Using travel charger with 240v?

[KristovM]

Does anyone have experience using the travel charger on a 240v outlet? Both my house and my dad's house have 240v outlets but they are three prong(see attached). The plug on the end of the travel charger that I thought was for 240v has 4 prongs. Is there another adapter to couple in between these? Do we have to get different outlets? I'm not super familiar with these matters. Thanks for your help.

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[Stlww18]

They make adapters from a NEMA 6-30 (old style dryer plug) to a 14-50 (what the mobile charger has). However, the three prong plug is technically ungrounded, which can electrify the chassis of your truck if there’s ever a fault, so you run a risk

 

[Crilly]

What amp circuit is the outlet. My area here in Wisconsin the nutral and the ground are the same.

 

[FlasherZ]

They make adapters from a NEMA 6-30 (old style dryer plug) to a 14-50 (what the mobile charger has). However, the three prong plug is technically ungrounded, which can electrify the chassis of your truck if there’s ever a fault, so you run a risk

That is a NEMA 6-50, which *is* grounded but has no neutral. Now, you need to be really careful here - welder receptacles can be a 6-50 but may be only 10-gauge wire, because welders can have special rules.

The old-style dryer and range plugs are the NEMA 10 series, which have no ground (10-30 and 10-50) -- they have 2 line leads and a neutral. This is not one of those.

You can make an adapter that will work between the two (and you can find them on several EV web sites).

HOWEVER!!! Mark that sucker "FOR EV CHARGING USE ONLY - NO NEUTRAL - WILL DAMAGE OTHER EQUIPMENT" and *never* use it with an RV or a range or any other appliance with a 4-prong, 50A cord.

https://www.amazon.com/nema-6-50-14-50-adapter/s?k=nema+6-50+to+14-50+adapter

 

[FlasherZ]

What amp circuit is the outlet. My area here in Wisconsin the nutral and the ground are the same.

Not true since 1996.

Starting with the 1996 code cycle, NEMA 10-series (3-wire) was deprecated and all new construction required NEMA 14-series (4-wire). Since then, CMP's have changed nearly every part of the code to require ground be carried independently from neutral to appliances, to subpanels, to outbuildings, and other facilities. Neutral is bonded to ground at only one place - the service entrance.

Ground is absolutely NOT the same as neutral and you should never tie them together at any appliance, because you'll create ground return paths through an appliance that can result in shocks, fires, or even worse.

 

[hturnerfamily]

coming from the RVing world, where 50amp NEMA 14-50 outlets have become more and more popular, yet many older campgrounds remains with only 120v 30amp outlets, we've seen our share of 'adapting' to the resources one runs into...

now, as for whether you can make use of that outlet, yes, you can... an adapter is the answer. But, to everyone's credit, you really need to 'know' what type of outlet and wiring you are plugging into. For instance, that outlet looks like a CLOTHES DRYER outlet, of the 'older' 3-wire variety, which CAN work, with the correct adapter. Typical 3-wire dryer outlets have no Neutral, and since you don't need a neutral, you are o.k. - the adapter simply removes the need for the neutral prong. You have to understand that while the mentioned NEMA 14-50 outlet has 4 prongs, you are only ever using THREE prongs - there is no connection for the neutral wire - EVSE Charge cables don't make use of one.

Now, if that outlet serves a CLOTHES DRYER, then it typically leads to a 30amp 240v double-pole breaker. Your MOBILE CHARGER is perfect for that situation.
If that breaker is only a 20amp type, though, you'll have possible issues with the EVSE drawing more than 20amps, tripping the breaker. Unless the truck has it's own way to manage that amperage, using the Mobile Charger might not work.

If, on the other hand, that outlet is simply a 30amp 120v outlet, on a 30amp single breaker, you can still use it, with the correct adapter, but you may, again, find that the Mobile Charger trips the breaker, or doesn't operate correctly at all, since it's expecting 240v power.

The Mobile Charger is designed for either 120v power, with a Neutral, generally capped at about 12amp, or used with 240v power, with no Neutral, up to 30amps.

Confusing, but the best option might be to just plug into an unused household circuit with your 120v Mobile Charger adapter. If you make sure the circuit has little to nothing else used by it, you'll be charging, although slowly, with few issues.

 

[Amps]

Please carefully heed Posts #4 & #5 @KristovM

It's a NEMA 6-50 receptacle, sometimes referred to as a welder plug. Pay attention to breaker size and conductor size. There is nothing in your house comparable to an EVSE that draws 80% of its high amperage maximum circuit capacity for hours on end. It's nothing to play around with.

In the image of the NEMA 6-50 plug in your hand, what is at the other end of the cord?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEMA_connector#/media/File:NEMA_simplified_pins.svg

 

[RickLightning]

Please carefully heed Posts #4 & #5 @KristovM

It's a NEMA 6-50 receptacle, sometimes referred to as a welder plug. Pay attention to breaker size and conductor size. There is nothing in your house comparable to an EVSE that draws 80% of its high amperage maximum circuit capacity for hours on end. It's nothing to play around with.

In the image of the NEMA 6-50 plug in your hand, what is at the other end of the cord?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEMA_connector#/media/File:NEMA_simplified_pins.svg

Tag says a kiln.

 

[Amps]

Tag says a kiln.

It sure does , which is probably about the most comparable thing you could have to an EVSE in most homes. Even resistive electric furnaces and baseboard heating didn't draw its maximum load continuously for hours.

Proper conductor/breaker size and that circuit should be well-suited for EVSE use with a NEMA 6-50P to 14-50R dogbone or adaptor.

 

[merek]

It would be nice if Ford sold different cords for different plugs -- I think Tesla does, but I haven't seen the same from Ford...

https://shop.tesla.com/product/gen-2-nema-adapters

 

[Crilly]

We do have grounding wires, but they go to the same place in the panel.

 

[FlasherZ]

We do have grounding wires, but they go to the same place in the panel.

Now true ONLY in the service entrance panel, where ground is bonded to neutral and connected to the building EGC. If you have a subpanel that was installed post-1999, it is now required that grounds and neutrals remain separate, and that the subpanel be fed with 4 wires instead of 3. There is a later exception for separate buildings, but that was eliminated 2008 or 2011 code cycle, IIRC. In newer construction, grounds and neutrals must remain separate, and it's a bad idea to add even more ground-neutral connections (especially through appliances).

 

[Tony Burgh]

I have a temporary 14-50 receptacle wired 6-3 to an A/C type disconnect, all outside my house. The 60 amp A/C disconnect is wired 4-2 to a 50 amp breaker in the service panel. Needless to say, the neutral is taped and does not connect to the service panel. For the 2 or 3 times I have to charge with the mobile charger until my FCSP installation is complete, I’ll live with the non-code system. But I wouldn’t make it permanent.
The mobile charger works great on 240v. But should be relegated to the frunk in the next week, I hope.

 

[KristovM]

Thanks everyone for the input. I admit I'm still a bit overwhelmed. My takeaway is that the adapter will probably work, but I should contact an electrician to make sure.

 

[metroshot]

Thanks everyone for the input. I admit I'm still a bit overwhelmed. My takeaway is that the adapter will probably work, but I should contact an electrician to make sure.

Ask your electrician about the maximum current capable but also ask if he can switch out the wiring, breakers and outlet to a NEMA 14-50 to use with your Ford 32A mobile charger.

Much more efficient to not use an adapter.

Using a plug and outlet is fine for under 40A.

I purchased a 48A EVSE and it's hardwired to my breaker using 60A breakers.

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