Plug VW L1 EVSE into 30amp 220 NEMA 14-30 via adapter?

[sdgs2017]

I have a 2017 e-Golf.
I am moving into a new apartment on July 1st. The landlord has installed in the garage a 220 circuit rated at 30 amps with a NEMA 14-30 outlet dedicated to my apartment that I can use as I wish.

I have, on order, a Chargepoint Home Flex level-2 charger which my landlord has said he will hardware to the 220/30a circuit
when it arrives in a few weeks. I bought the Home Flex because when I move from this apartment I want a L2 charger that can work on circuits with higher amperage should that be available in my next home.

There will be an interim period when I will NOT have my Chargepoint Home Flex but only the level 1 charging cable that comes with the 2017 e-Golf. This level 1 charging cable has a standard 110 NEMA 5-15 plug.

My question: Can I use an adapter like this:
https://www.amazon.com/AC-WORKS-AD1430520-Household-Connector/dp/B0778XN2Q7?th=1
to plug my Level 1 VW charger into the 220/14-30 outlet? Again, the outlet is 30amps (not 240V/40amps).

Thanks.

 

[ellehcim]

I have a 2017 e-Golf.
I am moving into a new apartment on July 1st. The landlord has installed in the garage a 220 circuit rated at 30 amps with a NEMA 14-30 outlet dedicated to my apartment that I can use as I wish.

I have, on order, a Chargepoint Home Flex level-2 charger which my landlord has said he will hardware to the 220/30a circuit
when it arrives in a few weeks. I bought the Home Flex because when I move from this apartment I want a L2 charger that can work on circuits with higher amperage should that be available in my next home.

There will be an interim period when I will NOT have my Chargepoint Home Flex but only the level 1 charging cable that comes with the 2017 e-Golf. This level 1 charging cable has a standard 110 NEMA 5-15 plug.

My question: Can I use an adapter like this:
https://www.amazon.com/AC-WORKS-AD1430520-Household-Connector/dp/B0778XN2Q7?th=1
to plug my Level 1 VW charger into the 220/14-30 outlet? Again, the outlet is 30amps (not 240V/40amps).

Thanks.

You absolutely should not use that adapter to plug your Level 1 charger into a 220V/30A outlet. That adapter is designed to step down voltage, not step it up. Using it incorrectly could damage your charger and potentially cause a fire hazard.

 

[f1geek]

I have a 2017 e-Golf.
I am moving into a new apartment on July 1st. The landlord has installed in the garage a 220 circuit rated at 30 amps with a NEMA 14-30 outlet dedicated to my apartment that I can use as I wish.

I have, on order, a Chargepoint Home Flex level-2 charger which my landlord has said he will hardware to the 220/30a circuit
when it arrives in a few weeks. I bought the Home Flex because when I move from this apartment I want a L2 charger that can work on circuits with higher amperage should that be available in my next home.

There will be an interim period when I will NOT have my Chargepoint Home Flex but only the level 1 charging cable that comes with the 2017 e-Golf. This level 1 charging cable has a standard 110 NEMA 5-15 plug.

My question: Can I use an adapter like this:
https://www.amazon.com/AC-WORKS-AD1430520-Household-Connector/dp/B0778XN2Q7?th=1
to plug my Level 1 VW charger into the 220/14-30 outlet? Again, the outlet is 30amps (not 240V/40amps).

Thanks.

FYI in the USA and Canada, L1 is 120 V and L2 is 240 V.

You will most likely fry your L1 charging station and may start a fire if you attempt to plug it into a 240 V circuit. Don't do it.

 

[djk]

FYI in the USA and Canada, L1 is 120 V and L2 is 240 V.

You will most likely fry your L1 charging station and may start a fire if you attempt to plug it into a 240 V circuit. Don't do it.

That's not accurate. The 4-prong plug/receptacle has L1 (hot), L2 (hot), N (neutral), and G (ground). Between L1 and L2 there is 240Vac. Between L1 and N OR L2 and N there is 120Vac. Ground is required for safety. The adaptor most likely brings either L1 or L2, along with N and G, so it should be safe to plug in your Level 1 charging cable to the adaptor. The fact that it is rated at 30A (Amps) means the circuit can safely provide that much, but your charger will only draw 12A. That's because it's designed to be plugged into any 120Vac circuit, and 12 is 80% of a standard 15A circuit, per the NEC (National Electrical Code).

What f1geek probably means is that a Level 1 (L1) charger uses 120Vac, while a Level 2 charger uses 240Vac. Confusing terminologies.

 

[Robwb]

That's not accurate. The 4-prong plug/receptacle has L1 (hot), L2 (hot), N (neutral), and G (ground). Between L1 and L2 there is 240Vac. Between L1 and N OR L2 and N there is 120Vac. Ground is required for safety. The adaptor most likely brings either L1 or L2, along with N and G, so it should be safe to plug in your Level 1 charging cable to the adaptor. The fact that it is rated at 30A (Amps) means the circuit can safely provide that much, but your charger will only draw 12A. That's because it's designed to be plugged into any 120Vac circuit, and 12 is 80% of a standard 15A circuit, per the NEC (National Electrical Code).

What f1geek probably means is that a Level 1 (L1) charger uses 120Vac, while a Level 2 charger uses 240Vac. Confusing terminologies.

That’s interesting, I never thought of a plug adapter that would essentially let you use a 240 Vac outlet as a 120, but what you say makes sense…. I would definitely want to confirm that the adapter functions this way prior to use.

 

[UranoMausBosch]

Whether the voltage is correct or not, be aware the amperage could be an issue. Also VW standard L1 plug is very sensitive to proper grounding and GFCI (ground-fault-circuit-interupt) and if you have any sort of adapter(s) rather than plugging direct into a GFCI/protected 120V outlet, the VW adapter will not work, at least such was the case for me - I bought a Lectron 120V L1 J1772 charger/cord from Amazon and a short in-line GFCI "extension cord" to get my car charged until I finally had an electrician properly wire in a combo 240/120 outlet box with GFCI/breakers (similar to used at RV campgrounds).

 

[cctop]

if you have any sort of adapter(s) rather than plugging direct into a GFCI/protected 120V outlet, the VW adapter will not work

This is not my experience.
For a long time I used a 12-gauge extension cord plugged into a non-GFCI wall outlet without tripping the breaker or generating much heat
But there was no other load on that line. For comparison I’d regularly trip a different breaker if I used the microwave and toaster oven at the same time.

 

[UranoMausBosch]

This is not my experience.
For a long time I used a 12-gauge extension cord plugged into a non-GFCI wall outlet without tripping the breaker or generating much heat
But there was no other load on that line. For comparison I’d regularly trip a different breaker if I used the microwave and toaster oven at the same time.

Glad it worked for you - my VW adapter lit up and flashed "error" unless plugged into a GFCI outlet without any extension cord

 

[Curly]

My experience is the same as cctop. When I bought my e-Golf, my garage had old wiring, with ungrounded, two-prong receptacles. The charger would not work with a two-to-three-prong adapter. I can't remember the exact behavior of the lights on the charger, but I'm sure it was detecting the lack of a ground.

What did work was to plug the charger into a 25-foot extension cord plugged into a grounded, but non-GFCI, outlet inside my house. I charged it this way three or four times while waiting for an electrician to upgrade the garage wiring.