What Brand NEMA 14-50 Outlets to Get or Watch Out For?

[Mark3575]

While waiting for my Taycan delivery, I recently had a 50 amp circuit installed in my garage by a licensed electrician. Got the permit and the county inspector approved the install yesterday. The electrician installed a NEMA 14-50 outlet upside down as I asked and as needed for the Taycan. So I've since noticed by reading here in the Forum, that not all NEMA outlets are created equal and I'm wondering if the one he installed is robust enough or if I need to install something better built so that I don't burn down my home...

He installed a Legrand Pass & Seymour 14-50 outlet that does not quite match what P&S shows on their website or on their datasheet. Lettering is in different places which makes me wonder if what was installed is counterfeit.

So I'm wondering:

1) Does anyone have this same brand outlet, and if so,

2) Have you had any issues with it?

3) What brand are you using that is holding up well?

4) And other than Leviton, what other brands should I stay away from?

Thanks.

 

[daveo4EV]

Hubble NEMA 14-50 - very very heavy duty - Tesla uses them for in home charging installs…they are about 10x costs vs. the $8 Leviton ones at Home Depot…and you can feel the difference between a Hubble and a cheaper one just in weight when you hold the two together.

https://smile.amazon.com/Hubbell-Wi...ds=hubbell+14-50+outlet&qid=1619019329&sr=8-3

make sure to get the "bigger" faceplate with the larger 2.15" diameter hole - the Hubble plug face is bigger than the non-industrial residential versions.

 

[Mark3575]

Thanks.

 

[daveo4EV]

and to be clear - I'm recommending the Hubble - not "stay away" - I have two NEMA 14-50i's in my garage - different locations but share the same breaker/circuit - they so far have been great and are super heavy duty - you can "feel" the quality.

 

[Mark3575]

Thanks -- I plan to buy one and swap it out this weekend. I see others recommend the same brand.

 

[Skilly]

Hi There - first post (here) active on MBWorld and R8Talk for my other cars, but recently purchased a Taycan and I'm setting up the home charger.

I don't understand the reference to NEMA 14-50 - I received my car today and followed the advice of the forum (been watching for a few weeks) and everyone seems to made reference to the NEMA 14-50, much like this post. The kits, now I have mine to look at, and compare others on Suncoast, are all built with NEMA 6-50.

It looks like there are several versions of the charging stations for the Taycan, but the latest, is for sure a NEMA 6-50 config and the plug wont work with a 14-50 without an adapter.

Am I missing something, or when this thread mentioned 14-50 its for an earlier charging option? It doesn't look like the cables are forward or backward compatible, but I think I did see an 1st edition charging unit with a 14-50 plug.

Thanks!

 

[PDACPA]

Dave is the pro, but I believe the 6-50 just has 3 holes in the plug and the 14-50 has 4 holes. They both are equal as far as charging.

 

[Wakesurfer]

Hubble NEMA 14-50 - very very heavy duty - Tesla uses them for in home charging installs…they are about 10x costs vs. the $8 Leviton ones at Home Depot…and you can feel the difference between a Hubble and a cheaper one just in weight when you hold the two together.

https://smile.amazon.com/Hubbell-Wi...ds=hubbell+14-50+outlet&qid=1619019329&sr=8-3

make sure to get the "bigger" faceplate with the larger 2.15" diameter hole - the Hubble plug face is bigger than the non-industrial residential versions.

What he said! ??

 

[daveo4EV]

Hi There - first post (here) active on MBWorld and R8Talk for my other cars, but recently purchased a Taycan and I'm setting up the home charger.

I don't understand the reference to NEMA 14-50 - I received my car today and followed the advice of the forum (been watching for a few weeks) and everyone seems to made reference to the NEMA 14-50, much like this post. The kits, now I have mine to look at, and compare others on Suncoast, are all built with NEMA 6-50.

It looks like there are several versions of the charging stations for the Taycan, but the latest, is for sure a NEMA 6-50 config and the plug wont work with a 14-50 without an adapter.

Am I missing something, or when this thread mentioned 14-50 its for an earlier charging option? It doesn't look like the cables are forward or backward compatible, but I think I did see an 1st edition charging unit with a 14-50 plug.

Thanks!

both NEMA 14-50 and 6-50 plugs are 240 volt 50 amp plugs - both allow for 40 amp of charging for a 9.6 kW charge rate with the Porsche PMCC

for an EV charger there is _NO_ different between the plugs other than the number of blades/slots.

the NEMA 14-50 plug - has 4 "slots" - 2 slots for the 120 volt "hot" - 1 slot for Neutral - 1 "hole" for ground
the NEMA 6-50 plug - has 3 "slots" - 2 slots for the 120 volt "hot" - 1 "hole" for the ground

the 4th slot in the NEMA 14-50 plug is _UNUSED_ by any EV charger in north america (including the porsche EV charger) - but is used by RV's and other 240 volt devices/appliances.

NEMA 14-50 is the most popular 50 amp 240 volt plug type due to it's adoption by the RV community - and therefore most people purchase their EV charger with a NEMA 14-50 plug type because it will work at home (where/when they have a NEMA 14-50 installed) and away from home while traveling because you are more likley to run into a 14-50 plug "in the wild" than a 6-50 plug

from the point of view of an EV charger the two plugs are IDENTICAL - there is NO difference.

why get one over the other - it's all a matter of:

• what you have installed in your home
• what you think you will encounter while traveling away from home if you want to charge via a 240V 50 amp plug.

14-50 is recommended because it's what you are most likleyl to encounter when away from home - your electrician can install either a 6-50 or 14-50 in your home and it will make _NO_ difference in charging speed/compatibility/performance/cost/etc…

if you have the "wrong" plug - for $20 to $60 you can puchase a NEMA 14-50 to 6-50 adapter or 6-50 to 14-50 adapter from Amazon - and they are safe and easy to use which will allow you to charge your Taycan with either type of plug at home or while traveling.

VW/Audi/Porsche Provides 5 plug "supply cables" adapters with their factory vehicile charters PMC+/PMCC for the North American Market:

• NEMA 5-15 supply cable - household outlet
• NEMA 6-30 supply cable - 240 volt 30 amp residential outlet (water heater, dryer, oven, etc)
• NEMA 14-30 supply cable - 240 volt 30 amp residential outlet (see above just a different plug type that includes a neutral)
• NEMA 6-50 suppy cable - 240 volt 50 amp residential outlet
• NEMA 14-50 supply cable - 240 volt 50 amp residential outlet

if strip away the "noise" there are only 3 cables with 3 possible charging speeds

• 120 volt cable @ 15 amps (NEMA 5-15) - charge rate is 1.44 kW
• 240 volt cables @ 30 amps (NEMA 6-30 & 14-30) - charge rate is 5.76 kW
• 240 volt cables @ 50 amps (NEMA 6-50 & 14-50) - charge rate is 9.6 kW

which one should get? the Answer is simply - get the supply cable that matches the plug you have installed in your garage - if you don't have a plug installed in your garage ask your electrician to install a NEMA 14-50 plug type - see picture above. If you Taycan's charger comes with the "wrong" plug - do one of 3 things:

1. get your dealer to swap it for the right plug type
2. buy an adapter from amazon
3. have your electrician swap the plug type in the garage

At the end of the day it almost doesn't matter - the different plug types are purely for easy of use and compatbility with existing infrastructure (what ever you might already have installed) - if you have nothing installed then install a 14-50 and get the correct cable from VW/Audi/Porsche for your charger - the different plug shapes are just different legacy standards used over the past 70 years in North America - but at the end of the day an EV charger only needs/uses 3 connectors from _ANY_ plug regardless of it's shape/blade pattern…

1. 120 volt connector
2. 120 volt connector
3. ground

electricity is electricity - the electricity is not DIFFERNET on a 14-50 plug vs. a 6-50 plug- it's just a shape that fit's a hole - it's like matching block shapes in a child's toy - round peg round hold - square peg square hole, triangle - you buy the plug shape that matches the holes you have.

at the end of the day - it all ends up being - 2 hots + ground - and if there is a 4'th hole it's unused/ignored by the EV charger - it was just there so that the peg matches the hole that was provided.

I hope this gives you a better idea what to do - but now that we have this core understanding do you have any other questions?

 

[daveo4EV]

the supply cable that comes with the EV chargers with your VW/Audi/Porsche is the "peg" - now you need a "hole" to put it into:

you have 3 "classes" of holes

120V @ 15 amp "hole" - charge rate = 1.44 kW (75 hours to fully charge your taycan from empty)
240V @ 30 amp "hole" - charge rate = 5.76 kW (15 hours to fully charge your taycan from empty)
240V @ 50 amp "hole" - charge rate = 9.6 kW (11 hours to fully charge your taycan from empty)

you need to match the "peg" (the supply cable that comes with the car) to the "hole" which is the plug you have installed in your garage

generally people get the same supply cable "peg" as the hole (plug type) they instructed their electrician to install.

the problem comes where teh customer did not specify the "peg" and they have a different "hole" - now one has to change to fit the other

if the amps are the same (50 amp to 50 amp) the change is trivial

if the amps are different (50 amp to 30 amp) then the charge is more complex because it's either an upgrade or downgrade to make one fit the other…

 

[Skilly]

Thanks for the detailed explanations - appreciate it, but fully aware of the different plug options yielding the same amperage. It's just the difference of the Traveler. - let me try to ask this another way.

My car came with 'NJ1- Porsche Mobile Charger Connect', with a plug config NEMA 6-50. For the charger to wall cables, it appears that is the only option that is available, aside from your standard 120V plug in adapter. Does Porsche also offer a 14-50 plug configuration for this charger? I didn't see it available - not to mention, they don't seem to be cheap (130 bucks). Lots of information indicating that the cables are not forward or backward compatible.

If I am having a purpose built plug put in for the Porsche charging station. So, wouldn't it be easier to opt for a 6-50 plug than having to look for a swap, purchase an additional cable, or find an adapter? Since they both charge at the same rate, and the latest seems to be geared for 6-50, I'm still confused about the recommendation on 14-50 plugs.

 

[Klepper]

Thanks for the detailed explanations - appreciate it, but fully aware of the different plug options yielding the same amperage. It's just the difference of the Traveler. - let me try to ask this another way.

My car came with 'NJ1- Porsche Mobile Charger Connect', with a plug config NEMA 6-50. For the charger to wall cables, it appears that is the only option that is available, aside from your standard 120V plug in adapter. Does Porsche also offer a 14-50 plug configuration for this charger? I didn't see it available - not to mention, they don't seem to be cheap (130 bucks). Lots of information indicating that the cables are not forward or backward compatible.

If I am having a purpose built plug put in for the Porsche charging station. So, wouldn't it be easier to opt for a 6-50 plug than having to look for a swap, purchase an additional cable, or find an adapter? Since they both charge at the same rate, and the latest seems to be geared for 6-50, I'm still confused about the recommendation on 14-50 plugs.

The car comes standard with the PMC+ which includes the "240 Volt NEMA 14-50 supply cable for Mobile Charger". When you buy the upgraded "Mobile Charger Connect" for $1,120, it also comes with the 14-50 supply cable as standard. That is why it's not shown as a selection on the configurator. The configurator shows the 6-30, 6-50, and 14-30 as options INSTEAD of getting the 14-50 (in case you don't want the standard 14-50 that comes automatically).

So if you check the box for the Mobile Charger Connect but don't select any of other supply cables, it will come with the 14-50 supply cable.

Hope that helps.

 

[Skilly]

The car comes standard with the PMC+ which includes the "240 Volt NEMA 14-50 supply cable for Mobile Charger". When you buy the upgraded "Mobile Charger Connect" for $1,120, it also comes with the 14-50 supply cable as standard. That is why it's not shown as a selection on the configurator. The configurator shows the 6-30, 6-50, and 14-30 as options INSTEAD of getting the 14-50 (in case you don't want the standard 14-50 that comes automatically).

So if you check the box for the Mobile Charger Connect but don't select any of other supply cables, it will come with the 14-50 supply cable.

Hope that helps.

It does - for me, it means that somehow, my 14-50 plug escaped! Thanks - that was the missing piece puzzle.

 

[chrisk]

Photo of Hubbell ($100) vs Leviton ($10). The difference is very noticeable.
If you use Hubbell, make sure
- you buy the faceplate with the larger opening lime this
- you use a deep electrical box because the Hubbell is much longer
- thickest wire it accepts is #6 (Leviton accepts also #4)

Overall very happy with Hubbell's quality but there is one thing that Leviton was better. While installing it, Leviton's tightening screws face the installer so it is easy to tighten up, while Hubbell's screews face the wall so you might not have enough space to work the tool if you don't have much extra wire.

 

[REIL]

Photo of Hubbell ($100) vs Leviton ($10). The difference is very noticeable.
If you use Hubbell, make sure
- you buy the faceplate with the larger opening lime this
- you use a deep electrical box because the Hubbell is much longer
- thickest wire it accepts is #6 (Leviton accepts also #4)

Overall very happy with Hubbell's quality but there is one thing that Leviton was better. While installing it, Leviton's tightening screws face the installer so it is easy to tighten up, while Hubbell's screews face the wall so you might not have enough space to work the tool if you don't have much extra wire.

My electrician originally installed the Leviton.
After reading this PSA link regarding melting plug last January.
I switched. https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/threads/psa-check-your-charging-receptacle.3654/
credit @Td78
My electrician had a tough time tracking down the Hubbell last winter. It took a month or two to get them due supply and demand.