Dryer Plug Adapter for Leaf 2020 Plus EVSE

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sdbmania

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 25, 2011
Messages
140
Location
Southern California
I've been looking into getting a outlet installed in my garage so I can start charging at level 2 speed but the contractor I was talking to suggested I use the dryer plug and just get an adapter. I tried getting one but it's not working. It has a green cable coming out of it that is supposed to be for ground, but I thought the EVSE didn't need a grounding wire. If anyone could give me a recommendation on what kind of adapter I should get, I need a 10-30 to 14-50, I would appreciate it. I just want one that will work lol. Also, I think it would be good to get one that has a somewhat long cable. Maybe at least 5-6 feet.

I should add that when I tried plugging in the adapter, the EVSE was flashing the green light, but not the others.
 
sdbmania said:
I've been looking into getting a outlet installed in my garage so I can start charging at level 2 speed but the contractor I was talking to suggested I use the dryer plug and just get an adapter. I tried getting one but it's not working. It has a green cable coming out of it that is supposed to be for ground, but I thought the EVSE didn't need a grounding wire. If anyone could give me a recommendation on what kind of adapter I should get, I need a 10-30 to 14-50, I would appreciate it.
There's been a lot of previous discussion on this. Google for site:mynissanleaf.com dryer 24 amps 30 amp.

It is NOT safe to try to get a NEMA 14-50 device to run on a 10-30 outlet. Max allowed continuous load allowed on a 30 amp circuit is 24 amps.

IIRC, if you look on the label on the back, the supplied Nissan L1/L2 EVSE allows up to 30 or 32 amps. The Leaf will pull 27.5 amps, which is above 24. Other EVs plugged in may pull up to the EVSE's max (30 or 32 amps).

I don't have time to elaborate until much later tonight.
 
One further thing: An EVSE uses a ground wire, but not a Neutral. As Cwerdna mentioned it is NOT safe to use a dryer circuit for a Nissan dual voltage EVSE because it will pull too much current through the circuit for continuous/long term operation.. Your original plan is best, followed by getting an EVSE that can be set to 24 amps or less, and using the dryer circuit for that.
 
Okay. Well it sounds like it might just be better to stick with my original plan and have someone install a new outlet and breaker. I'm fine with using the Nissan OEM since it can do both 120V240V charging and I don't think it makes sense to buy new equipment if its not much more just to have someone do the electrical work. Thanks for the help :)
 
Nissan to me kinda screwed up or caused confusion in marketing materials.

They should've either included an EVSE that maxes out at 24 amps continuous load and included the two 30 amp plugs used by dryers in the US or done what Tesla's been doing all along. The below is gen 2. Gen 1 had the same concept but a different EVSE and adapters.

https://shop.tesla.com/product/gen-2-mobile-connector-bundle
https://shop.tesla.com/product/gen-2-nema-adapters or https://shop.tesla.com/product/nema-adapter-bundle

Each adapter tells the EVSE the max continuous load allowed on that plug type and the EVSE adjusts its J1772 pilot signal duty cycle to match (https://openev.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/6000052074-basics-of-sae-j1772).

Gen 1 mobile connector had been included w/all Teslas since Model S in 2012 until they switched to gen 2.
 
SageBrush said:
sdbmania said:
if its not much more just to have someone do the electrical work.
That is a big IF, and it also presumes you have room in your panel.

I haven't seen a modern panel yet that you can't make room with tandem breakers....unless your panel is really old...then you have a bigger issue.
 
Learjet said:
SageBrush said:
sdbmania said:
if its not much more just to have someone do the electrical work.
That is a big IF, and it also presumes you have room in your panel.

I haven't seen a modern panel yet that you can't make room with tandem breakers....unless your panel is really old...then you have a bigger issue.

I see. The house was built in the 70s but there was an electric stove that was put in in the early 2000s, or late 90s. So I know they did upgrade the panel back then. I'll just have to do some more research.
 
Even modern panels can fill up. I just put in a new panel and I used a 'plug-in neutral' type panel. This has 2 bus bars that each breaker snaps onto: a hot and the neutral. This eliminates the pigtails required on AFCI breakers. I don't think this type of breaker is made in 'half-size' so each slot can fit only 1 breaker and when the panel is full, it's full.
 
goldbrick said:
Even modern panels can fill up. I just put in a new panel and I used a 'plug-in neutral' type panel. This has 2 bus bars that each breaker snaps onto: a hot and the neutral. This eliminates the pigtails required on AFCI breakers. I don't think this type of breaker is made in 'half-size' so each slot can fit only 1 breaker and when the panel is full, it's full.

To add more confusion, they do make half-size breakers that fit between the two slots to make a 240 V connection and then you can put half-size breaks on either side of those to get more 120 V connections, but the box itself has to have the extra "legs" to grab a hold of for those half-size breakers and thus basically end up getting a new box anyway unless you are starting new... :shock:
 
My two cents:

The only safe and reliable way to power the Nissan EVSE at 240V is with a minimum 40 amp circuit. [I've not actually dealt with one myself, that's what I understand from the specs.]

With a non-deficient 30 amp dryer circuit, it would be safe to try the Nissan EVSE on it, it just would not be reliable. There's a good chance the breaker would trip. And even if it doesn't for several charge sessions, it might trip the next time the weather is warmer, say.

What would be unsafe would be to continue using the circuit for the EVSE after finding out that the breaker trips sometimes, and to just keep resetting the breaker. That may turn it into a deficient circuit by wearing out the breaker. And of course if the circuit were deficient, using it would be unsafe for an EVSE or a dryer.

Cheers, Wayne
 
wwhitney said:
My two cents:

The only safe and reliable way to power the Nissan EVSE at 240V is with a minimum 40 amp circuit. [I've not actually dealt with one myself, that's what I understand from the specs.]

With a non-deficient 30 amp dryer circuit, it would be safe to try the Nissan EVSE on it, it just would not be reliable. There's a good chance the breaker would trip. And even if it doesn't for several charge sessions, it might trip the next time the weather is warmer, say.

What would be unsafe would be to continue using the circuit for the EVSE after finding out that the breaker trips sometimes, and to just keep resetting the breaker. That may turn it into a deficient circuit by wearing out the breaker. And of course if the circuit were deficient, using it would be unsafe for an EVSE or a dryer.

Cheers, Wayne

Interesting. The car won't charge when using the dryer plug, the green light on the EVSE flashes, so I'm assuming it's the adapter or the outlet. I'll either look into getting a 24amp EVSE or have an electrician put in a new 50amp breaker and outlet. I got confused because last year I got some estimates on the cost and I got a quote from $350 to $425. When I contacted a new contractor recently, they suggested an adapter would be a better option. Right now I am leaning towards getting the 24amp EVSE.
 
Learjet said:
...
I haven't seen a modern panel yet that you can't make room with tandem breakers....unless your panel is really old...then you have a bigger issue.

It's sort of like a checkbook though. Just because there are blank checks doesn't mean your account can cover writing more of them. In addition to panel space, the overall load is also a factor. When we had a 240V circuit added, local permit required load calculation to be done. As it turned out load calculation determined we were limited to a 20A circuit unless we wanted to run a new service line or repurpose some other circuit (e.g., replace electric range with gas).
 
sdbmania said:
I should add that when I tried plugging in the adapter, the EVSE was flashing the green light, but not the others.
Off-hand I don't know the meaning of your EVSE flashing lights (you can find out), but I do know that dryer circuits can be wired in different configurations. Add in an adapter, and then you really don't know the wiring into the EVSE.

IIRC (this has to verified by someone qualified), an EVSE running at 240v expects two hot pins and a ground, but no neutral.

----
If you are looking for a lower cost solution, you can also consider a used EVSE that is Amp limited for a 30 Amp circuit. Some EVSE are that way from the get go, and others let you set the EVSE to a maximum lower amperage. The basic problem with the Nissan mobile EVSE is that it does not have a way to set a lower maximum amperage.
 
sdbmania said:
I tried getting one but it's not working. It has a green cable coming out of it that is supposed to be for ground, but I thought the EVSE didn't need a grounding wire. If anyone could give me a recommendation on what kind of adapter I should get, I need a 10-30 to 14-50, I would appreciate it.
The EVSE does need an EGC, it just doesn't need a neutral. 10-30 is an ungrounded pattern, 2 hots and a neutral, while 14-50 is a grounded pattern, 2 hots, a neutral and an EGC. So your adapter is attempting to handle the general purpose case, where you can use the green wire to run to a properly grounded receptacle for an EGC. The EVSE is doing an EGC check, finding out there is none, and flashing its light as an error.

You will also find adapters marketed as for EVSEs that don't have the green wire. They will internally connect the 14-50 EGC to the 10-30 neutral. Which is a bit of a kludge, and potentially problematic if you used them for a 120V/240V load, rather than a straight 240V like an EVSE.

Since you have a 10-30 receptacle instead of a 14-30 receptacle, your dryer installation is on the old side. That would definitely give me pause about using an adapter in the long run, as I would not have confidence that the circuit didn't have unknown deficiencies. The prudent thing to do if you don't want to run a new circuit would be to get a 24 amp EVSE, preferably with a 6-30 plug, and have an electrician come out, inspect both ends of the circuit, and change the 10-30 receptacle to a 6-30 receptacle.

This entire discussion assumes the 10-30 receptacle is not currently used. If it's used by a dryer, forget it and run a new circuit.

Cheers, Wayne
 
wwhitney said:
The prudent thing to do if you don't want to run a new circuit would be to get a 24 amp EVSE, preferably with a 6-30 plug, and have an electrician come out, inspect both ends of the circuit, and change the 10-30 receptacle to a 6-30 receptacle.
YES. And clearly label the receptacle as 'EV only'
 
SageBrush said:
wwhitney said:
The prudent thing to do if you don't want to run a new circuit would be to get a 24 amp EVSE, preferably with a 6-30 plug, and have an electrician come out, inspect both ends of the circuit, and change the 10-30 receptacle to a 6-30 receptacle.
YES. And clearly label the receptacle as 'EV only'
Its a good idea, but why EV only?
 
WetEV said:
SageBrush said:
wwhitney said:
The prudent thing to do if you don't want to run a new circuit would be to get a 24 amp EVSE, preferably with a 6-30 plug, and have an electrician come out, inspect both ends of the circuit, and change the 10-30 receptacle to a 6-30 receptacle.
YES. And clearly label the receptacle as 'EV only'
Its a good idea, but why EV only?
So that no one tries to use an adapter to run an appliance that requires a neutral
 
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