Advice on charger location in garage

[thefisch]

Tesla mobile replaced the handle connector on my Gen2 (or may be Gen 1?) wall charger. At the time it was under the car warranty because I bought it with the car. I ran over the handle . .. they replaced it for free anyway. out of warranty it still might be a reasonable charge, especially if mobile was there for something else already.

Good to know. I might just DIY a solution and if it gets bad enough look into a replacement part via mobile service or parts counter, assuming parts would still be available.

This charger may still be under the 4 year warranty since it was originally installed in December 2019. However, I don't want to both my neighbor with that hassle.

 

[Art84]

And the Gen2 is a way better EVSE than the Gen3, capable of going all the way up to 80A.

80A is only relevant to some old Model S and Model X which has a dual onboard charger. All Teslas after 2017 are equipped only with a single onboard charger for 48A max. Model 3 standard range has 32A charger.
So, Gen 3 is actually better. Easier cable management, WiFi support for future features over software updates, and wireless load sharing.

 

[STS-134]

80A is only relevant to some old Model S and Model X which has a dual onboard charger. All Teslas after 2017 are equipped only with a single onboard charger for 48A max. Model 3 standard range has 32A charger.

I'm aware of that, but there is no guarantee that Tesla won't up the OBC to 80A for future models (especially the Cybertruck). And the Gen2 OBC can be used to charge any vehicle with a 80A OBC such as Lucid/Rivian EVs with the proper adapter.

 

[Art84]

I'm aware of that, but there is no guarantee that Tesla won't up the OBC to 80A for future models (especially the Cybertruck). And the Gen2 OBC can be used to charge any vehicle with a 80A OBC such as Lucid/Rivian EVs with the proper adapter.

Rivian also charge at 48A. Lucid - yes.
Cybertruck - will see. I think they stay with 48A because it's more than enough for overnight charging even if cybertruck will have a 120-150kw battery.

 

[STS-134]

Rivian also charge at 48A. Lucid - yes.
Cybertruck - will see. I think they stay with 48A because it's more than enough for overnight charging even if cybertruck will have a 120-150kw battery.

But it won't be about overnight charging in the future, it'll be about mid day charging. And with 120-150kW, the only way you're charging a significant portion of that during "super off peak" hours of around 10 am to 2 pm is with a 80A OBC.

 

[thefisch]

Started the overhead phase of the install this weekend. Used leftover 2" schedule 40 PVC to hold the cable over the single garage door. 2" diameter is wide enough for the handle and cable to pass through without putting stress on the handle bottom. I sanded the inside edges on both sides of each section so there would be no sharp lip to the pipe. The sections are about 3' apart which so far seems to be enough to avoid significant sagging. The middle section is 2' long so I cut a window out for better passive cooling and to help with fastening to the wall.

I installed hooks covered with black vinyl to act as guides along the right side going up from the charger. These are about 1" in diameter which helps keep the cable in place, but the opening is narrower (helped by pliers) so that the cable needs some help to slip out. I used one of the same hooks on the left side to temporarily keep the cable in place until I can get a spring balancer installed so eventually the cable floats above the charging port. This will help with plugging in daily.

Right now the cable available on the left side is about 9' which is almost enough to touch the floor. For the time being, we loop it onto the top of the shop vac (they are friends now )

I also installed a hose clamp below the grommet at the base of the handle to hopefully keep that in place. I'll probably put another hose clamp just outside the left edge of the leftmost PVC section to avoid the cable slipping back through if pushed upwards.

 

[Art84]

But it won't be about overnight charging in the future, it'll be about mid day charging. And with 120-150kW, the only way you're charging a significant portion of that during "super off peak" hours of around 10 am to 2 pm is with a 80A OBC.

Overnight charging will not go anywhere, just because it's convenient )) You wake up in the morning and your car is ready for the day of driving. My car is always plugged in in a garage, whether day or night.

 

[thefisch]

Installed a spring balancer to make it more convenient for daily plugging in/out and to give the charging cable and the shopvac some space. Wife seems happy and has said this makes it easier to plug in each day.

Not too impressed with the spring balancer but I did start with the cheaper ones off Amazon for $13. First I used the one for 3-6lb but there was too much tension in the spring so 'balance' was not possible. The 1-3lb version worked better for the roughly 9 foot of dangling cable and handle. It does balance alright just only in the middle 80% of the cord length. And with 48" of cord and 10' ceiling, we have to extend the cord the full length. Here is a photo of the cable dangling at the lowest height it will still balance:

Problem is that when you plug the handle into the charge port, that takes some weight off and the balancer wants to retract the cord some. So there is some very slight upward tension on the cable when the handle is plugged in. I've tried adjusting the spring tension but it doesn't seem to make much difference with the cord almost fully extended. And then when you raise the cable, it will slip down some unless I increase the spring tension significantly. Not a big deal since the slack is still over the shopvac area where we won't run into it, but I might look into different balancer options to find one with a longer cord given my higher ceiling.

First photo is after pushing up the cable and second is after it extends a little on its own.


For the rigging, I just used some discarded hose sleeve and zip ties. The gen2 WC cable is pretty thick and doesn't have much bend to it. The white zip ties act as collars to keep the hose sleeve from sliding too much. I left the sleeve just loose enough so I could shift the position later if needed. I also added a backup clip to attach to the cord since the one that came with the balancer is low quality.


I will update if I try another balancer or another solution.

 

[h2ofun]

Installed a spring balancer to make it more convenient for daily plugging in/out and to give the charging cable and the shopvac some space. Wife seems happy and has said this makes it easier to plug in each day.

View attachment 929675

Not too impressed with the spring balancer but I did start with the cheaper ones off Amazon for $13. First I used the one for 3-6lb but there was too much tension in the spring so 'balance' was not possible. The 1-3lb version worked better for the roughly 9 foot of dangling cable and handle. It does balance alright just only in the middle 80% of the cord length. And with 48" of cord and 10' ceiling, we have to extend the cord the full length. Here is a photo of the cable dangling at the lowest height it will still balance:

View attachment 929674

Problem is that when you plug the handle into the charge port, that takes some weight off and the balancer wants to retract the cord some. So there is some very slight upward tension on the cable when the handle is plugged in. I've tried adjusting the spring tension but it doesn't seem to make much difference with the cord almost fully extended. And then when you raise the cable, it will slip down some unless I increase the spring tension significantly. Not a big deal since the slack is still over the shopvac area where we won't run into it, but I might look into different balancer options to find one with a longer cord given my higher ceiling.

First photo is after pushing up the cable and second is after it extends a little on its own.
View attachment 929676View attachment 929678

For the rigging, I just used some discarded hose sleeve and zip ties. The gen2 WC cable is pretty thick and doesn't have much bend to it. The white zip ties act as collars to keep the hose sleeve from sliding too much. I left the sleeve just loose enough so I could shift the position later if needed. I also added a backup clip to attach to the cord since the one that came with the balancer is low quality.
View attachment 929677

I will update if I try another balancer or another solution.

This why I installed 3 gen 3's around my 2 garage doors. Nice and close, and simple.

 

[thefisch]

After a week of use, I was not quite satisfied with the setup for the $13 balancer shown two posts above. I felt the upward tension on the cable when plugged in was too much. This was because I had the balancer adjusted to support the weight of both the handle and the hanging cable. So when plugged in, the handle weight is supported by the charging port and the spring is trying to retract due to less weight. To attempt to reduce the upward tension, I rigged a holder for the handle when not plugged in and adjusted the spring to only support the weight of the hanging cable. Problem was that $13 balancer didn't work well with a lighter load and would hardly retract when the cable was being raised.

So I 'upgraded' the balancer to this one by Tigon for $29 which has a longer cord at 59". With the tension set for just the cable portion, there is less upward tension when plugged in. When unplugged and the handle resting in a 2" PVC tube, the cable is held in the air by the balancer.

With the first balancer, the motion was to pull down and hold the cable level while plugging in and then simply raise when unplugging. With the new balancer, the motion is moving the handle from the holder to the port - the cable just follows.

Here are some photos of the new balancer in use:

Handle in wall holder

Plugged in

If the handle was not supported by the charging port or wall holder, the cable will hang down but it's not long enough to hit the floor.

We'll see how long I like this idea...