Best charging practice/set up for a Roadster (1.5 in North America in specifically)

[dgh]

I am in New York and have a 1.5 that is garaged and rarely driven. My charging objective is to do what is best to extend the life of its battery and the PEM.

I presently have the early mobile connector (yellow cable with GFCI like plug) and the earlier (not the Clipper Creek) HPWC for the Roadster. Presently I use the mobile connector on a 15 AMP 120 Volt circuit which charges the car at 12 amps. It has been working fairly well.

The car is rarely driven and garaged (no extreme cold or hot temperatures). I'd guess the a few days a year it could get as hot as 90F/32C in the summer and as cold as 25F/-4C in the winter in my garage, with most of the time much more moderate. I had heard that charging at 120 volts @ 12 amps only permits the fan, and not the air conditioner, to keep the battery cool, so I think there might be some benefit in either connecting the mobile connector to more than 15 amps, or using the HPWC @ 240 volts (or one of the other 240 volt ideas mentioned below).

I am considering having an electrician doing one of the following upgrades:

A) Install a higher amp 120 volt outlet to use with the mobile connector, so I can charge above 12 amps.
B) Install a 240 volt hardwire to my HPWC. Advantage to hard wire is it would keep the HPWC "original" as they are rare.
C) Install a 240 volt NEMA 14-30 (dryer) outlet. Similar to option B), but has the advantage of being a bit future proof if I want to use the 240 volt power for something else, like another EV.
D) Install either a Tesla or third party CCS home charger and use a "CAN" to charge the Roadster at 240 Volts. Means buying stuff I don't have, but will keep the Roadster's original mobile and HPWC unused which might help keep it in better condition in the future, as they are already somewhat sought after, and will be more so in the future (IMHO).

My home was recently upgraded from 150 Amp service to 200 Amp service (old breaker box was in poor condition), so I have plenty of Amp capacity for whatever I end up doing. I don't mind spending more money for something that is useful, but certainly don't want to spend a lot extra if it adds little value.

Please see pictures which I grabbed off other posts on TMC that show what I have, as I am not nearby where my Roadster is garaged.

If anybody has any documentation on my HPWC (see picture), I'd really appreciate it. Even if I don't end up using it, I'd love to have a PDF of its manual/specs to be able to refer to in the future.

 

[Roadster]

Hardwired 240V L2 EVSE with the Roadster dialed down to charge between 24-32A on a Standard Charge is the way to go. Whether you use your OE Roadster HPWC (Suntron) or get something more modern is a matter of choice. If the Roadster's the only thing that will charge in that location, then perhaps the old school HPWC will work. However, if you have other cars that you might need to charge, then getting something with a J-1772 on the end plus a CAN-JR would serve you better.

Another consideration is whether to hardwire or create a pluggable solution. I went with the latter where I had my electrician install a 40A breaker and wire a NEMA 14-50 receptacle to my breaker box. I then had a NEMA 14-50 plug installed on my OE HPWC (Clipper Creek TS-70) which I can quickly unplug if I have someone visiting who needs to use their own L2 mobile charger. Make sure to check local codes if you decide to go this route as some may only allow hardwiring.

As for documentation on your Suntron, you're in luck as there's a great thread here where @pharma5 posted a link to the PDF.

 

[gregd]

I went with the 14-50 outlet path, using an OpenEVSE charging station. The unit plugs into the wall (not hard-wired), so that it can be disconnected for other purposes, either other things using the outlet (an RV, for example), or potentially if I need to take the EVSE with me on the road (if my original Mobile Connector fails, as they tend to do). The EVSE has a J1772 connector on it, which I adapt to the car with one of the original Tesla J1772 to Roadster adapter cables that I found posted here on the Forum. It's essentially a 3' long CAN-JR adapter. I also have the CAN-JR that I keep in the car in the cabin's cup holder (or is it a CAN holder? ).

I wouldn't get too overstressed about the ambient temps. The battery has a LOT of thermal mass, so it tends to track the average ambient, not the peaks. It takes several days of sitting in direct sunlight (100F ambient) for the battery to get uncomfortably hot. I know this because I had left my car for its annual service a few years ago, and the SC left it outside in the sun. I tracked it with the OVMS. Sheesh... They got an ear full. Anyway, the more important need for 240v is for when you return from a drive with a warm battery. The car needs the higher supplied power to run the A/C to cool the ESS during charging.

 

[slcasner]

I have Roadster VIN 33 which came with the same original HPWC. I bought a 50A electric stove cord with a NEMA 14-50 plug at Home Depot and installed it in the HPWC. (For my location, I routed it out the top.) I had previously installed a 14-50 socket in my garage for another EVSE.

 

[gregd]

Oh, also... If you go with the 14-50 outlet, be sure to get one that's intended for RV use, not one that's intended for use in a kitchen. The difference is that the RV one is rated for lots of connect / disconnect cycles, where the kitchen one will quickly wear out if used that way. There is about a 4x difference in cost. If it's inexpensive, you got the wrong one.

Having a J1772-terminated cable, then adapting it for the car, also allows other EVs (visiting family) to use the charging station. My daughter has a Model-3, which charges very nicely overnight when they come to visit.

 

[dgh]

Thank you all. Take away is to dial down HPWC to 24-32 AMP and/or buy another charger (in the same AMP range) and use a appropriate CAN. If I buy the Tesla Home Charger (with the CAN SR), I could leverage its WIFI capabilities as another way to make sure the Roadster battery is doing fine if I am ever out of town for a long period of time.

I think if I use the I think having 14-50 outlet, and make sure to use the RV grade plug, will make things future proofed better than hard wired.

 

[hcsharp]

...If I buy the Tesla Home Charger (with the CAN SR), I could leverage its WIFI capabilities as another way to make sure the Roadster battery is doing fine if I am ever out of town for a long period of time.

How would you use the Wifi capabilities of the new wall chargers to make sure the Roadster battery is doing fine?

 

[da2ny]

My OVMS unit connects at home via WIFI and alerts me on my iPhone app of any problems. Also alerts me at the start and end of every charge cycle. I can see it wherever I am as located as long as I have service.