Imagine this: you're craving a cup of tea, right now. But your electric kettle is taking forever. What if I told you there's a way to boil water using your EV charger? Sounds crazy, right? Well, it is! But that hasn't stopped some people from trying, and the results are... interesting. But here's the big question: Just because you can do something, does it mean you should?
We've all been hit with that sudden, intense urge for a cup of hot tea. Maybe it's been months, even years, since you last indulged in that colorful leaf water. (Fun fact: British tanks have actually had tea-making equipment installed for ages!). But time is of the essence. That American kettle is going to take an eternity to boil, and you need that tea now. If you're stuck with gas-powered cars, you're out of luck. But if you own an electric vehicle and have a Level 2 home charger, you have… options.
And by "options," I mean the theoretical option of ordering a British tea kettle, crafting a custom adapter, plugging it into your EV charger, and having boiling water in record time. This is where it gets controversial... Would a sane, rational person actually do this? Absolutely not. Is it practical in any way, shape, or form? Nope. Should you try it? Please, for your own safety and the well-being of your electrical system, don't.
But let's be honest, the idea is undeniably intriguing. It's the kind of mad-scientist experiment YouTube was practically made for. And who hasn't wondered, at least briefly, what else you could potentially power with that beefy cable that's constantly plugged into your Polestar 2? And this is the part most people miss... Thinking about the possibilities is part of the fun!
Thankfully, folks like Alec Watson from Technology Connections exist. He's definitely not a "normal" person, and he runs a wildly successful YouTube channel, which means he actually went ahead and gave this harebrained scheme a try. And guess what? It actually worked. Sort of.
A Very Cursed Adapter Indeed
Let me reiterate, in bold, flashing letters: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. The risk-to-reward ratio is astronomically skewed towards risk. Unless, of course, you're filming the whole thing for posterity, in which case, the educational value might outweigh the potential for disaster. I mean, yes, Alec himself describes using a "very cursed adapter [he] built using very cursed parts," but hey, it's just electricity and wires, right? If you're confident in your electrical skills, then... well, I still wouldn't recommend it.
The foundation of this whole endeavor is, naturally, a British kettle. This means you'll need something to connect that uniquely British plug to. Amazingly, Leviton sells a BS 1363 receptacle that fits a standard North American junction box. Because if you're going to embrace weirdness, you might as well go all-in. Wire that up to a J1772 connector (the standard EV charging plug), perform some technical wizardry to trick the charge cable into thinking it's connected to a car, and you're theoretically ready to brew.
So, the burning question (pun intended): how much faster did the EV charger boil water compared to a regular American kettle? The answer: almost exactly twice as fast. This makes perfect sense when you consider that British kettles typically operate at double the voltage. And, perhaps most importantly, there was no fire. At least not this time.
But here's where things get interesting... With a little (or a lot) of determination, you could be the one to show the internet what the version that ends with a house fire looks like. Or, you know, you could just stick to boiling water for tea in the microwave like a normal person.
So, what do you think? Is this a brilliant example of ingenuity, or a recipe for disaster? Would you ever consider trying something like this? Let us know in the comments below! We're eager to hear your thoughts, even if they involve calling us crazy.
