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Although you won't gain a significant amount of miles, using the 110 will prevent vampire losses and will add a couple of miles. As dsm363 says, a NEMA 14-50 (aka RV plug or 4-prong stove plug) is a good reasonably inexpensive choice if you travel there frequently.
You can monitor the charge (assuming you use a public EVSE) with the Tesla App from your phone, so if someone unplugs you, you can go back and plug it in again. You might also find a less public place such as an RV park.
You can monitor the charge (assuming you use a public EVSE) with the Tesla App from your phone, so if someone unplugs you, you can go back and plug it in again. You might also find a less public place such as an RV park.
Ven Rala
Member
My in-laws were nice enough to put in a 14-50 outlet for us as we made our inaugural trip to their place in NJ about 230 miles away. (We made it with miles to spare thanks to the Delaware supercharger). Originally, I thought of just plugging in to a 110, but when I did the math, it would have been very difficult to make it back 135 miles to the Delaware supercharger even if we left it plugged in for 2 days at 110v.
In fact, the 14-50 really became a necessity as I gave test drives for about 25 people that weekend. I really felt like a brand ambassador since only a few had even heard of a Tesla and no one had ever seen one (let alone ride in or drive one) in real life.
If traveling often to their house offer to pay for a 14-50. Or consider getting a custom 50 amp extension cord (I found these hard to find) at EVSEadapters.com: Electric vehicle adapter cables. I was in contact with them, but in the end did not need to get one, the prices are reasonable. You definitely need to take it for road trips!
In fact, the 14-50 really became a necessity as I gave test drives for about 25 people that weekend. I really felt like a brand ambassador since only a few had even heard of a Tesla and no one had ever seen one (let alone ride in or drive one) in real life.
If traveling often to their house offer to pay for a 14-50. Or consider getting a custom 50 amp extension cord (I found these hard to find) at EVSEadapters.com: Electric vehicle adapter cables. I was in contact with them, but in the end did not need to get one, the prices are reasonable. You definitely need to take it for road trips!
Thanks for all the response to my original post! Lots of good comments and ideas. To clarify a few points raised:
- When I left home the instrument cluster was displaying 263 miles of "rated" range. I understood this was probably more than I was going to achieve driving 65mph both uphill and down, but figured I'd at least come close. As it turns out, I made it just exactly the 201 miles needed. One mile further and I'd probably have been bricked!
-Yes, I really got 201 miles on a stated 263 miles of "rated" range. While most of CT and MA are relatively flat, VT can be quite mountainous in areas. This was almost all on Interstate 91. Cruise control was set at 65. I allowed the car to do 65 both uphill and downhill, which may have been a mistake. Perhaps going more slowly uphill and faster downhill would have added range. I watched the energy graph carefully in both directions, and it's amazing how much more conscious you become of uphill sections of road which your previously would have thought to be flat!
- Yes, I was aware of a number of charging stations in Vermont, but fewer than one might think given the state's "green" reputation. There are two Level 2 chargers in Royalton 11 miles north of my destination in Barnard, VT. The only other charger which might have helped is supposedly in Brattleboro, but Plugshare lists it as non-functional. Those were literally the only public charging stations within any reasonable distance from my path in Vermont.
- On the return trip I opted not to travel north to Royalton (the closest Level 2 charger), as it was going the wrong direction and I had enough battery to get to stations in Massachusetts. On the return trip I charged at the following Level 2 public stations: Greenfield, MA (1hr); Northampton, MA (4 hrs); and Rocky Hill, CT (1 hr). Arrived home with 5 miles rated range remaining.
- The destination in Barnard, VT was an inn (btw, the nicest guest experience in America). They did not have any facility for charging other than a 110VAC outdoor outlet, which I used. I told them at the time, and will follow up with them, that a Level 2 station or at least a 14-50 or 6-50 240VAC outlet would be very much appreciated. They seemed receptive to the idea.
- In retrospect, I could have taken the car to Royalton overnight for charging at a Level 2 charger there, but I just didn't do that as it seemed inconvenient. My primary mistake was assuming that 110VAC charging would add miles more like 5 miles/hour as stated on Tesla's website, rather than the 2 miles/hour of charge that I got. The 5 mile number is quite misleading, to say the least, as numerous others report experience similar to mine.
- The announced Supercharger roll-out will hopefully render all of this a moot point in the near future. One of the stations slated for 2014 appears to be in Southern Massachusetts, perfectly placed for this trip.
Happy motoring to all and keep those Tesla grins going!
- When I left home the instrument cluster was displaying 263 miles of "rated" range. I understood this was probably more than I was going to achieve driving 65mph both uphill and down, but figured I'd at least come close. As it turns out, I made it just exactly the 201 miles needed. One mile further and I'd probably have been bricked!
-Yes, I really got 201 miles on a stated 263 miles of "rated" range. While most of CT and MA are relatively flat, VT can be quite mountainous in areas. This was almost all on Interstate 91. Cruise control was set at 65. I allowed the car to do 65 both uphill and downhill, which may have been a mistake. Perhaps going more slowly uphill and faster downhill would have added range. I watched the energy graph carefully in both directions, and it's amazing how much more conscious you become of uphill sections of road which your previously would have thought to be flat!
- Yes, I was aware of a number of charging stations in Vermont, but fewer than one might think given the state's "green" reputation. There are two Level 2 chargers in Royalton 11 miles north of my destination in Barnard, VT. The only other charger which might have helped is supposedly in Brattleboro, but Plugshare lists it as non-functional. Those were literally the only public charging stations within any reasonable distance from my path in Vermont.
- On the return trip I opted not to travel north to Royalton (the closest Level 2 charger), as it was going the wrong direction and I had enough battery to get to stations in Massachusetts. On the return trip I charged at the following Level 2 public stations: Greenfield, MA (1hr); Northampton, MA (4 hrs); and Rocky Hill, CT (1 hr). Arrived home with 5 miles rated range remaining.
- The destination in Barnard, VT was an inn (btw, the nicest guest experience in America). They did not have any facility for charging other than a 110VAC outdoor outlet, which I used. I told them at the time, and will follow up with them, that a Level 2 station or at least a 14-50 or 6-50 240VAC outlet would be very much appreciated. They seemed receptive to the idea.
- In retrospect, I could have taken the car to Royalton overnight for charging at a Level 2 charger there, but I just didn't do that as it seemed inconvenient. My primary mistake was assuming that 110VAC charging would add miles more like 5 miles/hour as stated on Tesla's website, rather than the 2 miles/hour of charge that I got. The 5 mile number is quite misleading, to say the least, as numerous others report experience similar to mine.
- The announced Supercharger roll-out will hopefully render all of this a moot point in the near future. One of the stations slated for 2014 appears to be in Southern Massachusetts, perfectly placed for this trip.
Happy motoring to all and keep those Tesla grins going!
The 5 mph number is the best case for a dedicated 120V circuit that really delivers 120V. If there is anything else on the circuit--the usual case--or if it's really 110V or 108V, the rate will be more like the 2-3 mph that you saw. 14-50 is usually closer to 26-28 then 31 as well.
Glad you made it. The first trip is always a little more adventurous than later trips as you learn a lot about the car the first time out. Even if your car ran to zero and wouldn't drive anymore it wouldn't have been 'bricked'. That term came to mean the battery pack was destroyed beyond repair (even charging it back up wouldn't get it going). You would have had the inconvenience of getting your car towed and plugging it in as the worst case but glad it didn't come to that.
Al Sherman
It's about THIS car.
Obviously I'm glad you made it also. It still doesn't seem right to me that you averaged around 400 wh/mi doing no more than 65mph on cruise.
Anybody?
Anybody?
islandbayy
Active Member
Dont forget, turn on range mode in your cars settings. Not Range Charge, but their is a Range Mode. It adjusts your heating and airconditioning for lower power comsumption. It will take longer for the cab to heat up or cool down, but in the long run, I found it more comfortable.
Babylonfive
Power12
Ahem... someone wanting to assure that the J1772 could not be unplugged for a period where it was justifiably charging could use a J1772 Lock. <cough>
nwdiver
Well-Known Member
Depending on how comfortable you feel working with electricity... and how comfortable your relatives are with you tinkering in their distribution panel; an option I've used is to carry #6 SOOW cable ~100' with a NEMA 14-50 on the end. Then I simply connect it to the largest breaker that's not in use ~40 amp dryer or stove. Never have to worry about outlets cause I carry mine with me:wink: just remember to put everything back where you found it or you'll get a nasty phone call from your uncle asking why he can't dry his clothes...
mknox
Well-Known Member
The miles per hour based on 120 or 240 line of thinking needs to change. I switched my displays to indicate +KW instead of miles. You need to understand your average kW/mi figure and then know how many kilowatts are going back into your pack.
Sadly, I know many won't go through the trouble to do the calculations, but it is the most reliable way of understanding how long of a charge you'll need.
120v * 12amps = 1.44KW (maximum) per hour charge. Recalculate based on the actual voltage displayed onscreen (this number can fluctuate downward during peak hours during the day). I found that 120v has lower efficiency in charging than 240v due to some overhead, so I'll use 85% charging efficiency.
1.44kw * 85% efficiency = roughly 1.2kW / hr.
24hrs *1.2 = 28.8kw
vampire losses = -5kw per 24hrs
daily gain 23.8kw in optimal conditions, if it's too hot or too cold, the numbers can get even lower if the car has to heat the pack or run the cooling pumps, etc.
Sadly, I know many won't go through the trouble to do the calculations, but it is the most reliable way of understanding how long of a charge you'll need.
120v * 12amps = 1.44KW (maximum) per hour charge. Recalculate based on the actual voltage displayed onscreen (this number can fluctuate downward during peak hours during the day). I found that 120v has lower efficiency in charging than 240v due to some overhead, so I'll use 85% charging efficiency.
1.44kw * 85% efficiency = roughly 1.2kW / hr.
24hrs *1.2 = 28.8kw
vampire losses = -5kw per 24hrs
daily gain 23.8kw in optimal conditions, if it's too hot or too cold, the numbers can get even lower if the car has to heat the pack or run the cooling pumps, etc.
Complicated, as well as incorrect and unnecessarily confusing, since you keep mixing up energy - kWh with power - kW. (No such thing as kW / hr.)
Just because we haven't invented a use for a unit doesn't make it not exist...
- - - Updated - - -
"Grins / supercharge minute" anyone?Just because we haven't invented a use for a unit doesn't make it not exist...
Al Sherman
It's about THIS car.
OK. I must not have enough experience with hills and headwinds. Interesting website. How do you get to the Wh/mi ?
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