That is a great deal. Just be sure not to set charge rate over 24 amps. Should work great for that.

tduder said:

If you are going to install the NEMA 14-50 outlet someplace and are going to run conduit, you might want to consider this great product:

Camco 55197 30 AMP 50' PowerGrip Extension Cord

Purchased it and use it rather than hard wiring at much more expense.
I use it at a temporary location and just added the 50 A outlet next to the service panel, then use the extension cord .
Quick and easy, and it cheap! Camping World $175!; Amazon Prime $101, and then today its listed at $65!


Hope you get a charge out this ;-)

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You've confused the 50A 240V/120V version ($101 @ Amazon) with the 30A 120V version ($65 @ Amazon). The one for $65 is not a NEMA 14-50. It's a TT-30.

Yeah, the title, and the content of the first post are contradictory... typo perhaps

Was thinking of making/buying an extension with NEMA 14-50 ends on it.. For 50 feet of 50A power, what's the AWG rating of the two conductors I'd need carrying line power.. and I presume I could get away with much less robust AWG for the ground line. (To save weight.) I certainly don't need the Neutral line in the cable. Ideally, I'd like to find a flexible extension cord type cable with 2C+G.. (all copper) at the right AWG any sources/types recommended for our sometimes -40C weather?

scottm said:

Was thinking of making/buying an extension with NEMA 14-50 ends on it.. For 50 feet of 50A power, what's the AWG rating of the two conductors I'd need carrying line power.. and I presume I could get away with much less robust AWG for the ground line. (To save weight.) I certainly don't need the Neutral line in the cable. Ideally, I'd like to find a flexible extension cord type cable with 2C+G.. (all copper) at the right AWG any sources/types recommended for our sometimes -40C weather?

Click to expand...

You'll want SOOW 6/3 cable. It's rated for outdoor use in exposed environments. Two main conductors plus ground. No neutral to help keep the weight down. Just make sure to label the 14-50 ends really well that they are for Tesla use only, not for RV use. Bad things will happen should somebody with an RV get a hold of that and try to use it.

Here's an eBay one if you are interested:
6 3 SOOW So Cord 50 ft HD USA Portable Outdoor Indoor 600 V Flexible Wire Cable | eBay

I did something similar, but purchased this from Home Depot:
Southwire 6-2 NM W/G (By-the-Foot)-28894499 at The Home Depot

It's cheaper but not as well protected and stiffer. But for a limited use application, it does the job. Not really recommended if you need to frequently move it around. I happened to come across some in their discount/return bin one day and decided to go for it. At half price, I was able to make a super cheap extension cord!

Thanks ChrisPDX, I see from your first link that 6 AWG is rated for 45A at that length, so says the vendor who looks reliable. And a 50' length would weigh about 30 lbs for the cord.

My thoughts were, if I had to pull up to a house for power, on average what length of cord would I need to reach the dryer. Of course, the answer is always "10 more feet".

I will keep my eye open for a deal on SOOW 6/x cable at lengths thereabouts.


Hey, you seem to be up on these matters... maybe got some electrical engineering in you... can you help with these thoughts:

1. is ground required in the extension cord, would the car charge with ONLY L1 and L2 no neutral no ground? I understand the safety factor having a ground. But does the car ground itself (necessarily) through the charge cable to earth ground while charging is my question? ...could I get away with 6/2 cable (in dry environments)?

2. if ground is an absolute must (mobile charger kit checks for it), then is it really necessary for ground to be 6 AWG, or is there a cable with something much less gauge as ground but keeps the 2 power conductors at 6 AWG to handle the current?

3. I notice that same ebay vendor has SOOW 8/4 cable, weighs less for the same length, and carries less current (28A) per conductor... but ... if conductors were doubled up at the end that would easily carry all the current a NEMA 14-50 is rated for. (But nothing remaining for ground. Hence my first two questions.)

Scott

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I just noticed from that same ebay vendor (very informative postings!) that a SOOW 6/4 at 30 foot length is rated less current per conductor (36A) as compared to the 6/3 at 50 foot length rated at 45A per conductor! These ratings must be assuming all conductors carry power in the cable and is a cap on cumulative heat of whole cable. We know only 2 conductors are carrying current for mobile charging extension. So a 6/3 could probably be "stretched" much longer than 50' and still safely carry what a NEMA 14-50 receptacle puts out.

You must have a ground, the UMC requires it and will not function without it. This is used so it can detect ground faults, a very critical safety feature should the cable become damaged or something goes wrong within the car. As for ground size, you can go smaller and I believe it's covered somewhere in the NEC rule book. Hopefully somebody can specify what is allowed, but it's probably either 8 or 10 gauge.

One thing to note, if you are just using this as an extension cord for when using dryer outlets, then you can get away with 8/3 as they run on 30 amp outlets and you only pull 24 amps continuously. That should lower the price and weight even more. You just have to then make sure you have the right 3 of 4 prong plug for their particular outlet.

I believe that code allows 10 gauge ground which will help with the weight and cost. However, hard to find 6/2 and 10/1 configuration in an extension cord.
I used a 6/2 and 10/2 running through outdoor flexible plastic waterproof conduit to a 14-50 socket (about 60 feet). I can run this at 40 amps continuous.

Thanks for confirmation of ground needed on UMC.

Ya, a mixed strand size SOOW cable is going to be hens-teeth hard to find, if they even make it.

I had the thought too, of wrapping a double 6 or couple single conductor 6's and running a single 10 alongside. Anything to keep the bulk/weight down.