Home Level 2 charging from generator outlet

[HCGxKaLiBeR]

My house came with a generator outlet when I bought it. I don't have a generator.
My garage has two bays, all occupied. I'm still not sure if I will park the future Slate truck in or ouside.

I need to get the truck first, then plan if I sell one car or keep them all or decide who park outside, etc. Once I know where it will be parked I will hire an electrician to install proper wiring.

Temporarily, is it possible to charge it from the generator outlet?

I understand I need to take the lock out off the panel, turn on the outlet breaker
I'm also aware it is not code and dangerous if a generator is backfeeding out, which I don't have one.

Will it work?

 

[beatle]

Yes, this should technically work. But I'd just replace the generator inlet with a proper receptacle instead of gender bending it into an outlet temporarily with an adapter. The wiring on the circuit will be the same. Then just remove the generator interlock and it becomes a receptacle for your EVSE.

Better yet, buy a hardwired EVSE and do away with the receptacle. They are more reliable.

 

[HCGxKaLiBeR]

Yes, this should technically work. But I'd just replace the generator inlet with a proper receptacle instead of gender bending it into an outlet temporarily with an adapter. The wiring on the circuit will be the same. Then just remove the generator interlock and it becomes a receptacle for your EVSE.

Better yet, buy a hardwired EVSE and do away with the receptacle. They are more reliable.

Thanks. Just making sure it will actually work.
I know basics but not dare enough to do my own wiring.

That inlet is at the back porch, though with that 25 feel charging handle it will reach the driveway.
Once I know where I want it to be, definitely need to hire someone to get a box installed where I park.

 

[beatle]

Another thing to consider is the circuit rating. A lot of EVSEs that plug into 14-50 receptacles like the one pictured draw a maximum of 32A. But the inlet you pictured is only rated for 30A. This should match the generator breaker on the panel. Some vehicles will let you reduce the charging amps in the vehicle, but not all. I'd bet a donut that Slate won't let you adjust.

You may still be able to make this work if you use an EVSE like a Tesla UMC that has different plug adapters made for the EVSE itself. The plug used will automatically set the EVSE for the maximum amps for that plug's de-rated output. In this case you'd want to use a 14-30 or 6-30 adapter and an EVSE that supports those plug types,. Again, Tesla is a good choice for this and pretty reasonably priced. You'd charge at 24A with this setup.

Slate has said they'll include an EVSE, but I'm betting it's like most and will only have 14-50 and 5-15 plugs.

 

[Orley]

It's dangerous to power up a male plug, don't do it. The by-pass switch at the breaker box probably won't let you do it either. Do yourself a favor and hire an electrician to do it right. Based on wire size they will determine the correct breaker size. I have a 240V 30-amp outlet in my garage. I can only safely charge at 24 amps (80 percent of breaker rating). That said, best of luck whatever you decide to do. It's all good.

 

[atx_ev]

dangerous to have 240 volts on exposed metal plugs like that. its fairly easy to just wire in a 240 charger.
1) turn off breaker
2) unmount receptacle
3) open it up, unscrew wires
4) wire it into the 240V
5) mount
6) turn power on.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

dangerous to have 240 volts on exposed metal plugs like that. its fairly easy to just wire in a 240 charger.
1) turn off breaker
2) unmount receptacle
3) open it up, unscrew wires
4) wire it into the 240V
5) mount
6) turn power on.

With moderate electrical acumen, these are the steps. As mentioned above, make sure the wire size is correct for breaker and you may be good for 32A, which was plenty for my Lightning, and will be plenty for Slate. (I don't recall what Slate said the max charging acceptance rates will be?)

With any doubt at all, just pay an electrician...you'll sleep better.

 

[HCGxKaLiBeR]

I should be all set.

My home generator outlet on the breaker is 50A. I consulted with my electrician friend. Was told I will be ok, just don't poke my fingers on the metal plugs.

I have a detached garage. It has a sperate 40A panel inside. Electrican told me If I want the charger inside or outside from the garage it will be limited to 30A, which is 24A charging.

I been doing some research. I think 24A will be enough for me. Some of the Level 2 chargers on Amazon I found can set charging currents.

I will give it more thoughts. I need the AWD version of Slate. Got plenty of time to think about.

 

[beatle]

24A is plenty on 240v, especially for an EV with a 50-80kwh battery.

When we travel to western NY, we charge the R1T's 141kwh battery at 24A. It's a little slow, especially because a lot of things are spread out there, but even that works. I've even done 16A @ 240v at times. It only adds about 2.5% an hour on that truck, but that's still good enough for most days.

The only time you really need a lot of charging power is when you get back from a long trip with a mostly empty battery and you need to go back out. Or if you forgot to plug in the night before.

 

[ScooterAsheville]

I assume the Slate also has Level 3 charging. Which is very slow but uses a simple three prong household plug to any 120V outlet. So if you're charging overnight at home or a friend's house, that's really all you need. Of course Level 2 is nice to have and faster.

Caution about electricians. Make sure you get one experienced installing chargers or level 2 plugs. There are horror stories out there about electricians who install 240 plugs using cheap materials and they frigging melt under the load of a charger. Dryer style plugs come in different materials.

Also, as mentioned above, you want a circuit cable to the breaker capable of carrying the needed amperage without overheating. This can get expensive in older homes. And of course, you need the free amperage at the circuit box.

Wanna get educated on chargers? Go to Tom's channel on YouTube,

https://www.youtube.com/@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney/videos

 

[Tom Sawyer]

I should be all set.

My home generator outlet on the breaker is 50A. I consulted with my electrician friend. Was told I will be ok, just don't poke my fingers on the metal plugs.

I have a detached garage. It has a sperate 40A panel inside. Electrican told me If I want the charger inside or outside from the garage it will be limited to 30A, which is 24A charging.

I been doing some research. I think 24A will be enough for me. Some of the Level 2 chargers on Amazon I found can set charging currents.

I will give it more thoughts. I need the AWD version of Slate. Got plenty of time to think about.

I hope your electrician friend didn't tell you it was ok to keep your current arrangement and not bother installing a proper receptacle.

It's cheap and easy to install the correct equipment for this job. All the necessary materials could have been sourced, purchased, and installed in the time it took to post about it here.

 

[NowThatsDamp]

Could you do it? Yes.

Should you do it? No. Just take off the generator box feed and replace it with a hardwired EVSE because it will be safer, more reliable, and a better user experience for a very small amount of time expense and effort. But your life is yours, I can't tell you how to live it.

I'm a licensed electrical contractor in Chicagoland, anyone is free to DM me with electrical questions. It is not hard to figure this stuff out and I like empowering people to solve their own problems. Lots of bogeyman stories around installing car chargers at home, it's not hard. (For example: "There are horror stories out there about electricians who install 240 plugs using cheap materials and they frigging melt under the load of a charger. Dryer style plugs come in different materials") Don't be scared.

 

[KevinRS]

Could you do it? Yes.

Should you do it? No. Just take off the generator box feed and replace it with a hardwired EVSE because it will be safer, more reliable, and a better user experience for a very small amount of time expense and effort. But your life is yours, I can't tell you how to live it.

I'm a licensed electrical contractor in Chicagoland, anyone is free to DM me with electrical questions. It is not hard to figure this stuff out and I like empowering people to solve their own problems. Lots of bogeyman stories around installing car chargers at home, it's not hard. (For example: "There are horror stories out there about electricians who install 240 plugs using cheap materials and they frigging melt under the load of a charger. Dryer style plugs come in different materials") Don't be scared.

Those stories about the plugs, what it is is you don't want an actual dryer plug, meant for a few dozen plug in/unplug cycles in the lifetime of the house, and intermittent load from the dryer that costs in the $10 range.
You want the commercial grade/RV grade/EV grade plug meant to go through more cycles, and continuous loads, that is closer to $50

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Those stories about the plugs, what it is is you don't want an actual dryer plug, meant for a few dozen plug in/unplug cycles in the lifetime of the house, and intermittent load from the dryer that costs in the $10 range.
You want the commercial grade/RV grade/EV grade plug meant to go through more cycles, and continuous loads, that is closer to $50

Good points. Can you provide some links to examples?

 

[RetiredOnPaper]

Since the Slate is using NACS, it should be able to automatically adjust to the current being delivered. This would be an excellent topic for Slate to address directly. You don't need to have the highest current setup. I have used a NEMA 6-15 for my Model 3 for nearly 8 years. What that means is I charge at a rate of 11 miles per hour of charge, or 90 to 110 miles added per night. Yes, it is barely level 2 charging but does not require the very heavy duty wire of a 50 amp or even a 30 amp setup. That means less cost. I find it a nice compromise. I did try a year using just level 1 (4-5 miles per hour). Doable but not good. My usual daily drive is 60 to 100 miles per day, in Michigan.