2015 P90d charging questions

[Fireproofcane]

Hey everyone. Only a Tesla owner for about a month now and I love it. However, I’m still learning about the car and charging habits. With that said, here are my questions.

1. I drive about 150 “range miles” a day in my commute. In a P90d that leaves me needing to charge almost every day. Currently I have a slower level 2 (18mph) charger at work and several supercharger stations. I have been using SCs nearly daily or every other day since I bought the car since they’re so fast. Is this really bad? I’ve got 2 years worth of warranty left but I still don’t want to destroy the car.

2. Since Tesla has reduced the actual range of the car from when it was first released I can’t seem to figure out what actual range should be and at what point am I having issues. Currently the car charges to 237 at 100% (I’ve only done this a couple times for longer trips). Is this good?

3. If I added a fast charge solution at home and charged every night, what effect would that have on my electric bill?

Y’all are the best. Thanks for answering noob questions.

 

[LoudMusic]

I think most people on this forum are going to recommend that you stop looking at the car's suggested miles and start using kW and kWh instead. That's the actual energy, rather than an estimated amount of miles based on a driving style that you are likely not doing.

1. How far is your actual commute in actual miles? What percentage do you charge up to? How low does it get before you charge again?

You're going to get mixed responses on supercharger use. I tend to avoid it when possible, but tens of thousands of people use superchargers exclusively and claim to have no ill affects to the vehicle because of it.

2. Tesla hasn't reduced the range of the vehicle - that simply battery degradation. There's typically a 10% drop in capacity over the first 50,000 or so miles - as reported by 100,000s of owners. If you want an actual range test for your vehicle drive it on flat ground with minimal weather including wind on a warm day at 50 miles per hour. That should be easy to do on a state highway in Georgia

3. It would be WAY cheaper than using a supercharger, unless you have free supercharging. Do you know how much you pay per kWh at home? A quick internet search says Georgia electricity is around $0.15/kWh. Superchargers are usually between $0.24/kWh and $0.36/kWh. A Tesla Wall Connector currently costs about $500, plus the electrician and additional hardware. I think people are paying between $500 and $1500 to have it installed.

My "back of the napkin math" shows it would cost about $150/month to charge at home for the amount you're driving. If you're paying for supercharging every day I suspect it's easily twice that. So it would take about a year to cover the cost of the Wall Connector installation.

The main thing about charging at home is the convenience. Plug in when you get home, and by morning the car is ready to go for the day. No extra stops or sitting around waiting on the car. I would not own an EV if I could not charge at home.

Wall Connector

Wall Connector is the most convenient charging solution for houses, apartments, hospitality properties and workplaces. With up to 44 miles of range added per hour of charging, a 24 foot cable length, multiple power settings, and a versatile indoor/outdoor design, Wall Connector provides...

shop.tesla.com

 

[HenryT]

As to the likely range, the table here should give you an idea of what to expect and capability of the car at different speeds.

 

[JimmyB]

As others have said / will say - figure out some kind of home charging. Supercharging is great for road trips but, even when it's free, is not overly convenient for everyday use (particularly in a car which, I suspect, is at least somewhat chargegated).

Your home charging solution can be as simple or complicated as you need / want. Simple and cheap would be running a 'dryer buddy' or similar splitter from your dryer outlet, or having an electrician install a 240V outlet if your panel has space and is conveniently located. At the other end of the scale, if your car has dual chargers, find a V2 Wall Connector or buy one of the more expensive 80A J1772 EVSEs out there and you'll be pleasantly surprised at how quickly you can charge at home.

And yeah, switch over to percentage

 

[Fireproofcane]

I think most people on this forum are going to recommend that you stop looking at the car's suggested miles and start using kW and kWh instead. That's the actual energy, rather than an estimated amount of miles based on a driving style that you are likely not doing.

1. How far is your actual commute in actual miles? What percentage do you charge up to? How low does it get before you charge again?

You're going to get mixed responses on supercharger use. I tend to avoid it when possible, but tens of thousands of people use superchargers exclusively and claim to have no ill affects to the vehicle because of it.

2. Tesla hasn't reduced the range of the vehicle - that simply battery degradation. There's typically a 10% drop in capacity over the first 50,000 or so miles - as reported by 100,000s of owners. If you want an actual range test for your vehicle drive it on flat ground with minimal weather including wind on a warm day at 50 miles per hour. That should be easy to do on a state highway in Georgia

3. It would be WAY cheaper than using a supercharger, unless you have free supercharging. Do you know how much you pay per kWh at home? A quick internet search says Georgia electricity is around $0.15/kWh. Superchargers are usually between $0.24/kWh and $0.36/kWh. A Tesla Wall Connector currently costs about $500, plus the electrician and additional hardware. I think people are paying between $500 and $1500 to have it installed.

My "back of the napkin math" shows it would cost about $150/month to charge at home for the amount you're driving. If you're paying for supercharging every day I suspect it's easily twice that. So it would take about a year to cover the cost of the Wall Connector installation.

The main thing about charging at home is the convenience. Plug in when you get home, and by morning the car is ready to go for the day. No extra stops or sitting around waiting on the car. I would not own an EV if I could not charge at home.

Wall Connector

Wall Connector is the most convenient charging solution for houses, apartments, hospitality properties and workplaces. With up to 44 miles of range added per hour of charging, a 24 foot cable length, multiple power settings, and a versatile indoor/outdoor design, Wall Connector provides...

shop.tesla.com

Thanks for the detailed response!!

1. My actual commute is about 110-115 miles. I typically charge to 80-90% (never more than 90). Usually gets down to 50-60 miles remaining (I know I know, change to % lol). I will add that supercharging is free for me and I carpool which we conveniently meet at a supercharger station so I typically wait 7-10 minutes for people to arrive and I tend to “top off” or just add 50-70 miles.

2. Yes, I knew there was degradation but I also though Tesla originally rated the cars at like 280 miles then changed it to 248 because of epa stuff. I don’t know. I guess I was just wondering when I should start worrying or asking for a warranty replacement.

3. Yea, again it’s free to use superchargers and they are literally right at my office and right near my house (which is crazy because it’s 45 miles apart. I’m just lucky I guess). My dryer is upstairs above garage and my panel is in basement. Neither are convenient to garage so I assume I’d have to spend a little more on installation.

 

[Fireproofcane]

As others have said / will say - figure out some kind of home charging. Supercharging is great for road trips but, even when it's free, is not overly convenient for everyday use (particularly in a car which, I suspect, is at least somewhat chargegated).

Your home charging solution can be as simple or complicated as you need / want. Simple and cheap would be running a 'dryer buddy' or similar splitter from your dryer outlet, or having an electrician install a 240V outlet if your panel has space and is conveniently located. At the other end of the scale, if your car has dual chargers, find a V2 Wall Connector or buy one of the more expensive 80A J1772 EVSEs out there and you'll be pleasantly surprised at how quickly you can charge at home.

And yeah, switch over to percentage

I suspect you’re probably right for most but for me supercharging is extremely convenient. That’s why I’m really trying to make sure it doesn’t hurt the car. But yes, I do still want to add a home charging solution asap. See post above for some challenges with panel and dryer locations.

 

[Fireproofcane]

On the “switch to kw” subject, I feel like I’m still doing math. Trying to figure out “x% = miles” so I know roughly how far I can go that day. And when I’m driving 115 miles a day, and needing charge for the next day, It just feels easier seeing a “rough estimate” for mileage. But yea, I stay in ludicrous mode and often enjoy its benefits

 

[LoudMusic]

3. Yea, again it’s free to use superchargers and they are literally right at my office and right near my house (which is crazy because it’s 45 miles apart. I’m just lucky I guess). My dryer is upstairs above garage and my panel is in basement. Neither are convenient to garage so I assume I’d have to spend a little more on installation.

That's absurd, you lucky punk. The nearest one to me is more than 30 miles away and I have to pay for charging.

I'd still have some kind of home charging I think. I just have no desire to sit at a charger if I don't have to. Do you have a mobile connector? Even plugging into a 15A outlet would net you about 30 miles of range overnight.

 

[JimmyB]

... or nearer 40 if, like many garages, you have a 5-20 outlet (and get the appropriate adaptor from Tesla).

On degradation, your EPA range when new was 253 miles. So your current 237 represents a degradation of 6.3% - pretty good for a 90kWh battery I believe

 

[Fireproofcane]

That's absurd, you lucky punk. The nearest one to me is more than 30 miles away and I have to pay for charging.

I'd still have some kind of home charging I think. I just have no desire to sit at a charger if I don't have to. Do you have a mobile connector? Even plugging into a 15A outlet would net you about 30 miles of range overnight.

Haha! Yea it’s nice to be so close and no cost. Which definitely demotivates the install at home lol.

Yes, I do have a mobile connector and I do use it once or twice a week depending on what I have left in the car. It says 3/mi hr. But i feel like it’s closer to like 2.5. Cause in 8 hours it usually gets 20 miles.

 

[Fireproofcane]

... or nearer 40 if, like many garages, you have a 5-20 outlet (and get the appropriate adaptor from Tesla).

On degradation, your EPA range when new was 253 miles. So your current 237 represents a degradation of 6.3% - pretty good for a 90kWh battery I believe

Thank you for the info on the battery degradation. I feel pretty good about where it’s at. And yes, it’s the slower outlet in the garage. Painfully slow lol. But it does make me feel better about getting to a SC on some days.

 

[Lasttoy]

If, if u can get a wall 14.50 outlet installed in your garage? That is the best way for the life of your car. Mine is on outside of house sine I don't have a garage. It takes the stress out of going to work every am. U can pre warm car while it's plugged in so it's happy when u leave home in cold weather.

 

[cduzz]

If, if u can get a wall 14.50 outlet installed in your garage? That is the best way for the life of your car. Mine is on outside of house sine I don't have a garage. It takes the stress out of going to work every am. U can pre warm car while it's plugged in so it's happy when u leave home in cold weather.

There's a lot of variability in cost and need for a big guns high amperage circuit. In my house, for instance, I'd probably need a new service from the utilities, a new meter, and a new panel if I wanted to add a 40A 240 circuit.

Rather than pick that scab, I had a 5-20 outlet with a dedicated feed converted to a 240 6-20 outlet. Including a probably not very good EVSE I think I've spent $500 on home charging. It's been fine keeping me mobile through several Boston winters. I'm lucky, I've got a couple supercharger stations within 5 miles, so if I'm in a terrible bind I can always get myself to one of those. If I pull in at 2% and sleep for 6 hours, I'd easily have range to get to a supercharger.

If I had time of use metering, I'd probably want a faster charger, but as it stands, it's been fine.