Rivian Forum – Rivian R1T & R1S News, Pricing & Order... banner

30A NEMA 14-30

3523 Views 22 Replies 10 Participants Last post by  jpena1995
Hello all,
We have a condo that the builder installed a 30amp NEMA 14-30 (before we were involved in the build). Because the garage is on the main floor and our condo is on the 3rd, it's impractical (if not impossible) to change the wires.

Anyone know if Rivian will have NEMA 14-30 adapters (our Tesla does)? Or, should we buy EVSE of some sort.
Thanks in advance,
Gytis
1 - 20 of 23 Posts
They don't additional adaptors yet. There are physical adaptors you can get that will allow you to plug it in to that outlet. Just make sure to reduce the max amp draw (from the truck's UI) to 24 or less.
Thanks! Any idea what kind of charge rate I could get out of a 24A draw?
Thanks! Any idea what kind of charge rate I could get out of a 24A draw?
~12 miles/hour
Thanks! Any idea what kind of charge rate I could get out of a 24A draw?
Just some quick calculations assuming 240v (sometimes it's more like 230v) and somewhere between 10% and 15% inefficiency in the system (it's probably less than that but I'm being conservative).

240v X 24amp = 5,760watts or 5.76kW. If we assume some losses in charging lets say you'll add about 5kWh/hr so charging from empty to full will take 27 hours. Realistically you're unlikely to go from empty to full all that often so getting home after work and plugging it in will almost certainly get you back up to where you want to be before you leave the next morning.
Thank you all for your imput!!
Do you always need to tell the truck's UI to limit amp draw? Like when visiting someone who only has a 120v outlet and you use the portable charger, do you need to let the truck know how you are charging it always? My truck will be here on Tuesday and the wall charger is back ordered, arriving later. In the meantime I have a 14-30 outlet available, which I have my Honda Clarity portable charger plugged into. Since the Clarity only gets about 45 mi all electric, I can charge that car from low to full in about 4 hours. Will I be able to just use the Honda charger in the meantime, but do I need to limit what the truck will try to pull from it, or does it sense what it's getting automatically. It sounds like the Rivian portable will be a bit faster if I get a 14-30 to 14-50 adapter. Should I get that adapter anyway, so when visiting family, I can plug into their dryer outlet, too?
Thanks,
s
If you use the Rivian Portable EVSE with the 120V pigtail it will automatically limit itself to ~12A.
TLDR: Your Clarity EVSE should work "out of the box" with the Rivian and not require any adjustment, assuming it is using its own 14-30 plug. However, if you plug your Rivan EVSE with its 14-50 plug through an external adapter into a 14-30 outlet you will likely have to limit the amp draw from within the truck.

The EVSE and the vehicle negotiate a charge rate based on what the EVSE can supply and what the vehicle will accept. In the case of EVSEs that can plug into multiple receptacles, there is typically some sort of chip or resistor in the wall-side adaptor "dongle" of the EVSE to let it know what kind of receptacle it's plugged into (and hence what kind of power it's going to be able to deliver). What this means is that as long as you are plugging the EVSE into an outlet for which it has a native adapter, you likely do not need to change anything in the truck, and it will correctly negotiate with the EVSE. However, if you put an external adapter between the EVSE plug and the wall, the EVSE may not correctly detect the power it's being fed, in which case you may have to set limits from the truck.
See less See more
Thank you all for the great answers and help. Cheers!
Kicking this thread back up as I am supposed to take delivery Thursday. I have a dedicated 30amp breaker with a 14-30r plug. I switched the plug out today to a nema 14-50. Using only the portable charger for now can I just plug that straight into the wall and truck or do I need to dial down the Amp draw to 24 or less. Not using any adapters. Thanks
I know you did that yourself because no licensed electrician would put a 14-50 recepticle on a 30A circuit. You do have fire insurance, right?
No different then putting an adapter on it.
Unless your saing I wired it incorrectly, my guess is you are referring to the Guage size of the wiring which is why I'm trying to keep it below 23 amps for my liking.
Unless your saing I wired it incorrectly, my guess is you are referring to the Guage size of the wiring which is why I'm trying to keep it below 23 amps for my liking.
Which is what you would have to do with an adapter anyway, so in that regard it is the same. The difference here is you could technically plug any 14-50 device in, and if it didn't have a method for downrating the current, it would overload the circuit. Of course the same would happen if you forget to adjust the setting in the truck (which you seem to have to do every time, at least that was the last time I had to charge on a 30A circuit 2 software updates ago).
  • Like
Reactions: 1
Your wiring is not compliant with the National Electrical Code. The NEC exists for a very good reason - it saves lives and it saves property. Maybe you don't believe that, but I'm not going to argue that well-established fact. When you create a code violation you risk lives and property, and not just your own. In addition, changing the outlet on that circuit might require a permit (which wouldn't be approved), but that's secondary. There is no good argument for intentionally violating electrical code. Especially when it is so very easy to comply.

The difference between what you've done and using an adapter may seem subtle, but it's really quite fundamental. You've installed a NEMA 14-50 outlet and the expectation of anyone who uses or owns that property is that a device with a NEMA 14-50 plug can be plugged into that outlet and used. But it can't, and only you know that for sure, and even you might forget that and plug in something else in the future.

With an adapter plugged into a code-compliant outlet, it is clear and plain to anyone that you are using the outlet in a non-standard way. But the expectation is still that the outlet is compliant and safe to use within its design specifications.

The smartest thing to do would be to make your charging setup fail-safe. Don't change the outlet. Use an EVSE that can be permanently set to draw no more than 24A from that circuit. Hardwire the EVSE if you can. That way you remove the possibility of user error from the equation, which makes any system significantly safer.
See less See more
Splitvolt makes a NEMA 14-30 portable charger that maxes at 24A. I have one. Works well and safe!
Your wiring is not compliant with the National Electrical Code. The NEC exists for a very good reason - it saves lives and it saves property. Maybe you don't believe that, but I'm not going to argue that well-established fact. When you create a code violation you risk lives and property, and not just your own. In addition, changing the outlet on that circuit might require a permit (which wouldn't be approved), but that's secondary. There is no good argument for intentionally violating electrical code. Especially when it is so very easy to comply.

The difference between what you've done and using an adapter may seem subtle, but it's really quite fundamental. You've installed a NEMA 14-50 outlet and the expectation of anyone who uses or owns that property is that a device with a NEMA 14-50 plug can be plugged into that outlet and used. But it can't, and only you know that for sure, and even you might forget that and plug in something else in the future.

With an adapter plugged into a code-compliant outlet, it is clear and plain to anyone that you are using the outlet in a non-standard way. But the expectation is still that the outlet is compliant and safe to use within its design specifications.

The smartest thing to do would be to make your charging setup fail-safe. Don't change the outlet. Use an EVSE that can be permanently set to draw no more than 24A from that circuit. Hardwire the EVSE if you can. That way you remove the possibility of user error from the equation, which makes any system significantly safer.
Solid point didn't look at it from that angle, appreciate it.
  • Like
Reactions: 1
They don't additional adaptors yet. There are physical adaptors you can get that will allow you to plug it in to that outlet. Just make sure to reduce the max amp draw (from the truck's UI) to 24 or less.
We're on our cross country trip and have been using RV sites with 50amp hookup service to get an overnight charge. In some cases the sites only have 30amp service. I went to an RV store and purchased a 30 amp adapter which I thought would work. With the trucks draw reduced to 24 amp, everything connect and then turning on the breaker,I’m not getting any response from the Potable Cable. No lights, nothing. My question is should I have purchased the adapter plug that has the addition ground wire? Thoughts and thanks. Rob
1 - 20 of 23 Posts
Top