NEMA 14-50 charging?

Has anyone charged off a NEMA 14-50? Could a 14-50 to 110 adapter work with the onboard slow charger, or would it blow it? Trying to drive from DC to Florida in Spring, and it would be nice to charge at camp grounds, even if only at 1.3kWh.

Yes a 14-50 to 110 adapter would work. I'd suggest looking into making your level 2 charger mobile and compatible with 14-50 first. Could just mean the retrofit of the power cable.

Zoomit said:

Yes a 14-50 to 110 adapter would work.

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Just make sure you wire one of the hot pins and the neutral pin to the 110 plug, not both hots!

I was going to buy a proper adapter. I was concerned about the portable charger being able to handle the higher voltage.

nevetsyad said:

I was going to buy a proper adapter. I was concerned about the portable charger being able to handle the higher voltage.

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Proper adapter? If you intend to use the EVSE that comes with the Spark EV, you'll be charging at campgrounds for days...literally.

Buy a proper portable EVSE like the JESLA or Clipper Creek. Remember that the Spark EV will charge at 3.3 kW max from Level 2; 1.4 kW max from Level 1.

-Bob K.

I'd like to stop at 2 or 3 campgrounds and charge overnight on my trip. I'm okay with charing for 8-12 hours at 1.4kWhs. I can get an adapter for $80, a portable EVSE is 600-900. I plan on getting a model 3 in two years or so, I'd prefer not to invest a ton of money in this fun little economy class beast.

A portable EVSE is under $400.

nevetsyad said:

Trying to drive from DC to Florida in Spring, and it would be nice to charge at camp grounds, even if only at 1.3kWh.

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Have you considered the Auto Train? You and your Spark EV get on in Lorton, VA and it dumps you out the next morning in Orlando for about $300, dinner and breakfast included. I didn't like the coach seats/lounge chairs for sleeping, but otherwise it was very efficient. Not quite the ambiance of a roadside KOA, but not too bad.

Dusty

I have a friend that auto trains to Florida every few months, I've thought about it to hit Disney World on a long weekend or something. But my friend and I are considering spending 7-14 days doing a giant loop. Head down 81 in the mountains, sleep at KOA camp grounds in tents. Visit museums and historical sites, wander around towns and catch movies if there's nothing else to do. There's 6 or so DCFC along the way, that will get me almost half the way. Other half of the distance will be from L2 or L1 overnight KOA charging. Coming up will be along the coast, hitting beach towns. VA Beach on up is covered in DCFC, so that will be a simple half day trip. There's a few spots that will be a little hairy, but it should be quite the adventure.

nevetsyad said:

I have a friend that auto trains to Florida every few months, I've thought about it to hit Disney World on a long weekend or something. But my friend and I are considering spending 7-14 days doing a giant loop. Head down 81 in the mountains, sleep at KOA camp grounds in tents. Visit museums and historical sites, wander around towns and catch movies if there's nothing else to do. There's 6 or so DCFC along the way, that will get me almost half the way. Other half of the distance will be from L2 or L1 overnight KOA charging. Coming up will be along the coast, hitting beach towns. VA Beach on up is covered in DCFC, so that will be a simple half day trip. There's a few spots that will be a little hairy, but it should be quite the adventure.

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Terrific plan, nev! Highly recommend investing in a portable EVSE that can do 240V. I've done enough road trips in my Leafs and Spark EV to know that it makes a huge difference. There aren't enough public L2 or CCS stations, yet, to go without it. It'd be much nicer if our Spark EVs has 6.6 kW onboard chargers, as then stopping-in at an RV camp for 60 - 90 min whilst having a meal nets much more range than the current 3.3 kW.

I've done a bit of tent camping at RV parks in my Leaf. Got stuck with a tent site a few times that had only 120V/15A, but since it was overnight, it didn't matter as much. In the mornings, the RV park owners allowed me to top off my battery at a vacant 240V hookup whilst I had my breakfast.

Many RV parks will have a lounge area with a laundry, snack bar and light kitchen, pool, and etc. I've gone on short daywalks, hikes and done some on-foot sightseeing whilst waiting for the car to charge. Love doing this! Visit local towns, craft breweries, restaurants, museums, etc.

We're trying to get the attention of the state and nat'l park admins. EVs and parks are the perfect match: no tailpipe, no emissions, little noise and the battery technology has reached the level that makes both environmental *and* economic sense.

You also get the chance to chat with folks from all over, many who are interested in the car/technology. They're mostly happy retired people, seeing the country in their RV, and they've got time on their hands. I've had many an interesting conversation that way.

-Bob K.

I would call ahead and ask if the campground has standard wall outlets. Most RV parks I've used on the west coast have the standard outlet. If this is the case, and you still plan to charge using Lvl 1, you needn't worry about an adapter.

Already checked, all KOA campgrounds along the way offer tent sites with 110v and water. Showers and restrooms also, all for 20 or 30 bucks a night. 12 hours gives me a full battery, a shower, some BBQ dinner and I'm ready to go in the morning.