BuckMkII said:
jjeff said:
Outlet adapters are relatively cheap to purchase or make. I kind of standardized on 2 plugs, the 14-50 for high current charging and the L14-30 locking plug for medium current(24a or less) use. I like the L14-30 for it's portability, the 14-50 is nice but it's a monster plug, not so portable. If you really don't need the extra speed I'd personally just stick with an L14-30 plug and maybe hardwire a higher current EVSE if you want maximum speed.
Note for an EVSE you'd really only need an L6-30 plug but as L14-30's are more common, especially on generators if you ever think you'd charge that way and with an L14-30 outlet you can easily find Y adapters to 2 120v outlets, thats kind of handy.
This is the sort of advice I was looking for! So, you mean have an EVSE with an L14-30 plug and make a 14-50 male to L14-30 female adapter to carry around for use in places like RV parks?
Or at the primary house, where a 14-50 in the garage probably makes more sense, since the primary house is NOT on a small island and someone might want higher capacity some day. OTOH, the primary house is in Seattle, so most destinations are not that far away and charging a new, 200+ mile car to 100% would rarely be needed, if/when we get something more capable than our old Leaf. Maybe even the primary house doesn't need the biggest outlet.
Feel free to shoot down my reasoning.
Yes, that's what I'd do. Note I was talking about a L14-30, Alozzy pictured a 14-30. As said the 14-30 is basically like a 14-50 with a different neutral blade but it's just as bulky as a 14-50, the L14-30 plug/outlet is much more compact and has the advantage of locking in the receptacle by a simple twist of the plug, very handy for a portable EVSE.
So what I use is a 14-50 outlet for high current charging on a 50a circuit and use a 14-50 plug on my high current EVSEs. Note I've removed the neutral blade on my adjustable EVSEs so I can do as Alozzy mentioned, that is use those EVSEs in a 14-30 outlet limited to 24a and even a 14-60 outlet, should I ever run across one. I also have a 14-50p to L14-30r outlet adapter to be able to use my lower current EVSEs(less than 24a) in the 14-50 outlet. For my lower current L2 EVSEs I use the L14-30 plug and use the L14-30r for my 30a outlets, limited to <24a continuous use.
The reason I ended up using the 14-50 plug/outlet for my high current uses was because early on(2013) Tesla kind of standardized the 14-50 standard and quite a few high current EVSEs used that combination. The reason I standardized on the L14-30 combination for my 24a and less EVSEs was because generators like to use this outlet and I thought it might be nice in an emergency to easily charge from a generator and also it was much less bulky than the 14-50 outlet/plug. You can fit a L14-30 outlet in a standard single gang outlet box, a 14-50(range plug) requires a double box.
Here is a link to a 14-50p to L14-30r outlet adapter. Seems a bit expensive as I built mine for around $25 in parts but it does like well made, maybe shop around if interested.
https://www.amazon.com/Conntek-14335-1-5-Foot-Adapter-Connector/dp/B001TO1D1G/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1Z3GBA3Y9D0FY&dchild=1&keywords=14-50+to+l14-30+adapter&qid=1615241439&sprefix=14-50+to+L14-%2Caps%2C199&sr=8-5
Here is a cheaper one:
https://www.amazon.com/L14-30R-Welding-Charger-Connector-Connecter/dp/B07P5W8XRZ/ref=sr_1_23?crid=1Z3GBA3Y9D0FY&dchild=1&keywords=14-50+to+l14-30+adapter&qid=1615241439&sprefix=14-50+to+L14-%2Caps%2C199&sr=8-23
And you can also go the other way around but note to not draw more than 24a continuous as things will overheat, this would be to allow you to plug your EVSE with a 14-50 plug in a generator with a L14-30 outlet, again limiting the EVSE to no more than 24a or whatever the maximum output of your generator circuit would be.
https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-4-Prong-Generator-Locking-L14-30P/dp/B07R25LLYK/ref=sr_1_15?crid=1Z3GBA3Y9D0FY&dchild=1&keywords=14-50+to+l14-30+adapter&qid=1615241439&sprefix=14-50+to+L14-%2Caps%2C199&sr=8-15
Lastly, if you have a L14-30 outlet you can purchase something like this to turn it into 2 nice 120v outlets for high current use:
https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-LED-Lit-Generator-Splitter/dp/B07MZBCL7C/ref=sr_1_10?crid=RMJXQYEYHXFQ&dchild=1&keywords=l14-30+to+5-20+adapter&qid=1615242009&sprefix=l14-30+to+5-20%2Caps%2C192&sr=8-10
Cheaper version:
https://www.amazon.com/WEN-PC3104-2-10-Gauge-Generator-Extension/dp/B07MN7WR4V/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1ZGU1SGTWQTH2&dchild=1&keywords=l14-30+to+5-20+cord&qid=1615242154&sprefix=l14-30+to+5-20+%2Caps%2C193&sr=8-3