Wow, this thread took off! Wanted to clarify some of my original musings, as well as reply to some of the things brought up in this thread.
I don't think you can convert to 240V. [...] There are obviously different variants by country and the label has 120V @ 10A.
You are likely better off just buying an aftermarket mobile EVSE than trying to convert the included one to 240V.
I'll try to clarify more what I meant. As I understand it, UL certification is quite expensive. Thus, it rarely makes sense to certify one set of electronics in North America, and one set in Europe, and yet another set somewhere else in the world. Take a look at a laptop or phone charger- you'll note that nearly all of them made in the last 5 years or so support 100-240 volts and 50-60 Hz. Given that this exact same base model is used worldwide, I am guessing (but could be wrong!) that the only difference between European models and North American models is the two cordsets- one that plugs into the wall, and one that plugs into the car.
Maybe I'll register later today so I can look at the full details of UL certification for this EVSE.
Search for E483194 on Product iQ | UL
The yellow cable looks horrible btw.
For something I only intend to use occasionally, I think the yellow cord might be a blessing. Makes it much less of a tripping hazard when it is being used to plug in somewhere that isn't my own garage. I have a dedicated EVSE at home, but for something I might plug in on a road trip, or at a camp site, or wherever, a bright yellow "please don't trip on me" cord is better than a black one, IMO.
EDIT: Also, looking at the picture, I see 3×14AWG and 18AWG wirings (can't tell if they are different cables). That wiring can't support more than 15A or 10A.
18awg wire seems a bit small for carrying 10amps for extended periods. Most of the amp calculators I can find call for 14awg to pull 10 amps.
Someone else mentioned it, but the full labeling on the cord is 3x14 AWG + 1x18 AWG. The 18 AWG wire is the
control pilot, and the 14 AWG wires are ground + 2 current conductors (hot/hot for North American 240 volts, or hot/neutral for 120 volts).
Keep in mind that the NEC (electrical code) does NOT apply to appliance wiring or anything you plug into the wall. The jurisdiction stops once you get to a receptacle. Let's take a ETL-listed ClipperCreek charger, for example-
the manual (page 18) shows that they use 10 AWG wiring for 40 amps, and 8 AWG wiring for 50 and 60 amps. This is more than what the NEC would allow at 75ºC. 14 AWG should have no problem up to 15 or 16 amps.
I think you meant 6-50 as 14-50 is a somewhat antiquated carryover from older home wiring. Much discussion elsewhere.
14-50 is definitely not antiquated. I'd say it is the most future proof outlet, as it has 2 hot wires, 1 neutral, and 1 ground. A 14-50 can be used as a 6-50, since a 6-50 is 2 hot + 1 ground. NEMA 10 is the no-longer-used standard (typically found on older clothes dryer outlets), which does not have a ground, but only 2 hots and 1 neutral.
If you have a 14-50 or 6-50 in your garage, or any other NEMA 6 outlet (6-15, 6-20), you should have no problem finding a charger that can plug into it.
My reason for wanting to investigate if this can be a dual-voltage charger stems from the following:
- Not wanting to have to buy another occasional or rarely used charger
- This charger is UL-listed, whereas the $200 ones on Amazon most definitely are not
- The Amazing-E looks like a great road trip charger, but it doesn't support 120 volts from what I can see, which means I'd need to bring two chargers, not one, for maximum compatibility
- Being able to use the occasional use charger on a 240 volt outlet, even at 10 amps, will charge at least twice as fast compared to 120 volts. Level 2 charging is more efficient, likely because there are more losses going from 120 VAC -> 400 VDC as compared to 240 VAC -> 400 VDC.
I don't want to guess too much more until I actually get the car and the included charger, but I wouldn't be surprised to open it up and see some DIP switches that allow changing the fixed charging current value, and possibly the voltage if it isn't universal.
If indeed it is dual voltage, it's just a trip to the hardware store to pick up the parts build a few custom adapters (NEMA 10-30 for old dryer outlets, NEMA 14-30 for new ones, etc).
