Mobile charging when on vacation

[Adnillien]

Lucid really needs to add amperage adjustment in the vehicle

That would be nice but safety comes from a hardware solution that does not depend on a person remembering to turn the amperage down. That is why Lucid has the 10-30 adapter.

 

[Haggy]

Worst part: Amazon is happy to sell you thousands of adapters, plugs and receptacles that will catch fire.

Amazon doesn't sell it but offers a way for a third party seller to sell merchandise through its website and warehouse. I'm not sure what Amazon would do it you reported it. If it violates the electric code, and you send them evidence, they might remove it.

If you use it and draw too much current, it would trip the breaker. I have no idea how a Lucid would handle it. With a Tesla, the charge starts off with a low amperage, and it gets ramped up bit by bit to the rated amperage, unless it detects a problem. It's possible that something will trigger it to drop to a lower amperage. But even if it does, it's not something to rely on.

The proper adapter is on the Lucid website. It's pricier than I would have expected but I somehow think that Lucid owners can afford it.

 

[Haggy]

That would be nice but safety comes from a hardware solution that does not depend on a person remembering to turn the amperage down. That is why Lucid has the 10-30 adapter.

Ideally, both would be good. Some people might want a slower charge, such as when they want their excess solar to go the car, but not use enough power to draw from the grid, even if the outlet could handle the load.

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

Amazon doesn't sell it but offers a way for a third party seller to sell merchandise through its website and warehouse. I'm not sure what Amazon would do it you reported it. If it violates the electric code, and you send them evidence, they might remove it.

If you use it and draw too much current, it would trip the breaker. I have no idea how a Lucid would handle it. With a Tesla, the charge starts off with a low amperage, and it gets ramped up bit by bit to the rated amperage, unless it detects a problem. It's possible that something will trigger it to drop to a lower amperage. But even if it does, it's not something to rely on.

The proper adapter is on the Lucid website. It's pricier than I would have expected but I somehow think that Lucid owners can afford it.

I stand corrected, it's third party sellers. Rest assured the Lucid adapter has really been tested by bonafide ETL, UL CE CSA certified engineers. Wanna bet on the third party Asian stuff on Amazon??

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

That would be nice but safety comes from a hardware solution that does not depend on a person remembering to turn the amperage down. That is why Lucid has the 10-30 adapter.

now you are thinking like an electrical engineer and/or lawyer. You have to worry about the LCD of user. ETL for example would never permit a user setting that could improperly exceed design safety. I have no issue a setting for low and slow, especially for ribs and brisket.......

 

[Haggy]

I stand corrected, it's third party sellers. Rest assured the Lucid adapter has really been tested by bonafide ETL, UL CE CSA certified engineers. Wanna bet on the third party Asian stuff on Amazon??

It's worse than that, since even if the others are electrically sound, the car would still get its information from the 14-50 plug.

And for the record, being from third party sellers doesn't necessarily make it more excusable. It's just a lot easier for Amazon to decide not to stock a product than to prohibit a third party seller from selling something that Amazon's software couldn't automatically determine shouldn't be sold.

 

[hydbob]

I'm curious, I've used the Lucid mobile charger on a 14-50 plug but my breaker is only a 30A breaker. It never tripped the breaker. Are we sure the 14-50 adapter for the mobile charger pulls the max of 40A?

 

[borski]

I'm curious, I've used the Lucid mobile charger on a 14-50 plug but my breaker is only a 30A breaker. It never tripped the breaker. Are we sure the 14-50 adapter for the mobile charger pulls the max of 40A?

From the mobile charging cable manual: “The Mobile Charging Cable automatically detects the attached adaptor and sets the appropriate charging amperage.“

So yeah, it would appear so far you’ve just been lucky.

 

[hydbob]

From the mobile charging cable manual: “The Mobile Charging Cable automatically detects the attached adaptor and sets the appropriate charging amperage.“

So yeah, it would appear so far you’ve just been lucky.

Well shietttttttt

 

[Adnillien]

I'm curious, I've used the Lucid mobile charger on a 14-50 plug but my breaker is only a 30A breaker. It never tripped the breaker. Are we sure the 14-50 adapter for the mobile charger pulls the max of 40A?

Mine pulls a full 40 amps.

 

[Haggy]

I'm curious, I've used the Lucid mobile charger on a 14-50 plug but my breaker is only a 30A breaker. It never tripped the breaker. Are we sure the 14-50 adapter for the mobile charger pulls the max of 40A?

It should try to, but if it pulled too much your breaker should have tripped. It might be sensing a problem and lowering the amperage automatically.

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

It should try to, but if it pulled too much your breaker should have tripped. It might be sensing a problem and lowering the amperage automatically.

Correcto Mundo. The power backs are actually very sophisticated devices. First, the Lucid pack is rated to draw up to 40 amps if everything lines up. "Up to" are the magic words. I know for a fact that the Lucid and Tesla packs have several temp sensors that will tell the internal circuitry to scale down or shut off. There are many reports of people using the cheap HD dryer receptacles, and after 8 months or so, they degrade to the point that the receptacle gets too damn hot, the temp sensor in the power pack plug reads that, and the amperage from the pack is cut in half. I am told that Tesla CS now mentions that to customers.

But, based on my training, this may all be within normal tolerance. Breakers do not sense amperage; they sense heat related to the rated device amperage. Your breaker may be a tad high tolerance and the Lucid pack could be pulling a tad lower than MAX for MANY reasons: your battery, weather, line voltage, line distortion and heat/impediance from the plug and receptacle. The Lucid could sense that 40 amps is creating heat/impediance somewhere in the circuit and is throttling back.

I know of no circuit in a power pack that could sense the amperage rating of a breaker. Breakers are benign until they heat to point thatvit trips. I have many electronic devices run wonderfully on slightly undersized breakers. By far, motors are the worst, even with correct ratings.

Fun fact: by Code, plain breakers (load limiting devices) are there first and foremost to protect YOUR HOUSE WIRING. The NEC is published by the national association of fire commissioners. GFCI and arc fault are added functions to plain breakers.

The breaker was probably, hopefully, sized for your wiring. If it's not tripping, you are protected.

 

[Haggy]

The breaker was probably, hopefully, sized for your wiring. If it's not tripping, you are protected.

It should have been sized for that outlet or better. There's a chance that thicker wires were used, but that breaker was used because of the type of outlet. The wiring in my own home for the dryer outlet was correct for the new type, even though the old type was still legal to install and was used. I didn't check the gauge specifically, but I'm using it for a dryer. The bottom line is that they don't always use the minimum they can get away with. If they have one size by the truckload and need relatively short runs for dryer outlets not far from the panel, it could be cheaper to use the same one that they use for the oven and cook tops. If the wiring really can support a bigger breaker, then a new breaker and outlet would work but I'd strongly recommend asking an electrician to confirm if it looks that way.

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

but I'd strongly recommend asking an electrician to confirm if it looks that way.

. 240v-30-50 amp circuits are not DIY for the uninitiated. They can kill you in an instant. And burn the house down. Doing a bunch of 120v LED dimmers does not give you these skills for working with 6 and 8 guage wire. I just don't want anyone here to get overconfident from our commentary.

 

[SBR]

The Lucid charger will charge on a 30A circuit just fine. That's what mine is plugged into and I haven't blown anything. The charger included won't draw more than the plug can handle.

To confirm you’re using an off the shelf adapter for 30A and have no issues with the lucid mobile charger tripping or the car giving issues?

 

[hydbob]

To confirm you’re using an off the shelf adapter for 30A and have no issues with the lucid mobile charger tripping or the car giving issues?

No, I ysed the Lucid supplied 14-50 plug on the mobile charger on a 14-50 receptacle that had a breaker for only 30amps. Apparently, I was lucky not to trip the breaker, so...yea don't do that?

 

[DeaneG]

No, I ysed the Lucid supplied 14-50 plug on the mobile charger on a 14-50 receptacle that had a breaker for only 30amps. Apparently, I was lucky not to trip the breaker, so...yea don't do that?

Many circuit breakers are designed to trip within one hour at 135% rated current. If your car is actually drawing 40 amps, the circuit breaker should trip within about an hour. Might be a good idea to have that circuit breaker replaced to properly protect your home.

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

Many circuit breakers are designed to trip within one hour at 135% rated current. If your car is actually drawing 40 amps, the circuit breaker should trip within about an hour. Might be a good idea to have that circuit breaker replaced to properly protect your home.

Wow @DeaneG , I didn't know that.

I wonder how breakers age. What does it do to a 40 amp breaker passing close to rated amperage or slightly above, continuously? I have seen photos of melted breakers in load centers used with improperly sized EV charging. Ruined the entire panel.

I feel even safer now with the NEC requirement for 25% down rating for wire and breakers for continuous loads. No house ever burned down from wiring up graded in size.

 

[DeaneG]

...have seen photos of melted breakers in load centers used with improperly sized EV charging. Ruined the entire panel....

Often the friction lugs that connect the breaker to the panel's bus bars loosen and/or corrode with time, melting the breaker and possibly adjacent ones. Since EV charging at home presents a heavy, continuous load, it's a good idea to have an electrician check or just replace an old breaker before using it for an EV.

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

Now I see the downsize of friction lugs. Versus bolt down in commercial panels. I have always thrown away breakers that did not have a tight press on fit. I would guess the spring lugs weaken over time and simply years of passing rated circuit heat.

A new Siemens 40 amp dual breaker is $16. Small investment.

This continues to be fascinating, as most homes never had a high amperage continuous loads. Lucky me: My wife is a fused glass artist. I having wiring massive 70 amp, 1500F kilns for decades.