At home charging worries.. please help!

[ElectrifyKY]

Hello all! I’m new here. I just ordered a Model Y. It looks as if I’ll be taking delivery at the end of August.
I have some logistics to work out from a charging stand point. I’ve read the Tesla manual but wanted to see if you all have any ideas.
My fiancé and I bought a town home and the “garage” aka car port is about 30 feet away from the home.

I was planning on installing a plug on the nearest wall to the parking spot.. I just read a post that says an extension cord is a terrible idea and it has me worried.
Do you all have any suggestions?
I appreciate the help and am excited to join the family soon!

 

[Webeevdrivers]

Hello all! I’m new here. I just ordered a Model Y. It looks as if I’ll be taking delivery at the end of August.
I have some logistics to work out from a charging stand point. I’ve read the Tesla manual but wanted to see if you all have any ideas.
My fiancé and I bought a town home and the “garage” aka car port is about 30 feet away from the home.


I was planning on installing a plug on the nearest wall to the parking spot.. I just read a post that says an extension cord is a terrible idea and it has me worried.
Do you all have any suggestions?
I appreciate the help and am excited to join the family soon!

Depends on the conditions the extension cord is used in I suppose. We have used an RV 50 amp extension cord in our installation for 5 years to charge our various EV’s. No issues.

What environment will it be in?

 

[Bikeman]

Can you park next to the townhome for 6 hours at a time?

 

[ElectrifyKY]

Can you park next to the townhome for 6 hours at a time?

I’ll take a photo later.. it’s a tough setup to explain exactly.. I am unable to park close enough the way it is setup.

 

[ElectrifyKY]

Depends on the conditions the extension cord is used in I suppose. We have used an RV 50 amp extension cord in our installation for 5 years to charge our various EV’s. No issues.

What environment will it be in?

I’m sorry to answer your question with a question but are you asking what environment the extension cord will be in? Or the actual end of the extension cord that will plug into the charger?

If the latter, it will be out of the elements essentially.. under a covered car port.

 

[ElectrifyKY]

Can you park next to the townhome for 6 hours at a time?

I should have said.

thanks so much for the reply and help as well! It seems like this is an awesome community!

 

[More Cowbell]

Using an extension cord is not a good idea. And charging from 110V is relatively slow. Suggestion: I bought from Tesla a wall charger and hired a Tesla recommended electrician to install a 60 amp circuit and it charges at about 45 miles per hour of charging. $1,000 total cost in Naples, FL. Since you purchased the town home it sounds like you will be there for a while so, if it's feasible, this is a worthwhile investment. I realize that you are likely dealing with homeowners association rules but, hey, it's 2020 and it is a reasonable argument that electric vehicles are the future and and future homeowners will have the same need so its reasonable to ask them to accomodate your needs. You may have some additional electrician expenses since you may not have an existing nearby panel. Not sure if the logistics work for you, but it's a consideration. I have owned my 3 for 2 1/2 years and I have never had to use a public charger. 300+ miles of range works for me and I never have to worry about charging.

 

[ElectrifyKY]

Using an extension cord is not a good idea. And charging from 110V is relatively slow. Suggestion: I bought from Tesla a wall charger and hired a Tesla recommended electrician to install a 60 amp circuit and it charges at about 45 miles per hour of charging. $1,000 total cost in Naples, FL. Since you purchased the town home it sounds like you will be there for a while so, if it's feasible, this is a worthwhile investment. I realize that you are likely dealing with homeowners association rules but, hey, it's 2020 and it is a reasonable argument that electric vehicles are the future and and future homeowners will have the same need so its reasonable to ask them to accomodate your needs. You may have some additional electrician expenses since you may not have an existing nearby panel. Not sure if the logistics work for you, but it's a consideration. I have owned my 3 for 2 1/2 years and I have never had to use a public charger. 300+ miles of range works for me and I never have to worry about charging.

Sorry I should have specified in the OP.. I will be installing a 220V outlet.. it won’t be 110.

does that change anything from the extension cord standpoint?

The HOA is a bit obnoxious.

I’ll post a photo when I get home later to better explain the situation.. I’m really worried about the now honestly. I may have zero option besides for the cord. Uhoh.

 

[More Cowbell]

An experienced electrician can help you with this and save you some worry. I just recommend that you use a Tesla recommended electrician who has previous experience with charging issues. There were about 5 Tesla recommended electricians in my area and their prices varied greatly so shop around. You can get that from the Tesla website. PS: I used to live in Lexington; GO WILDCATS!

 

[ElectrifyKY]

An experienced electrician can help you with this and save you some worry. I just recommend that you use a Tesla recommended electrician who has previous experience with charging issues. There were about 5 Tesla recommended electricians in my area and their prices varied greatly so shop around. You can get that from the Tesla website. PS: I used to live in Lexington; GO WILDCATS!

Got it. Will do! I saw their website and I have 4 or 5 in Lexington.

Go Cats!! Thanks for the help!

 

[More Cowbell]

An experienced electrician will have a solution to this so let him/her help you solve this; not to worry. You have a valid argument to the HOA and there will be many future homeowners with the same need. They will likely embrace the future, rather than fight it, so the town homes don't become obsolete.

 

[Webeevdrivers]

I’m sorry to answer your question with a question but are you asking what environment the extension cord will be in? Or the actual end of the extension cord that will plug into the charger?

If the latter, it will be out of the elements essentially.. under a covered car port.

Look into a permanent setup. If it doesn’t work out a 50 amp 240 volt all weather extension cord is an option. RV’s are plugged in with these things all their life.

We chose a semi permanent hook up for us for various reasons. But we did use some nice support conduit to make a nice neat job. Let me know if you need pictures.

cheers.

 

[ElectrifyKY]

Look into a permanent setup. If it doesn’t work out a 50 amp 240 volt all weather extension cord is an option. RV’s are plugged in with these things all their life.

We chose a semi permanent hook up for us for various reasons. But we did use some nice support conduit to make a nice neat job. Let me know if you need pictures.

cheers.

Awesome thank you for the suggestions and help! I will!
I’ll post a photo later for anyone in the same situation as me.

 

[MY-Y]

Lots of RVs use 14-50 extension cords. I would want a hardwired setup, but would have no issue with a beefy RV extension cord. If you're worried about it, you could drop the charging current. Even 24 amps will charge a over 21 MPH.

Most RV shops (and of course, Amazon) carry 14-50 extension cords.
https://www.amazon.com/Conntek-1530...sion+cord&qid=1596409016&sprefix=14-50&sr=8-4

 

[Prof]

For 2020, you get a 30 percent federal tax credit for installing an EV charger. This is for the full cost of parts and labor. Some states have additional incentives. There is no credit for a 240v outlet.

 

[Webeevdrivers]

For 2020, you get a 30 percent federal tax credit for installing an EV charger. This is for the full cost of parts and labor. Some states have additional incentives. There is no credit for a 240v outlet.

Yah. That is exactly the same in BC. It has to be a hardwired install. I get that. Not sure what the grant amount here is but I think it’s comparable.
Cheers

 

[ElectrifyKY]

View media item 121651View media item 121650Above are the photos. The Y will be parked in that spot and the distance between that spot and where the 240V plug will be is 25 feet.

Is there anything I can do besides an extension cord?

thanks,
Christian.

 

[frankvb]

For 2020, you get a 30 percent federal tax credit for installing an EV charger. This is for the full cost of parts and labor. Some states have additional incentives. There is no credit for a 240v outlet.

From where do you deduct that a 240V outlet is not eligible for the incentive? It's 'property' for EV charging IMHO (of course only if it's actually used for that purpose).

 

[Prof]

I stand corrected. I read that the charging station had to be hard wired. Here are the IRS instructions.

Qualified Alternative Fuel Vehicle
Refueling Property
Qualified alternative fuel vehicle refueling property is any
property (other than a building or its structural components)
used for either of the following.
• To store or dispense an alternative fuel (defined below)
other than electricity into the fuel tank of a motor vehicle
propelled by the fuel, but only if the storage or dispensing is
at the point where the fuel is delivered into that tank.
• To recharge an electric vehicle, but only if the recharging
property is located at the point where the vehicle is
recharged.

I am not a tax professional but would interpret the last point as allowing a nema outlet installation at the place where the car was being recharged.

 

[Webeevdrivers]

I stand corrected. I read that the charging station had to be hard wired. Here are the IRS instructions.

Qualified Alternative Fuel Vehicle
Refueling Property
Qualified alternative fuel vehicle refueling property is any
property (other than a building or its structural components)
used for either of the following.
• To store or dispense an alternative fuel (defined below)
other than electricity into the fuel tank of a motor vehicle
propelled by the fuel, but only if the storage or dispensing is
at the point where the fuel is delivered into that tank.
• To recharge an electric vehicle, but only if the recharging
property is located at the point where the vehicle is
recharged.

I am not a tax professional but would interpret the last point as allowing a nema outlet installation at the place where the car was being recharged.

In BC you have to pick from a list of pre-approved EVSE’s and they have to be hardwired.