Sponsored

What is the adapter needed to connect the included charging cable to the 240v connector in the bed?

hturnerfamily

Well-known member
First Name
William
Joined
Jan 8, 2022
Threads
45
Messages
1,895
Reaction score
2,269
Location
rural Georgia
Vehicles
22 LIGHTNING PRO IcedBlueSilver 8/23/2022
Occupation
Owner
BREAKERS are not pefect, they work on the principal of 'HEAT' being the mechanism that causes the handle to TRIP the breaker ... this, though, can lead to weak breakers over time, especially those, like at campgrounds, where they are much more exposed to temp and weather, and campers tripping these breakers on and off on a sometimes daily basis - most breakers in your home's panel are almost NEVER tripped.
I've seen this personally at several campgrounds over the years, and the one where I used my "Y" Dual 30a to 50a adapter, the two 30amp breakers were VERY weak - I had to carefully and slowly push them up to the point where they would stay 'engaged' with the power... and dialed by adjustable EVSE down to accommodate those weak breakers.

Some breakers will hold up to a little more than they are rated for, many others won't. EVSE are using somewhat unique 'CONSTANT' power, which means that a breaker which is not quite still capable of holding up to it's limits will probably be a problem. You might use it successully for almost anything else, but not the constant heat created by 30amps of power flowing thru it constantly for hours and hours.
You can use a fan to help 'cool' the breaker. You can leave the panel's door open to give it more 'room' to breath, etc., if you really, really, need to push it to it's limits.
Sponsored

 

RickLightning

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 17, 2022
Threads
81
Messages
5,071
Reaction score
6,729
Location
SE MI
Vehicles
'22 Lightning ER Lariat,'22 Mach-E Premium 4X
truck is designed to put out 9.6 kW
 

chl

Well-known member
First Name
CHRIS
Joined
Dec 16, 2022
Threads
6
Messages
938
Reaction score
501
Location
alexandria virginia
Vehicles
2001 FORD RANGER, 2023 F-150 LIGHTNING
truck is designed to put out 9.6 kW
Look at it this way...they (Ford) put a 50A plug on the mobile charger for a reason.
The reason is, they want you to use a 50A circuit.

Why do they want you to use a 50A circuit?

Because if the mobile charger draws 30A-32A, it needs to be on a circuit that can provide 37.5A to 40.0A using the NEC code 80% standard requirement without tripping the breaker.

The EVSE is considered a continuous load thus needs to be derated,

Why does the NEC code derate circuits you may ask? Heat.

Which is why the longer the distance the lower the AWG of the wire must be.

Wire has resistance, and as the length goes up, so does the resistance, as the resistance goes up, the voltage drop gets higher, as the voltage drops, to provide the same power to the load, the current has to increase, as the current increases, the wire needs to be of an AWG that will safely handle that current without overheating, melting the insulation and causing a fire.

This is why brown-outs burn things like motors and compressors up - as the voltage drops, the compressor draws higher current until, if you are unlucky, the motor coils fry.

In the case of the mobile charger, the issue is that it will carry current for over 3 hours and is considered a continuous load.

If Lightning owners do not want to risk burning up their 240V/30A outlet circuitry, assuming the breaker fails to trip (yes that can happen) they will NOT plug in a load that draws 30A like the mobile charger with an adapter on it.

As for the 9.6kW, my understanding is that number includes the output of the 120V circuits.

A 240V/30A circuit at a max provides 30 x 240 = 7.2kW.
That is Watts Law for a resistive load where the power factor is 1.0.

For inductive loads, for example, like motors, the power factor is less than 1.0 so less power can be delivered to the load for a given voltage and current.

The 120V outlets then max out at 2.4kW.

So for safety's sake, do not use and adapter on the mobile charger and plug it into a 30A circuit.

If you want to plug an EVSE into the 240V/30A outlet in the bed of the truck, find one that draws 24A or can be adjusted down to that level (24A/.80=30A, the 80% safety calculation per the NEC code).
 
Last edited:

chl

Well-known member
First Name
CHRIS
Joined
Dec 16, 2022
Threads
6
Messages
938
Reaction score
501
Location
alexandria virginia
Vehicles
2001 FORD RANGER, 2023 F-150 LIGHTNING
Look at it this way...they (Ford) put a 50A plug on the mobile charger for a reason....


PS: an EVSE charging an EV is considered a continuous load and thus needs to derated.

"The NEC definition of a continuous load is a load where the maximum current is expected to continue for 3 hours or more... The NEC requires a more conservative selection (125%) in the case of continuous loads due to increased heat dissipated by the circuit conductors as compared with noncontinuous loads. .."

See: https://www.csemag.com/articles/understanding-overcurrent-protection/

So 30A x 125% = 37.5A and 32A x 125% = 40A

A short duration load, like a garage door opener perhaps, would be safe at 100% since heating up the wires will not be a big factor.
Sponsored

 
Last edited:
 





Top