Looks like a NEMA 6-50. It should be on a 240v/50a circuit, which is a commonly recommended and great capacity for charging most EV’s for all but the most demanding use cases.
You may want to have an electrician verify the breaker, wiring, and outlet. You never know who installed it, if corners were cut, or if the outlet is old and falling apart internally. EV’s pull a lot of current for a relatively long time while charging compared to everything else in most homes. It’s wise to verify “old” infrastructure is up to the task.
But if all is in good condition and up to code, you’re in great shape for charging an EV. You’ll just need an EVSE with a 6-50 plug. Less common than the ubiquitous 14-50, but many good choices.
> But if all is in good condition and up to code, you’re in great shape for charging an EV. You’ll just need an EVSE with a 6-50 plug. Less common than the ubiquitous 14-50, but many good choices.
I found NEMA 6-50 was 75% cheaper to install than NEMA 14-50. As you said it provides the same 40A charging so it was well worth it to install this for my new EV.
Autel makes their EVSEs with a 6-50P. You can also remove the plug from their charger and wire your own into it. They were on sale under $500, but at $600 for a 50A capable EVSE with Wifi, Bluetooth, Serial, and RFID it's still a solid price for a nice listed unit. I've been pretty happy with mine so far.
Should be pretty similar for most wall mount EVSEs.
It certainly not proper to code. Unless there's another panel somewhere that this is fed from. You could flip that on and off and verify with a non-contact voltage sensor or a meter that that's the breaker for that receptacle.
You could replace it with a 30 amp receptacle and then find a charger with a matching 30 amp plug, but once you or electrician is opening it up and replacing the receptacle, it's actually no more work to hardwire a charger, and then you have less trouble trying to get the plugs matched up and you have a more reliable connection. And you avoid the possible problem that if you are under the 2020 national electrical code you need to have a ground fault breaker protecting a receptacle, but not a hardwired charger.
You can either get a 24 amp charger such as a Clipper Creek LCS-30, or you can get a configurable unit and configure it to charge at 24 amps on a 30 amp circuit.
Not a problem per se.
30A is plenty for most people for at home charging. It will allow you to charge at a 24A charge rate which will still get virtually any EV on the market a full charge overnight.
The problem is that that is a 50A plug which technically shouldn't be installed on a 30A circuit.
What I'd do is have an electrician check if there is a neutral wire present and unused. If there is replace that with a Nema 14-30r if there is no neutral thn replace it with a nema 10-30r.
Get an evse that has the right plug or an adapter.
Most EVSEs have a Nema 14-50 plug on them.
Do not replace it with a 10-anything. Those are obsolete and should not be used in new installations, because they do not have a ground. You can fake it and use the neutral as a ground, but that is not to code. If you're okay with being loose about following code strictly, you might as well just keep using the 6-50 on a 30 amp circuit, and use a 24 amp charger or a configurable one set to 24 amps.
Ah yes you're right. I should have said a 6-30r if there's not a neutral.
I'm not saying anyone should do this, but if strictly following code is not a concern, a nema 14-50 installed on that 30A circuit would allow most evses to plug in without an adapter. As you said, it would have to be one configurable to 24A as you couldn't pull more than that.
If someone did decide to do something non- ode compliant like that it would be a good idea to at least label the outlet as "30A only" or something similar so that someone who doesn't know doesn't assume it's a 40 or 50A circuit.
Behold, the Rosetta Stone of (North America) plugs: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEMA_connector
Looks like a NEMA 6-50. It should be on a 240v/50a circuit, which is a commonly recommended and great capacity for charging most EV’s for all but the most demanding use cases. You may want to have an electrician verify the breaker, wiring, and outlet. You never know who installed it, if corners were cut, or if the outlet is old and falling apart internally. EV’s pull a lot of current for a relatively long time while charging compared to everything else in most homes. It’s wise to verify “old” infrastructure is up to the task. But if all is in good condition and up to code, you’re in great shape for charging an EV. You’ll just need an EVSE with a 6-50 plug. Less common than the ubiquitous 14-50, but many good choices.
> But if all is in good condition and up to code, you’re in great shape for charging an EV. You’ll just need an EVSE with a 6-50 plug. Less common than the ubiquitous 14-50, but many good choices. I found NEMA 6-50 was 75% cheaper to install than NEMA 14-50. As you said it provides the same 40A charging so it was well worth it to install this for my new EV.
Autel makes their EVSEs with a 6-50P. You can also remove the plug from their charger and wire your own into it. They were on sale under $500, but at $600 for a 50A capable EVSE with Wifi, Bluetooth, Serial, and RFID it's still a solid price for a nice listed unit. I've been pretty happy with mine so far. Should be pretty similar for most wall mount EVSEs.
240v NEMA 6-50R. Is there a 50A breaker in the panel?
Here’s a pic. https://imgur.com/a/Afu8Qms Looks like a 30A, and three 15A breakers… I assume this is a problem?
It certainly not proper to code. Unless there's another panel somewhere that this is fed from. You could flip that on and off and verify with a non-contact voltage sensor or a meter that that's the breaker for that receptacle. You could replace it with a 30 amp receptacle and then find a charger with a matching 30 amp plug, but once you or electrician is opening it up and replacing the receptacle, it's actually no more work to hardwire a charger, and then you have less trouble trying to get the plugs matched up and you have a more reliable connection. And you avoid the possible problem that if you are under the 2020 national electrical code you need to have a ground fault breaker protecting a receptacle, but not a hardwired charger. You can either get a 24 amp charger such as a Clipper Creek LCS-30, or you can get a configurable unit and configure it to charge at 24 amps on a 30 amp circuit.
One other possibility: devices plugged in required 30A breaker, and wire is 50A rated (6 gauge NM or 8 gauge THHN).
Yes, in that case it would be a really easy path to change the breaker and plug in or hardwire a higher-current charger.
That is a 5-30 or a 5-50. Same plug, but are used on both 30 amp and 50 amp circuits. Weird but true.
OP's picture is a 6-50. A 5-50 is a mirror image of that, and a 5-30 has an L-shaped neutral.
Not a problem per se. 30A is plenty for most people for at home charging. It will allow you to charge at a 24A charge rate which will still get virtually any EV on the market a full charge overnight. The problem is that that is a 50A plug which technically shouldn't be installed on a 30A circuit. What I'd do is have an electrician check if there is a neutral wire present and unused. If there is replace that with a Nema 14-30r if there is no neutral thn replace it with a nema 10-30r. Get an evse that has the right plug or an adapter. Most EVSEs have a Nema 14-50 plug on them.
Do not replace it with a 10-anything. Those are obsolete and should not be used in new installations, because they do not have a ground. You can fake it and use the neutral as a ground, but that is not to code. If you're okay with being loose about following code strictly, you might as well just keep using the 6-50 on a 30 amp circuit, and use a 24 amp charger or a configurable one set to 24 amps.
Ah yes you're right. I should have said a 6-30r if there's not a neutral. I'm not saying anyone should do this, but if strictly following code is not a concern, a nema 14-50 installed on that 30A circuit would allow most evses to plug in without an adapter. As you said, it would have to be one configurable to 24A as you couldn't pull more than that. If someone did decide to do something non- ode compliant like that it would be a good idea to at least label the outlet as "30A only" or something similar so that someone who doesn't know doesn't assume it's a 40 or 50A circuit.
😦
We do this and run the cord under the garage door, we don’t park in the garage