Campground 20A 120v charging

[HopefullyR1S]

I recommend looking into buying a TT-30 adapter - that's the 30A plug in your picture. That will give you 2x the power of the 120V outlet. TT-30 is very common in campgrounds. I use one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Parkworld-885378-Adapter-TT-30P-14-50R/dp/B07G2MT4T6/ Be sure to get one that is listed for EV use, not RV use, because they are wired differently.

And remember, when you are using an adapter like this, the portable charger has no way of knowing what sort of outlet you're actually plugged into, so you have to BE SURE to set the charging current to no more than 24 Amps inside you Rivian when you are using this (24A = 80% of the outlet's 30A rating).

I noticed they make a TT-30 to 5-20 adapter. Would this work as well; albeit at lower amps?
Does the Rivian charger “know” the 120v plug is installed (instead of 14-50) and set max amps accordingly?
I would rather charge at 12 amps on the TT-30 (30A) plug and not worry about setting max amps to 24A each time.

Thanks for the help everyone; it is appreciated. Sorry if this all has been asked before I really dont want to mess up the campground or our new mini camper.

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[Proxy]

Note: TT-30 only has twice the power of 5-15. Both are 120v. Has anyone successfully used the TT-30 to adapter 14-50 with a Rivian EVSE? I imagine the TT-30 to 5-20 or 5-15 would work since code doesn’t require GFCI on TT-30 outlets.

 

[Proxy]

I noticed they make a TT-30 to 5-20 adapter. Would this work as well; albeit at lower amps?
Does the Rivian charger “know” the 120v plug is installed (instead of 14-50) and set max amps accordingly?
I would rather charge at 12 amps on the TT-30 (30A) plug and not worry about setting max amps to 24A each time.

Thanks for the help everyone; it is appreciated. Sorry if this all has been asked before I really dont want to mess up the campground or our new mini camper.

Yes, a 5-20 would work as well or better than the 5-15 I recommend. I doubt the Rivian EVSE can “guess” 24 amps when plugged into 14-50. Here I go to edit my post.

 

[VSG]

I noticed they make a TT-30 to 5-20 adapter. Would this work as well; albeit at lower amps?
Does the Rivian charger “know” the 120v plug is installed (instead of 14-50) and set max amps accordingly?
I would rather charge at 12 amps on the TT-30 (30A) plug and not worry about setting max amps to 24A each time.

Yes, if you use a TT-30 to 5-20 (or 5-15) adapter then the portable charger knows it can't draw more than 12A. That's a reasonable strategy if the lower charge rate is acceptable to you.

The portable charger has two short adapter cords, one for 5-15 and one for 14-50, and these short adapter cords have a resistor built into them that tell the portable charger what the circuit is and what the maximum current is. If you additionally attach something like the TT-30 to 14-50 adapter I linked to above, then the portable charger is unaware of what you've done and still thinks it's a 14-50 circuit. That's why you have to turn down the current when using the TT-30 to 14-50 adapter.

Has anyone successfully used the TT-30 to adapter 14-50 with a Rivian EVSE

Yes, many times.

 

[joelster]

I think as others have said, it's probably a bad GFCI.

Get one of these and use the 30A adapter (@ 20A on the energy app in the truck):

Also, a lot of campsites with have a 220 volt Nema 14-50 outlet. These work great with the Rivian travel charger. Just swap the pigtail out for the Nema 14-50 tail.

 

[HopefullyR1S]

Thank you; great explanation.
Once we get to a campground we usually stay 2-3 days without moving the car. So lower amperage should be fine. I will probably get the other as well for emergency use.

 

[Aardvark]

We've seen this issue quite a bit. It's worn breaker or panel. Our technique is to start charging at 10 amps and gradually, over a few minutes to 15 A (or to 12 A on a 15 A breaker), until it trips, then reset and charge at the last successful rate.

 

[VandalSibs]

Just as a note, although it's not a cheap solution, is to get a Mobile Charger from Tesla, and a TT-30 pigtale for it from EVSEAdapters.com. You can use that combo with a NACS to J1772 adapter.

The TT-30 pigtale has the proper bits and pieces that make sure the proper voltage and amperage is going to the truck. I used it a few times camping with my Model 3, then Model Y, and now my R1T.

The whole setup is worth the money if you plan on camping a lot.

 

[Riviaenz]

Show what you have plugged into the outlet. What amperage are you trying to pull?

Max current draw on 120v from the Rivian Mobile charger is 12A. 20A breaker shouldn’t be tripping unless it’s not up to snuff and handling heat generated by 12A.

 

[joelster]

For what it's worth, here is my charging adapter kit: #42

I am covered for a lot of situations. But I guess I still need to get one of the ones I pictured above...

 

[Supratachophobia]

We are camping locally and wanted to test the 120V charger at the campsite.
It immediately trips the breaker at the pole when the charging starts. Anyone have any idea what would cause this?

You need a TT-30 adapter and set your rivian to 30 amps. That will give you 30 amps @ 120v. I think your Rivian is trying to pull to much power and there's a TT-30 right there.

 

[Proxy]

You need a TT-30 adapter and set your rivian to 30 amps.

@Supratachophobia is offering advice that is contrary to electrical code. The amps should be set at 80% for constant loads like EV charging. It should be set to 24 amps for a 30 amp rated circuit. I have a similar setup to @VandalSibs and it is as close to universal and foolproof as any setup out there. I highly recommend it too. Another bonus of the Tesla EVSE is that it can operate using a neutral instead of ground on a 10-30.

 

[Epzey]

We are camping locally and wanted to test the 120V charger at the campsite.
It immediately trips the breaker at the pole when the charging starts. Anyone have any idea what would cause this?

Then their electrical is shit to be frank. surprised the Rivian charger didn’t just stay red. It usually keeps you from using sub par outlets; in my experience. Hope they don’t give you attitude

 

[VSG]

You need a TT-30 adapter and set your rivian to 30 amps. That will give you 30 amps @ 120v. I think your Rivian is trying to pull to much power and there's a TT-30 right there.

No No No. It's a 30A circuit, but if you are going to operate it continuously (and an EV charger is considered continuous operation) then that outlet is only rated for 80% of the maximum current.
30A * 80% = 24A, and that's why you need to set your Rivian to 24A if you are going to plug into the TT-30.

The Rivian portable charger will not let you pull more than 12A from the 5-15 outlet. That is a 15A circuit and:
15A * 80% = 12A
The Rivian portable charger will automatically choose a charging speed of 12A.

 

[Supratachophobia]

@Supratachophobia is offering advice that is contrary to electrical code. The amps should be set at 80% for constant loads like EV charging. It should be set to 24 amps for a 30 amp rated circuit. I have a similar setup to @VandalSibs and it is as close to universal and foolproof as any setup out there. I highly recommend it too. Another bonus of the Tesla EVSE is that it can operate using a neutral instead of ground on a 10-30.

@Supratachophobia *was* giving incorrect advice. Amps should be set for 24amps unless you were using his Tesla mobile charger with 14-30 to tt-30 adapter which sets the amperage on his Tesla automatically.

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