. The two hot legs on the 240V plug go to the same connections as Line and Neutral on the 120V plug.

 

[Jay_in_Austin]

Thanks, I had not come across that before. But like you said it's expensive, and even more so in Canada to the point of being absurd! It's about $1000 more ?? than the average mobile charger, so I'll keep looking lol.

Check out https://www.openevse.com/

 

[i8iridium]

I've tested several iterations of this. With the Ford Mobile EVSE and the NEMA 5-15 end, with an outlet wired for 240v (two hot and ground, illegally wired ? ), it will only charge at 12 amps max.

Using the Tesla Mobile EVSE with their NEMA kit, it comes with two 120v types, a NEMA 5-15 and 5-20. Regardless of the end used, the car will only charge at 12A on 120v with those ends. Every 240v NEMA adapter will charge at it's rated amperage. 14-50 = 30A, 14-30 = 24A, 6-20 = 16A, 6-15 = 12A. I haven't tried to wire up a 120v outlet and use the NEMA 14-30 adapter yet... maybe that'll give me something to do today. lol

EDIT: Confirmed. Using Tesla Mobile EVSE with NEMA 14-30 wired as 120v, will only charge at 12A.

I expect that it might be a limitation of the onboard charger, not an EVSE thing.

 

[AZBill]

No. My EVSE is working correctly and the plugs were fully inserted. I checked both plugs at 120VAC and 240VAC input voltage. The control pulse duty cycle stayed at the 12 amp limit for both voltages with the 120V plug and at the 32 amp limit for the 240V plug.

That's not what I expected since I assumed the current limit was set by the input voltage. The EVSE has some way of knowing which plug is inserted and uses that information to set the current limit. I'll do some more investigation on the means used to tell which plug is connected.

If you have actually checked your EVSE at different voltages, tell me your results.

My point is, the connector does not matter, the car will limit to 12A if it detects 120V. It has to do that to meet the NEC requirements of not exceeding the normal 15A breaker on 120V circuits. Try an adapter that goes from a 120V outlet to your 240V connector on the Ford charger. You should not get more than 12A into the car.

If the EVSE tells the car it can only output 12A at 240V, then the car will use that limit, even if it can take 48A. There are older EVSEs that only output 16A at 240V.

In all cases the lower of the two limits, EVSE or car, takes priority.

 

[ridgebackpilot]

I purchased a portable Level 2 variable-amp charger from Amazon in case I ever need to charge at campground RV hookups. Most of them are 240 volts but the charger can handle 120 volts, too.

This charger isn't cheap but if you need to charge on the road and there are no Level 3 chargers available, you'll be glad you have this. Think charging deserts like Montana!

 

[4sallypat]

I used to use a Duosida travel charger with my wife's Honda Clarity PHEV and it used the 20A 120V plug that pulled 16A at 120V.

That's the highest I found for a J1772 charger that is mobile.

I still use the special 20A outlet for my network 1500VA rackmount UPS.

 

[Jay_in_Austin]

My point is, the connector does not matter, the car will limit to 12A if it detects 120V. It has to do that to meet the NEC requirements of not exceeding the normal 15A breaker on 120V circuits. Try an adapter that goes from a 120V outlet to your 240V connector on the Ford charger. You should not get more than 12A into the car.

If the EVSE tells the car it can only output 12A at 240V, then the car will use that limit, even if it can take 48A. There are older EVSEs that only output 16A at 240V.

In all cases the lower of the two limits, EVSE or car, takes priority.

I was not aware that the car would limit the charging current to 12 amps on 120VAC power. If that is true, then the original question is answered: There is no way to charge the car faster than 12A with a 120VAC generator.

I have the ability to try charging my MME at more than 12 amps on 120VAC. I will try that and report on the result.

 

[Maquis]

Both the MME and the Lightning limit the 120V charge rate to 12A. That ends the discussion!

 

[superdave80]

Sounds like your only option would be a 120 to 240 transformer, paired with a charger that you can set at 10 to (maybe) 15 amps.

 

[devmach-e]

You just wire 240V to the 120V plug (or to a 120V outlet). Not something you would ever do permanently but fine for a test.

I suspect that the 120V pigtail doesn’t actually have the second hot line connected at the end that plugs into the EVSE. I’m 450 miles from my EVSE so I can’t test things right now.

When you tested things, you say you saw a 12A pilot signal with the 120V pigtail on 240V. Did you verify that the car was actually charging at 240V and 12A?

 

[DaMeatMan]

Sounds to me like we got an answer to my original question, and the vehicle charger will not allow charging above 12A on 120v.

Thank you all for the info!

 

[Jay_in_Austin]

Sounds to me like we got an answer to my original question, and the vehicle charger will not allow charging above 12A on 120v.

Thank you all for the info!

I verified that on my MME. Actually it would not go above 10.9 amps when I set it for 12 amps or higher.

It's time to sell the old generator and get one with a 240VAC output.

 

[superdave80]

Because I was really bored, I calculated a rough estimate that using a 240V/9.5kw generator to charge your Mach-E would still get you around 30 MPG!

 

[DaMeatMan]

I verified that on my MME. Actually it would not go above 10.9 amps when I set it for 12 amps or higher.

It's time to sell the old generator and get one with a 240VAC output.

Lol ? it's actually a fairly new generator that I picked up specifically for its lightweight portability and high power output. It's a Maxspeedingrod MX 3500 that outputs 3500 surge watts and 3000w running. At 47 pounds and at the size of what a typical 2000w portable generator looks like, it's quite honestly the smallest and most powerful generator I've come across. You can throw it in the trunk or frunk and forget about it, and it's great peace of mind when I make those nature treks out in the middle of nowhere. If I could find a 240v unit that is just as compact I would definitely consider selling the existing unit and trading up now that I know 120v charging on the Mach-E will always be limited to 12A max.

Here is a link to the unit:
https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/Maxpee...rts-Super-Quiet-Power-Station/PRD43GUPTLRUY2C

Sponsored