Is the F150 Lightning a local commuter (based on real world data)?

[GrokTime]

So in order to, for example, charge at a friend's house using their dryer outlet, something like this is needed:

https://www.splitvolt.com/product/portable-ev-charger-nema-10-30-24-amp-26ft/

Is that correct?

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[Nate977p]

I am pretty sure the mobile charger works with both 110/120V and 240V. Is this not the case?

It comes with one that works with either:
https://www.ford.com/cmslibs/conten.../F150LightningMobilePowerCord-Specs_08_v2.pdf

So then idk why you’d need to buy another..

Cool thanks! You had me worried.

Can you get a kit of difference outlet heads like the TMC? If not, do you know of any reputable EV adapter heads?

 

[beatle]

I haven't found anything as flexible as the Tesla UMC. If you already have one, just keep it and buy a J1772 adapter like the Lectron or TeslaTap. That is my plan. You can also use the adapter on Tesla destination chargers that are not locked to Tesla vehicles.

 

[Yellow Buddy]

Cool thanks! You had me worried.

Can you get a kit of difference outlet heads like the TMC? If not, do you know of any reputable EV adapter heads?

That I don’t know yet.

I haven't found anything as flexible as the Tesla UMC. If you already have one, just keep it and buy a J1772 adapter like the Lectron or TeslaTap. That is my plan. You can also use the adapter on Tesla destination chargers that are not locked to Tesla vehicles.

This is exactly what I plan on doing. I have. 2 Tesla wall chargers already. I also have several spare UMC kits, Gen1 and Gen2. We also visit several places with Tesla destination chargers and no J1772 So for me it makes sense to just buy an adapter.

 

[oneguynick]

Does the F150L not come with a 110/240v charger? I just assumed as the Tesla TMC is all I am accustomed too... I assumed it was the same - get a charger that can do both and I need to buy a few different heads for different outlet types?

It does come with a 110 and NEMA 14-50 connector.

 

[Maquis]

So in order to, for example, charge at a friend's house using their dryer outlet, something like this is needed:

https://www.splitvolt.com/product/portable-ev-charger-nema-10-30-24-amp-26ft/

Is that correct?

That will work with an EVSE rated 24A or less. The FMC is rated 32A which overloads a 30A dryer circuit.

 

[FlasherZ]

I started driving Tesla in 2012, before the Superchargers even existed. When the SC's did start rolling out, they were few and far between except in California. If a station was down, Tesla paid to tow your car to the next station if you had to.

Our first road trip to Florida required that we drive slower than usual to Indianapolis, then head south from there, a handful of hours out of the way. We've ended up at the closed Tesla store with no services for a mile or so in the middle of the night in Nashville to charge after that station was built.

Here we are, 10 years later after buying our first EV, and I feel comfortable just jumping in and driving anywhere I need to go without planning - and that's a single company's contribution. Imagine what we will see once more and more EV's start arriving.

I still tell people that if you're a "pump-pee-and-go" type tripper, it's not for you, yet. But it's getting close. For someone like me who stays local 95% of the time and takes the occasional road trip, it has been a great experience and I don't own an ICE vehicle that can carry my entire family.

I am floored with the number of Tesla cars I see even in my very rural part of the US. Just yesterday, on a rural state highway, I saw 3 Model Y's, 2 Model S's, 2 Model X's, and 1 Model S just over the course of a day - 45 miles east of St. Louis.

As for infrastructure, my local electric co-op has met with me a number of times to ask me about charging behaviors and whether they should consider investing in some charging infrastructure on the relatively small chunk of interstate in their territory.

It will get there - there may be some growing pains.

 

[FlasherZ]

I really am conflicted on the Tesla network opening. My opinion is that the Tesla Charger should be the standard, and there should be an effort to get a discounted (or free if Tesla paid) adapters from CCS to Tesla for owners with CCS cars. Much slimer charger, there are already vastly more chargers and cars with them in use, plug & charge has worked for a decade, and a much cleaner experience overall. Of course, I very much doubt this will happen and you would hurt 800v vehicle charging rates.

The Tesla connector is just... elegant. It's self-centering because of the shape and rounded charge port, and simple to connect. It is a great study in mechanical and industrial design for usability, and really helps those with fine motor skills problems. My 6-year-old (at the time) could plug in my Tesla without a problem. I can't confidently say that he'd be able to plug in a CCS connector without trouble.

The issue? It didn't look like a gas pump nozzle. And for some reason, that bugged a lot of automotive engineers (because if all you have is a hammer...) That's why ChaDeMo adapters look like gas pump nozzles, lever and all... that's why most early J1772 connectors look like nozzles as well.

J1772 and CCS were a design-by-committee disaster. The number of times I've found broken J1772 connectors because the users had difficulty with orientation, or twisted the connector and broke off the key, can't be counted on my fingers and toes. The CCS combo connector just compounds the issues because it does nothing to assist in connector orientation.

In order of preference, I'd rather have Tesla's US design, followed by the EU Mennekes connector, followed by the CCS disaster.

 

[FlasherZ]

Keep in mind that Tesla is the only car company that uses that connector, everyone else uses CCS - including all the Teslas in Europe. Plus, Ford figured out that using the DCFC pins allows for HIS. I am not sure that the Tesla Connector can support that.

They can. Just like at supercharger stations, contactors connect the battery DC directly to the two big pins, then there is a digital signaling protocol that helps control the interconnection. The Lightning is effectively doing the same thing it does at DCFC stations, connects the battery directly to the two big pins, then connects that over to the HIS inverter.

 

[FlasherZ]

So in order to safely use a dryer outlet we need to buy a 3rd party mobile charging cable that draw fewer amps?

Yes. Tesla addresses this by using individual adapter cables that are rated for the receptacles they're plugging into. They tell the Tesla mobile connector to advertise a maximum current to the truck. Plug in a NEMA 14-30 adapter, it'll advertise 24A charging rate. Plug in a NEMA 5-20 adapter, it'll advertise 16A. Plug in a NEMA 6-15, it'll advertise 12A. Then the car will only draw that much current.

I think it's a non-starter for Ford not to include ability to turn charging current down. For example, there will be times your only option may be charging on the same circuit with appliances. One time I was staying at our timeshare in Florida and shared a 120V circuit with their golf cart charger. If I set the car to anything above 9A, it would pop the breaker within 15 minutes or so.

You don't want to rely upon having to turn the charge current down - which is why they build the capability into the mobile EVSE itself to restrict current to the receptacle you're attaching... but it helps in a pinch or if you're using a strange adapter. You are likely to see a variety of EVSE equipment that will help with this in the future.

 

[Kev12345]

Yes. Tesla addresses this by using individual adapter cables that are rated for the receptacles they're plugging into. They tell the Tesla mobile connector to advertise a maximum current to the truck. Plug in a NEMA 14-30 adapter, it'll advertise 24A charging rate. Plug in a NEMA 5-20 adapter, it'll advertise 16A. Plug in a NEMA 6-15, it'll advertise 12A. Then the car will only draw that much current.

I assumed ford's mobile charger had the same design. Tesla is definitely ahead of the game on so many levels when it comes to ease of use.

 

[beatle]

That will work with an EVSE rated 24A or less. The FMC is rated 32A which overloads a 30A dryer circuit.

It looks like that's an entire EVSE that plugs into a 10-30, not just an adapter.

Also, @GrokTime, some dryers use a 14-30R so you may not be guaranteed to plug that into a "dryer receptacle" in all cases. Best to double check

 

[FlasherZ]

I assumed ford's mobile charger had the same design. Tesla is definitely ahead of the game on so many levels when it comes to ease of use.

I think it does, but so far I've heard we're limited to a NEMA 5-15 and a NEMA 14-50. Hopefully they add more for the right variety. I've found that a 14-30, 14-50, and 5-15 pretty much covers everything I need.

 

[Theo1000]

The mobile charger that comes with the lightning is a 240V. He’s recommending picking up a 110V that will plug into a regular outlet….but that will be slower than molasses.

IME when you charge on the 110v you end up with the EVSE or larger parts lying outside the vehicle often in poor security area. Hence the cheapo 110v that you do mind getting stolen, trashed, Had the misfortune of an ICE driving over mine, etc.

Personally I won't risk my Ford EVSE for 110v charging situations.

 

[Theo1000]

You are likely to see a variety of EVSE equipment that will help with this in the future.

There already are tons of EVSE's with this feature of adjusting amps. Probably why most EV manufacturers don't bother supporting such marginal cases.

Also puzzled by your multiple posts on the CCS adapter. Been using it for years now and never had major issues. Disaster? Count me baffled. My wife who is 92 lbs uses it just fine. The bigger problem with CCS is the liquid cooled cables which can be heavy. The bigger handle definitely helps with this. Some of the new units have a carry hoop and recent units have begun to work on these cable sizes, suspending them etc.

Keep in mind the CCS is designed for upgrades up to 500 kw once vehicles batteries can handle it. There are good reasons the DC pins are separated the way they are.

I think if you like the TSLA just stay with TSLA and not comment on a Ford forum FUD stuff that just muddies the waters.

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