NEMA 14-50 outlet question

[daveo4EV]

the included charger with the car is more than sufficient (Porsche Mobile Charger Plus PMC+) - but…

• some people want/need/prefer a 25 ft charging cable - PMC+ is 15ft IIRC
• you want more than 40 amp charging capacity
• the Porsche Mobile Charger Connect (PMCC) is $1120 - this comes with an optional $0 25ft cable
  • there are way way way better options for 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of the PMCC if you want/need 25ft cable
• both the PMC+/PMCC NEMA 14-50/6-50 supply cords get a bit toasty when used for multiple hours - this is due to Porsching using 10 gauge wire instead of 8 gauge wire - this is disappointing for a high priced "premium" charger
• PMC+/PMCC are quite heavy
• PMC+/PMCC are kinda bulky vs. competitive offerings - hardly "mobile"
• PMC+/PMCC have a limited selection of alternative NEMA plug adapters
• Porsche charges way way way too much $$ for the alternative NEMA plug adapters
• a full 2nd PMCC purchased from Porsche separately from the vehicle is over $3000 in parts cost
  • this is simply ridiculous
• 2nd home EV charger?
• One charger to "live" in the garage and one charger to always have in the vehicle for charging away from home…

if the PMC+ was not included with the vehicle there are better and more affordable alternatives to the VW/Audi/Porsche factory charger

since the PMC+ is included with the vehicle it is sufficient and a decent option

as a "mobile" charger to carry on the road with you there are smaller, lighter, cheaper, and more functional alternatives for way less money than the Porsche options.

I'm not opposed to the "porsche premium" - but in this case Porsche is providing an inferior product at a price that is simply beyond expensive with virtual no value proposition vs. excellent 3rd party alternatives.

I prefer: charge point, clipper creek, Porsche Wall Charger, Tesla, juice box, Mustart

EV chargers are NOT vendor specific - any J-1772 charger will charge any EV in North America - they are like USB phone chargers - you can buy one charger that will charge _ANY_ EV.

Porsche Wall Charger is only slightly more $$$ thant he PMCC and a way way way better product at a price that is very competitive vs. competition.

the PMC+ is fine/sufficient but lack luster
the PMCC is stupid expensive for an inferior product
the Porsche Wall Charger is a great choice for a non-mobile charger (15-100 amps) (there are others as well)

Sponsored

 

[IrwinJ]

Numerous discussions on this in Forum - no real benefit at all if all you need is the std 40A plug in wall charger. However, as I previously stated, I have a hard wired 50A (60A fuse) setup for my ChargePoint with faster charging to my car which I prefer.

Also I will never forget to bring my portable as it lives 100% of the time in my car - have done multiple long trips using destination chargers and/or B&B supplied 14-50 sockets where I use the portable charger. So mostly just convenience for me and a realized boost in charge rate at home with the hard wired setup.

got it thanks. In my case I'm extremely unlikely to travel outside of my city, instead we'll use my husband's gas guzzling BMW X5 M50 so

the included charger with the car is more than sufficient (Porsche Mobile Charger Plus PMC+) - but…

• some people want/need/prefer a 25 ft charging cable - PMC+ is 15ft IIRC
• you want more than 40 amp charging capacity
• the Porsche Mobile Charger Connect (PMCC) is $1120 - this comes with an optional $0 25ft cable
  • there are way way way better options for 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of the PMCC if you want/need 25ft cable
• both the PMC+/PMCC NEMA 14-50/6-50 supply cords get a bit toasty when used for multiple hours - this is due to Porsching using 10 gauge wire instead of 8 gauge wire - this is disappointing for a high priced "premium" charger
• PMC+/PMCC are quite heavy
• PMC+/PMCC are kinda bulky vs. competitive offerings - hardly "mobile"
• PMC+/PMCC have a limited selection of alternative NEMA plug adapters
• Porsche charges way way way too much $$ for the alternative NEMA plug adapters
• a full 2nd PMCC purchased from Porsche separately from the vehicle is over $3000 in parts cost
  • this is simply ridiculous
• 2nd home EV charger?
• One charger to "live" in the garage and one charger to always have in the vehicle for charging away from home…

if the PMC+ was not included with the vehicle there are better and more affordable alternatives to the VW/Audi/Porsche factory charger

since the PMC+ is included with the vehicle it is sufficient and a decent option

as a "mobile" charger to carry on the road with you there are smaller, lighter, cheaper, and more functional alternatives for way less money than the Porsche options.

I'm not opposed to the "porsche premium" - but in this case Porsche is providing an inferior product at a price that is simply beyond expensive with virtual no value proposition vs. excellent 3rd party alternatives.

I prefer: charge point, clipper creek, Porsche Wall Charger, Tesla, juice box, Mustart

EV chargers are NOT vendor specific - any J-1772 charger will charge any EV in North America - they are like USB phone chargers - you can buy one charger that will charge _ANY_ EV.

Porsche Wall Charger is only slightly more $$$ thant he PMCC and a way way way better product at a price that is very competitive vs. competition.

the PMC+ is fine/sufficient but lack luster
the PMCC is stupid expensive for an inferior product
the Porsche Wall Charger is a great choice for a non-mobile charger (there are others as well)

thanks for that info. In my case my Taycan comes with the PMCC including the 25' cable which I don't really need (until maybe if/when we get another EV), so based on your input, I don't think I need to look for a different charger.

 

[Allegedly]

just curious, what is benefit/reason you're using a third party charger as opposed to the charger that comes with the car?

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

ChargePoint is NEMA 3R so it's outdoor rated. I like a clean garage. I know, I know, NEMA 4 is garden hose blast rated so don't try that at home but you definitely can't do that with the rain drop fragile Porsche PMC+

PMC+ included with the car is 40A 9.6kW. I've seen several mentions that this charges at "up to 11 kW" but the book says otherwise.

ChargePoint was $699 minus the 30% tax credit ($490). Mine is hardwired and set to 48A (60A breaker) so it's the fastest level 2 the car can handle.

Had I not gone with a hardwire option, I would have spent $180 on the outlet that seems to be the one that doesn't melt when used with an EVSE along with a weatherproof cover.

Forget the rumors of a TSB for the PMC+ overheating, I just wanted something better and it was pretty inexpensive.

 

[Taytayshayshay]

Do you guys know if your electrician needed 6/3 wire or 6/2 wire for the 14-50 NEMA outlet? Looks like it's a pretty big price difference over the long 100 foot run I need to run.

 

[TaycanCook]

14-50 needs two hot wires + neutral + ground. Your conduit might be acting as the ground, so then you'd need 3 wires. AWG, I won't comment, as your electrician will be making the call for the run length and load.

 

[daveo4EV]

change to a NEMA 6-50 - it's functionally identical to NEMA 14-50 - but only needs 6/2 wire (2 hots + ground) - no neutral is required - you can purchase a NEMA 6-50 to 14-50 pigtail/adapter from Amazon for way less than $50 - and this adapter is useful for traveling - because you can then use a 6-50 or 14-50 outlet when you're away from home and traveling - by having this adapter you can plug a Porsche PMC+/PMCC into a either a 6-50 OR 14-50 plug when away from home - useful and cheap and effective…so dual purpose - solves your problem at home, and extra credit, provides flexibility when traveling (* - this is assuming you've ordered your PMC+/PMCC charger included with Taycan with $0 standard 14-50 supply cable and want to plug it into your 6-50 plug you install in your garage).

Most/nearly-all North American EV chargers (techically called EVSE's - PMC+/PMCC is an EVSE) do not use or require the neutral * (see foot note below)

the reason most North American EVSE's include a 14-50 plug is that in the big wide great North American electrical landscape of existing plugs 14-50 plugs are much much more common than any other 240V/50 amp plug (every North American RV/campground with power has 14-50's for example - and there are a LOT of RV parks and campgrounds in North America - useful "fast" EV charging stops in early days before public chargers were common) - but 14-50 is not electrically "required" for an EVSE - EVSE's operate equally well on 6-50 and 10-50 plugs (10-50 is less common than 6-50, but identical electrically) - EVSE's only require/utilize 2 hots and ground - _IF_ there is a neutral connector present (as there is an 14-50 outlet) it's "ignored" and not wired up - close inspection of the Porsche 14-50 supply cable for the PMC+/PMCC will show there isn't even an electrical conductor/connection in the cable assembly to electrically connect the netural - also VW/Audi/Porsche sells a optional 6-50 supply cable for the PMC+/PMCC - and it's a $0 option if you order it with your build instead of a 14-50 - but I recommend you get the 14-50, not because it's "superior" but it's more "compatible" with plugs you might encounter when you are away from your home charging setup…see above about how common 14-50 is "in the wild".

14-50 wins because it's the most common form of a 240V/50 amp plug - not because it's required - an EVSE can operate on ANY 240V/50 amp AC circuit on any NEMA plug type if you can find an adapter to match the plug shape/size - and strangely NEMA has about 10 or 12 defined 240V/50 amp plug types - but 14-50/6-50/10-50 are by far the most common with others being just ridiculously small in their installed base (percentage I would estimate 14-50 60% installed base, 6-50 30% installed base, 10-50 5% installed base, and all others spliting the remaining 5%) - so 14-50 is the overwhelming winner in terms of what you'll "see" if you took a sample of what plug type you'll find for existing 240V/50 amp plugs in homes/parks/campgrounds/buildings/facilities…

but 6-50/14-50/10-50 plugs are electrically identical from the point of view of an EVSE - they are just different shaped plugs for a North American 240V/50 amp AC electrical circuit - 14-50 is the preferred plug for RV's because it has a neutral which is required for 120V appliances inside of an RV (hot, neutral, ground) - and it provides two "legs" of 120V power for the RV to use…

for an EV charger there is zero issues with a NEMA 6-50 plug - and using an adapter to covert a 6-50 plug to 14-50 is safe/effective for an EVSE…

why not purchase the Porsche 6-50 supply cable and also the 14-50 supply cable? This is also an option - and Porsche makes a 6-50 supply cable for the PMC+/PMCC (VW/Audi also - same part - even same part #) - but they charge way way way way tooooooo much money - it's like $200-$270 last time I checked (VW/Audi/Porsche parts prices from service), and honestly there is simply no reason for 1 ft of 3 wire electrical cable to cost that much - the $25-$50 adapters from amazon or home depot are equally safe, effective and easy to use - and the money you save is signficant - if Porsche charged like $90 or less I'd buy the official 6-50 supply cable from VW/Audi/Porsche parts - why not? (or get your dealer to throw one in for free) then I'd be all for it - but at $200 or more - I'm very very comfortable with a generic adapter from Amazon like the one linked later in this thread…

a NEMA 6-50 plug will save significant money on a 100' wire pull since there are only 3, and not 4 copper conductors (2 hots + ground) - and functionally provide exactly the same power/current for any well made EV charger…

* - some EV chargers (I'm looking at you Juice box) require a NEMA 14-50 - but it's not for charging the car - it's to run off the shelf standard 120V AC components inside the charger unrelated to charging the EV (wifi, LCD screens, linux computer, and other non EV charging components). A _PURE_ EV charger like the PMC+/PMCC, ClipperCreek, Tesla, ChargePoint, Blink, Grizzly, and most others run equally well on a 6-50 plug, 14-50 plug, or hardwired (2 hots + ground) and do not require a 120V feed has part of their power setup. The Porsche PMC+/PMCC & Porsche Wall charger - are all 3 wire chargers (2 hots+ground) - so a 6-50 plug will be perfectly functional. But you'll want a 14-50 solution for compatibility and simplicity when encountering a random 240V/50 amp plug away from home - as noted it's likely to be a 14-50 cause they are very very very common.

EVSE = Electrical Vehicle Supply Equipment - this is the technical name for what people commonly call the charger - it is in fact NOT a charger - it's glorified on/off switch that simply lets AC power flow or not flow under control from the vehicle onboard charger - the actual EV charger is deep inside your Taycan and it is what converts AC power to DC power (required by all batteries) and controls and charges the battery - the EVSE is simply a standardized power flow regulator and is actually quite "dumb" as appliances go - it is so simple and so standard that this is why EVSE's are NOT vendor specific - you Taycan will charge from ANY North American EVSE, and any North American EVSE will charge _ANY_ EV - because they are so dumb/simple - they work with most any vehicle - if this was not the case - your EV would be not be able to charge from random public chargers at work, the mall, or hotels, or shopping centers. The standard is called SAE J-1772 and is supported by all EV vendors currently selling EV's in North America. The Porsche PMC+/PMCC is a standards compliant SAE J-1772 EVSE so it is expected to be able to charge your Chevy Bolt, Nissan Leaf, KIa, Ford, or any other North American EV…

 

[daveo4EV]

here is a high quality, safe, and effective adapter for $25 from Amazon - one day delivery

https://smile.amazon.com/14-50R-Rec...2&sprefix=6-50+to+14-50+adapte,aps,208&sr=8-8

 

[TaycanCook]

If you're going to be using that receptacle for something beyond EV charging, put in the neutral. If it's only going to be used for the EV, maybe a typical welder, then 6-50 will suffice. I prefer to over engineer for the future use cases than having to deal with it down the line.

 

[daveo4EV]

Do you guys know if your electrician needed 6/3 wire or 6/2 wire for the 14-50 NEMA outlet? Looks like it's a pretty big price difference over the long 100 foot run I need to run.

also investigate cost difference for pulling 4/2 or 2/2 wire - for future higher amp hardwired charger - you can put a 6-50 plug on 4/2 or 2/2 wire and 50 amp breaker (it's completely safe - teh wire will be overspec for 50 amps, but that will pass code, because it will actually behave better and run cooler) - but in the future if you want to upgrade your charger to more than 50 amps - you can use the existing 100' wire pull - and simply sway the breaker and the EV charger to be hardwired and upgrade to a 60 amp or 80 amp charger in the future. Do it once, pay for it once, upgrade it later.

 

[daveo4EV]

If you're going to be using that receptacle for something beyond EV charging, put in the neutral. If it's only going to be used for the EV, maybe a typical welder, then 6-50 will suffice. I prefer to over engineer for the future use cases than having to deal with it down the line.

I agree with this advice - generally - but honestly in surveying 50 amp home applicances - very very very few actually require a 14-50…even when they come with a 14-50 plug.

but say you want to use this plug for it's historical use case (RV hook up) - then yeah pulling the neutral is required so the plug/circuit could be used for either an EV charger _OR_ power an RV in the drive way…plugging an RV into a 50 amp circuit with no neutral is bad bad juju and unsafe and not recommended, but RV's actually use and require the neutral and strange and dangerous things will happen when you try and use power from a 6-50 plug with a device/vehicle/appliance that actually requires the neutral.

but EV chargers do not need the neutral…so 6-50 plug type is safe, recommended, and completely allowed.

but most home appliances I've encountered over the years that are 240V appliances are actually 3 wire appliances and if they provide a 14-50 it's for simplicity and compatibility, but they also ignore and do not require the neutral…but you never know - and it's cheaper now to pull 4 wires than doing it again later - so there is a LOT of wisdom to that recommendation

but if this is only for EV charging and nothing else - you can save some money and only pull wire for a 6-50 plug.

if you're pulling wire - you could also just get a hardwired 3 wire EV charger (like a ClipperCreek or Porsche Wall charger) and bump your breaker to 60, 70, 80 amps - the standard Taycan will charge at up to 48 amps (60 amp breaker) - or up to 80 amps (100 amp breaker) if you purchase the 19.2 kW charger option (80 amps w/100 amp breaker). Hardwired EV chargers only need 3 wires - and come in various amp sizes (Porsche's Wall charger is configurable from 15-80 amps (20 to 100 amp breaker)) - if you pull 6/4/2 gauge wire you can handle more than 50 amps and install a 60/70/80 amp EV charger to minimize your charging time at home. You don't have to restrict yourself to 50 amps, but it would mean purchasing another charger (not required) and the included charger provided with the vehicle would be mostly unused unless you take it with you when traveling. So it's extra money that will have little ROI…but it is an option.

I believe 14-50/6-50 can even be 8/2 wire (cheaper than 6 and I know you drop gauge depending on length of run) - but I'm not a licensed electrician - so what do I know - go with what your electrician recommends and will pass building code - if the building inspector asks you - tell them you're getting a ClipperCreek HCS-50 charger with a NEMA 6-50 plug (true existing product and specifys a 6-50 plug) - and they will have no further questions - no need to tell them about the whole 6-50 to 14-50 adapter and it doesn't matter for the Porsche charger rant which also has a 6-50 option - show the spec's/install guide (free pdf's from clipper creek) for the ClipperCreek HCS-50 w/NEMA 6-50 plug and they will sign off on the install cause you're installing a 6-50 based EVSE - it can be our little secret that you plan to use a 14-50 based EVSE with a 6-50 plug cause you know better and have order a $25 adapter from amazon (or the 6-50 supply cable from Porsche for $263.75).

NOTE: Tesla also has a 14-50 & 6-50 plug adapter for all their EV chargers - so that also proves the 14-50 is a simplicity/compatibility plug - not a functionally required plug.

 

[Taytayshayshay]

thanks all for the detailed advice!

 

[daveo4EV]

thanks all for the detailed advice!

you are welcome

the upshot is you have choices - it all depends what your long term goals are…and where/how you want to spend money…frankly I'd pull "less" wire (3 wire vs. 4 wire) but upgrade the gauge (more amps at potentially more wire/copper $$$ cost but better value proposition because all the wire will be actually used as opposed to one wire being entirely "idle/unused") and "upgrade" the EVSE to 60/70/80 amp breaker (with matching hardwired non-plug based EVSE)…I'd rather spend same/more money on a better EVSE than passive 4th wire that's just going to sit there for building code compliance because of an arbitrary NEMA plug choice - even money bet is if you install 4 wires - the 4th wire (electrical neutral) will _NEVER_ be used during it's life - so it's wasted money - but that's just me…and I'm a bit nuts on this stuff (you will save a LOT of money not listening to me and just going with a NEMA 14-50/6-50 install).

much better to spend the same or more money on 4 or 2 gauge (high amp) wire (3 copper wires, 2 hots + ground) and then install a 70/80 amp EVSE (hard wired doesn't even use a plug Porsche Wall Charger w/80 amp breaker = 64 amps of EVSE charging goodness FTW) so that your Taycan and any future EV's charge as fast as possible…EVSE's are NOT vendor specific - so your Ford F150 EV will also charge from this bad boy!!!

more value in spending same or more money on upgraded EVSE capability - than building code compliance for an unused 4th wire - at least that's one line of reasoning.

You're much more likely to use/benefit from a higher amp EVSE with your current Taycan or future EV - than to need the neutral… (remember the standard Taycan WILL charge faster from a 60 amp or greater EVSE vs. a NEMA 14-50/6-50 EVSE - standard Taycan will charge at 48 amps which is a 60 amp breaker if your EVSE is 60 amps or more - if the EVSE is more the standard Taycan will max out at 48 amps - but other EV's you purchase may utilize more amps Lucid and Ford F150 & Rivian all have > 48 amp chargers on their EV's for example).

the netural is just going to sit there unused for buliding code compliance because you have a NEMA 14-50 plug - which specifies and requires a neutral - but other than an actual RV - most 240V appliances do not require a neutral -so you're potentially paying for "copper" that will never be used.

To be clear - NEMA 14-50/6-50 is more than sufficient - and you now have a good background on the choices…and options - so I'm hoping my (and others) contributions let you make a well informed decision about how to spend the money and why you're spending the money. You can't go wrong with a NEMA 14-50 install - 6-50 is an option but you're going to want/require an adapter or 6-50 supply cable from Porsche…and again 14-50 is really really good for Taycan and future EV's. So all this blather is is simply a bit of overkill, but not completely useless.

 

[daveo4EV]

NOTE: some people - risky dangerous people - no good down right rotten people that do not value their personal safety or their family's, or neighbors or their home…do the following:

Spoiler: DO NOT DO THIS! FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY - BAD IDEA - IF YOU DO THIS YOU ASSUME ALL RISK AND LIABILITY AND ADMIT YOU ARE PERSONALLY STUPID FOR FOLLOWING INTERNET ADVICE

some bad people pull only 3 wires - put a NEMA 14-50 plug on the wall but only wire up 3 of 4 possible connections for simplicity/compatibility/stupidity (leaving the neutral part of the 14-50 plug "unwired/unconnected" - unfulfilled and empty - lacking in focus or vision and forever wishing for completion that will never come - lashing out violently to the first appliance and/or device that discovers their weakness, their secret, their lack of connection - they destroy their future mates because of their lack of fulfillment…it's ugly and unnecessary)

these bad people, knowing intimately the secrets of this lone 14-50 neutral lacking plug, pair their 14-50 based (not juice box) EVSE with this special plug which then works just fine for some period of time - until it doesn't…

they do this to save $25 from an Amazon/Home Depot adapter - and they provide an unfulfilled promise of glorious AC power @ 240V/50 amps along with two legs of AC 120V/50 amps w/Neutral - this promise goes unfulfilled and eventually haunt all that encounter this lie, this abomination, this building code violating jury-rigging setup that is mostly functional but only for a narrow use case…the mythical EVSE - the one glorious 240V/50 amp appliance that doesn't need/require/demand a neutral…and will revel in and tolerate this glorious but misleading hack - but dance lightly and adeptly in this deformed but special unique 14-50 configuration - it's special partner - the two peas in pod - until the EVSE replaced by a new device that doesn't know or appreciate 14-50's deviant secrets - for EVSE is the one true device/appliance that will will match this unique and deformed NEMA neutral lacking 14-50 plug - and they will be with each other and cherish each other - and they will charge EV's for all time and eternity - because it is a coupling made in engineering pragmatic it's late and home depot is closed and I want to finish this DIY project tonight heaven - but it is an illusion, and fleeting moment in time, something not made to last, something sinister that will eventually lead to doom because, EVSE and 14-50 will eventually part, be seprated or torn apart, and another intolerant device will attempt to pair with this unique 14-50 plug - and 14-50's deformity and defiency will be discovered by this new neutral requiring device and pain and suffering will rain down on the land…and all will feel mislead…and shame will fall on those that brought this plug into existance…for the new device lacks tolerance for 14-50's chosen life style - and will cast aspersions on it's choices, it's make up, it's lack of neutrality.

those who birthed 14-50 with 3 wires LIE - these scoff laws - these building code violators - they make bad decisions that can easily be avoided - they are no good down right liars, politicians, and criminals and nar-do-wells - and this goes badly for them later in life…

• this will NEVER pass county inspection
• would be dangerous for future owners since they may see a 14-50 plug and assume it has a neutral - which it does not…it's a lie - a tease - an invitation to mess up…
  • when the future owner burns down the house and finds out you failed to disclose this fact you'll be personally liable and they will win in court - probably
• could cause damage to 14-50 based appliances that actually require a neutral
• and may invalidate your home owners insurance if there was ever an issue and the insurance company noted this and decided to deny your claim because of non-compliant electrical wiring
• no reputable electrician would/should do this
• you've been warned
• do not do this
• sometime they label this bastard faulty degenerate dangerous plug with a warning "EVSE ONLY" in a desparate attempt to believe that will avoid future disaster - that may or may not work (most likely not work) - but if you have a NEMA 14-50 plug with no Neutral wired up behind the scenes you better be damn sure it's only used with appliances/devices that don't require a neutral
  • do you feel lucky punk? well do you?
  • but you can't be sure all future devices will be compliant with this assumption - so that's why it's a bad idea
• you are essentially lying to all future users/consumers of this plug - you are promising them a fully functional NEMA 14-50 plug- but then pulling the rug out from underneath them
  • when they find out about this - they will be sad - then they will be mad - and then they will seek revenge on you and your off spring
  • they will point and laugh at your stupidity
  • and it will not go well for you because you didn't install a 6-50/10-50 plug which would not have promised the non-existent electrical neutral - for 6-50/10-50 plugs do not grant or require or expect a neutral - they are immune from such concerns and bath in the simplicity of worry free power with two 120v hots and a partner ground…for what could be simpler and more pure?
    • Neutral? we don't need no stink'n netural! For we are NEMA 6-50 and/or 10-50 and we support all free spirited EVSE's - for they also bath and relish the simplicity of worry free power with no Neutral - so let us be matched and open - for we are 3 wire plugs and support all other 3 wire devices in solidarity, support, and mutual benefit for the powe of mankind…
  • future users of a bastard NEMA 14-50 will ask "why?" did you do this?
    • and you will have no good answer
    • and this will not go well for you…

but in the end - it works for an EVSE - cause in the end the EVSE doesn't use the neutral.

but it is a bad idea - and 8 years from now when the current EVSE craps out, and you buy a new one with a 14-50 plug and it actually requires the neutral for some reason - you'll plug in it and bad juju will happen and potentially fry your brand new EVSE that required a neutral…and you forgot that you didn't wire up the neutral because that person on the internet told you it would be ok and your house burns down from the EVSE lighting itself on fire from the lack of neutral - you'll feel bad and it won't be worth it.

don't take electrical advise from the internet - there are licenced and bonded electricians for a reason - and all these building code are mostly there from painful past experience. IF you install a NEMA 14-50 plug - there is neutral in that plug design FOR A REASON - wire it up!!! If you don't want to plug a neutral (to save money on a 100' pull) slam a 6-50 on the end of that bad boy - no one expects a 6-50 plug to have a Neutral - and they won't they try and plug a 14-50 appliance into it cause that's not was it was designed for.

why oh why did they pull 3 wires and yet put a 14-50 plug on the end of these 3 wires, rather than the standard and approved and building code compliant 6-50/10-50 plug - we'll never know, but sometimes they do it - and it's bad - is that why they do it? Because it feels good to be bad?

we'll never know, but please don't do this - even though it will work for your EVSE - don't do it.

Spent the $25 on a NEMA 6-50 plug from Home Depot - turn off the breaker - and spend the 20 minutes to install a 6-50/10-50 NEMA plug - and don't promise something you can't deliver.

failing to wire up the Neutral will be the least neutral thing you ever do…

NEMA 14-xx = 4 wires (2 hots, 1 neutral + ground)
NEMA 6-xx = 3 wires (2 hots + ground)
NEMA 10-xx - 3 wires (2 hots + ground)

match the correct plug to the correct number of wires - there is no reason not to.

but an EVSE will work with most/any 3 wire install - and if it's a 4 wire install (14-xx) it will work with that also, because it doesn't matter.

but some people do this bad thing - there are bad people in the world.

forgive the prose - it was late - I was trying to have some fun - it's the internet - and we can all ignore this post if you choose to…apologies if anyone feels this was bad.

 

[Windpower]

failing to wire up the Neutral will be the least neutral thing you ever do…

Bottom line: when installing a 14-50 receptacle, have your electrician run 4 wires: two hots, one neutral and one ground. The electrician will know what kind of wires to run. When I did my house 5 years ago, I ran 8 gauge THHN in conduit to a 14-50 receptacle. I have a 50 amp breaker protecting the wire and run my Juicebox EVSE at 32 amps (though I could go to 40 amps with the wire size and breaker).

If I were to do it over today, since I have 2 EVs, I would have run 6 gauge THHN in conduit which would support 60 amp charging. Since this is over 50 amps (the limit of a 14-50 receptacle ) I would need to replace the receptacle with a hard wired connection (junction box). But 95% of the work is running the wires through conduit and you don’t want to be like me: regretting the wires I ran.

 

[daveo4EV]

Bottom line: when installing a 14-50 receptacle, have your electrician run 4 wires: two hots, one neutral and one ground. The electrician will know what kind of wires to run. When I did my house 5 years ago, I ran 8 gauge THHN in conduit to a 14-50 receptacle. I have a 50 amp breaker protecting the wire and run my Juicebox EVSE at 32 amps (though I could go to 40 amps with the wire size and breaker).

If I were to do it over today, since I have 2 EVs, I would have run 6 gauge THHN in conduit which would support 60 amp charging. Since this is over 50 amps (the limit of a 14-50 receptacle ) I would need to replace the receptacle with a hard wired connection (junction box). But 95% of the work is running the wires through conduit and you don’t want to be like me: regretting the wires I ran.

the Clippercreek charger with two J-1772 cords & plugs and does split load charging and plugs right into a NEMA 14-50/6-50 outlet is ideal for multi-EV households.

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