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most likely the breaker will continuously trip - it’s there to prevent overload - and 50/40 amps _IS_ by definition overloading a 30 amp circuit
if the breaker does _NOT_ trip - well lets just say that can go very very badly - it means a vital safety device has failed, and that rarely has good outcomes…
you are mixing amp ratings - this is generally to be avoided - and there are alternatives that do not require one to “mix” amp ratings
(L6-30 to 14-50 is mixing 30 amps with 50 amps - and in the wrong direction)
L6-30 - it’s in the name of the adapter and your subject title for this posting - 30 amp circuits don’t like 50/40 amps being pulled across them!
the plug you are plugging into is a 30 (thirty) amp circuit - how do I know - L6-30 - the “30” means 30 amps!!! the adapter cable you suggest converts a L6-30 to a NEMA 14-50 - the “50” means 50 amp circuit - well this is not safe because your PMCC will still “think” it’s on a 50 amp circuit and will try and pull 40 amps…
the problem here is the Porsche Charger won’t _KNOW_ it’s plugged into a 30 amp circuit - maximum charger rate 24 amps - since you’ve left the NEMA 14-50 supply cable attached to the PMC+/PMCC it will still _THINK_ it can pull 40 amps (after all you have a NEMA 14-50 supply cable attached to it - so it must also be plugged into a full 50 amp circuit).
a 30 amp circuit is rated “safe” for a continuous load of 5.76 kW - but your PMCC/PMC+ will pull 9.6 kW - this will overheat 30 amp guage wiring causing the insulation to melt and allowing the exposed melted wires to touch each other causing a potential short circuit and starting a fire - the 30 amp breaker _SHOULD_ trip before the wire melts stopping the current flow, but if the breaker does not trip - well things will go very very badly from there…
the PMC+/PMCC can not know or detect you are using a 30 amp adapter that allows you to plug it into a 30 amp circuit…this can go wrong in many many ways…
if you have the PMCC you _MUST_ dial the amps down to 24 amps - otherwise the PMCC will try and pull 40 amps - best case the circuit breaker trips - worse case breaker doesn’t trip and 30 amp wire’s overheat and melt under the 40 amp load your Taycan pullls for several hours causing a short circuit and potential fire.
if you have the PMC+ there is a 50% button that _SHOULD_ down grade the amps it’s pulling to 20 amps from the normal 40 amps - but I am not advising you on this path.
a _BETTER_ solution is to purchase a NEMA 14-30 or 6-30 supply cable for the PMCC/PMC+ from your Authorized VW/Audi/Porsche dealer - attach that cable to the PMC+/PMCC which will configure the PMC+/PMCC to _KNOW_ it’s dealing with a 30 amp circuit and draw the appropriate amperage from the circuit - then you can purchase a NEMA L6-30 to 14-30/6-30 adapter cable.
it’s very very very messy and _DANGEROUS_ business to convert one type of NEMA plug to another type of NEMA plug where amp changes are involve
the “30” in the NEMA L6-30 means it’s a 30 amp plug and therefore has wire only rated for 30 amps + 30 amp breaker
the “50” in the NEMa 14-50 means it’s associated with a 50 amp plug- and therefore _ANY_ device plugged into a NEMA 14-50 outlet (like the one on your adapter cable) expects to be operating on a full 50 amp circuit
the adapter you have noted form Amazon allows 50 amp devices to plugged into 30 amp circuits - and that is bad juju and potentially dangerous - fire can happen in this circumstance and you do not _KNOW_ how that electrical circuit will behave if the PMCC/PMC+ somehow is misconfigured and attempts to pull 50/40 amps across the 30 amp circuit.
another better solution is to purchase a Tesla Gen2 UMC or Mustart charger and equip them with either a NEMA 6-30 or 14-30 adapter and then buy a L6-30 to NEMA 6-30/14-30 adatper - a NEMA adatper that does _NOT_ change the amp rating can generally be considered safe/sane…
you can make it work, but it would be better to get your EVSE equipped with the appropriate 30 amp supply cable so that there is no need to make sure it’s not pulling tooooo many amps - fires actually _DO_ happen due to playing with stuff like this - it’s best to assume the 30 amp circuit in question might not hold up if there is any snafu in your setup - and leaving a NEMA 14-50 supply cable attached to the PMCC/PMC+ could lead to the PMCC/PMC+ accidentially overloading the circuit - again the 30 amp circuit break _SHOULD_ trip - but if it doesn’t - well there is no predicting what might happen then - but bad outcomes are likely and for seeable.
it’s best not to…
Last edited by daveo4porsche; 11-03-2021 at 03:46 AM.
buy either the NEMA 14-30 or 6-30 supply cable for your Porsche chargers from VW/Audi/Porsche dealer - see picture below - I’d recommend the NEMA 6-30 supply cable - and then purchase from Amazon a NEMA L6-30 to NEMA 6-30R adapter…this type of adapter is not an AMP conversion - you are just changing one type of 30 amp circuit plug into another type of 30 amp circuit plug - and the PMCC/PMC+ will behave appropriately for a 30 amp circuit when you have the VW/Audi/Porsche NEMA 6-30 adapter attached to your PMC+/PMCC…this is the recommended way to charge your Taycan (or any EV) with a 30 amp circuit and will dramactically reduce the changes of anything going wrong and leading to bad outcomes.
the NEMA 6-30 supply cable should be less than $300 - contact your local vw/audi/porsche parts center for their latest retail pricing.
Last edited by daveo4porsche; 11-03-2021 at 03:20 AM.
here are the Audi part numbers for the PMC+/PMCC EVSE shipped in north america - VW/Audi/Porsche all use the same charger - and these parts should/commonly-are fully compatible - this may help the parts department find what you are requesting - you want the NEMA 14-30 or 6-30 part number - and once you have one or the other - you can order an adapter from Amazon to convert the L6-30 to which ever supply cable you’ve obtained for the PMCC/PMC+ that is the 30 amp supply cable.
if you were to get the VW/Audi/Porsche NEMA 6-30 supply cable (part #7PP-971-678-T) - then this adapter from Amazon would be a safe conversion (30 amp to 30 amp converter)
this has a “male L6-30 that provides a ‘female’ NEMA 6-30R” - it’s the full 30 amp version of the adapter you linked in your original posting - but since it’s only providing a 30 amp outlet there should be no nasty overloading of the circuit because you can only plug something in that has a 30 amp plug…
this type of adapter setup is much safer because the PMC+/PMCC will _KNOW_ they are running on a 30 amp circuit - and the converter are converting same to same in terms of amperage - it should therefore all be safe.
Last edited by daveo4porsche; 11-03-2021 at 03:37 AM.
Daveo4porsche has done an outstanding job of explaining the danger in the proposed setup and what not to do. He did forget one very important point in his advice to OP - Be sure you have 911 on your speed dial, better yet the local FD.
OP your life may depend on a $12 circuit breaker working as intended.
Last edited by 991carreradriver; 11-03-2021 at 08:51 AM.
daveoporsche, oh wise one, please, oh please, just tell me what to buy. Break it down for me like you were writing "Charging for Dummies for Really Old People."
Ok, I buy a Taycan
My electrical panel ( located in the basement ) is full. No empty circuit breakers.
I have a 30 amp outlet that is being used by the dryer. The dryer is inside the house but shares the common wall with the garage.
Which cable or cables do I order with the Taycan?
What should I tell the electrician to quote me on?
As an aside, I'm not trying to save money. If there is an ideal charging scenario, hit me with it. Well maybe give me a less than ideal scenario too :-)
daveoporsche, oh wise one, please, oh please, just tell me what to buy. Break it down for me like you were writing "Charging for Dummies for Really Old People."
Ok, I buy a Taycan
My electrical panel ( located in the basement ) is full. No empty circuit breakers.
I have a 30 amp outlet that is being used by the dryer. The dryer is inside the house but shares the common wall with the garage.
Which cable or cables do I order with the Taycan?
What should I tell the electrician to quote me on?
As an aside, I'm not trying to save money. If there is an ideal charging scenario, hit me with it. Well maybe give me a less than ideal scenario too :-)
I’m busy all day today will post later this evening (apologies)
there is a “thing” called a DryerBuddy - google it - it lets you “share” a single breaker with a dryer - giving priority to the “dryer” - so that the EV charger won’t overload the single breaker - it auto-switches between the dryer and the EV charger - when drier is being used dryer get power, when not being used, eV charger gets power - it’s less than ideal, but avoid the need for a new dedicated circuit…
questions, comments and more later - have a good day - I’ll out line ideal to less than ideal solutions later today…
daveoporsche, oh wise one, please, oh please, just tell me what to buy. Break it down for me like you were writing "Charging for Dummies for Really Old People."
Ok, I buy a Taycan
My electrical panel ( located in the basement ) is full. No empty circuit breakers.
I have a 30 amp outlet that is being used by the dryer. The dryer is inside the house but shares the common wall with the garage.
Which cable or cables do I order with the Taycan?
What should I tell the electrician to quote me on?
As an aside, I'm not trying to save money. If there is an ideal charging scenario, hit me with it. Well maybe give me a less than ideal scenario too :-)
Ideal in my opinion - Assuming you have 200A service, and your main panel that's full is 200A, install a subpanel.
Ask you electrician to install a 100A subpanel in the garage, and have them install one NEMA 14-50 outlet on a 50A breaker in the garage.
NEMA 14-50 cable and Porsche mobile charger will come standard with the Taycan, nothing additional needed.
The 100A panel will give you capacity for an additional circuit/outlet for a future second EV when needed.
daveoporsche, oh wise one, please, oh please, just tell me what to buy. Break it down for me like you were writing "Charging for Dummies for Really Old People."
Ok, I buy a Taycan
My electrical panel ( located in the basement ) is full. No empty circuit breakers.
I have a 30 amp outlet that is being used by the dryer. The dryer is inside the house but shares the common wall with the garage.
Which cable or cables do I order with the Taycan?
What should I tell the electrician to quote me on?
As an aside, I'm not trying to save money. If there is an ideal charging scenario, hit me with it. Well maybe give me a less than ideal scenario too :-)
The dryer buddy is workable in your situation. You just needed to order the appropriate power cable for the Porsche charger, with either a 6-30 or a 14-30 plug.
Depends on how complicated the wiring run from your basement to the garage, a new subpanel for a EV socket to the garage is more ideal however, that way you can run the full 50A to the garage for the Porsche charger. Or go even higher with some other brand of chargers. If you are lucky, the wiring to your dryer socket could be over specced and can handle more than 30A and you can use those wires to run a sub panel upstairs for both the dryer and a EV charger socket.
@n2cars Since the wall is shared, it may be easy for an electrician to install an additional 30 amp receptacle in the garage, and an A/B switch to select between the two. The Dryer Buddy-like solutions work best when the clothes dryer is out in the garage - near the car. Otherwise you'd be doing silly stuff like snaking cables through doorways.
An important detail - the clothes dryer receptacle is generally either a three-blade NEMA 10-30 or a four-blade NEMA 14-30. Both are 120/240V receptacles - so offer two hot wires (240V between them) and a neutral wire (120V between one of the hots and the neutral). The difference is that the 14-30 has an additional safety ground connection. The National Electrical Code (NEC) was updated in 1996 to require new construction to use 14-30 instead of 10-30. So houses built before the mid-1990s will usually have the older 10-30 and newer houses 14-30.
A NEMA 6-30 has the two hot wires and safety ground, but no neutral connection. It is 240V only.
If your house is older, and the receptacle is a 10-30, there may be safety grounding issues with sharing the circuit - especially if a subpanel is involved. Simply pretending the neutral is a 'ground' is not good practice, nor correct. A good electrician can advise you.
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.
Last edited by daveo4porsche; 11-03-2021 at 03:17 PM.
Please see the attached photo of a Porsche 30amp cable and the 40amp cable that came with the Porsche Mobile,Charger.
if I ise the 30amp Porsche cable with my mobile charger through the Amazon supplied adapter cable, would I be operating safely?
Does the supply cable change the Porsche chargers power draw to 30 amps?
this has been a very useful thread of information THANK YOU 30 amp and 40 amp cables 30 amp cable with 14-50 plug. To use with 14-50 to use with 14-50 to L6-30 adapter?
Please see the attached photo of a Porsche 30amp cable and the 40amp cable that came with the Porsche Mobile,Charger.
if I ise the 30amp Porsche cable with my mobile charger through the Amazon supplied adapter cable, would I be operating safely?
Does the supply cable change the Porsche chargers power draw to 30 amps?
this has been a very useful thread of information THANK YOU 30 amp and 40 amp cables 30 amp cable with 14-50 plug. To use with 14-50 to use with 14-50 to L6-30 adapter?
please take the plastic cover "off" the NEMA end of the 30 amp supply cable…
it should be a NEMA 14-30 which has an "L" shaped ground - if that is the case you will be good to go with a 6L-30 to NEMA 14-30 adapter - NOT a NEMA 14-50 adapter…
11-03-2021, 02:05 AM
Charging from a 30 amp L6-30R outlet
