Charging connectors and extension cords for the road?

[ALAN BORER]

THANK YOU

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[Adventureboy]

First - the Ford adapter has the 120v option although you will need to stay for a few days to charge with that option (about 3-4 days if you are empty). Many other chargers do not have the 120v option. The Ford charger is however severely limited stepping up to 240v since it draws exactly 32 Amps and won't work on anything but a 40+ amp service (unless Ford adds a configuration item to the onboard charger in the near future).

My setup is probably a bit overkill because I need to weld and charge at a marina but I have options and hopefully will give others some ideas.

I ordered this charger https://ev-chargers.com/adjustable-...=6-8-12-24-32-40-amp&attribute_pa_length=32ft. It is much more flexible on the amperage setting and opens the options significantly. I haven't received it yet so I don't know if it will work on 120V (I am hoping it does but won't know until I get my hands on it).

• Adapter to connect to a 240v 50A Marina outlet (NEMA SS2-50 to 14-50)
• Adapter to connect to a 240v 50A Welder outlet (Nema 6-50 to 14-15) for 9.6Kw/H. My current Ford charger works on these adapters. It won't work on the adapters below since the amperage is not controllable on the Ford charger.
• I made an adapter to connect to two 120v 30A oppositely phased marine/RV outlets (2 Nema L5-30 to 14-50) to give me 240v 30A for 5.5Kw/h on the 24A setting. I can also use two standard NEMA 5-15/5-20 outlet to L5-30 adapters to connect this adapter to two oppositely phased 15 or 20-amp standard plugs to give me 240v up to 20 amps (looks like I'll be limited to 240v 12A by the charger for that option for 2.9Kw/H). The last option allows me to plug into both circuits of a standard double-poled kitchen/garage outlet and charge more than twice as fast as 120V on the Ford charger.

I also carry a 50-foot 10 gauge 6-50 (Welder) extension cable and L6-30 to 6-50 adapter (so I can run my welder on the Onboard Power). This gives me the flexibility to use the cable to extend my charger an additional 50ft when I use a welder outlet or a 14-50 to 6-50 adapter to run the extension on the dryer/stove outlet (although I would only use 32 Amps with a 10 gauge cord).

All adapters, extension cables, and the charger fit under the frunk floor (a fantastic design by Ford)
This also allows me to share my charge with other EVs at 5.5Kw/h with my Onboard power if someone gets stuck (hope never to need that).

 

[ALAN BORER]

I'll second what others have said about using a dryer outlet. I considered this myself while waiting on SunRun to get their thumbs out of their...well long story short my dryer is on a 30amp breaker so I chose not to use it. Definitely double check the breaker and choose a mobile charge that can use it safely (80% of breaker rating).

THANK YOU

 

[SmoothJ]

You also have another option too… a J1772 extension cord. This way you can plug in remotely, and still have another 20+ feet. I used them on both of my EVSEs (Lightning and Chevy Bolt), so far without issues.

I also have 14-50 homemade 6/4 SOOW extension cord and a GFCI breaker so I can run my EVSEs outside too if needed.

 

[Maquis]

First - the Ford adapter has the 120v option although you will need to stay for a few days to charge with that option (about 3-4 days if you are empty). Many other chargers do not have the 120v option. The Ford charger is however severely limited stepping up to 240v since it draws exactly 32 Amps and won't work on anything but a 40+ amp service (unless Ford adds a configuration item to the onboard charger in the near future).

My setup is probably a bit overkill because I need to weld and charge at a marina but I have options and hopefully will give others some ideas.

I ordered this charger https://ev-chargers.com/adjustable-...=6-8-12-24-32-40-amp&attribute_pa_length=32ft. It is much more flexible on the amperage setting and opens the options significantly. I haven't received it yet so I don't know if it will work on 120V (I am hoping it does but won't know until I get my hands on it).

• Adapter to connect to a 240v 50A Marina outlet (NEMA SS2-50 to 14-50)
• Adapter to connect to a 240v 50A Welder outlet (Nema 6-50 to 14-15) for 9.6Kw/H. My current Ford charger works on these adapters. It won't work on the adapters below since the amperage is not controllable on the Ford charger.
• I made an adapter to connect to two 120v 30A oppositely phased marine/RV outlets (2 Nema L5-30 to 14-50) to give me 240v 30A for 5.5Kw/h on the 24A setting. I can also use two standard NEMA 5-15/5-20 outlet to L5-30 adapters to connect this adapter to two oppositely phased 15 or 20-amp standard plugs to give me 240v up to 20 amps (looks like I'll be limited to 240v 12A by the charger for that option for 2.9Kw/H). The last option allows me to plug into both circuits of a standard double-poled kitchen/garage outlet and charge more than twice as fast as 120V on the Ford charger.

I also carry a 50-foot 10 gauge 6-50 (Welder) extension cable and L6-30 to 6-50 adapter (so I can run my welder on the Onboard Power). This gives me the flexibility to use the cable to extend my charger an additional 50ft when I use a welder outlet or a 14-50 to 6-50 adapter to run the extension on the dryer/stove outlet (although I would only use 32 Amps with a 10 gauge cord).

All adapters, extension cables, and the charger fit under the frunk floor (a fantastic design by Ford)
This also allows me to share my charge with other EVs at 5.5Kw/h with my Onboard power if someone gets stuck (hope never to need that).

Just to pick a nit, charge rates are in KW. There is no such unit as “KW/h”.

 

[Adventureboy]

Just to pick a nit, charge rates are in KW. There is no such unit as “KW/h”.

Capacity is measured in KWh. You are correct, charge rates are in KW however my 131 KWh battery will have 9.6 KWh added per hour (9.6kwh/h) if I connect to a 9.6kw charger. Very simple math and I like to think of it as how much capacity I'm adding per hour in KWh.

 

[ALAN BORER]

THANK YOU

 

[ALAN BORER]

Just to pick a nit, charge rates are in KW. There is no such unit as “KW/h”.

THANK YOU

 

[ALAN BORER]

Capacity is measured in KW/h so I beg to differ. You are correct, charge rates are in KW however my 131 KWh battery will have 9.6 KW added per hour if I connect to a 9.6kw charger. Very simple math and I like to think of it as how much capacity I'm adding per hour in KWh.

THANK YOU

 

[ALAN BORER]

Just to pick a nit, charge rates are in KW. There is no such unit as “KW/h”.

THANK YOU

First - the Ford adapter has the 120v option although you will need to stay for a few days to charge with that option (about 3-4 days if you are empty). Many other chargers do not have the 120v option. The Ford charger is however severely limited stepping up to 240v since it draws exactly 32 Amps and won't work on anything but a 40+ amp service (unless Ford adds a configuration item to the onboard charger in the near future).

My setup is probably a bit overkill because I need to weld and charge at a marina but I have options and hopefully will give others some ideas.

I ordered this charger https://ev-chargers.com/adjustable-...=6-8-12-24-32-40-amp&attribute_pa_length=32ft. It is much more flexible on the amperage setting and opens the options significantly. I haven't received it yet so I don't know if it will work on 120V (I am hoping it does but won't know until I get my hands on it).

• Adapter to connect to a 240v 50A Marina outlet (NEMA SS2-50 to 14-50)
• Adapter to connect to a 240v 50A Welder outlet (Nema 6-50 to 14-15) for 9.6Kw/H. My current Ford charger works on these adapters. It won't work on the adapters below since the amperage is not controllable on the Ford charger.
• I made an adapter to connect to two 120v 30A oppositely phased marine/RV outlets (2 Nema L5-30 to 14-50) to give me 240v 30A for 5.5Kw/h on the 24A setting. I can also use two standard NEMA 5-15/5-20 outlet to L5-30 adapters to connect this adapter to two oppositely phased 15 or 20-amp standard plugs to give me 240v up to 20 amps (looks like I'll be limited to 240v 12A by the charger for that option for 2.9Kw/H). The last option allows me to plug into both circuits of a standard double-poled kitchen/garage outlet and charge more than twice as fast as 120V on the Ford charger.

I also carry a 50-foot 10 gauge 6-50 (Welder) extension cable and L6-30 to 6-50 adapter (so I can run my welder on the Onboard Power). This gives me the flexibility to use the cable to extend my charger an additional 50ft when I use a welder outlet or a 14-50 to 6-50 adapter to run the extension on the dryer/stove outlet (although I would only use 32 Amps with a 10 gauge cord).

All adapters, extension cables, and the charger fit under the frunk floor (a fantastic design by Ford)
This also allows me to share my charge with other EVs at 5.5Kw/h with my Onboard power if someone gets stuck (hope never to need that).

THANK YOU

 

[dcp9142]

For real flexibility you need a charge cord that can have its maximum amperage set, since the Lightning (unlike my Teslas) doesn’t allow you to set the maximum draw in the car. Set to 80% of the breaker.

 

[tls]

For maximum flexibility I would recommend a Tesla UMC, a TeslaTap (to adapt the UMC to your truck) and a good kit of plug adapters for the Mobile Connector. It's out of stock but this bundle might give you an idea what's possible. These adapters automatically limit amperage according to the plug used and will keep you out of trouble when plugging in to any legally wired outlet. With this rig you can charge at up to 32A on any plug you're ever likely to find.

The older "Gen 1" Tesla UMCs will go up to 40A and adapters might be a bit cheaper, but they are getting hard to find in good condition, even on eBay.

 

[Maquis]

For maximum flexibility I would recommend a Tesla UMC, a TeslaTap (to adapt the UMC to your truck) and a good kit of plug adapters for the Mobile Connector. It's out of stock but this bundle might give you an idea what's possible. These adapters automatically limit amperage according to the plug used and will keep you out of trouble when plugging in to any legally wired outlet. With this rig you can charge at up to 32A on any plug you're ever likely to find.

The older "Gen 1" Tesla UMCs will go up to 40A and adapters might be a bit cheaper, but they are getting hard to find in good condition, even on eBay.

Agree. Most of the adjustable ones on Amazon aren’t UL listed. I wouldn’t touch one of them. More info can be had by watching Tom Moloughney’s “State of Charge” videos.

 

[Ken]

Are you sure there's no DC fast charging stations anywhere near where you are going or along the way? In general it would be much faster to just spend 30 min at one of these than trying some elaborate setup of plug adapters and extension cords for minimal charge. Plugshare is a great research website, as well as ABRP. If you can charge on the way and arrive mostly full and then charge on the way home you won't need any of this.

 

[Maquis]

Are you sure there's no DC fast charging stations anywhere near where you are going or along the way? In general it would be much faster to just spend 30 min at one of these than trying some elaborate setup of plug adapters and extension cords for minimal charge. Plugshare is a great research website, as well as ABRP. If you can charge on the way and arrive mostly full and then charge on the way home you won't need any of this.

When I travel, I generally avoid DCFC when possible. It’s expensive, especially when I can plug in at my destination no-cost which is most of the time. My truck can charge for free while I’m fishing instead of paying to sit in a WalMart parking lot.

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