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My gen 1 Blink unit charges OK, but it's capped at 24amps. So I unplugged it to free the 240V socket, but I couldn't plug in the Volvo cable since it has a four-prong 14-50R plug but my 240V socket has a three-slot 6-50P format. I bought an adapter and it works great. I had to set the Volvo max amp rate below 40 amps since the circuit breaker is 40A, but I tested it and it charges at 39A just fine. That's 60% faster than with the old Blink. So if anyone else has that type of socket at home, here's the adapter I used:
4-prong to 3-prong adapter
If you buy one, be advised that it's really hard to plug in the 4-prong side to the cable. It's just set really tight and stiff. Use silicone spray and brute force if you have to. It plugs into the wall socket with normal force. I think Volvo should supply one like this with the car, although it's not expensive. One thing I don't like is that the Volvo cable lights up brightly as long as it's plugged into the socket and uses power. I'd rather not have to unplug it from the wall every time.
 
This is probably a really stupid question, but ... I have a ChargePoint station set up in my garage, and public stations of course have cables provided. So, is the charging cable provided by Volvo of any use to me?
 
This is probably a really stupid question, but ... I have a ChargePoint station set up in my garage, and public stations of course have cables provided. So, is the charging cable provided by Volvo of any use to me?
Probably not a lot, and it is a heavy weight to carry around, but it can be used with the adaptor if you're somewhere (e.g. relative's house, vacation spot) and want to charge overnight using house current. It also can be used to charge directly from the 240V socket if your ChargePoint isn't working. I'm assuming that's plugged into a socket and not hard-wired.
 
QUESTION --
How LONG is the charging cable that comes with the XC40 Recharge?
Can anyone let me know? We don't take delivery for a few days. Working on a "rework" to home charging (coming from Tesla) and need to know. Thanks!
 
Discussion starter · #31 ·
Debating sending my teslatap converter head back . . . How often do you find a need for it in the world where there are no other options. . . I am trying to fight against my pac rat mentality with this car. . . I have a feeling the Tesla tap converter is primarily for home use if you had an existing Tesla charger but I could be wrong.
 
Debating sending my teslatap converter head back . . . How often do you find a need for it in the world where there are no other options. . . I am trying to fight against my pac rat mentality with this car. . . I have a feeling the Tesla tap converter is primarily for home use if you had an existing Tesla charger but I could be wrong.
Our first EV was in 2012 (Nissan Leaf). Our first Tesla came to us in 2014. Since then we’ve had just about every EV you can think of in our garage (yes, EVERY!). And at times (right now!) we’ve had a Tesla HPWC on the wall. So yes, I’ve used the TeslaTap (in my case the “J-Dapter”) to allow my non-Tesla vehicles to charge at home. That said, I have take it on road trips, but can truly say I’ve really only used it once or twice. Most of the Tesla destination charger sites going up these days have J1772, as well. And there are more J1772 chargers than there are Tesla Destinations you‘d use the adapter. It is nice to have as a security blanket, but it prob provides a false sense of security that truly is not needed. For the current prices (< $200) it isnt a bad investment, but it’ll prob collect more dust than anything.
 
One tip I’ll offer. If you plan on using the Volvo charging cable (evse) with a 14-50 outlet, have the outlet installed with the ground on top. Then the “pill” will hang down. If the ground is on the bottom then the “pill“ winds up above the plug with the cable making a U-turn down. Besides wasting a couple of feet on an extremely short 18’ cable, over time it will place a strain on the cable.

Conversely, if you install a level 2 EVSE unit then have the 15-50 outlet installed with the ground down (most units). The cable that plugs into the outlet is usually no more than 12” long and will not make the U-turn without excessive strain on the cable.
 
Mine came with a cable with 240v and 110v adapters. Charged via 110v last night to top off before a drive today. 10 hours boosted me from 52% to 64%. Yikes, that's slow!

I've been able to charge at Chargepoint J1772 6.6kW and EV Connect SAE 7.2kW with no issues.
I'm a little confused - I understand the P8 comes with a charge cable that has both a 240/120 adapters. So, with the 240 plug, can I just plug into a 240 outlet and it will charge at 11KWH, or do I need to have an actual charge station? Maybe the cable w/240 adapter is for charging at a lower rate than a charge station?
 
I'm a little confused - I understand the P8 comes with a charge cable that has both a 240/120 adapters. So, with the 240 plug, can I just plug into a 240 outlet and it will charge at 11KWH, or do I need to have an actual charge station? Maybe the cable w/240 adapter is for charging at a lower rate than a charge station?
11 KW is the vehicle's max for level 2 charging (240 volts x 48 amps = 11,520 watts), regardless whether a dedicated charging station or not. You should be able to get 11 KW with the provided charging cable - IF it's connected to a 240V outlet AND your outlet has at least a 48 amp circuit-breaker.

EDIT: as noted elsewhere on this forum, the car's actual charging rate will depend on how full the battery is. The closer to full, the more it slows down the charge rate. To see the full 11 KW charge rate, your battery would probably have to be down in the 10-20% range.
 
@svenyonson — I’d have to run out to our P8 to look but I’m 98% sure the rating on The included cable is 40A. Meaning that cable would never request more, I think? I’m not an EVSE expert but I know in other cars I’ve had (like Tesla) that more recently have come with 32A power, even when plugged into my NEMA 14-50 which would allow more amperage at home (50A breaker) — the cable only grabs 32A.

So based on that logic (again, not an electrician or EVSE “expert”; but my understanding) — 240v 40A = 9.6kW max that you’ll get with the EVSE (cable) included with the car. While the P8 can handle 48A, the cable that Comes with wont go that high. Someone else can add more to this or correct me, but that is how I see this playing out.
 
11 KW is the vehicle's max for level 2 charging (240 volts x 48 amps = 11,520 watts), regardless whether a dedicated charging station or not. You should be able to get 11 KW with the provided charging cable - IF it's connected to a 240V outlet AND your outlet has at least a 48 amp circuit-breaker.

EDIT: as noted elsewhere on this forum, the car's actual charging rate will depend on how full the battery is. The closer to full, the more it slows down the charge rate. To see the full 11 KW charge rate, your battery would probably have to be down in the 10-20% range.
With the supplied cable max you can get is 9.6kW not 11.5
 
Discussion starter · #38 ·
Is the 9.6kW only when it is at a low charge or is it better at maintaining this rate over a larger range?
 
Is the 9.6kW only when it is at a low charge or is it better at maintaining this rate over a larger range?
Level 2 charging will hold that rate of charge (“speed”) up to the very end. If you are charging to 100% you’ll still see it taper down but only at the very end when the car reaches 98% or higher. If you charge to 90% daily (as recommended) you will see the full rate of speed/charge from start to finish; exceptions might be if the battery was extremely hot, or extremely cold; more likely the latter, as it ramps with heat added.
 
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