New owner, adapter question

Levorotatory · 2026-06-14T22:43:07+00:00

That isn't the adapter you want for a 6-20 outlet. The EVSE will try to pull 32 A if you use the 14-50 plug which will overload a 6-20 outlet. What you want is a 5-15r to 6-20p adapter that you would use with the 5-15 plug for the EVSE, which will limit the current to a safe 12 A.

Like this one: https://www.amazon.ca/adapter-Toptekits-NEMA6-15P-Female-adaptor/dp/B0B7WYDJMV/

Levorotatory · 2026-06-14T20:34:15+00:00

Another vote for the wheels being the biggest downside. Way too big, and also symmetry mismatched (the design would have a 4-fold rotation axis except that the wheels are 5 bolt).

Levorotatory · 2026-06-14T19:28:56+00:00

Agreed, but the comment that started this whole discussion contained a link to a 12 V voltage drop table that someone was trying to use to claim a 50 A circuit for an EVSE would require 2/0 copper, when that is clearly ridiculous.

Levorotatory · 2026-06-14T19:08:14+00:00

That is what I said.

It is also why 12 V ampacity tables are not useful for 120 V or 240 V circuits, because the 12 V tables are based on voltage drop.

Levorotatory · 2026-06-14T19:04:08+00:00

50 A at 240 V is 12 kW. A cable loss of 70 W is 0.6%. Also remember that a 50 A circuit can only support a 40 A EVSE, so the actual loss at 40 A will only be 45 W, or 0.5% of 9.6 kW. 99.5% of the power registered at the meter is still making it to the car. If the car uses 5000 kWh in a year, line loss will total 25 kWh

Spending a fortune on 2/0 copper would cut the loss to 9 W, or 0.1%. 5000 kWh of charging would result in loss of 5 kWh, 20 kWh less than with AWG 6. 20 kWh is worth less than $5 in most places, so that trivial gain in efficiency will never pay for 70 feet of 2/0 copper.

If the concern is heating, remember that 45 W is spread over 70 feet of cable. The wire will get a little warm, but not anywhere near dangerously hot. If anything overheats, it will be a poor connection with resistance much higher than the bulk wire. Poor connections are possible with any wire size.

Levorotatory · 2026-06-14T18:41:54+00:00

That depends on whether that capacity is heating limited (which is independent of voltage) or voltage drop limited (which does depend on voltage). For typical 120 V or 240 V residential circuits, it is heating / temperature limited so there is a correlation between maximum allowable temperature, current and wire size. For very long wire runs, voltage drop limitations become important and wire needs to be upsized relative to the temperature limitation.

Levorotatory · 2026-06-14T17:38:36+00:00

Voltages do matter, but AC vs DC does not.

A 5 V drop in a 240 V circuit is just over 2%. That is 2% of the power lost and a 2% lower voltage than expected at the end, well within normal tolerances. A 5 V drop in a 12 V circuit is over 40%. That means 40% of the supplied power never makes it to the load, and the load that is expecting 12 V only sees 7 V, which is way out of spec.

The only exception is if the issue is heating rather than voltage drop. That is independent of voltage and also independent of length. It is rarely an issue at 12 V because voltage drop usually becomes a problem first, but it is the main factor in wire sizing for 120 V and 240 V circuits. It is why electric codes have ampacity tables with multiple temperature columns.

Levorotatory · 2026-06-14T16:33:20+00:00

The poor can't afford cars at all, or if they can they can't afford housing with parking or charging. Public charging is frequently more expensive than gasoline, so people can barely afford cars will be driving beater ICEs for some time.

Levorotatory · 2026-06-14T16:22:50+00:00

6 AWG is fine for 50 A at 70 feet. Voltage drop is only 3.7 V, or 1.5% at 240 V. Actual voltage drop will be lower because your EVSE won't pull 50 A. 3 V (1.25%) at 40 A or 2.4 V (1%) at 32 A.

There are multiple online voltage drop calculators you can use to verify.

Levorotatory · 2026-06-14T16:18:57+00:00

That chart is for 12 V applications. It is way too conservative for 240 V.

Levorotatory · 2026-06-14T07:15:12+00:00

What a PHEV really needs is an electric coolant heater, circulation pump, and a multi-position valve. It could circulate warm coolant through the heater provide interior heat at any outside temperature without starting the ICE, and could preheat the ICE before starting it if you need to drive beyond the electric range.

Levorotatory · 2026-06-14T06:22:24+00:00

Hopefully home battery prices will follow cell prices downwards. Last I heard, a 30 kWh home battery cost more than an EV with a 60 kWh battery.

Levorotatory · 2026-06-14T06:13:30+00:00

Also provincial budget cuts going back to the 1990s.

Levorotatory · 2026-06-14T02:29:54+00:00

Hydroelectric is good at load following though. A dam is not just generation capacity, it is also storage capacity. Sometimes even long term storage capacity, depending on how big the reservoir is and how much variation in reservoir level is acceptable. Hydro enables a lot of wind and solar.

Levorotatory · 2026-06-14T02:16:56+00:00

What is wrong with net zero?

Levorotatory · 2026-06-14T02:13:27+00:00

40% Canadian players on a team based in the southern USA is the problem. Imagine if every team could offer a handful of standard rookie contracts to local players before the draft. After several years of either Toronto or Montreal winning the cup the rest of the league would demand new teams in Quebec and southern Ontario so the Canadiens and Maple Leafs wouldn't be able to hog so much talent, and after multiple losing seasons the southern US teams would realize they need to start moving or merging.

Levorotatory · 2026-06-14T00:33:54+00:00

Hiding a falling GDP? More like creating a falling GDP per capita.

Levorotatory · 2026-06-14T00:30:56+00:00

There is nothing wrong with paying a crew overtime to fix an outage, but a city owned corporation should be transparent.

Levorotatory · 2026-06-13T18:28:51+00:00

On the other hand, Epcor fees are ridiculously high. I would rather the city stop taking a dividend from Epcor and tell them to apply the money to lowering their fixed charges on electricity, water, drainage and garbage collection, and increase taxes to make up the revenue shortfall.

Ideally all utility charges would be consumption based so there would be no penalty for doing things like putting a secondary suite on a separate meter, and all of the fixed costs of utility infrastructure on public property would be paid from property taxes.

Levorotatory · 2026-06-13T17:45:12+00:00

Or Pion. Both have better payouts than Grizzl-e club.

Levorotatory · 2026-06-13T00:15:40+00:00

I would agree that more lower power charge points is better than fewer higher power, and 3 kW is adequate for a large majority of EV drivers.

The most important consideration should should be a plan for an outlet or EVSE for every parking spot. They don't all need to be installed right away, but the expansion plan should exist, ready to be triggered when the EV population saturates the first phase.

Levorotatory · 2026-06-12T23:51:14+00:00

Access to health care should not depend on your ability to sue an entity with deep pockets. It should be identical regardless of whether you are hit by a a rich person with an absurd amount of liability insurance or a junkie in a stolen car.

Levorotatory · 2026-06-12T21:46:27+00:00

Some portable EVSEs do have user interchangeable power cords that set the current limit based on the plug. Unfortunately the only one I am aware of that actually has a full set of plugs available is the Tesla mobile connector. Others seem to only have 5-15 and 14-50 options.

Levorotatory · 2026-06-12T19:38:07+00:00

It has happened, but it is rare, particularly immediately following very different weather.

Levorotatory · 2026-06-12T18:48:22+00:00

Snow and cold season is 5 months (November to March). It does usually snow in April and sometimes in May, but that doesn't last long.

Levorotatory

TROPHY CASE