When I’m off the grid and I need portable power, I use a generator, and more recently I’ve been using products like the EcoFlow Delta Max portable power station which I use to power everything from phones and laptops to appliances and even my Onewheels and electric scooters.
Since I drive an electric car, I wanted to see how much charge I could get from my EcoFlow DELTA Max using the 400 W EcoFlow solar panel. While not practical, I figured if I ever needed a few miles of charge to make it to the nearest charging spot, this could come in handy in a pinch.
But when I plugged the Tesla into the EcoFlow, I got an error message that the Tesla needed to be plugged into a grounded power source. So I did some research to discover that most generators, gasoline powered or battery powered, are not grounded.
Therefore, if you want to charge something that needs grounded power using a generator, then you will need to either purchase a generator that offers grounded power, or you can purchase a ground neutral plug.
To charge your electric car like your Tesla with a generator like the EcoFlow that does not have grounded power, do the following:
- Purchase this ground neutral plug.
- Plug the ground neutral plug into one of the outlets on the generator.
- Plug in your Tesla charger.
It’s super easy. With a fully charged EcoFlow Delta Max, I could get 3 miles of charge into the Tesla in about one hour.
With the 400 watt solar panels attached to a fully charged EcoFlow Delta Max and at nearly full sun, I managed to charge up my Tesla Model 3 with 8 miles of charge at 12A and 5 miles per hour after charging for two hours before the EcoFlow ran out of power.
Charging a Tesla with a portable generator and using solar power like the EcoFlow is possible, if you purchase and use this ground neutral plug which could come in handy any time you need to power something that needs grounded power.
You won’t get a ton of range, but it may come in handy during those emergency situations when you need just a little bit of juice to make it to the next charging spot.
Check out my full review of the EcoFlow Delta Max.