14-50 v 14-30

LivingWithPorsches

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Hi there, my Taycan is ship bound to America so I'm finally getting the garage plug going. It turns out my garage has a 14-30 circuit already setup in it, but I'm wondering if it worth the $1200 (according to my electrician) to switch it over to a 14-50 circuit. My understanding is the Mobile Charger Connect comes with a 14-50 plug, but it is possible to use an adaptor from a 14-50 to a 14-30 isn't it?

So I guess my questions are (looking fo opinions)
1. Is 14-30 (which won't cost me hardly anything) good enough or 14-50 worth the extra money (I assume this is a time to charge question)?
2. Do they sell adaptors to go from 14-50 cable to a 14-30 outlet (seems like it but maybe with the amp differences they don't)?
3. My electrician mentioned a 14-30R, anyone know what that means and what the difference is from a 14-30?

Thank you!
Dustin
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Miwa

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The only downside to the 14-30 is slower charging, which likely doesn't matter unless you are driving hundreds of miles a day. The difference is 24A vs. 40A. 24A @ 240V = 5.7kW. You can charge more than half the battery in 8hrs.

You might consider buying the 14-30 cable from Porsche, unless it's too expensive. It's physically possible to adapt the 14-50 cable to the 14-30 outlet, but you have to make sure the charger is set to not draw more than 24A if you do.

Your electrician won't put a 14-50R on the wall, so you either have to DIY (and put a huge note on the wall to remind 24A max) or use an adapter. Any adapter that goes the direction you want is going to be pretty sketchy, because normally plugging something that could draw 50A into a 30A circuit is a recipe for a fire... :p

I'd probably just pull the wire (and make sure it's 4-conductor!) and upgrade to the 14-50 and future proof yourself.

(oh yeah, in 14-30R, the R means receptacle, as in the outlet. The plug has a P)
 

daveo4EV

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+1 for @Miwa comments - they are spot on and excellent advice.

I’d recommend obtaining the Porsche 14-30 supply cable from Porsche - when that supply cable is attached the Porsche charger (EVSE) it will automatically set the proper charge rate at a maximum of 24 amps (30 amp breakers need an 80% load adjustment for EV charging)

and then if you are traveling with the vehicle you’ll have both a 14-30 and 14-50 supply cable you can use to charge at various businesses/hotels.

it will do you no harm to have the correct cable on the EVSE - and will give you options to charge at two different types of plugs.

you might check the existing wire guage in the 14-30 circuit - _IF_ it’s the correct gauge swapping the 14-30R and the breaker should be a quick/easy job - if you have to pull _NEW_ 14-50 rated wire that would be potentially costly given distance and the PITA factor…

do you know for sure the electrician confirmed the wire gauge is inappropriate for the circuit - or did he just assume the existing install was rated for 30 amps only…
 
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LivingWithPorsches

LivingWithPorsches

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Good advice, thanks. Re: your question
"do you know for sure the electrician confirmed the wire gauge is inappropriate for the circuit - or did he just assume the existing install was rated for 30 amps only…"
I'm not an expert with electrical so bear with me. I think he realized it looked like a 220v but when he put his meter on it was actually 110. He said that he could run a single additional wire and then be able to make it a 30amp, but if I wanted a 50amp he'd need to replace the entire conduit bc the wiring gauge wasn't thick enough. I'm paraphrasing so take what I say with a grain of salt.
I confirmed I have both the mobile connect and 25' cord in my build, so if they both come as 14-50 it seems best to add that.
Looks like some good info on building a 'road warrior kit' as well. I'll need that since I plan on road tripping it down 101 to the bay area in August.
 

wmras

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I think he realized it looked like a 220v but when he put his meter on it was actually 110. He said that he could run a single additional wire and then be able to make it a 30amp, but if I wanted a 50amp he'd need to replace the entire conduit bc the wiring gauge wasn't thick enough. I'm paraphrasing so take what I say with a grain of salt.
I confirmed I have both the mobile connect and 25' cord in my build, so if they both come as 14-50 it seems best to add that.
Looks like some good info on building a 'road warrior kit' as well. I'll need that since I plan on road tripping it down 101 to the bay area in August.
The existing conduit may be large enough to run three wires to a 6-50R socket (common welding configuration). A tree-wire circuit is my preferred connection because you do not need the neutral wire - it just adds more noise to your electrical system. Save money on the electrician and buy the Porsche 6-50P plug for the charger. Keep both the Porsche 14-50P plug and 6-50P plug for emergencies on the road.
 


daveo4EV

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+1 for @wmras - NEMA 6-50 might "fit" in the existing conduit - and a NEMA 14-50 to NEMA 6-50 adapter would carry no risk - as you are just converting one 50 amp plug type to another 50 amp plug type…kudos that's an excellent idea

different between NEMA 14-50 vs. 6-50 is 3 wires vs 4 wires

NEMA 14-50 - 2 hots, neutral, ground
NEMA 6-50 - 2 hots, ground (no neutral)

EVSE's (car chargers) don't use the neutral so it's un-necessary for EV charging - the neutral is present in the NEMA 14-50 so that RV's can pull 120 volts from one hot + neutral…

$34 for the converter - https://smile.amazon.com/14-50R-Ada...ords=nema+14-50+to+6-50&qid=1593555803&sr=8-4

and useful for road warrior "kit"

high level plan
  1. pull new 3 wire 50 amp rated wire in existing conduit (if it will fit)
  2. replace 30 amp breaker with a 50 amp breaker (you can do that because you've pulled new wire)
  3. attach a NEMA 6-50R plug type to the end of the new wire
  4. obtain the NEMA 14-50 to 6-50 plug adapter
  5. charge your Taycan at it's full 40 amp capacity
I recommend the 14-50 to 6-50 adapter vs. the Porsche 6-50 supply cable, because Porsche charges an arm/leg for the various supply cables - and since you don't need to adjust the EVSE charge settings - the supply cable route is un-necessary - a simple adapter will do the trick.

road warrior kit could then be:

1. NEMA 14-50 supply cable - comes with car
2. 6-50 to 14-50 adapter from amazon - home charging and road warrior kit
3. NEMA SS2-50P - another 50 amp adapter for the road warrior kit

and you'd be all set.
 

wmras

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+1 for @wmras - NEMA 6-50 might "fit" in the existing conduit - and a NEMA 14-50 to NEMA 6-50 adapter would carry no risk - as you are just converting one 50 amp plug type to another 50 amp plug type…kudos that's an excellent idea

different between NEMA 14-50 vs. 6-50 is 3 wires vs 4 wires

NEMA 14-50 - 2 hots, neutral, ground
NEMA 6-50 - 2 hots, ground (no neutral)

EVSE's (car chargers) don't use the neutral so it's un-necessary for EV charging - the neutral is present in the NEMA 14-50 so that RV's can pull 120 volts from one hot + neutral…

$34 for the converter - https://smile.amazon.com/14-50R-Ada...ords=nema+14-50+to+6-50&qid=1593555803&sr=8-4

and useful for road warrior "kit"

high level plan
  1. pull new 3 wire 50 amp rated wire in existing conduit (if it will fit)
  2. replace 30 amp breaker with a 50 amp breaker (you can do that because you've pulled new wire)
  3. attach a NEMA 6-50R plug type to the end of the new wire
  4. obtain the NEMA 14-50 to 6-50 plug adapter
  5. charge your Taycan at it's full 40 amp capacity
I recommend the 14-50 to 6-50 adapter vs. the Porsche 6-50 supply cable, because Porsche charges an arm/leg for the various supply cables - and since you don't need to adjust the EVSE charge settings - the supply cable route is un-necessary - a simple adapter will do the trick.

road warrior kit could then be:

1. NEMA 14-50 supply cable - comes with car
2. 6-50 to 14-50 adapter from amazon - home charging and road warrior kit
3. NEMA SS2-50P - another 50 amp adapter for the road warrior kit

and you'd be all set.
Love your inputs David - very nice work.

If you only used the 6-50P to 14-50R adapter on your EV you would have a safe but illegal US electrical code connection - code would not allow an adapter to convert a two-wire receptacle to a three-wire receptacle. US code would allow an adapter to convert a three-wire receptacle to a two-wire receptacle.

Consider my personal starter road warrior kit:
  • Porsche 6-50P cable (selected when ordered)
  • Porsche 14-30P cable (purchase)
  • NEMA 14-50P to NEMA 6-50R Adapter
All plug connections to 6-50R, 14-50R, and 14-30R would then be to US code and as safe as possible (no worry about software or power glitches causing the charger to draw too much current from low-power circuits)

And you only have to run a three-wire circuit in your garage!

Edit corrected plug (P) and receptacle (R) label errors.
 
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Matrix1776

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You can always get an outlet much cheaper, just install it by your sub panel.

If you’re buying a Taycan, and probably will again, or maybe another electric, why not invest in a simple 14-50 outlet. That was my thought, as the future is headed that way.

That said, until I got my outlet I just used a dryer/14-50 splitter and set it to 24a. Just don’t use both at the same time, and the Porsche Mobile Charger has to be scaled back not the full 40 amps.
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