Charging at home using mobile charger w/ NEMA 14-50 plug?

[Kacey3]

We've been using the portable charger with a NEMA 10-30P adapter for nearly a year. We don't often drive more than a few miles a day, but even when we need to charge before a long trip, we get plenty of charge overnight to get us ready. You just have to be prepared to charge longer if you drive more.

So really, the answer is, it depends on your needs.

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[TexasBob]

Here in Houston, where very few of the electricity plans have TOD pricing (and the ones that do are not a good deal) there is little advantage to a higher power charger. In places where you have tight TOD rate structures, it is especially useful to minimize power costs.

So for me, I would absolutely not buy a J1772 charger with everything in the US moving to NACS in the next 24 months. FWIW, I use the mobile charger and it is fine. It is a bit slow but I keep it to 70% per Rivian's recommendation and it is always full in the AM. (I have a 32 A wall Charger - 14 years old - that we use for the Model S.) We have nearby Superchargers / EA charging if we ever need a big bump in a hurry, but in all the years of driving and EV we have never needed it.

 

[sherold]

Took delivery of my Max pack R1T Saturday, and today is going to be my first day charging it.

We’re planning to use the mobile charger and see how that performs tonight in the NEMA 14-50 plug we had installed.

We’re considering doing an actual charger, but do folks think it’s necessary? We plan to use mostly for local driving (not more than 100 miles on any given day) and 5 or so road trips per year — short one this weekend from HOU to DAL.

It completely depends on your needs, and based on how you intend to use it, that setup will work just fine. Unless you just want to spend the extra money for a slightly higher charging rate, it would be a waste to purchase/install a permanent charger. I exclusively used this same setup for 3 months in a scenario very similar to yours with zero problems, and never wished I could charge faster. You do have to plan properly to time the correct charging levels but, the scheduling feature has helped alleviate some of that effort. If the install is done correctly with quality materials, you have nothing to worry about.

I typically drive anywhere from 15-40 miles/day, weekend mileage is all over the board, and 5-10 road trips per year. I installed my own 14-50 plug via 50ft. run from my basement sub-panel to the garage. I would typically charge every few days depending on charge level. For the last year I've had access to free charging at work so, my mobile charger is used maybe once every 3 months.

 

[SparkyR1t]

The goal with any high amperage appliance. ( Truck included) is to minimize the number of connections between breaker and the device. But the portable charger is a well engineered device. Just inspect the outlet either visually if you are comfortable following power down procedures or at a minimum take temperature readings with an optical thermometer once or twice a year will keep you safe. BUT—If you get the opportunity don’t hesitate to go with a higher current hard wired wall connector in the future. Enjoy

 

[sfvR1S]

I've had the same Clipper Creek HCS-40P, 30A, NEMA 14-50 charger since early 2004. It's charged 5 EV's, including the Rivian. It's not the fastest and I can actually upgrade to the HCS-50P 40A with my current wiring, but it works fine. It looks as if I'm getting around 6.4 kwh. I think I'm able to charge from ~50% to 70% in 3-5 hours.

 

[SANZC02]

Here in Houston, where very few of the electricity plans have TOD pricing (and the ones that do are not a good deal) there is little advantage to a higher power charger. In places where you have tight TOD rate structures, it is especially useful to minimize power costs.

So for me, I would absolutely not buy a J1772 charger with everything in the US moving to NACS in the next 24 months. FWIW, I use the mobile charger and it is fine. It is a bit slow but I keep it to 70% per Rivian's recommendation and it is always full in the AM. (I have a 32 A wall Charger - 14 years old - that we use for the Model S.) We have nearby Superchargers / EA charging if we ever need a big bump in a hurry, but in all the years of driving and EV we have never needed it.

Don’t overthink the conversion to NACS, I have a J1772 charger and use the J1772 to Tesla adapter to charge our Model S and works fine.

Having a J1772 charger is not going to be an issue, the charger will probably be replaced before what it can charge will be a problem.

 

[tragicmonkey049]

I only had room in my panel for a 40A breaker anyway, which is perfect for the 32A portable charger. I bought a second portable charger from the Rivian Store and leave it plugged in. Cheaper than the wall-mounted Rivian charger, and same power delivery for me. I share a driveway with my neighbor, so I only charge overnight a couple of times a week. I travel around town and then drive 100 miles nonstop each way about 2-3 times per month up to the mountains. I have never had a worry with this charging set up. At 220V 32A, there's less heat at the plug than with higher-amp setups, but as others have said, you need a high-quality 14-50 receptacle to do this right, and a GFCI breaker. My panel uses Cutler-Hammer breakers, and my 40A GFI breaker has never (yet) had a nuisance fault trip.

If you stick with the Rivian portable charger, one more note:

Mine is outside, hanging from weatherproof outlet box. The charger will quit and throw an error (red blinking) after it rains because the swappable plug isn't watertight where it enters the body of the charger. I fixed that by cutting off the corner of a Mission Flour Tortillas Soft Taco 20-count plastic bag, threading the plug through it and taping the bag to the cord with electrician's tape. The bag acts like a rain poncho over the charger and makes it look like garbage so nobody will try to steal it off the side of my house.

I keep saying that I'll mount it sideways with a wall mount from TWRAPS, but the tortilla bag is kinda growing on me...

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