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Adapter for 240 volt male / 120 volt female

12K views 13 replies 11 participants last post by  2VoltFamily 
#1 ·
Can anyone help me with this. I did search the forum before asking however I did not find anything.

I have a 60 feet heavy, heavy duty 240 volt cable that I run to my air conditioner. This cabe has a 6-20P female on the end of it.

Is it possible to:

1. Get an adapter that is 6-20P 240 volt male on one end and 120 volt female (3 prong) on the other end.
2. Plug it into the Volts 3 prong charger cable.
3. Receive a 240 volts 3/4 hour full charge.

Is this possible ?
Does anyone know of such an adapter ?
 
#2 · (Edited)
Look at portable level 2 chargers with a 6-20 plug or upgradeable chargers:

http://evseupgrade.com

Click on the FAQ link there for more info: "Will the upgraded EVSE work with the Chevy Volt?
This used to be problematic, due to picky timing on the Volt's SAE J1772 Charging interface, but GM has since corrected this with a software upgrade in the Volt. If you have had the dealer installed upgrade, your Volt is now compatibile with our upgrade! All recent Volts are delivered with this installed from the factory now. Our unit will now properly charge a Volt at 120 or 240 volts, and in addition it is built much more ruggedly and heavier-duty than the original Voltec unit. Our unit is equipped with 12awg cable whereas the Voltec only has 16awg! (same size as standard lamp cord!)"
 
#3 ·
I have it on good authority that the GM factory EVSE will be smoked by such an attempt. As already noted, an upgraded version of the Leaf EVSE is designed to do pretty much exactly that, and has run for over a year for me with no issues. Note that they have to make some changes to it, however - a factory Leaf box will smoke, too. This is one place Tesla is well ahead of everyone else - their factory portable cord works fine on 110 and 220 - up to 10kW of power if you have the appropriate 220 plug adaptor.
 
#5 ·
A 220 charger will almost never pay for itself on a pure financial basis - pretty much the only case that would is someone doing multiple fairly long but in EV range trips a day with some time to charge in between.

As a convenience, I felt it was worth the money. Always having the 110 cord in the trunk, never having to mess with either cord. Preconditioning with no range loss in cold weather. Charge enough for dinner out after work sometimes. And if I'd had a 2013, not having to reset to 12 amps every single time.
 
#8 ·
1. Get an adapter that is 6-20P 240 volt male on one end and 120 volt female (3 prong) on the other end.
No, a 6-20P has no neutral, thus the only way to get 120V would be to use a 240-120 step-down transformer.
2. Plug it into the Volts 3 prong charger cable.
The factory "charger" or EVSE won't like 240V - You'll let out the magic smoke...
3. Receive a 240 volts 3/4 hour full charge.
If you got a Level 2 EVSE you'd be able to charge up your Volt in about 4 hours from the 6-20P outlet. You could go the EVSEupgrade path as others have suggested, or perhaps a Voltec SPX or Clipper Creek LCS.

A 220 charger will almost never pay for itself on a pure financial basis - pretty much the only case that would is someone doing multiple fairly long but in EV range trips a day with some time to charge in between.

As a convenience, I felt it was worth the money. Always having the 110 cord in the trunk, never having to mess with either cord. Preconditioning with no range loss in cold weather. Charge enough for dinner out after work sometimes. And if I'd had a 2013, not having to reset to 12 amps every single time.
Personally I've got a Sun Country Highway LCS-25 (rebranded Clipper Creek) It was on sale for $650 CDN and I got a $500 rebate from the government. I've got an L6-20P plug on it for portability, as that seems to be the most commonly available outlet 'round these parts. (I know that unit is rated for 30A, but I've yet to see a single L6-30R outlet and the Volt will never draw more than 16A) I regularly use my original EVSE as well, I carry both on the seat behind the driver along with a 30' 12ga extension cord.
 
#9 ·
You can do something like this:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/MK-Diamond-Y-Cord-Female-Twist-Lock-L5-15R-20-Amp-125V-Male-Twist-Lock-L5-15P-20-Amp-125V/11355759?ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=11355759&sourceid=1500000000000003260430&adid=22222222227000000000&wl0={matchtype}&wl1={network}&wl2={ifmobile:m}&wl3=21486607510&wl4={aceid}&wl5=pla&veh=sem
So you are essentially only using half the 240v circuit. Same charge time as on 120V, because you're still only using 120v.
If you want faster charging, you'll have to buy a level 2 EVSE.
 
#10 ·
Thanks everyone.

emartin00, had I known about it, that cable at Walmart is precisely what I would have bought before posting here and finding out the truth.

I would have been very disappointed.

If Illinois had some kind of rebate like what Rampage_Rick has then I would buy one otherwise its just too expensive.
 
#13 ·
So much misinformation on the webs 8)

The chevy volt charger is a clipper creek 220v L2 charger and the Canadian models have a 220v plug, while the US models come with a 120v plug. All you need is an adapter.

Here's one you can make yourself:
Here's one you can buy already made:

Here is a VERY good blog post including part numbers on your charger that are 220v capable... Take a look, check your part numbers, buy an adapter with confidence. You can get adapters that plug into your electric dryer outlet, or you can have a new 220v nema drop done by an electrician that you can use...


Using this setup you can charge 14KVh in 5.5 hours as opposed to 4.5 hours with a faster level 2 charger. IMHO the stock charger on 220 is perfectly fine, saving you $300+ for a dedicated LV2 charger.
 
#14 ·
So much misinformation on the webs 8)

The chevy volt charger is a clipper creek 220v L2 charger and the Canadian models have a 220v plug, while the US models come with a 120v plug. All you need is an adapter.

Here's one you can make yourself:
Here's one you can buy already made:

Here is a VERY good blog post including part numbers on your charger that are 220v capable... Take a look, check your part numbers, buy an adapter with confidence. You can get adapters that plug into your electric dryer outlet, or you can have a new 220v nema drop done by an electrician that you can use...


Using this setup you can charge 14KVh in 5.5 hours as opposed to 4.5 hours with a faster level 2 charger. IMHO the stock charger on 220 is perfectly fine, saving you $300+ for a dedicated LV2 charger.
You answered a question on a 7 year old thread. LOL something tells me the OP found his way.
 
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