240V Adapters what do you have?

[JeremyMKE]

Rivian hive mind,
EDIT - I am using the Rivian Portable Charger
Summer is coming and charging infrastructure is still problematic (being kind) in WI. I have a Tesla Tap Mini for any tesla destination chargers.
I like being prepared for most contingencies.
What do people have to take advantage of RV/Campsite/Household outlets here in the USA?

Tesla offers this https://shop.tesla.com/product/nema-adapter-bundle

I want to be safe and smart here and I am wary of just getting random adapters online or at the local Home Depot.

I did some searching here and couldn't find a thread on this.
Thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

Sponsored

 

[Dark-Fx]

Campgrounds generally either have 50A 240V (14-50) or 30A 120V (TT-30). First one obviously requires no adapter but the second requires a special EV type adapter to go to 14-50 for the Rivian portable. I opted to build an OpenEVSE that has a TT-30 whip on it so I don't have to worry about resetting the charging amperage limit all the time, since 32 > 24.

 

[JeremyMKE]

Campgrounds generally either have 50A 240V (14-50) or 30A 120V (TT-30). First one obviously requires no adapter but the second requires a special EV type adapter to go to 14-50 for the Rivian portable. I opted to build an OpenEVSE that has a TT-30 whip on it so I don't have to worry about resetting the charging amperage limit all the time, since 32 > 24.

Thank you! I edited my post to be clearer but honestly I am looking to add "whips" to the rivian portable charger. I dont think those exist like the Tesla kit I referenced but I know adapters exist.

What about the twist lock NEMA L5-30P?

What I don't know is do I need to understand and manually adjust the amperage in the vehicle or is my Rivian smart enough not to trip the breaker. My guess is that it isn't smart enough.

 

[Dark-Fx]

What I don't know is do I need to understand and manually adjust the amperage in the vehicle or is my Rivian smart enough not to trip the breaker. My guess is that it isn't smart enough.

No vehicle is smart enough to not trip the breaker. Rivian doesn't have additional connectors for their portable like Tesla does. The ones it ships with are it. I don't think they have smarts in the connector to be able to do what Tesla is doing, but I haven't disassembled to see.

 

[sub]

You can hack something together that will work, at least for a while, but the Rivian mobile charger cannot safely or legally (electric code compliant) be used with adapters that permit it to be used at 240V on a less than 50A outlet.

There is no way to make it tell the vehicle not to draw too much power. You can manually tell the car to limit charging speed, but at some point you could forget to change the default, or the vehicle could reset mid charge. If you are using an non-code compliant adapter and something catches fire - good luck with claiming the damage to the vehicle or the house on your insurance.


I plan to use my Tesla mobile charger unless/until Rivian sells plugs that will pass on the outlet's limitations to the vehicle.

 

[JeremyMKE]

You can hack something together that will work, at least for a while, but the Rivian mobile charger cannot safely or legally (electric code compliant) be used with adapters that permit it to be used at 240V on a less than 50A outlet.

There is no way to make it tell the vehicle that not to draw too much power. You can manually tell the car to limit charging speed, but at some point you could forget to change the default, or the vehicle could reset mid charge. If you are using an non-code compliant adapter and something catches fire - good luck with claiming the damage to the vehicle or the house on your insurance.


I plan to use my Tesla mobile charger unless/until Rivian sells plugs that will pass on the outlet's limitations to the vehicle.

Good advice, to be clear this is for road tripping so VERY occasional (Emergency) use.

 

[jplblue]

Campgrounds generally either have 50A 240V (14-50) or 30A 120V (TT-30). First one obviously requires no adapter but the second requires a special EV type adapter to go to 14-50 for the Rivian portable. I opted to build an OpenEVSE that has a TT-30 whip on it so I don't have to worry about resetting the charging amperage limit all the time, since 32 > 24.

Would something like this work? https://www.amazon.com/Parkworld-88...5714637&sprefix=tt-30+ev+adapte,aps,91&sr=8-4

How does the Rivian (or other EVs) recognize 120 vs 240, or does that not matter? Sorry for the rudimentary questions.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Would something like this work? https://www.amazon.com/Parkworld-885378-Adapter-TT-30P-14-50R/dp/B07G2MT4T6/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3QMHSWWXLJRAA&keywords=tt-30+ev+adapter&qid=1685714637&sprefix=tt-30+ev+adapte,aps,91&sr=8-4

How does the Rivian (or other EVs) recognize 120 vs 240, or does that not matter? Sorry for the rudimentary questions.

Yes, that one will work. It's basically putting 120V on what would normally be 240V on the other side of the adapter. Some EVSEs will fault out from this but the Rivian portable seems happy enough to assume the supply is still capable of providing the full 32A since the 14-50 adapter is plugged into the EVSE.

My Polestar 2's EVSE won't work with these adapters, but the car will still take 48A from a 120V source that advertises it.

 

[JeremyMKE]

I am thinking of buying these adapters.

https://getneocharge.com/collections/accessories

 

[WattTruckMatt]

I made my own version of this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B3266Z8...H95RD8WW&psc=0&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

[JeremyMKE]

I made my own version of this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B3266Z8...H95RD8WW&psc=0&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it

This is pretty much what I am looking for.

 

[rbr19870445]

There was another similar thread on this with the Lectron adapter. I think the general idea is if you're using an extension cord or an adapter of any sort is to lower the amperage. Annoying but it's an additional safety measure to ensure things don't melt/short out while charging.

 

[Foobar]

The Rivian charge kit can handle two of the three outlets that campsites use - 50amp and 20amp. For 30amp, all you need is something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XNSXWM4

I've used this at RV campsites without issue but be aware, 30amp 120v will only give you about 4 mph with the Rivian charge kit.

Sponsored