5-15 110V garage wall outlet range anxiety or nothing to worry about ?

[1plavs]

PlugShare- 6 miles away
Supercharger-30 miles away
Future supercharger 2022- 13 miles away

Roundtrip to and from office- 22 miles, currently still working from home. Rarely drive anywhere weekday nights.

Weekend driving 50-75 miles Saturday & Sunday with an occasional trip to Chicago - 120 miles

SE WI winters are quite harsh, but do I really have anything to worry about?

My electrician spoke to the inspector and told him I would need a $2k panel upgrade and a 14-50 Nema isn’t an option in my case. In fact my current 100amp should really be 135amp.

With the MY never really going in sleep mode what should I be worried about as far as my electrical bill goes?

Will I still be able to precondition in the winter?

 

[jcanoe]

Why use this non-UL listed Dryer Buddy when I could use this UL Listed product instead. Pricier, but safer? Smart Splitters | NeoCharge

The Dryer Buddy has been around longer than the NeoCharge. I have no personal experience with either product.

The number of plug and unplug cycles from the 14-30 receptacle (for the 30A dryer circuit) or from a14-50 receptacle (for a 50A circuit) is known to be limited. I have read/heard anything from less than 50 cycles up to a few hundred plug and unplug operations. It probably depends on the quality of the receptacle with Hubbel, Bryant and Cooper being better made than lower cost Leviton receptacles.

Although it would be a PITA you could replace the dryer receptacle if it ever became warm in use, plug felt loose when you pull on the plug head. As long as you don't unplug the dryer frequently to use the 14-30 receptacle to charge the Tesla you would probably never wear out the dryer outlet before you either A) upgrade your electrical panel or B) sell the house. You will know within the first full year of charging the Tesla at home whether 120V charging fits your needs. Then you can take the next step.

When you use the 14-30 receptacle with the Tesla Mobile Connector and the Tesla 14-30 plug adapter you are going to have to do the following:

1) Leave the door from the laundry room into the garage cracked open for the charging cord to pass through while charging unless you are OK with installing an RV cable hatch in the door or in the wall to the garage.

2) Back the Tesla vehicle into the garage so the charging cord can reach the Tesla's charging port, else use a 14-30 extension cord

3) Extension cords are not recommended by Tesla (or any other EV manufacturer), are always a concern when high amperage, i.e. 30A (24A maximum while charging an EV) or 50A (32A maximum while charging using the Tesla Mobile Connector) is involved.

4) A 14-30 extension cord is fairly expensive, i.e. would cost somewhere around $100. Extension cords need to be checked regularly as they do wear out over time (same reason as the receptacle, plug and unplug operations) and damage from being stepped on, driven over etc.)

 

[1plavs]

The Dryer Buddy has been around longer than the NeoCharge. I have no personal experience with either product.

The number of plug and unplug cycles from the 14-30 receptacle (for the 30A dryer circuit) or from a14-50 receptacle (for a 50A circuit) is known to be limited. I have read/heard anything from less than 50 cycles up to a few hundred plug and unplug operations. It probably depends on the quality of the receptacle with Hubbel, Bryant and Cooper being better made than lower cost Leviton receptacles.

Although it would be a PITA you could replace the dryer receptacle if it ever became warm in use, plug felt loose when you pull on the plug head. As long as you don't unplug the dryer frequently to use the 14-30 receptacle to charge the Tesla you would probably never wear out the dryer outlet before you either A) upgrade your electrical panel or B) sell the house. You will know within the first full year of charging the Tesla at home whether 120V charging fits your needs. Then you can take the next step.

When you use the 14-30 receptacle with the Tesla Mobile Connector and the Tesla 14-30 plug adapter you are going to have to do the following:

1) Leave the door from the laundry room into the garage cracked open for the charging cord to pass through while charging unless you are OK with installing an RV cable hatch in the door or in the wall to the garage.

2) Back the Tesla vehicle into the garage so the charging cord can reach the Tesla's charging port, else use a 14-30 extension cord

3) Extension cords are not recommended by Tesla (or any other EV manufacturer), are always a concern when high amperage, i.e. 30A (24A maximum while charging an EV) or 50A (32A maximum while charging using the Tesla Mobile Connector) is involved.

4) A 14-30 extension cord is fairly expensive, i.e. would cost somewhere around $100. Extension cords need to be checked regularly as they do wear out over time (same reason as the receptacle, plug and unplug operations) and damage from being stepped on, driven over etc.)

While I’ll only use the 14-30 a limited amount of times the NeoCharge is UL listed so I may go that route. With the garage door open bugs and insects can get in so I gotta find a way around that if possible. My thought was to install a screen door and to add some type of plug which would block anything from getting into the house.

 

[1plavs]

The Dryer Buddy has been around longer than the NeoCharge. I have no personal experience with either product.

The number of plug and unplug cycles from the 14-30 receptacle (for the 30A dryer circuit) or from a14-50 receptacle (for a 50A circuit) is known to be limited. I have read/heard anything from less than 50 cycles up to a few hundred plug and unplug operations. It probably depends on the quality of the receptacle with Hubbel, Bryant and Cooper being better made than lower cost Leviton receptacles.

Although it would be a PITA you could replace the dryer receptacle if it ever became warm in use, plug felt loose when you pull on the plug head. As long as you don't unplug the dryer frequently to use the 14-30 receptacle to charge the Tesla you would probably never wear out the dryer outlet before you either A) upgrade your electrical panel or B) sell the house. You will know within the first full year of charging the Tesla at home whether 120V charging fits your needs. Then you can take the next step.

When you use the 14-30 receptacle with the Tesla Mobile Connector and the Tesla 14-30 plug adapter you are going to have to do the following:

1) Leave the door from the laundry room into the garage cracked open for the charging cord to pass through while charging unless you are OK with installing an RV cable hatch in the door or in the wall to the garage.

2) Back the Tesla vehicle into the garage so the charging cord can reach the Tesla's charging port, else use a 14-30 extension cord

3) Extension cords are not recommended by Tesla (or any other EV manufacturer), are always a concern when high amperage, i.e. 30A (24A maximum while charging an EV) or 50A (32A maximum while charging using the Tesla Mobile Connector) is involved.

4) A 14-30 extension cord is fairly expensive, i.e. would cost somewhere around $100. Extension cords need to be checked regularly as they do wear out over time (same reason as the receptacle, plug and unplug operations) and damage from being stepped on, driven over etc.)

Do people actually install an RV cable hatch in the door ? Going that route I would have to install a screen door for sure and then install this cable hatch, but that would also mean an extension cord would be needed which we want avoid I thought.

 

[jcanoe]

Do people actually install an RV cable hatch in the door ? Going that route I would have to install a screen door for sure and then install this cable hatch, but that would also mean an extension cord would be needed which we want avoid I thought.

It is not allowed by code to pass an extension cord through a wall; some people do. You could pass the Tesla charging cord through the hatch but the charging cord is probably also considered an extension cord.

Like this RV hatch (for 30A power connection): https://www.amazon.com/4-inch-Round-Electrical-Cable-Hatch/dp/B07JW5L1CB/

Or this one (for 50A power connection): Amazon.com: POWER CORD CABLE HATCH 30 or 50 AMP cord White RV Camper Motorhome (4503487291634): Books

 

[jcanoe]

I would not be concerned that the Dryer Buddy has not been UL tested. This just means that the company has not paid UL to test their product. The Dryer Buddy could be just as safe as one that has been UL tested.

 

[1plavs]

It is not allowed by code to pass an extension cord through a wall; some people do. You could pass the Tesla charging cord through the hatch but the charging cord is probably also considered an extension cord.

Like this RV hatch (for 30A power connection): https://www.amazon.com/4-inch-Round-Electrical-Cable-Hatch/dp/B07JW5L1CB/

Or this one (for 50A power connection): Amazon.com: POWER CORD CABLE HATCH 30 or 50 AMP cord White RV Camper Motorhome (4503487291634): Books

On the Gen2 mobile connector, the cord itself measures 1/2" diameter so would this item work for the cord to pass through without being too tight?

The first link may work I would just have to figure where it would go on a door like this.

EMCO EMCO 32 in. x 80 in. White Universal 3/4 Light Aluminum Storm Door with Black Hardware E1SS-32WH - The Home Depot

The EMCO 3/4 Light Storm Door features a lower glass panel that slides up to let in the fresh air or down for full protection. It has a 1" thick frame and single layer weatherstripping. Backed by a 10-year

www.homedepot.com

 

[naD alseT]

Have you looked at the Facebook group "Tesla Owners Wisconsin"? They host some new owner workshops which you might find worthwhile. Also, if you want to talk over your charging question or concerns, let me know. I'm in the MKE metro area.

 

[1plavs]

Have you looked at the Facebook group "Tesla Owners Wisconsin"? They host some new owner workshops which you might find worthwhile. Also, if you want to talk over your charging question or concerns, let me know. I'm in the MKE metro area.

I’m not on fb, but ill pm you now

 

[jcanoe]

On the Gen2 mobile connector, the cord itself measures 1/2" diameter so would this item work for the cord to pass through without being too tight?

The first link may work I would just have to figure where it would go on a door like this.

EMCO EMCO 32 in. x 80 in. White Universal 3/4 Light Aluminum Storm Door with Black Hardware E1SS-32WH - The Home Depot

The EMCO 3/4 Light Storm Door features a lower glass panel that slides up to let in the fresh air or down for full protection. It has a 1" thick frame and single layer weatherstripping. Backed by a 10-year

www.homedepot.com

I don't know. How did you charge your Prius Prime?

 

[1plavs]

I don't know. How did you charge your Prius Prime?

120v as it only provided 25 miles of EV.
My confusion comes in on why anyone would want to use something connected to the dryer because with what they would spend for those devices…..aSupercharger will cost way less with a limited amount of times it would be used. It would take a ton of Supercharger visits to get to $200-$400.

 

[jcanoe]

120v as it only provided 25 miles of EV.
My confusion comes in on why anyone would want to use something connected to the dryer because with what they would spend for those devices…..aSupercharger will cost way less with a limited amount of times it would be used. It would take a ton of Supercharger visits to get to $200-$400.

Supercharger costs are usually 2X higher than charging at home. Some people literally live down the street from an Urban Supercharger. (There is one about 2 miles from my home. I've never had the need to use it.)

 

[1plavs]

Supercharger costs are usually 2X higher than charging at home. Some people literally live down the street from an Urban Supercharger. (There is one about 2 miles from my home. I've never had the need to use it.)

Charging rates yes, but incorporate the extra like the dryer buddy and neocharge and then it isn’t as appealing of a difference.

 

[jcanoe]

Charging rates yes, but incorporate the extra like the dryer buddy and neocharge and then it isn’t as appealing of a difference.

Your only required expense in using the dryer outlet to charge is the $35 it costs for the Tesla 14-30 plug adapter. Every thing else is optional. You can leave the door to the garage cracked open for an hour or so to charge. You can back the Tesla into the garage. This is not something you would do regularly.

 

[1plavs]

Your only required expense in using the dryer outlet to charge is the $35 it costs for the Tesla 14-30 plug adapter. Every thing else is optional. You can leave the door to the garage cracked open for an hour or so to charge. You can back the Tesla into the garage. This is not something you would do regularly.

True, but I’m not about to mess around with plugging and unplugging my dryer cord as that …over time can fail as it’s not designed for that which then means more $$$ eating into your savings.

 

[jcanoe]

True, but I’m not about to mess around with plugging and unplugging my dryer cord as that …over time can fail as it’s not designed for that which then means more $$$ eating into your savings.

A 14-30R (the R stands for Receptacle) receptacle costs less than $10; a top brand 14-30R such as Bryant costs $50. You could change the receptacle every other year for 16 years and not spend as much as the switch costs.

As you stated this is something you would only do a limited number of times per year, i.e. even unplugging the dryer and plugging in to charge once a month the 14-30 receptacle would not wear out for at least a couple of years.

 

[Rocky_H]

Thank you for pointing out my mistake. What I meant was for my friend who wants to later do a wall charger that the wiring should be rated for 60 amps. And run the heavier wire now to a 14-50 receptacle. Yes, you are correct, it should be a 50 amp breaker. And then when he changes out the 14-50 for a wall charger, he can just switch out the 50 amp for a 60 amp breaker and the wiring already be up to code.

Yes, thank you for covering that. It's fine to pre-install the thicker wire, since that is the labor intensive thing to have to redo later, but yes, the breaker needs to stay 50A while that outlet is on it.

In the case of a 40 amp breaker on the 14-50 receptacle you still would not want to do that with a Tesla unless you manually lower the draw from the car. Otherwise it will trip the breaker. Hopefully.

I think that is one of the two main reasons why Tesla made the 2nd generation mobile cable have only a 32A maximum limit. This configuration of 50A outlet types on 40A circuits is fairly common, so I think they didn't want people finding existing 6-50 or 14-50 outlets and plugging into them without realizing they are on 40A circuits and causing problems. (2nd problem being the basic heat and melting at the adapter interfaces running at 40A.)

What are your thoughts on using a Tesla 14-30 adapter alongside the mobile connector and use that to plug into our clothes dryer outlet which is nearby for emergency use let’s say once a month as discussed earlier?

I don't see any issue using that as needed.

Why use this non-UL listed Dryer Buddy when I could use this UL Listed product instead. Pricier, but safer? Smart Splitters | NeoCharge

Huh--I had just never seen that one. Dryer Buddy has been around for quite a while, and with it being such a weird type of device, I never thought anyone would be able to get UL certification on something like that.

 

[1plavs]

Yes, thank you for covering that. It's fine to pre-install the thicker wire, since that is the labor intensive thing to have to redo later, but yes, the breaker needs to stay 50A while that outlet is on it.

I think that is one of the two main reasons why Tesla made the 2nd generation mobile cable have only a 32A maximum limit. This configuration of 50A outlet types on 40A circuits is fairly common, so I think they didn't want people finding existing 6-50 or 14-50 outlets and plugging into them without realizing they are on 40A circuits and causing problems. (2nd problem being the basic heat and melting at the adapter interfaces running at 40A.)

I don't see any issue using that as needed.

Huh--I had just never seen that one. Dryer Buddy has been around for quite a while, and with it being such a weird type of device, I never thought anyone would be able to get UL certification on something like that.

What would be the next couple of steps up from a. 120v outlet that wouldn’t require a panel upgrade? 14-30,14-50 would require a 100 to 200amp service upgrade for me.

 

[1plavs]

What would be the next couple of steps up from a. 120v outlet that wouldn’t require a panel upgrade? 14-30,14-50 would require a 100 to 200amp service upgrade for me.

Looks like a 6-20 would be the one. Just have to check if a panel upgrade is still needed which I doubt.

 

[Rocky_H]

What would be the next couple of steps up from a. 120v outlet that wouldn’t require a panel upgrade? 14-30,14-50 would require a 100 to 200amp service upgrade for me.

Looks like a 6-20 would be the one. Just have to check if a panel upgrade is still needed which I doubt.

Yeah, if you look through how load calculations are done, they are about the number of amps available. So you can have the same 20A on your load calculation, whether it's a 120V or a 240V circuit. But that makes a huge difference in the power, and therefore the charging speed, to your electric car. So yes, getting a 240V circuit, even if it's still only 15 or 20A is still pretty decent and doesn't impact your load calculation.

 

[1plavs]

Yeah, if you look through how load calculations are done, they are about the number of amps available. So you can have the same 20A on your load calculation, whether it's a 120V or a 240V circuit. But that makes a huge difference in the power, and therefore the charging speed, to your electric car. So yes, getting a 240V circuit, even if it's still only 15 or 20A is still pretty decent and doesn't impact your load calculation.

Correct, I just wanna avoid doing a panel upgrade. Thousands of dollars I can keep for range I don’t really need.