Generator charging possible using data center PDU equipment?

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smileyscout

New member
Joined
Aug 8, 2020
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2
I've done enough reading on the forums to realize that attempting to charge an EV using a generator is dicey at best.

However, I'm wondering if data-center power distribution gear can make generator charging practical.

The APC SURT003 Smart-UPS RT Tower Isolation/Step-Down Transformer exists solely for the purpose of isolating your power source (generator or mains) from your bank of very expensive rack mount servers which react poorly to anything other than clean, pure sine wave juice.

Product Page on APC's website
https://bit.ly/34326YL

I'm thinking this unit can do the same for an EV. It has a big ol NEMA 14-30R on the back of it and I bet it could handle a constant load of 16 amps if not 20. I kinda doubt it could handle 24 or 32 amps.

Does anyone know of someone who has tried this sort of thing before and if they have had any sucess? I'm totally willing to try and document my efforts for the community.

Here are some pictures I took of one: https://imgur.com/gallery/HVlZgoP
 
Your photos show L6-20 receptacles so they would be good for a maximum of 16 amperes continuous (assuming the UPS equipment feeding them is up to the continuous load. The question is whether the 208-volt output is referenced to ground or floating. If it is referenced to ground then a suitable EVSE should work to charge the car. If it is not referenced to ground, then an EVSE the checks for ground connection will not allow charging. Since the L6-20 receptacles do not have a neutral connection, there is a good chance that the output is floating rather than having a solid neutral bond to ground connection.

Charging from a generator just requires an appropriate neutral bond to ground connection as described in other threads along with a generator sized to handle the sudden load when charging starts. I have made up grounding/bonding plugs I can use with generators when I need to charge the car or provide power to other loads that require a neutral bond to ground.
 
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