[Electric Tire Shredder]

EDIT: Go to post #8 if your outlet is one of these: 6-15, 6-20, 6-50, 10-30, 14-50, L14-30

I scoured 6 pages of forum posts & couldn't find how to wire my standard 14-gauge extension cord (with plug cut off) into an $8 10-50 plug like this, to charge from an old oven outlet:

Amazon search of "10-50 Plug" (click to enlarge):

Googled images of "NEMA 10-50 black white green chart":

Do I connect as follows?...(EDITED based on @ga2500ev who I've now quoted in post #4 below):

• green ground to white neutral
• black to 1 black, white to other black (doesn't matter which)

Background: After over 6 years driving fine with only 120V home charging, I'm FINALLY going to barely exceed my 500e's daily range, to go 119 miles in one day, possibly starting at 93% or less, taking a friend's neighbor to the airport, then only a couple hours charging at home before taking my neighbor to the dentist.

 

[500Neat]

I couldn't find wiring info either but these two adapters should give what you need, although a bit more expensive:

https://www.amazon.com/Parkworld-Kitchen-Receptacle-T-Blade-Adapter/dp/B078JL238N?th=1

Amazon.com

Just take precautions so no one else will mistakenly plug a normal 115v appliance into it.

 

[500Neat]

Deleted

 

[Electric Tire Shredder]

Thanks @500Neat! I had found those exact items already*, but since I'm only needing it to do favors once in over 6 years, I'd rather spend only a couple gallons of gas worth, not a whole tank.

THANKS @ga2500ev !! I edited my original post above, since I FOUND THE ANSWER here** & here*** after scouring 6 more pages of just YOUR forum posts, since I thought you were the one who posted it, & it looks like I remembered THAT part right:

** "...get a 10-30 3-prong dryer power cord and this 5-20 connector. Wire the three lines into the connector, making sure that THE NEUTRAL LINE CONNECTS TO THE GROUND (green screw) on the connector...

*** "... Both of the non ground connections get their own 120V circuit, so the ordering doesn't matter.

"Do you have a multimeter? If so then do a continuity check between the L shaped pin on the dryer plug to locate the ground connection. Again make sure that one goes to the green nut in the 5-20R. Then connect both of the other two lines to the other nuts (gold/silver) in any order. I'd then plug it in and check the AC voltages before plugging in the EVSE. The T port and the vertical slot should show 240V volts and each of those slots should be 120V relative to the ground. If that's the case, then you're good to go."

Note that I'm using 5-15 (with a vertical slot in place of the T port) & 10-50 (with vertical blade in place of the L pin), but their wiring is shown identical to the @ga2500ev 5-20 & 10-30:

* Exact same "grow light plug adapter" for less though here & here.

 

[okent]

I put together one of these and as everyone has said it works great. Remember that it charges about twice as fast as 110 because the internal charger only goes up to something like 16 amps. Definitely handy and I keep it in my trunk area now that I've got a proper wall charger.

 

[Electric Tire Shredder]

Yes, compared to 120V, the OEM cord is only twice as fast on 240V, since it's 12 amps at either voltage, adding about 5% & 10% per hour, respectively.

Even 120V would likely work for my upcoming 119-mile day, with its couple hours home-charging between trips. However I might not start with 100% since the plug where I'm starting that day isn't always available. But the OEM on 240V during the home stop will be more than enough.

16A is the maximum for a J1772 connection on 120V, but this car's internal onboard charger is only 14A on 120V (click to enlarge):

 

[Electric Tire Shredder]

TESTED & WORKING GREAT !
(click to enlarge):

HERE'S HOW I BUILT IT :

My plan was to save money by cutting the plug off an old extension cord & replacing it with the 10-50 oven plug in post #1 above.

However, I couldn't find a cord with a broken plug, & I didn't really want to ruin a good cord. I found an old 15A 14-gauge power strip with the ground blade broken off, chopped off the cord, & got this $5 Amazon "NEMA 5-15R":

Here it is on the power strip cord with the NEMA 10-50 on the other end:

Both of the connectors shown above are very good quality/design. The 3 screws on the white face are a bit tight, so make sure to use a good-fitting screwdriver so as not to strip the heads.

It's easier to insert the stripped wires in the clamps if you loosen the screws ALL the way & hold the screwdriver on the screw to press it open. Its black cable clamp grips my 14ga cord okay, when it's tightened all the way.

The 10-50 came with terminal screws too tight to remove when holding the blades in standard pliers, or with the blades inserted in the housing. A vice made it pretty easy though:

Maybe a big crescent wrench or vice-grips or channel-locks would work, especially if you have another pair of hands available.
I stripped the wires for the width of the brass blades, after cutting the black & white shorter than the green...

...so they fit the slots:

The cable clamp insert at the bottom of the black housing has 2 different-depth slots on each side, for a total of 3 different cable thicknesses. On the thinnest (outer) settings it clamped okay on my 14 gauge cord.

I turned the circuit breaker off, unplugged the oven, plugged in my new dangerously illegal adapter, turned the breaker back on, & checked the white part for 200-250V between the two slots. Also 100-125V between the round hole & 1 slot, & the same thing for the other slot.. I plugged the OEM into it, & got all green lights. I plugged it into the car, it's adding about 10% per hour, & everything is staying as cool as ever .

 

[Electric Tire Shredder]

UPDATE:

$20 1-pc adapters for outlets labeled 6-50 or 10-30 or 14-50 or L14-30 are available now*.

Just search Amazon for "6-50p to 5-15r" (to match the Fiat's 5-15 plug**).
Then scroll down until you see this:

Or search "10-30p to 5-15r"...:

Or "14-50p to 5-15r"...:

Or "L14-30p to 5-15r"...:

$10 or less if you have a 6-15 or 6-20 outlet.
Search "6-15p grow light adapter"...:

Or "6-20p universal adapter"...:

* I may have just not noticed them before, since my outlet is 10-50.

** IF you want to break down the code, it's as follows:

• The first number is the connector configuration. For example Fiat OEM plug is standard type 5 like nearly every wall outlet.
• After the dash is just the max amperage. Fiat plug is rated 15A, so it's 5-15.
• "P" is for Plug, "R" for "Receptacle".

So any adapter needs a "P" that matches your "R", & a 5-15R on the other end, to fit the Fiat's 5-15P.

 

[Electric Tire Shredder]

People seem to be missing the point about new adapters now available, shown in post 8. This post will bring it back to the head of the forum list.

 

[DeadEye]

So, if I understand this, your feeding 220/240 into a device made to plug into a 120 v socket ?

Do you have two black + white + ground feeding the supplied charger ?
OR
Do you have a 30+ Amp - one black + white + ground circuit feeding the supplied charger ?

 

[Electric Tire Shredder]

your feeding 220/240 into a device made to plug into a 120 v socket?

No.

I learned this sweet hack from the forum.

I'm feeding 240V into a device that apparently many people besides you & I didn't realize is actually made to plug into a 120-240V outlet.

Please spread the word far & wide! Many other OEM cords also do this:

 

[Electric Tire Shredder]

It's much cheaper to manufacture only 1 device to work on the whole planet (where 240 is mostly standard) & just put a 120 plug on it for USA.

240V is standard most places on Earth, so to save manufacturing costs nearly all chargers are made for that. Check every charger in your own home. 240V is okay for ALL my phone chargers, laptop, tablet, & even my toothbrush! Also notice that unlike many chargers, the Fiat's "120V" is NOT engraved or even printed on it. It's just a sticker! Click to enlarge:

 

[Electric Tire Shredder]

Do you have two black + white + ground feeding the supplied charger ?
OR
Do you have a 30+ Amp - one black + white + ground circuit feeding the supplied charger ?

Sorry, but I'm not 100% sure of exactly what you mean, however thanks to @ga2500ev I wired it as shown in post #7 above:

& it works fine, as shown in post 7 & confirmed by several other forum members:

However, as noted in post #8, you can now do the same thing with a little $8-$20 1-pc adapter if your outlet is 6-15, 6-20, 6-50, 10-30, 14-50, or L14-30.

 

[DeadEye]

Ok, so it’s a power adapter that supports NA and EU power that would be expecting 220 / 50Hz 15 amps ( Maybe less ) vs 120 /60 Hz. 15Amps
Not 240v 60Hz 50Amps.

How hot is the charger getting ?

The 240 volt charger I purchased support 30 - 50 Amps, from a NEMA 6-50 plug, but you need to set the input amperage before you use it.

Just be cause you can, doesn’t always mean you should.
We some EU owners to chime in… charger part number, charging rates etc…

 

[Electric Tire Shredder]

Warmth is identical on either voltage.

It's current (amps) that generates heat, regardless of voltage. The OEM cord is 12A at either voltage, so it generates the same amount of heat at either voltage.

The OEM unit is 120-240V 12A.

We all normally plug it into a 120V outlet capable of supplying 15A, same as we do with a 1A laptop charger or a 0.1A phone charger. Devices only draw their rated current, regardless of how much is available.

Adapting the OEM plug to fit a 240V outlet capable of supplying 15A or 20A or 30A or 50A won't make it draw any more than it's rated 12A, just like putting an 18W LED in a 100W socket will still only use 18W.

 

[ga2500ev]

Ok, so it’s a power adapter that supports NA and EU power that would be expecting 220 / 50Hz 15 amps ( Maybe less ) vs 120 /60 Hz. 15Amps
Not 240v 60Hz 50Amps.

How hot is the charger getting ?

The 240 volt charger I purchased support 30 - 50 Amps, from a NEMA 6-50 plug, but you need to set the input amperage before you use it.

Just be cause you can, doesn’t always mean you should.
We some EU owners to chime in… charger part number, charging rates etc…

Universal power supplies are not much concerned with voltages and input frequencies. They almost all rectify the input voltage, then do PWM at a much higher rate to deliver power to the power conversion electronics. As long as the components are rated for rectified 240V input, there isn't any issue. BTW it's cool as a cucumber.

As for the current, the EV only draws the power that the EVSE broadcast. So, even though it''s a 50 amp circuit, the EVSE isn't going to facilitate more than 12A coming through to the EV.

ga2500ev

 

[DeadEye]

So either your Light Bulb analogy is correct and the draw does not change so charging rate * should* remains the same.
OR
The Potential Charging Capacity of the Inverter could draw More Current through the Charger to get the optimal Charge.
( What ever the Supplied Factory Charger is capable of providing eg: 12 Amp charging from a 15Amp circuit or more )

If the light bulb analogy is the way it works then you wont Get a better Charging Rate eg: any closer to the maximum ( 6.6Kw charging rate ) - through the Factory charger regardless what the Socket you plug it into...

The supplied charger will only charge at a rate defined by its Electrical characteristics ... So it's pointless to Convert it to a 220 plug.

I was trying to find information about what the Amperage was for a EU 220V outlet, with a higher voltage they may use a lower amperage - so you may gain a small advantage in charging rate if the Factory charger can support( use ) 15Amps @ 240V

 

[Electric Tire Shredder]

Volts x Amps = Watts

So with constant amps, double the voltage doubles the power, so it doubles the charging speed:

120V x 12A = 1.44kW
240V x 12A = 2.88kW


The light bulb analogy just shows you can connect a low-power device to a high-capacity supply of the same voltage. I'm plugging the OEM 240V 12A cord into a 240V 50A outlet, similar to plugging a 0.1A phone charger into a standard 15A outlet.

 

[Electric Tire Shredder]

Or how 'bout just this:

It works.


That's for me & several other users who have reported doing it, regardless of the reasons, & regardless of whether or not everyone understands the reasons.

 

[Kiesling]

Power = current x voltage. So doubling the voltage and keeping the current the same doubles the power you are delivering to the battery. Since the EVSE is current limited, it will only deliver around 2.8 kW at 240 volts. Half that at 120 volts.

If you go to say a 40 Amp level 2 EVSE, you will get "full" level 2 charge rates of around 6.6 kW which is limited by the onboard charger which won't allow more power to be drawn even though it has 9.6 kW available.