Level 1 charging

I have a plug that looks like that but it's for my air compressor that's 220v

 

I meant an additional sideways slot on the regular 120V outlet but that probably wouldn't be clear without the picture. A better description would be a sideways "T"

 

Yeah, I'm way behind in this area. I put that plug in but I have no idea what I was doing. I just followed directions.

 

This is where electricity gets fun (or confusing). It's very true that outlet (NEMA 5-20R) is for 20 A receptacle, that means up to 20 A is delivered to the outlet. Since the SE will not take more than 15 A, it can be maximized using a standard three-prong outlet (NEMA 5-15R). But in order to be safe, it needs to be on a 20 A circuit which can only be determined by looking at the breaker panel.

My garage is all NEMA 5-15R receptacles but is on a 20 A circuit breaker.

 

That's a NEMA 6-20: 20A line but with a 240V breaker. It's somewhat common in Tesla-land to convert a 5-20 to a 6-20 by swapping the breaker and receptacle since they offer modular NEMA connectors. There are some code implications though. My electrician was concerned that it could be a hazard since a future electrician wouldn't immediately know that the neutral wire is now a hot (hot/hot instead of hot/neutral).

That would be 3.8 kW or about 10%/hr with the Mini.

Can a 5-15 receptacle run 16A continuous? Small detail, but I never thought about it. The Tesla units will refused to pull 16A without the right adapter.

Everywhere I have lived has had 5-15 receptacles with 20A breakers. That's what makes this little upgrade so rewarding.

 

I don't think there's anything in the receptacle to prohibit draw, except for the melting of parts. The whole idea behind the NEMA plugs is they are designed to limit draw based on their ratings. If you want more amperage, you're supposed to use different prong orientations.

 

Thanks, everyone. I figured out it's on a 20A breaker, but you're right that it would be costly, and in that case I might as well see if I can go L2. So for now, I'll give L1 at 10A a try, and if that doesn't work out well, I know I have a few options. The L1 would be plugged into a 20A circuit with 2 other outlets that are not usually used, but at least now I know that it will be safe to also plug in my Christmas lights to the same circuit (I don't have too many lights!).

 

And if you've upgraded to Christmas LEDs, they draw almost no current compared with the old incandescent bulbs.

 

Already did! I only have four sets of lights that each draw 0.1A, and two inflatables that draw 0.5A. So I'll even have room to expand without having to worry about the load.

 

Just double checking here, with the electricity experts. We have two outlets in our garage, one on either side, on a 20A breaker. One of these outlets doesn't have any power coming into it (it's not the outlet itself that is broken). Could we just remove that outlet, put a blank cover over it, and then install a 5-20 receptacle on the good one, and go with a 15 or 16 Amp level 1 EVSE like the one referenced above?

It seems like that would allow us to charge overnight pretty well.

 

You could, but if the outlet has no power, not connected, then you don't need to do anything to it. Do you know what's broken?

You may want to remove the outlet if its on the same circuit and there is a chance that the outlet gets fixed at some point and you want to be sure no one plugs in a higher power device when the vehicle is being charged.

 

That 16A level 1 EVSE I linked earlier is hardwire only. I failed to notice that.

 

Hardwiring is probably better, but I guess I would have to get my wife, or an electrician, to do it. We have 12 gauge wire, which should be fine for a 16 Amp EVSE on a 20 Amp breaker, right? Or would you recommend thicker wire for extra safety over long hours of charging?

 

12-gauge sounds fine, according to What Gauge of Wire Do You Use for a 20 Amp GFCI Outlet?

Building codes based on the National Electrical Code prohibit the use of 14-gauge wire anywhere on a 20-amp circuit. All wiring in such circuits must be 12-gauge or larger.​

I also found more detail in the article 20, 30, 40, 50 & 60 Amp Wires, Breakers & Circuits Chart: What Size Do I Need For My Project?

 

The manual for that model (p. 26) says the EVSE uses 12-gauge wire:"NOTE: The three ACS service conductors use stranded 12 AWG, 75ºC copper wire. The insulation of each conductor is color coded for standard 120V AC installation: Green: Ground Black: Line 1 (120V AC to Ground) White: Neutral"

Seems like it would be an easy install--if you can connect an outlet or light, you should be able to connect this one. The only issue would be how to connect to a junction box that is inside the wall (like the one for your outlet) rather than outside as in the instructions. Or just add a junction box that sits on the wall.

 

Not sure if this is in line with this thread but I ran across this the other day.

https://evcompare.io/cars/mini/mini-cooper-se/charging/

 

Wow that's cool. I was able to see that a charge from 40% to 100% (my typical charging needs) takes 18 hours with the supplied Level 1 cable at 10 A, but drops to a mere 12 hours at 15 A. Might be worth getting a new level 1 cable after all. For comparison, my Level 2 at the full 7.6 kW takes under three hours for the same charging.

 

Yes, you'd need to replace the Level 1 cable with one rated for higher amperage. And since they cost over $200 I've been hesitant to buy one.

 

Yeah, I’d be inclined to get a L2 portable charge cable if I were going to spend another $200.