Charger FAQ/Explanation

[borski]

You mentioned that residential 14-50 are not made for constant plugging and unplugging. I’ve only used my lucid provided charging cable twice since I just got the car but I just leave the cable plugged into the wall 14-50 after charging. The lucid name on the cord remains on but is leaving it plugged in a problem?

Probably not. The main issue is repeated plugging and unplugging can wear out the outlet, and people do this when they store the cable in their trunk regularly. I wouldn't stress too much about it.

 

[Zombies]

I just received my car last week and am completely stupefied that it does not contain the ability to set the maximum charge current. I have had two Teslas for the last 7 years and if I had known this basic feature was missing I would not have purchased the car.

I have a 50A sub-panel but due to load management the NEMA 15-40 outlet is on a 30A circuit. Never with my Teslas has the breaker ever flipped because I set the charge current correctly, but it’s flipped twice tonight after a few minutes of charge because the car is not capable of drawing only 30A. This is absolutely crazy to me, and with the pace of software updates I imagine it may be a year before they add this basic feature.

Based on this thread there are some boxes or something that allow you to control the charge current - is that true? Upgrading the panel would be thousands of dollars whose sole reason would be to get around the lack of a basic software feature. My other option is to … not charge my electric car?

Could I buy one of those 13-30P to R adapters, and essentially plug a 13-30 extension cord into my 14-50 outlet (it looks similar), thereby limiting the charge?

What a mess.

 

[borski]

I just received my car last week and am completely stupefied that it does not contain the ability to set the maximum charge current. I have had two Teslas for the last 7 years and if I had known this basic feature was missing I would not have purchased the car.

I have a 50A sub-panel but due to load management the NEMA 15-40 outlet is on a 30A circuit. Never with my Teslas has the breaker ever flipped because I set the charge current correctly, but it’s flipped twice tonight after a few minutes of charge because the car is not capable of drawing only 30A. This is absolutely crazy to me, and with the pace of software updates I imagine it may be a year before they add this basic feature.

Based on this thread there are some boxes or something that allow you to control the charge current - is that true? Upgrading the panel would be thousands of dollars whose sole reason would be to get around the lack of a basic software feature. My other option is to … not charge my electric car?

What a mess.

You can install an EVSE like JuiceBox, Wallbox, or chargepoint that will limit the current for you, and that’s relatively cheap; you could even plug it straight into your 14-50, and you’d get the benefit of scheduling your charging, monitoring it remotely, getting statistics, etc.

I have no doubt that setting charge current is on the shortlist of features to build after the 2.0 deployment; a lot of features are already included in that, but it wouldn’t have made sense to build the features twice, so I imagine once it’s deployed to the whole fleet they’ll be quickly adding features after that.

 

[hydbob]

I just received my car last week and am completely stupefied that it does not contain the ability to set the maximum charge current. I have had two Teslas for the last 7 years and if I had known this basic feature was missing I would not have purchased the car.

I have a 50A sub-panel but due to load management the NEMA 15-40 outlet is on a 30A circuit. Never with my Teslas has the breaker ever flipped because I set the charge current correctly, but it’s flipped twice tonight after a few minutes of charge because the car is not capable of drawing only 30A. This is absolutely crazy to me, and with the pace of software updates I imagine it may be a year before they add this basic feature.

Based on this thread there are some boxes or something that allow you to control the charge current - is that true? Upgrading the panel would be thousands of dollars whose sole reason would be to get around the lack of a basic software feature. My other option is to … not charge my electric car?

Could I buy one of those 13-30P to R adapters, and essentially plug a 13-30 extension cord into my 14-50 outlet (it looks similar), thereby limiting the charge?

What a mess.

That's interesting because I have a 30A breaker on my garage charging as well and before I installed my Chargepoint, I was able to use my Lucid mobile charger without tripping my panel. Is your 30A breaker a GFCI breaker? Mine is not because it was put in prior to that new code.

 

[Snafu]

Probably not. The main issue is repeated plugging and unplugging can wear out the outlet, and people do this when they store the cable in their trunk regularly. I wouldn't stress too much about it.

When I bought my Tesla, I ordered the Corded Mobile Connector for just that reason - to not weaken/loosen/damage the outlet by constantly plugging/unplugging (used a mobile connector in the exact same way with my Nissan Leaf for two years before that). My electrician had told me that constantly plugging/unplugging from the large outlet was not a wise thing to do.

 

[Tesla2.0]

I just received my car last week and am completely stupefied that it does not contain the ability to set the maximum charge current. I have had two Teslas for the last 7 years and if I had known this basic feature was missing I would not have purchased the car.

I have a 50A sub-panel but due to load management the NEMA 15-40 outlet is on a 30A circuit. Never with my Teslas has the breaker ever flipped because I set the charge current correctly, but it’s flipped twice tonight after a few minutes of charge because the car is not capable of drawing only 30A. This is absolutely crazy to me, and with the pace of software updates I imagine it may be a year before they add this basic feature.

Based on this thread there are some boxes or something that allow you to control the charge current - is that true? Upgrading the panel would be thousands of dollars whose sole reason would be to get around the lack of a basic software feature. My other option is to … not charge my electric car?

Could I buy one of those 13-30P to R adapters, and essentially plug a 13-30 extension cord into my 14-50 outlet (it looks similar), thereby limiting the charge?

What a mess.

I have a Wallbox EVSE that can set 6 ~ 48 amp limitation. I’m on 60 amp circuit. I’m sure Lucid will have that feature out eventually and more without 3rd party battery management. Earlier versions when I got the car, it didn’t even have precise number one can set for charging limiting but only graphical representation. There has been 25+ OTA update refinement. I’m very confident it will be there eventually given the progress I’ve seen last 5 months.

 

[Bel]

I just received my car last week and am completely stupefied that it does not contain the ability to set the maximum charge current. I have had two Teslas for the last 7 years and if I had known this basic feature was missing I would not have purchased the car.

I have a 50A sub-panel but due to load management the NEMA 15-40 outlet is on a 30A circuit. Never with my Teslas has the breaker ever flipped because I set the charge current correctly, but it’s flipped twice tonight after a few minutes of charge because the car is not capable of drawing only 30A. This is absolutely crazy to me, and with the pace of software updates I imagine it may be a year before they add this basic feature.
⁵
Based on this thread there are some boxes or something that allow you to control the charge current - is that true? Upgrading the panel would be thousands of dollars whose sole reason would be to get around the lack of a basic software feature. My other option is to … not charge my electric car?

Could I buy one of those 13-30P to R adapters, and essentially plug a 13-30 extension cord into my 14-50 outlet (it looks similar), thereby limiting the charge?

What a mess.

Those adapters just adapt the male and female pins and holes configuration/physical size/placement but not the voltage or current. Only way is to buy one of those borski said. I just bought the charge point ~$800 --- they only have one model but you must select plugg type. I bought direectly from charge point its cheaper than amazon. I dont have the current limitation as you do but install charge point to get the full 50 A.

 

[FastEddi3]

I just received my car last week and am completely stupefied that it does not contain the ability to set the maximum charge current. I have had two Teslas for the last 7 years and if I had known this basic feature was missing I would not have purchased the car.

I have a 50A sub-panel but due to load management the NEMA 15-40 outlet is on a 30A circuit. Never with my Teslas has the breaker ever flipped because I set the charge current correctly, but it’s flipped twice tonight after a few minutes of charge because the car is not capable of drawing only 30A. This is absolutely crazy to me, and with the pace of software updates I imagine it may be a year before they add this basic feature.

Based on this thread there are some boxes or something that allow you to control the charge current - is that true? Upgrading the panel would be thousands of dollars whose sole reason would be to get around the lack of a basic software feature. My other option is to … not charge my electric car?

Could I buy one of those 13-30P to R adapters, and essentially plug a 13-30 extension cord into my 14-50 outlet (it looks similar), thereby limiting the charge?

What a mess.

Essentially every smart EVSE (Juicebox, Chargepoint, etc.) allows you to set current limitations, as well as smart charging (setting for low tariff times, etc.). That is more a basic feature of EVSEs, not the vehicle.

The blame should go on your electrician, not the vehicle.

I am concerned about your electrical set up, that really doesn't sound like it is up to code. A 15-40 outlet, by definition, is a 40amp outlet. It should have been a 15-30 outlet installed. All elements of a circuit should be the same load tolerance, to ensure that someone doesn't upgrade a single element and think they can get away with overloading the other elements of the circuit (especially wiring, which is where electrical fires come from!) Of course, a 15-30 is a different plug configuration, so would not fit the plug, which is probably why they installed what they did! Sounds like they did that as a code violating cheap way to get around the actual problem. You need to give up a circuit or up the service.

 

[DeaneG]

You mentioned that residential 14-50 are not made for constant plugging and unplugging. I’ve only used my lucid provided charging cable twice since I just got the car but I just leave the cable plugged into the wall 14-50 after charging. The lucid name on the cord remains on but is leaving it plugged in a problem?

It's fine. It will only draw a few watts when plugged in and not in use.

 

[Zombies]

It sounds like a smart EVSE solves this particular problem, so I’ll go that route. Thanks for the feedback. Annoyed that I have to essentially pay $700 to get something whose entire benefits will go away when an OTA adds this functionality in a few months, but there don’t seem to be any better options. This was available in the very early days of Tesla, and seems like it should have been handled before ambient lighting changes or other pointless features. Since no information was communicated about this, I imagine as deliveries start to ramp up there are going to be a lot of unhappy customers coming over from Tesla with this type of setup.

I’ve had this setup for the Tesla for 7 years and have had numerous inspections done since (for potential PV installation among other things), and while noted as non-standard, none of the electricians had an issue with it and suggested making any changes.

 

[Sandvinsd]

It is always nice to have the other EVSE and have the mobile one as a spare.

 

[Zombies]

I more make peace with I have a hybrid on order that is going to require being always plugged in, and I like that the Wallbox Pulsar allows you to add multiple ones and share charge on one circuit.

 

[zebulondanny]

Is there any way to limit the provided 50amp EVSE down to 30amp (so I can use a NEMA 14-30 outlet with a 14-30 to 14-50 converter)? I don't really "need" 50amp service to the car and I already have the NEMA 14-30 plug. I tried it out but it's tripping the breaker (30amp circuit and car is pulling >30amp so I want to limit the amps using the car's software, if possible, so I don't have to do any additional electrical until the Lucid Wall Box is released).

 

[Adnillien]

Is there any way to limit the provided 50amp EVSE down to 30amp (so I can use a NEMA 14-30 outlet with a 14-30 to 14-50 converter)? I don't really "need" 50amp service to the car and I already have the NEMA 14-30 plug. I tried it out but it's tripping the breaker (30amp circuit and car is pulling >30amp so I want to limit the amps using the car's software, if possible, so I don't have to do any additional electrical until the Lucid Wall Box is released).

Currently there is no way to limit the current from settings in the car. The Lucid mobile charging cable manual shows a 30A plug option but it is not available yet and I have not heard any estimated timing for it. Your best bet may be to buy an EVSE that is compatible with the 14-30 plug.

 

[Babyrocko1908]

Thanks to @borski

1) The Lucid “charger” is the Wunderbox charger that is built into the car. However, you’ll hear “charger” overused to mean EVSE because EVSE is so much more annoying to say.

2) EVSE is “Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment.” It is the generic term for the device that regulates the charging, typically third party. For example, Electrify America has lots of EVSEs all around the country. You may hear them called “charging stations”; same idea. There are also home EVSEs you can install, which are the ones like Wallbox pulsar plus, JuiceBox, Chargepoint, etc. *Technically*, the cable the Lucid comes with is also an EVSE, just a relatively dumb one.

3) the Lucid comes with a charging cable (or basic EVSE) in the trunk. It can be used to plug into any NEMA 14-50 outlet (where it will charge at 40 amps) or a 110v outlet (where it will trickle charge *extremely* slowly).

4) the reason to install a home EVSE is two-fold: a) if you hardwire it, it can charge at 48A on a 60A circuit (which is faster than the 40A you’d get on a 50A circuit), and b) you can schedule charging and control it remotely. If you have “time of use” pricing from your utility, the latter point is important so you don’t have to manage plugging in or unplugging manually. You do not *have* to hardwire a third party EVSE and can just plug it into a 14-50. If you do, you don’t get the extra speed but still get the charging automation.

5) if you install an EVSE, you can leave the charging cable or mobile EVSE in the trunk and use it for road trips or emergencies.

6) the Lucid Wallbox EVSE is not out yet, but we are expecting it this month or next month. It will be able to support 80A charging on a 100A circuit (assuming your wiring supports it), and will eventually support V2H (or vehicle 2 home) backup, but not at launch.

7) the charging cable the Lucid is supplied with will work just fine if you have a 14-50 and is all you need; however, be aware that most residential 14-50 outlets are not made for constant plugging and unplugging and are likely to wear out over time. You can install an industrial 14-50 outlet, but those are a bit more expensive.

Does the supplied mobile charging cable come with a mounting bracket and hook? If so, wouldn't that eliminate the need to keep plugging and unplugging from the NEMA 14-50A outlet? Would you recommend installing the industrial 14-50 outlet instead?

 

[Thinjake]

Does the supplied mobile charging cable come with a mounting bracket and hook? If so, wouldn't that eliminate the need to keep plugging and unplugging from the NEMA 14-50A outlet? Would you recommend installing the industrial 14-50 outlet instead?

Yes it does. It is 2 screws to install the hook....and 2 screws to install the "holder" for the box. It literally takes 2 minutes to install the whole thing. Then you only need to unplug IF you take the cable with you when you go.

 

[Babyrocko1908]

Yes it does. It is 2 screws to install the hook....and 2 screws to install the "holder" for the box. It literally takes 2 minutes to install the whole thing. Then you only need to unplug IF you take the cable with you when you go.

Thanks!

 

[Babyrocko1908]

Fellas, I'm still trying to wrap my head around this charging conversation. I upgraded my electric range to gas a few years ago and I'm no longer using that breaker/outlet and the electrician switched off the breaker in the panel. My panel is in the garage. If I had an electric range, which amp is the breaker 30A, 40A, or 50A? Next question, can the electrician tap into this no longer used line and install my suppled mobile charger? If so, how much amps max can it pull? Can the supplied mobile charger pull 50 amps or is 40 amps the max? Last question, I don't think I'll need the $1,200 charger from Lucid since we never have blackouts here and there's an EA charging station about 20 miles away with more rumored to be coming. Can a second Lucid supplied mobile charger be purchased and left in the trunk for emergencies/road trips? I have no desire to constantly plug/unplug the suppled mobile charger after I have it wall mounted.

 

[DeaneG]

The expense in installing a home charging device is in the electrician's time and materials related to running the wire from the circuit breaker panel to the convenient charger location you want, then installing the charger to the wall and wiring it up. The electrician could re-use the location in your breaker panel that currently houses your unused range breaker, but he'd want to replace that old breaker. They do get old over time and their connection to the panel's bus bars can corrode and possibly overheat. And the breaker is probably too small. It's unlikely that re-using the wiring to the range would be a good idea, as it is probably insufficient to handle a reasonable charging current for your car, and isn't likely to be in a good location behind the drywall. Best to get a few quotes from local electricians who've installed a charging station before. You'll want at least a 50-amp circuit. We have a charger for my wife's EV on an old 40-amp circuit (new circuit breaker though and the panel's bus bars have been cleaned), and it charges the Air very slowly. It's fine for her car, which has a smaller battery.

There are many perfectly good home charging stations that are less expensive than Lucid's beast of a unit if you are willing to charge slower. I like Chargepoint Home Flex hardwired (no plug) on a 50-amp or 60-amp circuit for its pleasant ease-of-use, but others may chime in with units they like and use.

IMO hard-wiring the charger, rather than having a 14-50 plug installed, is much safer and is not likely to make a difference in installation cost.

 

[emoylv]

Fellas, I'm still trying to wrap my head around this charging conversation. I upgraded my electric range to gas a few years ago and I'm no longer using that breaker/outlet and the electrician switched off the breaker in the panel. My panel is in the garage. If I had an electric range, which amp is the breaker 30A, 40A, or 50A? Next question, can the electrician tap into this no longer used line and install my suppled mobile charger? If so, how much amps max can it pull? Can the supplied mobile charger pull 50 amps or is 40 amps the max? Last question, I don't think I'll need the $1,200 charger from Lucid since we never have blackouts here and there's an EA charging station about 20 miles away with more rumored to be coming. Can a second Lucid supplied mobile charger be purchased and left in the trunk for emergencies/road trips? I have no desire to constantly plug/unplug the suppled mobile charger after I have it wall mounted.

You actually have multiple choices. Check the amperage on the breaker to the range. The standard is 50A but it may be 60A if you had a high-end range.

1) If it is 50A, you can either hardwire into an EVSE or 14-50 or 6-50 receptacle. In each of the 3 scenarios, you will set the EVSE at 40A charge rate (80% of 50A is 40A).
2) If it is a 60A, you would want to take advantage of that and hardwire the EVSE, then set the charge rate to 48A (80% of 60A is 48A). Make sure your EVSE supports 48A charge rate.
3) If your main panel is 200A and can support a bigger breaker, then you can consider an EVSE with a more robust charge rate like Lucid's 80A EVSE.

In all cases, you would abandon the wiring to the range, but you will want to either mark the wires for future use or cut them off.