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My 30 amp cable has a nema 14-50 plug (see photo), that is why an adapter would be needed. Again, does the Porsche 30 amp power cable limit the draw to 30 amps?
the label on the power cable states 30 amp on one cable and the one that came with the charger is labeled 40 amp. By switching from the 40amp cable to the 30amp cable, am I limiting the draw and safe to use the adapter and the L6-30 outlet?
My 30 amp cable has a nema 14-50 plug (see photo), that is why an adapter would be needed. Again, does the Porsche 30 amp power cable limit the draw to 30 amps?
the label on the power cable states 30 amp on one cable and the one that came with the charger is labeled 40 amp. By switching from the 40amp cable to the 30amp cable, am I limiting the draw and safe to use the adapter and the L6-30 outlet?
I have no idea - a 30 amp cable should not have a NEMA 14-50 plug on it - do you have the PMC+ or PMCC? - also can you take a picture of the end of the cable that goes into the PMCC/PMC+ - there is a circle of connectors around the center “hole” - and you can “see” what contacts are wired up - and then compare the two cables (40 amp vs. 30 amp) aand see if there is a different pattern…
but honestly I have NO idea if the 30 amp cable you have will “adjust” the PMC+/PMCC to know it’s using a 30 amp circuit
_IF_ the pattern of contacts is different between the 40 & 30 amp cable it might do the right thing - if the pattern is IDENTICAL then it will certainly not do the right thing…
My 30 amp cable has a nema 14-50 plug (see photo), that is why an adapter would be needed. Again, does the Porsche 30 amp power cable limit the draw to 30 amps?
the label on the power cable states 30 amp on one cable and the one that came with the charger is labeled 40 amp. By switching from the 40amp cable to the 30amp cable, am I limiting the draw and safe to use the adapter and the L6-30 outlet?
ok here is how to test
1. put the “30 amp” cable on your Porsche charger at home
2. plug the 30 amp cable + charger into your home NEMA 14-50/50 amp circuit
3. start the Taycan “charging” w/30 amp cable on the Porsche charger
4. once the Taycan starts charger - tap the “mpm” value at the bottom of the charging screen (lower screen center console)
5. take a picture of the “kw” value displayed
_IF_ the KW value displayed is 5.76 or less (it should be less) then the 30 amp cable is “telling” the Porsche charger to use less power and you’d be safe to use it.
for extra credit and to verify - once we complete the test with the 30 amp cable attached - repeat the process with the “40 amp” cable attached - and verify the KW value display is _MORE_ than 5.76 kw but less than 9.6 kW
make sure your battery is not super cold or above 90% charge to perform this test
summary:
1. try charging at home on your 50 amp circuit with the 30 amp cable
2. verify in car that the 30 amp cable shows a charge rate in Kw of 5.76 or less
3. swap the cable and then verify the 40 amp cable shows a higher kW value
_IF_ the 30 amp cable charges your Taycan at a “slower” rate than your 40 amp cable - then you’d be safe to use the adapter you have specified
NOTE: it is 100% safe to pull “less/fewer” amps from a higher amp circuit - there is _NO_ issue pulling 30 amps from a properly provisioned 50 amp circuit - it’s the other way around that is problematic…
you have everything you need to test this at home - put the 30 amp cable on the charger and plug it in - see if it pulls less power… it’s safe to test a 30 amp cable on a 50 amp circuit.
It sounds like my best option is to run my charger (yes, it’s a plus, not connect) at 50% through the adapter if I want to use the available L6-30 outlet and charge a the 50% reduced rate… It will take longer, but it will be safe.
My 30 amp cable has a nema 14-50 plug (see photo), that is why an adapter would be needed. Again, does the Porsche 30 amp power cable limit the draw to 30 amps?
the label on the power cable states 30 amp on one cable and the one that came with the charger is labeled 40 amp. By switching from the 40amp cable to the 30amp cable, am I limiting the draw and safe to use the adapter and the L6-30 outlet?
Now that's a really weird cable!
Both my 6-50 and 14-50 cable are marked with 40A.
But you can go by the cable marking for amperage. The socket end has microchip that tells the Porsche Charger what amperage the cable is rated at. So even if you plug the 14-50 end into a 50A socket, it will still only draws 30A.
I also have 6-30 and 14-30 cable ends but they aren't handy atm for a picture session.
good advice from other so far nothing I would say to do different:
goal: charge the EV overnight - 8-10 hours (40 amp breaker or more)
goal: have the electrician visit only once in the next 5-10 years - plan for all your EV's/Hybrids not just your Taycan - again this is your first EV _NOT_ your last EV - there is more EV in your future not less
future: you will eventually want two EV's - yes it will happen - how do you charge both?
plan: this is your first EV not your last
opportunity: even full panels can sometimes be upgraded or full size breakers can be consolidated into 1/2 size breakers to "Make" room for a new 240V breaker - consult your licensed electrician about opportunities in this space
fact: the included EVSE with the Taycan is more than adequate and will do just fine - any EVSE you consider installing in your garage will be "in addition" to the included EVSE
fact: an EVSE is a capital improvement to your home - it's life span should be equal to or greater than a water heater/furnace or any other major appliance - you will use this for 10+ years - so spending a little extra to get "set up right" should be a serious consideration
facts: EV chargers are called EVSE's (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) - they are simply sophisticated power switches with a safety feature (no power flows if not plugged into a vehicle), they are not vendor specific - most any EV charger for North America will charge any other North American EV - so you can buy with confidence and know that your EVSE you install will be good for more than just one vehicle. They do not charge your vehicle - they simply provide "raw" power when requested by the vehicle - they are more like a water valve than a water filter - really honestly they are just a big fancy on/off switch that is controlled by the car - they provide power and make sure no power flows if not plugged into the vehicle - other than that they are no mystery - so most any EVSE will charge most ANY EV - they are _NOT_ vendor specific by DESIGN - use non-porsche EVSE's with confidence - cause again they are simply a switch - teh specifics about to charge your vehicle's battery is embedded in the vehicle - NOT the EVSE…this is why your Taycan can use public chargers at hotels and shopping malls - they aren't chargers - they are raw AC power with an on/off switch.
observation: the electricians bill for running the new dedicated circuit is more than the cost of the EV charger - so don't focus on the charger - focus on the electrician's work to give you a new circuit in your garage to charge your EV
Your Taycan will come with a Porsche Mobile Charger - this charger in North American is a 50/40 amp charger that will charge your Taycan at 9.6 kW - by default it comes with:
NEMA 5-15 plug - this is normal household plug - it will take 3 days to charge your Taycan from empty via this method - consider it trickle charging it's better than nothing but not really a plan for daily use
NEMA 14-50 - this is a North American "standard" for 240 volt - 50 amp electrical circuits - this is the best choice and requires your electrician to install a new 240V/50 amp circuit - and provide a NEMA 14-50 receptacle to plug your included Porsche charger into - this is more than adequate and you can simply stop here and you'll be good to go.
you can request an alternate 50 amp supply cable _OR_ one of two 30 amp supply cables
my recommendation is to get it with the NEMA 14-50 supply cable (default no action required on your part)
if you want one of the alternate supply cables buy them as parts from your VW/Audi/Porsche dealer - see above
the most
ideal: new 100 amp subpanel from your main panel to the garage - once you have a sub panel it's less-hard to add/change/remove an EVSE
Ideal scenario: Buy a 100 amp ClipperCreek or Porsche Wall Charger - hard wire it to the new subpanel with appropriate wire and circuit breakers - at $1586 the Porsche Wall Charger is a great choice and price and feature competitive with other EVSE's available on the market.
Optimal: Buy a ClipperCreek HCS 60 wall charger - have electrician install a 60 amp circuit for this charger it will charge you Taycan slightly faster than the included 50/40 amp Porsche Charger included with the vehicle
Normal: new 240V 50 amp circuit - NEMA 6-50/14-50 plug - use the Included Porsche Mobile Charger Plug (PMC+) and be happy
_IF_ you go this route specify an industrial grade NEMA 14-50 or 6-50 plug (like the Hubble) - this is not the place to "cheap" out - these plugs are $70-$90 parts cost vs. the $12 Home Depot special - we're dealing with 50 amp @ 240V which is a serious amount of power - spend the extra $70 on some quality equipment…
Adequate: a new 240V 40 amp circuit with an appropriate charger for a 40 amp circuit - charge rate will be 32 amps - there are several choices for a high quality 40/32 amp EVSE
Getting By: a new or existing 240V 30 amp circuit
for a new circuit you will need to purchase the NEMA 6-30 or 14-30 supply cable from Porsche - which ever one you buy have the electrician install that type of plug
I would buy the 6-30/14-30 supply cable in addition to the 14-50 that comes with the charger - since if you travel with your PMC+ you'll want the 14-50 to use on the road
if you are using/sharing an existing 30 amp circuit you'll need a dryer buddy or A/B switch on the circuit
eventually you'll want to charge 2 EV's at the same time - this will require a 2nd EVSE - now you either will need another dedicated circuit for this 2nd charger, or you'll upgrade/swap to some sort of shared load EVSE that can charge 2 EV's at once and split the load to share a single breaker - you can do this with any size breaker, but each car will charge 1/2 as fast while both are charging - so ideal you'd have a bigger number of amps to "split" - this is why a 100 amp subpanel is ideal - in the future when you're charging both EV's you'll have 50 amps for each of them. ClipperCreek and others make fancy "shared" load EVSE that will provide "full" load to 1 EV - or split load to 2 EV's simply by sharing one single circuit - the other option is to not have "shared": EVSE's but rather split he load down the middle and have fixed split load EVSE's - this works fine, but means when you are charging only one EV it can't benefit from the unused capacity for the other EVSE…cost difference is negligible once you're buying and provisioning two EVSE's anyways - I recommend fancy/smart split load EVSE's - you'll thank me later.
clipper creek makes a great 50 amp EVSE with two cords and one supply cable - just buy that charger and you're good to go for single or dual EV charging with one NEMA 14-50/6-50 plug
get an EVSE with a 25Ft cable - gives you more flexibility as to where you can park the car and still plug in…
place the EVSE close to your garage door so that the cable can reach inside the garage as well as the drive way for both indoor and outdoor charging options
get the electrician to setup you up with as big of an amp feed to your garage as possible - the cost here is the labor to pull the new wire and such - _NOT_ the number of AMP's you're pulling - so no reason to have the electrician bill you for 6 hours labor for a 30 amp circuit when the same 6 hours of labor could install a 60 amp circuit
a subpanel will make things easier in the future - even if you're only doing 30/40/50/60 amp feed - it will be easier to add a 2nd breaker for the 2nd EVSE if there is a subpanel…
questions and comments are welcome, and I believe this is well covered in the 2 links I posted earlier.
You should get paid for the wealth of information. thank you
Are you sure that a 30amp cable will only draw 30 amps, even connected to a 40 amp Porsche Mobile Charger Plus?
I just tried my 30 amp cable with the 14-50 plug and it appears to be limiting to 30 amps! This is great for use with the L6 30 amp outlet using the adapter. 30 amps
240 volts * 30 amps = 7,200 watta - or 7.2 kW - that's a 30/32 amp cable that requires a 40 amp breaker
80% rule for continous load
30 amp breaker * 80% = 24 amps for continuous load is what is allowed/safe
240 votls * 24 amps = 5.76 kW
so the in car charging should show 5.76 kW or less…not the 6.7 kW you are seeing
that cable is definately downgrading the PMC+ to pull less power - but it's a labling is for the amps it is pulling _NOT_ the breaker size of the circuit
the Porsche 40 amp cable requires a 50 amp breaker
therefore the Porsche 30 amp cable requires a 40 amp breaker (37.5 to be precise)
so it's adjust the amps for the PMC+ - but not enough for use with a 30 amp breaker…
the 50% button would save you here, but if you forget to press it it will overload the circuit
the cable makes sense in teh North American market - there is _NO_ NEMA plug type for a 40 amp circuit so building code allows you to use a NEMA 14-50 plug with a 40 amp breaker for equipment that is rated for 30/32 amp continous load
best solution is still to get the actual NEMA 6-30 or 14-30 supply cable from Porsche - which would "set" the PMC+ to only pull 24 amp
you can use the 50% button with the NEMA 14-50 40 or 30 amp cable - teh 40 amp cable should pull about 20 amps with 50% button pressed (240 * 20 = 4,800 watts or 4.8 kW) the 30 amp cable should pull 15 amps (240 * 15 = 3,600 watts or 3.6 kW)
_IF_ the 50% button is pressed neither cable should over load the breaker or the wire, but if the 50% button is not pressed both cables will potentially overload the circuit and then we're relying on the breaker to trip and avoid overheating the 30 amp rated wire…
I would test both cables with teh 50% button pressed prior to your trip - or if possible obtain an actual 24 amp Porsche supply cable (NEMA 6-30 or `14-30 plug type).
your cable appears to be a 'rare' EVSE supply cable for use in North America on 40 amp circuits with NEMA 14-50 plug - which is building code for that type of 240V circuit…since there is no actual NEMA plug-type for a 40 amp circuit and the 30 is too small and the 50 is too big - but too big is also safe - so building code allows the NEMA 14-50 to be used for a 40 amp circuit.
learn something new every day - it's also why I didn't recognize the part number.
that cable is for a 40 amp circuit - porsche hybrids wich have a 32 amp on board charger (7.2 kW)
Thank you Daveo4porsche. I forgot about the 80% rule, so the 50% button is the answer….with the adapter.
this is just for this particular visit.
make sure the 50% button is pressed an confirm in car that kW is not greater than 5.76 kW (maximum allowed for 30 amp circuit)
I would use the 40 amp porsche cable - which will be 4.8 kW - well under the 5.76 kW 24 amp limit for a 30 amp circuit - 4.8 kW will be "raw" power for 50% of a 40 amp draw so the car will show less than 4.8 kW…
the Porsche 30 amp cables would allow for the full 5.76 kW "raw" power rate - resulting in slightly faster charging than the 40 amp cable at 50%.
A 14-30 will have a right-angle blade for the neutral connection - not safety ground. The two hot and the safety ground blades are identical between 14-30, 14-50, and the rarely found 14-60. Only the shape and orientation of the neutral blade is different. In fact since the neutral isn't needed for EV charging, in the Tesla world it is somewhat common for folks to grind off the neutral blade on a 14-30 adapter so that it can also plug into a 14-50. (It isn't really safe to cut up a 14-50 adapter for reasons well discussed above.)
If the Porsche "30 amp" adapter has a 14-50 plug on the end of it and signals it is ok to draw more than 24 amps, then they did it wrong. A "30 amp" plug like a 6-30 or 14-30 can provide 24 continuous amps - so the power should be 24A x 240V = 5.76 kW.
As an aside, I mention the 14-60 receptacles. I've very rarely seen these in the wild. In fact the only place I've seen them were in the ward hallways of one of our local hospitals. (Stanford.) Not a place where one would normally park a car... They are easy to spot. They look like a 14-50, but the neutral blade slot is rotated 90 degrees.
11-03-2021, 03:49 PM
it’s safe to test a 30 amp cable on a 50 amp circuit.
