Charging an EV from a 30 amp RV outlet

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by drmox

I see how this all makes sense. How the traditional gas station as we know it may be primed for extinction, to be replaced by rows of charging docks at work, stores, restaurants, and apartment complexes.
And if that becomes the reality, your EV will never really have the opportunity to drop below 50-60% charge because it is always getting plugged in wherever you go. In that universe, perhaps the 120v 30 amp outlet I have installed next to my Airstream in the driveway might just be enough to support the charging needs of the EV my DW wants me to buy her.

Perhaps. Start making notes on how far, how frequently and at what parts of the 24 hour day you guys currently drive. Do a little math to convert miles/kwh to your use and see how that compares to kwh available for different outlet supplies. You might be surprised.

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[jcl]

Originally Posted by Dennis C

I read an interesting article in Forbes a while ago about how people need to change their thinking when it comes to electric vehicle charging. Most people have a gasoline refueling mindset, meaning that you wait while your car is refueled and then you move on to your next task. The BEV mindset is different. You need to think about what you can do while your vehicle is charging instead of waiting for it. The most obvious thing is sleeping while your vehicle charges in your garage. But you can also shop, eat at a restaurant, watch a movie, etc.

I’d estimate that 98% of our charging is done at home. We typically charge when the battery level is somewhere between 20% and 30%.

This is key, the need to change one's mindset. We hear regularly about how long it takes to charge an EV at a charging station (if one treats it like an ICE vehicle). Usually from other than an EV owner. It is true that on long trips, charge time matters. But the tradeoff is that for the vast majority of the time, there are no trips to charging stations, as you note above.

We know that retail fuel sales are not very profitable, at least here. YMMV. The fuel companies have been moving out of the retail business, selling off their retail networks. Companies solely focused on retail have bought them up, whether they be big box stores, or convenience stores. The profit in a traditional fuel station has been in the convenience store (pop, chips); the car wash; and then the fuel sale. A longer time at the outlet (to charge instead of refuel) means a greater opportunity to sell something. So charge stations will look more like full service rest stops, or retail malls, than gas stations.

But for most of the time, it won't matter, because the vehicle will be charged at home or at work.

[AlbertF]

Originally Posted by jcl

This is key, the need to change one's mindset. We hear regularly about how long it takes to charge an EV at a charging station (if one treats it like an ICE vehicle). Usually from other than an EV owner. It is true that on long trips, charge time matters. But the tradeoff is that for the vast majority of the time, there are no trips to charging stations, as you note above.



We know that retail fuel sales are not very profitable, at least here. YMMV. The fuel companies have been moving out of the retail business, selling off their retail networks. Companies solely focused on retail have bought them up, whether they be big box stores, or convenience stores. The profit in a traditional fuel station has been in the convenience store (pop, chips); the car wash; and then the fuel sale. A longer time at the outlet (to charge instead of refuel) means a greater opportunity to sell something. So charge stations will look more like full service rest stops, or retail malls, than gas stations.



But for most of the time, it won't matter, because the vehicle will be charged at home or at work.

An interesting observation.

We lost most of our traditional service stations in the 1990s, with a transition to larger but fewer gas stations. Now we will see another market driven transition.

The need for land use approvals would disappear if since charging outlets should be allowed as-of-right in any parking lot.

It seems to me that restaurants would be be a good fit for charging stations.

[Dennis C]

I agree. I think we’ll see more and more charging stations like this one, which is located outside of a shopping mall with restaurants in Denver. I last used this charging station when my wife and I had lunch at Yard House. I connected to a Level 3 charger and we went into the restaurant. Within 30 minutes, I got a text from Electrify America that my car was 100% charged and I had 10 minutes to move out of the space or it would start charging me for staying there. I went out and moved the car, we finished lunch and did a little shopping. It was awesome. This is the future.

[jcl]

This one is in France, outside a grocery store. 28 stalls, each 250 kW. Open to non Tesla vehicles as well. Not the largest Supercharger, but apparently the longest.

I think this is also the future.

[Dennis C]

That’s impressive. It’s tough to see in the little photo that I posted, but that charger station is divided into the Tesla side and the non-Tesla side. It has 7 CCS/SAE combo stalls that charge at up to 350 kW. It also has 16 Tesla SuperCharger stalls. It’s a big station!

[Authority924]

Really big one !

[1957Custom22]

You’d still be limited by the maximum input amps of your stage 1 charger cord. The stage 1 charger cord that came with our EV can be set to maximum 12 amps input current.

In other words, using an RV plug adapter to a 30 amp RV outlet would still result in maximum charger input current of only 12 amps, and no difference in charging time.

For faster charging through a 30 amp RV outlet, you’d need a special stage 1 charger capable of handling 30 amp maximum input, assuming anyone makes such a device.

Standard 3-prong 120 VAC plugs are rated for only 15 amps. A special 30 amp stage 1 charger would need to be wired directly to a 30 amp RV plug through heavy 10 AWG wires.

[jcl]

Originally Posted by 1957Custom22

You’d still be limited by the maximum input amps of your stage 1 charger cord. The stage 1 charger cord that came with our EV can be set to maximum 12 amps input current.

In other words, using an RV plug adapter to a 30 amp RV outlet would still result in maximum charger input current of only 12 amps, and no difference in charging time.

For faster charging through a 30 amp RV outlet, you’d need a special stage 1 charger capable of handling 30 amp maximum input, assuming anyone makes such a device.

Standard 3-prong 120 VAC plugs are rated for only 15 amps. A special 30 amp stage 1 charger would need to be wired directly to a 30 amp RV plug through heavy 10 AWG wires.

Depends on your EV. Our EV handles higher currents. With the available plug adaptor to the TT30 outlet, it automatically reduces the current to 24A (80%). Same charger and cable we use all the time, it is just the plug adaptor that is different.

[idoco]

Originally Posted by drmox

Does anyone have some real world experience charging an EV with a 120v 30 amp outlet?

I do. I've used 120V 30A charging for electric vehicles at home as well as charging at campgrounds when we tow.

I'm going to use Tesla's numbers just because that's what I'm most familiar with. I'll also use the EPA numbers for the Model Y because it falls near the middle of the Tesla numbers (280 wH/mi) .

Using a 120v 30A outlet you'll get 3.6kW/h nominal. Or 43kW if you charger overnight (12 hours). That's ~154 miles nominal overnight. If you traveling less than 150 miles a day then you can regain lost range by charging overnight.

Now a better option. If you have a 120v 30A outlet already, you can easily convert it to a 240v 30A outlet. Then you will get double the numbers above. (You can also convert a 120V 20A outlet to a 240V 20A outlet if you have the wiring in place.)

[Downsized]

We camp mostly on 30 amp sites as our trailer is 30 amps. We just don’t bother to plug in the trailer while we are charging off of the 30 amp TT30 plug. Using the dongle from evseadapters.com it limits the current to 24 amps. We have done this all over Canada and extensively in BC. Works ok.

A 50 amp 240 volt site would be better but we rarely seem to find those where we camp. Sometimes it’s not even 30 amp. .

Pic of us charging on a 30 amp TT30. Seems to me it was somewhere in Ontario or Quebec.

[Dennis C]

We just drove into Alaska along the Alaska Highway through British Columbia and the Yukon. Most of the places we stopped only offered 30A power and it wasn’t very good power. My EMS shut off the power several times at several different campgrounds due to low voltage situations.

How long does it typically take you to charge the Tesla using a 30A RV outlet?

[dznf0g]

I'm not sure if this is helpful, and looks at it from a different angle, but with my volt, on 120v and 12 amps (level one household outlet) , I get 1 mile of range per 12 minutes. The poster states he is able to do 24amps at 120v, so it should be about 1 mile per 6 minutes.

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[Downsized]

Originally Posted by Dennis C

We just drove into Alaska along the Alaska Highway through British Columbia and the Yukon. Most of the places we stopped only offered 30A power and it wasn’t very good power. My EMS shut off the power several times at several different campgrounds due to low voltage situations.

How long does it typically take you to charge the Tesla using a 30A RV outlet?

Hi Dennis. Kinda depends on what charge you start with. If we pull in in the afternoon at 30 percent and pull out mid morning we’ll probably be around 90 percent ish.

We are quite often in one spot for 2 or 3 days as we are hikers and tend to hike the trails before we move on so for us charging time is not generally a constraint. Even at 12 amps one can charge up to max in a couple days. .