UMC Vs HP Wall Connector

[NigelM]

Any views on the benefits of the Universal Mobile Connector vs the High Power Wall Connector?

It seems cleaner to install the wall mounted HPWC; and I can't really see me taking the UMC every time I go out.

[Doug_G]

The HPC is far more expensive to install, due to the need for a 90A circuit. Also many electricians think "expensive electric car" and jack the price through the roof (one quoted me $7,035!!!!!) so be sure to get three quotes.

I almost never use the HPC at 70A. 99% of the time I'm at 40A, which a UMC would do. I only time I really needed it was when the Tesla salesman visited town to do some test drives. The UMC would have been quite sufficient for daily use.

Just put in a NEMA 14-50 - if you don't tell the electrician it's for an EV he'll probably charge $200 -- and make some kind of hanger to hold the UMC cord when you're not using it. Don't worry about unplugging it from the wall; it has built-in contactors so the power is disconnected when the car isn't hooked up.

Normally I don't carry the UMC around. But another advantage is if you ever do decide to do a loonger road trip, you'll already have the cable.

[SByer]

I don't ever see buying an HPC - I'd really like to get a J1772 socket on the car, though, and convert the RFMC I have, and I'm all set.

I installed the 10-30 socket in the garage myself - $20 in parts. I have a CA-connector 10' extension cable (I got mine from stayonline.com - they have longer lengths) to extend the RFMC reach, so I actually do disconnect the RFMC when not in use - I don't know about the UMC, but the RFMC had enough of a vampire draw that the TED picked it up.

[strider]

Yep. Rubber-coated bicycle hooks in the ceiling work great to hold the UMC cord up and out of the way. One of these days when my garage is cleaner I'll take a photo of my setup.

[Sparrow]

Just remember these 240 volt 14-50s and 10-30s aren't designed for daily pluging in and out. I don't know the numbers, but they supposedly wear out if used too much. Leaving the UMC cordset plugged in most of the time would be best. I actually did the same thing with my RAV4 EVs SP charger. It plugs into a 14-50 outlet and it stays plugged in pretty much all the time.

[dwegmull]

As I rent my house, the choice was made for me: no HPC! For my daily use, a gentle, 24A charge via the UMC works well. I park the car in a car port. The wall end of the UMC is inside the adjacent laundry room where it "shares" an outlet with the cloth dryer. I made a very short one into two "extension cord" that allows me to keep everything plugged in. The Roadster's timer starts the charge at 11PM, long after the laundry is done.
I've only unplugged the UMC twice when going out of town and needed a charge at friends' houses. If the contacts on the UMC do eventually wear out, all I need is a new pigtail, a new wall plug and I'm in business again.

I think the HPC is only useful in two situations:
- One has an unusually long daily drive with very little time at home to charge. I'm not sure who, besides a TM sales person would fall into that category!
- Long distance travel where you want to get as much range as possible during a short break (lunch etc).

From the various threads on this site and others about Li-ion batteries, it looks to me like high current charge can reduce the life span of the pack.

[Jaff]

Sometimes plans can change whether they're business plans or social.

In the 4 months that I've had my Roadster, I have had one occasion where I visited 3 clients in the morning...got back to the office (with about 130 km range left) and found I had the opportunity to attend a social event later near Toronto later the afternoon.

I went back to the house & charged for 1.5 hours at 70 amp thus leaving the house with a full tank and peace of mind...for me, even though this would hardly be a common event, I was happy to have the HPC & the relatively fast charge. As with anything, redundancy and convenience have a price attached...to some, it is worth it, to others, not.

I guess the important thing is that we have a choice and are not pigeon-holed into a charging option that is inadequate...

[clea]

well it just got a little more interesting for us in quebec ...

Quebec ministers plug plan for electric cars

as part of the story they say that "the government is willing to pay half the $2,000 cost of a home-charging station" (i assume that if it costs more they will only pay $1000).

[Jaff]

Nice perk!

well it just got a little more interesting for us in quebec ...

Quebec ministers plug plan for electric cars

as part of the story they say that "the government is willing to pay half the $2,000 cost of a home-charging station" (i assume that if it costs more they will only pay $1000).

[dpeilow]

Nice perk!

With the amount that the lesser EVSE manufacturers are charging, it's money for old rope.

Over here it's like £1000+ for a 16A EVSE for the LEAF. A complete joke.