Here's why: Tesla keeps making the chargers bigger. Your idea of going bigger is on the right track, though. If they require #6, then that is the last word on the subject. Just the same, look at the UL-approved instructions. At 150' your 39A-actual charger will get 3.45% voltage drop, which is perfectly acceptable. In fact, you can use #8 wire for 50A under certain conditions (NOT NM/Romex nor UF-B). (It's probably 12/24V).įor 240V circuits, I don't even bother to crunch the numbers until the run is 180' or more.īut even if we're operating under the rules of the oppressive Canadian regime, #6 is good for 204 feet, eh? The chart is fatally flawed: it fails to state supply voltage. How is my understanding incorrect, and what gauge wire is actually needed for a 50 amp 14-50 outlet? Given the clash between my internet-educated understanding, and Tesla's official publications probably written by electrical engineers, I have a feeling that the incorrect party might just be me. According to this chart, 6 gauge wire would only be sufficient out to 15 ft for 50 amps (or 50 ft if we allow for 10% voltage drop) neither of which is close to the 150 feet suggested by Tesla. If I want a 3% voltage drop (which I assume an electric car would need), then I should be using 4/0 at least. Using these charts to spec out a 150 ft circuit, even allowing for a 10% voltage drop, I see that I need at least 1 gauge wire for 50 amps. However, when I search online for AWG charts, I find many results that all agree with each other, such as this one from here: Tesla has published installation instructions here that recommends 6 AWG for up to 150 feet. I thought I understood the correct wire to use, but then ran across a Tesla document that said something completely different than I was expecting. We are looking to install two NEMA 14-50 outlets for our kids to charge their electric cars, and I'm confused about wire choice.
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