[DustyBottoms]

Hi,

Just got my R1T (suddenly) a few days ago without much time to prepare. This is my first EV, and I’m still in the steep part of the learning curve… I have an old house with not much power and I am planning to move in six months, so I don’t want to invest too much in electric upgrades. I do have a Nema 6-50 outlet in the garage that is open. The circuit is on a 30amp breaker.

I’ve searched this site, and others, without feeling confident in any solutions for my situation. My current idea is to get a 6-50 to 14-50 adapter and then use the supplied Rivian portable charger, while setting the max charging amps in the R1T to something less than 30. Any other ideas? Are there any smart chargers on the market (I can’t find any) that can be programmed to charge during off-peak hours, and also set an amp limit?

Thanks for any help

 

[sciencegeek]

You just need a charging cable with a 6-50 plug.
For example:

Amazon.com: Lectron 240V 32 Amp Level 2 Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station with 20ft/6m J1772 Cable & NEMA 6-50 Plug - EVSE 7.68kW Compatible with All SAE J1772 Electric Vehicles : Automotive

Buy Lectron 240V 32 Amp Level 2 Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station with 20ft/6m J1772 Cable & NEMA 6-50 Plug - EVSE 7.68kW Compatible with All SAE J1772 Electric Vehicles: Charging Stations - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

smile.amazon.com

 

[DustyBottoms]

You just need a charging cable with a 6-50 plug.
For example:

Amazon.com: Lectron 240V 32 Amp Level 2 Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station with 20ft/6m J1772 Cable & NEMA 6-50 Plug - EVSE 7.68kW Compatible with All SAE J1772 Electric Vehicles : Automotive

Buy Lectron 240V 32 Amp Level 2 Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station with 20ft/6m J1772 Cable & NEMA 6-50 Plug - EVSE 7.68kW Compatible with All SAE J1772 Electric Vehicles: Charging Stations - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

smile.amazon.com

Thanks for the suggestion. How is that better than the supplied portable Rivian charger? And the description is confusing… it says it has a 6-50 plug in one part of the description, and a 14-50 plug in another part.

 

[sciencegeek]

Oh I see what you're saying. The reference to the 14-50 is in the "product description" below, which I think is generic. The unit that you'd actually buy off that page is pretty clearly 6-50.

I'm not endorsing it ... it's just the first one that I found with a standard amazon search.

An adapter might work too but I don't know if the Rivian charging cable supports it.

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

I would either replace the outlet with a NEMA 14-50 or use an adapter. The portable EVSE that came with your R1T is perfectly fine. You can limit amps in the center screen. You should limit to <80% of the rated circuit load (so a 30A circuit would mean limit to 24A or less). The center screen also lets you set your charging times for off-peak hours…. So really what rivian gives you is all you need other than an adapter or replacing the outlet.

 

[Wang168]

Buy this, you can adjust the ampage to match your breaker rating in the app.

ChargePoint Home Flex Electric Vehicle (EV) Charger upto 50 Amp, 240V, Level 2 WiFi Enabled EVSE, UL Listed, Energy Star, NEMA 6-50 Plug or Hardwired, Indoor/Outdoor, 23-Foot Cable https://a.co/d/36sfnyE

 

[DustyBottoms]

Thanks Amiga. I think that’s what I’ll do. 20-24 amps will be plenty for my needs.

Wang- That was the first thing I tried, and you’re right, the description for the ChargePoint does say that you can adjust the amperage, but after installing it, the only option is to choose from a 50 or 40 amp breaker. No way to adjust the amp settings (16/24/32/40/48/50 Amp) like the description says. Customer support confirmed it. I think the description is from an older model charger.

Thanks for all the help- One week into EV’s and it’s a lot of new information!

Now to research what’s going on with my battery drain- it’s lost 20 miles in 4 days while sitting at the airport parking lot…

 

[HRCO.Rayman]

Just to be clear, it's not just a function of your outlet and breaker, you also have to use the correct wire gauge for a given number of amps and your cable length has to fall within the limits. If your wire is too thin and you pull too many amps, you could overheat the circuit/cable or worse.

For example, to pull 50 amps out of a charger (with a 60 A breaker), you will need to use at least a 6-gauge wire. Depending on the cable run, you may have to even go up in size to a 4-gauge wire.

This is a good website to do the calculations: Online Wire Size Calculators & Tables

 

[kent.hillery]

Hi,

Just got my R1T (suddenly) a few days ago without much time to prepare. This is my first EV, and I’m still in the steep part of the learning curve… I have an old house with not much power and I am planning to move in six months, so I don’t want to invest too much in electric upgrades. I do have a Nema 6-50 outlet in the garage that is open. The circuit is on a 30amp breaker.

I’ve searched this site, and others, without feeling confident in any solutions for my situation. My current idea is to get a 6-50 to 14-50 adapter and then use the supplied Rivian portable charger, while setting the max charging amps in the R1T to something less than 30. Any other ideas? Are there any smart chargers on the market (I can’t find any) that can be programmed to charge during off-peak hours, and also set an amp limit?

Thanks for any help

Same boat...my Red Canyon came suddenly also, and I had a 6-50 heater outlet already there. Electrician came to install my Rivian wall charger, but found my main panel to be completely full and out of code. He won't be back till October with all of the parts.
In the mean time I'm having good luck limping along with

Hi,

Just got my R1T (suddenly) a few days ago without much time to prepare. This is my first EV, and I’m still in the steep part of the learning curve… I have an old house with not much power and I am planning to move in six months, so I don’t want to invest too much in electric upgrades. I do have a Nema 6-50 outlet in the garage that is open. The circuit is on a 30amp breaker.

I’ve searched this site, and others, without feeling confident in any solutions for my situation. My current idea is to get a 6-50 to 14-50 adapter and then use the supplied Rivian portable charger, while setting the max charging amps in the R1T to something less than 30. Any other ideas? Are there any smart chargers on the market (I can’t find any) that can be programmed to charge during off-peak hours, and also set an amp limit?

Thanks for any help

I too got my Red Canyon R1t sooner than expected with a different configuration. I got the elctrician over in a week or so, but there is no room in my main panel for a sixty amp breaker and the Rivian wall charger. He is coming back with a bigger panel and all parts to bring my house up to code.
I had suspected this delay so had ordered a charger to use on an existing space heater outlet.
It is a 20 amp plug on a 30 amp breaker, 240 circuit.
It works great and cost only 124 dollars shipped. With the recent truck software upgrade, charging speed is between 7.5 miles per hour to 8.1. It is all I have until October. That same plug for the charger is common in most campgrounds many of which are unattended.
The company is Vevor, 16 amp 240 volt-type1 portable electric car charger
855-385-1880, [email protected]
Your truck settings control the off peak times and you don't need to worry about setting the amperage as the truck goes to maximum each time it shuts down.