The EV Truck Charging Problem You Didn't Know About

[@truckedupevs]

Wow! What an engaged, intelligent & knowledgeable Trucked Up community! If you want to learn a LOT about off-grid camping, charging, adapters, and speeds, READ THE COMMENTS BELOW! There's some heavy-duty grey matter out there (unlike the cavernous vacuum of the said host's cranium...) Thank you to everyone for contributing, and helping fellow Trucked UP folk stay informed & excited about getting out there on future EV truck adventures!

[@matthewmortensen7401]

Just completed a 3150 mile trip from northern Washington to Big Sur and back with my XLT SR, Lighting with an Alaskan 8 foot cabover. 30 amp plugs are 120VAC single phase, rated at 3.6 KW, 50 amp are 240VAC split phase and rated at 12KW. Without a second 120VAC leg the EVSE will never deliver more power than the standard wall outlet adapter. However, 30 amp services will run our entire RV including air and cooking and adds about 50 Miles during the 20 hour visit. Adapters are useful, but you have to split the output feed between the truck and the camper, you will not get much charge if you use pro power while charging. 50 amp service completely fills the battery in the same time and serves all loads in the camper. 1 day at a 50 amp CG, 3 days off grid, Beautiful way to travel.

[@truckedupevs]

Great comment, as always, Matthew, and congrats on a brilliant trip! All excellent charging insights and info, and helpful for anyone planning to do the same (including me!) How long did you have for the trip? Did you visit quite a number of off grid sites, and at any point did you experience range challenges? It's wonderful to hear from real-life EV truck folk in real-world applications dispelling the FUD. Last interest: what is your 'charging rig'/adapters that you utilize for both the cabover & truck? Thanks again for adding valuable info!

[@Stan-at-KangarooIslandTV]

In Australia, we mostly have 15amp, 240 volts at campgrounds/parks, which charges my Polestar overnight!

[@truckedupevs]

I saw that on your channel. Interesting in that the amps are so low on a 240v. I wish we had that instead of the 120V 30A. Thanks as always for chiming in the discussion!

[@jamesphillips2285]

@@truckedupevs I am considering installing a NEMA 6-15 outlet (240V, 15A) at home to reuse the wiring of my current NEMA 5-15 (120V, 15A) plug. Need to buy a new EVSE with a programmable charge limit though: most L1/L2 EVSEs (with a NEMA 6-20 plug (240V, 20A)) assume you are able to draw 16A continuously. The 15A wiring is only rated 12A of continuous load.

[@phurious_george]

I have a rather large battery bank and solar setup on my RV and tend to let friends or friendlies power off a 30a "buddy plug" I installed on my rig. I had actually cobbled one of those special adapters together myself to help charge a buddy of mine's Tesla years ago off my excess solar. Had no idea someone actually started making them. Good video!

[@truckedupevs]

Thanks again for the feedback and comment! That is very cool. There's no way of stepping up from 120-v, but at least it gets me more than straight off a 110 plug. Do you still have the rig? What kind of battery bank are you utilizing?

[@phurious_george]

@@truckedupevs Yup, still have the rig and been slowly working on a new one since I've been in one place for awhile now (full-time RV living). My current rig is a self-converted VanHool charter bus and the battery bank is a reclaimed Nissan Leaf battery. I got tired of being stuck to roads, so I'm working on converting a M1085 as money allows :)

[@truckedupevs]

Nice! That's a novel and smart way to go.

[@MADAmechanical]

The neutral wire is bypassed. It has 2) 120v hot terminals and a ground for 240v only

[@truckedupevs]

Nicely done! Hit me up in the email under 'marketing inquiries' in the description, and I'll get you into a Trucked Up T (with bonus useless ev adapter 🙂) Congrats!

[@paulkoopmans4620]

I would add the wording is a bit off. Obviously when you have a TT-30 providing a single phase 120V you can never make it 240V and we would always have to wire the neutral to something to complete a circuit. Instead of 'bypassing' or 'not passing' the neutral of the TT-30 is passed to the second hot pin. But that effectively presents a 120V between the X and Y hot pins which normally would have to be 240V.

[@truckedupevs]

What an excellent point, Paul. Far more succinct and factually accurate than my blathering. Great clarification.

[@user-dy9ux5dc6e]

RV parks can't cope with RV power requirements let alone EV's.. Plus, you would need to sacrifice power in your RV while charging. An EV outside of the city needs it's own system to bypass reliance on antiquated grid connections. I use 2 Victron MultiPlus's and an MPPT powering a EV charger within the RV. Everything passes through the RV no matter the input source (if any).

[@truckedupevs]

A good point. However, as we know, so many RV parks are a cacophony of noisy generators, and EV trucks, with or without trailers, are not a burden in that almost all EV truck campers utilize the power during the day for the rv/trailer (and/or generator), and then plug the truck into the NEMA 14-50 overnight while they sleep, waking to a full truck. EV trucks camping will not further overburden campsites. Vastly expanding and increasingly decadent RV demand with insanely monstrous power demand is the problem at hand. But yeah, what you recommend is a brilliantly good move. I am leaning toward my own self-powered rv/trailer with its own storage bank. Sounds like you built your own. The Victron Multplus is an elegant fix. Well done. How much solar are you incorporating? Thanks for the comment!

[@MattFlores-c9z]

it is ground fault that is causing the adapter not to work. Normally the ground and neutral are shorted and is passed to the nema 14-50. This is the same as using a generator with floating neutral, it will not work. BTW, the only reason that the charger is working as well is that the lightning mobile cord is actually only 30A, if you use another charger that is rated higher than 30A (the one that comes with the mach-e is rated at 40A) the circuit will trip when the supply is only 30A.

[@truckedupevs]

This is interesting. Yes, it ground faults. With the wiring configuration in the ev adapter, Rivian at 32A, Lectron at 40A, and J+ Booster at 40A all operate without tripping when plugged into a TT30-p camping outlet. Any thoughts on that? Thanks for the great feedback!

[@truckedupevs]

Could it be that these chargers are variable amperage and they actually are pre-setting below 30 amps?

[@JohnRoss1]

​@@truckedupevsyou can derate the AC charge rate in the vehicle below the maximum rate (kia etc. 3 settings max medium low)

[@truckedupevs]

@@JohnRoss1 Of course. Thanks!

[@MattFlores-c9z]

@@truckedupevs If it actually working above 30A, I would check the circuit breaker to see if it is actually above 40A (normally the sustained is 80% of output since I do not see a 37.5A breaker it must be 40) Then I would check the rating of the wires. If these are below specs, I will not use anything above 30A charger as it may not be safe for prolonged use.

[@pstoneking3418]

Most RV campsites 30 amp recepticals are only 120 volts.

[@truckedupevs]

That is correct. All, in fact, that I've encountered.

[@Greenspaceservices]

Great video. Your F150 charger is very similar to the Tesla portable charger. Thanks for the info as I would have been frustrated plugging my Tesla in at a campsite. 🇨🇦

[@truckedupevs]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!

[@bobparry4575]

Hi Sean: Good information. When you plugged in the "Proper" TT-30 adapter was the truck able to charge at 2.8 kWs? If not then it is not of much use to still charge at 1.4 kWs. Bob

[@truckedupevs]

It's Simon, but I can roll with Sean 😊 Yes, full 30-amps @ 120v, so I'm drawing off both. Excellent point, and important for those travelling. When are you planning your trip dates? I haven't forgotten about you! You're on my VIP list 👍

[@bobparry4575]

Me and names. I’m blaming on old age. I plan to leave on my cross Canada trip starting Spring 2025 around May. Still do not know if I will have a Lightning or my Old Leaf. Hoping for the Lightning but the wife is baulking. It will be Sooo Much easier with the truck.

[@truckedupevs]

@@bobparry4575 Well, my wife knows age has nothing to do with my 'issues' ...and squarely notes that it's because I'm a blathering A**hat. I envy you 🙂 The truck is a pretty sweeeet road trip beast. However, I'm now in the process of unloading mine (currently on Autotrader), to have something special for viewers for the trip! Currently also negotiating with vampire auto dealers and will wait for the right deal. Might have to postpone the start date to Sept. to pull it off. Stay tuned!

[@pstoneking3418]

If the RV receptical at your RV campground is a 3 prong, it's probably 120 volts capable of 30 amps. You should always check the receptical voltage with a multimeter prior to plugging in anything.

[@truckedupevs]

I check with the campsite managers and in every case they've been 120v 30-a.

[@vvarLEADER]

another great video.. have you found any campsites that dont want evs to charge on 50 amp?

[@truckedupevs]

Thanks! Yes, I have. It's a weird thing, being that ev truck folk use the 50-amp for the trailer, etc during the day, then swap the plug overnight - and use less electricity than the 40-footer next door. I think it's due to all the FUD out there. I don't blame them one bit. We ev truck folk have to remain positive, courteous, and informative when asked. In time, I think it will become more widely accepted. Really appreciate the great, thought-provoking comments.

[@rxibot]

Dagnabbit I should have just forwarded to the end because I actually knew the answer to the question before I even watch the video. No trucked up shirt for me :-( Love the video though :-)

[@truckedupevs]

LMAO! We'll get you a shirt yet! Thanks for always joining in and supporting the channel!

[@JohnRoss1]

You say the Ford evse works but weren't clear on the charge rate. Are you saying it can use up to 30 amps at 120 volt, IE 3.6 kW? I suppose it's better than nothing. My 120 volt EVSE is rated at 12 amps but it is compatible with 240 volts (as that is the voltage most of the rest of the world uses) and will send 2.4 kW. Good to know that the higher amperage can be used despite being 120 volt with the right adapter . I first thought you were going to bring out the split 5-15 plugs to combine the phase to get 240 volt (if the 120 connections were split at the service panel ). My hack is I have a 40 amp evse on a 6-50 plug which is more common on the farm for welders etc. The plug on my portable alternator is 6-50 too. I bought a 14-50 P to 6-50R as sadly the farm we were going to had installed a 14-50 R for some else's 14-50 plugged evse.😅.

[@truckedupevs]

With the adapter, it's drawing 120v @ 30amps, at best, depending on the campsite. Bank on 20~30, I'm guessing, so between 2.4~3.6 kw. Of course the sites with 14-50s are optimal but this provides an alternative. However, several comments have pointed out that if you have a portable charger above 30-amps (40-amp unit) it might continuously trip the breaker. I know of direct examples where 40-amp-ers were used, but I think they were variable/adjustable types. I am taking care on all fronts not to over burden the receptacle or the vehicle. It's a bit of a crap shoot. You've been very creative in drawing more! I'm not that smart. Thanks for jumping into the comments!

[@cadamwil]

Ford’s EVSE can only has two modes. If you feed it 208-240 volts it will tell the truck it can pull 32 Amps 7.7kw at that voltage. If you feed it 120v, it will only pull 12 Amps. 1.44kw

[@truckedupevs]

@@cadamwil Well, that sure is sh*tty, isn;t it? 🙂 However, that doesn't make sense. I'm certain we had rates that were faster than 1.44kw. I'm going to have to go back out and test it again. I'm not questioning you. I'm a blathering Luddite when it comes to these things - I make my living instead off my looks - but didn't Out-of-Spec or TFL run a test off a 30-amp at higher rates? More homework for me, the Chief Trucked Up Twit....

[@cadamwil]

@@truckedupevsI think, after I looked up the adapter you were using it floated the ground to the green wire lead off of it. And then passed the two hots and the neutral. So you were getting 240v at 30a, not 120v at 30 amp, you just weren’t grounded, unless you earthed/grounded the green wire to something.

[@truckedupevs]

@@cadamwil That makes a lot of sense. However, it is rated (what the hell was it...SAE?), and supposedly grounded. So, who the heck knows what these co.s are putting out in the marketplace? It's a total crap-shoot unless one has an electrical engineering degree. Thanks for clarifying. I was definitely drawing more juice, hopefully safely 😐😳

[@amandaadler1860]

I did the exact same thing. I bought the yellow one, then discovered the wiring difference, and bought the parkworld one, however the parkworld one gave me an orange light on the ford box also. I’m trying to charge when I go to my mom’s house, and she has an outdoor 110v, and also an RV plug that my grandpa used for years with his RV. I give up and when my Tesla adapter arrives she’s got a supercharger close by I can use 🤦🏼‍♀️

[@truckedupevs]

Sorry to hear it happened to you to. It is strange that you got and orange light. The Ford portable charger, however, is junk. I'm on my 3rd under warranty since November of '23. I will likely replace it with a more robust third party type when this one goes, but they are very temperamental and orange lights are a common thing with them, I find.

[@jonnyroy]

Answer : the neutral lead is not connected. So on the ev one it uses the ground lead as a neutral? Won't that trip a gfci somewhere?

[@truckedupevs]

Yup. that's basically it, and yeah, I thought the same thing, but I think it's because it's running 120, not 240. It works

[@havnfunb4]

I know the GM charger you can purchase the 30 amp adaptor connector for the charger

[@truckedupevs]

There are after-market ones for Tesla too. Thanks for the comment!

[@havnfunb4]

@@truckedupevsyah aftermarket likely is cheaper. I think the GM connector is $99

[@nathanbrumbaugh8545]

@@truckedupevswill after market ones for Tesla work on other evs? I bought one doesn’t seem to.

[@truckedupevs]

​@@nathanbrumbaugh8545I don't think so. They're like the Apple of cars 🚗. But thank goodness the gates are finally being cracked open with NACS (and USB C cables on I-phones 😂)

[@MarkSpohr]

Good information!

[@truckedupevs]

Thanks!

[@benjaminquinones1890]

Yeah…there’s the right way to charge and then there’s…yeah

[@truckedupevs]

The ' not-the-way-the manual-said- but-my-cousin-Bob-bought-this-thing- on-sale-and-if-you-ignore-the-smoke-it's-fine" way... 🤪😜🙄

[@cadamwil]

This is the reason that I bought a Tesla portable charge cord and a Lectron J3400 to J1772 adapter for our lightning. That way I could buy a pigtail for the Tesla portable charge cord that would work for 30 amp dryer plugs and the other 250v only style older plugs. Also, even if you can find an adapter that will work, you shouldn't use it. It's a 30 amp circuit built for a max of 30 and likely an expected persistent max of about 20, and the EVSE will allow the truck to try and pull 32, constant, popping the breaker and maybe frying the receptacle. Frankly Ford should sell a better EVSE for less money. The one they provide/sell is junk. It's safe junk, but it's junk and it's overpriced.

[@truckedupevs]

Nice setup! (I wasn't that smart🤪) Thanks for contributing, and adding insight for viewers!

[@truckedupevs]

Would you mind sending each of the pieces you use when charging at campsites mentioned above in a new comment? I'll pin it to the top. I'll see if I can round up some photo/links to add. Great feedback from some smart folks already! Fantastic.

[@havnfunb4]

@@cadamwil I agree. If you going to use these adaptors you will need a charger that you can control the amperage and dial it down to 24amps so that it’s safe

[@carterjohnson25]

I have a RV 30 amp direct to Tesla charger. Charges the Tesla at 24 amps @ 120v. About 11 miles of range each hour. I think your real issue is you don't have a Tesla.

[@truckedupevs]

Haha! I'm just thrilled you are celebrating a sweet, pure electric drive, Carter. Model Y? Model 3? I'm presuming you're not driving the polygon-mobile that looks like a fridge had sex with a door wedge ;-). I think that's what everyone is pulling on a 120V 30-amp charger for the most part, as long as they have the right equipment.

[@johnjackson9564]

It doesn’t have a through (common) ground

[@truckedupevs]

Something like that. I've had several people comment . I like your wording (better than mine), in that it is still grounded.

[@tgriebe]

So you don't waste your time, he is just pointing out that 30 amp plugs are only 120 volts and an adapter to a 50 amp won't get you to the 240 volts needed to fast charge

[@truckedupevs]

Actually, clearly, I'm pointing out that if you use the wrong adapter you'll get zip, which is a huge problem at campsites if one plans to use the service. Everyone and their dog knows that 30-amp campsites outlets are 120-v, not 240