EVSE Recommendation for 14-50R?

[thait84]

I was originally planning on getting a Siemens VersiCharge, but the Siemens is a 6-50P.

I plan on installing a 14-50R since it seems more future proof. Does anyone have a recommendation on a good EVSE that has a 14-50P?

Thanks!

 

[smkettner]

None come with 14-50p as neutral is redundant.
6-50 will be the connector of choice for an evse.

 

[thait84]

Thanks for the quick reply. It definitely seems like most of them are NOT 14-50. The only people I see talking about 14-50 are the Tesla guys.

I thought that 14-50 was more common? Both for welding and also for RV parks.

 

[pkulak]

I wouldn't worry too much about the receptacle. That part is super east to swap out later if you need to. It's running the wire and getting the breaker set up that's the hard part. Put in what ever receptacle you need for the EVSE you want.

 

[TonyWilliams]

I wouldn't worry too much about the receptacle. That part is super east to swap out later if you need to. It's running the wire and getting the breaker set up that's the hard part. Put in what ever receptacle you need for the EVSE you want.

Yes, it's cheap and easy to swap a 14-50 with a 6-50 receptacle. Just turn off the breaker, verify with a voltmeter that it is indeed off, and with a screwdriver and about 5 minutes, you'll be swapped. The receptacles are about $10 each.

I would probably pull a neutral wire with your two hots and ground so that you can install a 14-50, and then just not use the neutral wire when you decide you need a 6-50. For myself, my outdoor 14-50 is wired with neutral so that any EV can charge plus anybody who would visit with a motorhome can also plug in (and motorhomes need that neutral wire). But, my two indoor 50 amp plugs were originally 6-50's, and never had a neutral when I installed 14-50's there.

Yes, Tesla folks love the 14-50 because those cars are real traveling machines that need to go to plentiful RV parks to recharge their cars. When you buy a Tesla UMC, it comes with a 5-15 (120 volt household plug) and a 14-50 plug. If you want a 6-50 (240 volt welders, etc) or 14-30 or 10-30 (dryers), you have to pay $45 extra each.

So, buy whatever EVSE you want, and put the appropriate plug on it (6-50 or 14-50) or swap out the appropriate receptacle on your wall.

 

[MikeD]

Does anyone make a 6-50R GFCI receptacle? Seems like it ought to be cheaper to make since there is no neutral to complicate matters, i.e. very similar in design to a 120v GFCI receptacle, I would think.

 

[smkettner]

GFCI is in the EVSE

 

[MikeD]

smkettnwe: You wrote "GFCI is in the EVSE". Yes, you are certainly correct that EVSE's have some Ground Fault protection "downstream" from its control box. But I'm looking for Ground Fault protection at the receptacle level that the EVSE plugs into, which would be (IMO) useful additional shock protection for the user. (This is one of the additional safety benefits of a dedicated direct wired EVSE, IMO, as then the internal EVSE Ground Fault protection is normally all you need.) One can often buy a GFCI circuit breaker for this circuit, but they are usually more than $100 (if they are available for your breaker panel). And they may be more prone to "nuisance tripping" than a receptacle GFCI in theory because of the longer circuit path (however, I really have little info based on peoples' experience with this!)

 

[smkettner]

Thousands of RVs daily plug into a plain 14-50 just fine outdoors in all weather conditions and GFI is a non-issue.
Do you have a specific concern about the connector? The ground fault caused by the evse or vehicle would be covered by the evse.
GFI protects for fault of the device plugged into it and I think the evse has you covered.

 

[thait84]

I am buying 125 ft of 6 gauge 6/3 cable.

So it seems like I can have the neutral come through, but not wire it to the receptacle if I choose to have a 6-50 instead of a 14-50. Sounds good! I can let the electrician know.

 

[fooljoe]

Does anyone make a 6-50R GFCI receptacle? Seems like it ought to be cheaper to make since there is no neutral to complicate matters, i.e. very similar in design to a 120v GFCI receptacle, I would think.

Why settle for protection downstream of the receptacle? You can get a 50 amp GFCI breaker and protect the whole circuit. There don't seem to be any GFCI receptacles available.

 

[MikeD]

smkettner: If I inadvertently touch a "hot" prong of a plug with my bare finger as I am inserting it into a non-GFCI protected receptacle at the same time that my other bare hand is touching grounded metal (such a metal conduit), IMHO it does not matter what the plug is connected to: I expect to feel an electrical shock until I move a hand away or otherwise remove myself from completing the circuit -- the EVSE's GFI circuitry won't help me. If the receptacle is instead GFCI protected itself or protected "upstream" from the receptacle (like at its circuit breaker), then I expect the circuit to quickly trip (typically in the neighborhood of .01 second, I think) so that I am unlikely to suffer any ill effects.

If I am mistaken/inaccurate in any of this, someone please let me know.

 

[Ingineer]

We sell both a 14-50 and a 6-50 adapter for the EVSE Upgrade.

-Phil