Best home charging solution for a M3 + Prius prime household?

[torifile]

My father-in-law will be getting his Model 3 in a few weeks. They’ve already got a Prius Prime Advanced and I’d like to get them set up with a good system for both. What should I ask the electrician to install? They’re in Augusta Ga if anyone has any good recs for installers in that area.

 

[jjrandorin]

in that situation (tesla and non tesla) I think I would get a non tesla wall connector, like a juicebox, home charge point, or grizzl-e or something like those. Then they can charge the non tesla, and to charge the tesla they can just use the included J1772 to tesla adapter.

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

The Prius charges from 120V just fine and comes with a suitable cord. It also has the charge port on the opposite side from the Tesla.

So the "best home charging solution" would be to install a Tesla wall charger on the left/Tesla side of the garage and plug the Prius into an outlet on the right side. Ask the electrician for a 60A circuit and remind your in-laws to claim the 30% tax credit.

 

[3sr+buyer]

For the Tesla, would they want basic 32A charging (about 7kW)? If so, have an electrician install a 40A or 50A circuit with NEMA 14-50 (preferred) or 6-50 outlet, buy the NEMA 14-50 (or 6-50) plug adapter for the mobile connector EVSE included with the car, and leave that plugged into the garage. If they do frequent road trips where they want the mobile connector EVSE in the vehicle, they may want to buy another mobile connector EVSE to leave plugged into the garage, since frequent unplugging and plugging is not recommended. If they want to charge the Prius Prime as well with it, a non-Tesla EVSE with J1772 plug may be considered (Teslas come with adapters to charge with J1772 EVSEs).

If they want 48A charging (about 11kW), they would need a 60A circuit and a hardwire EVSE like the Tesla wall connector.

Tesla EVSEs appear to be relative bargains compared to other EVSEs. However, to charge a J1772 vehicle like most other EVs in the US, an adapter like those listed at 5 Best Tesla to J1772 Adapters that easily charge non-Tesla EVs • Expert Guide would be needed, though even adding the cost of such an adapter may still leave them price competitive with other EVSEs.

 

[ATPMSD]

As I understand it, the Prius has a very small battery and can be fully charged from a 120V outlet in about 5-hours (???), so just use the standard outlet on the Prius and focus on the Tesla.

The Wall Connector is the way to go with a Tesla, when all is said and done it will be about $300 more than installing a 14-50 outlet, and for that money you get to charge the Tesla at 48A instead of 32A, and if you buy a 2nd Tesla and install another Wall Connector, load balancing is built it. BTW, if you want to use the mobile connector and then keep a second one in the car, than the cost for Wall Connector is less than installing a 14-50 + buying a second mobile connector.

Finally, whether you opt for using the mobile or wall connector you can buy the Tesla to J1772 adapter noted above for those times when you won’t have 5-hours available to charge the Prius. But as I understand it, even using a 240V option, this will only cut charging time for the Prius in half.

 

[brkaus]

1) How many miles will they drive per day?
2) Anything like long trips and immediate hitting the road they need to accommodate?

There is "best" as in fastest possible. There is also "best" in terms of price & needed functionality.

It really depends on how much charging they need and the capacity & location of the house electric panel.

And I agree with above for the Prius... This is off their web page.

Prius Prime's battery can be charged in less than 5 hours and 30 minutes by plugging the included charging cable into a standard household outlet. 171 When using a public charging station (240V), Prius Prime can be fully charged in approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes.​

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My general suggestion is to get quotes for the following -
WC on 60a circuit (48a charging)
WC on 50a circuit (40a charging) (or 30a, 20a...)
14-50
14-30
6-20
6-15

Sometimes they are all pretty close in price, sometimes it can be a big step up depending on the load calculation and existing condition of the house.

 

[ATPMSD]

If you get quotes for any outlet options, ensure the quote includes:

1. Commercial grade outlets, not residential. Residential ($15) are not suitable for EV charing. For example, an outlet for a 14-50 will run you at least $80.
2. A GFIC breaker - $100+ for a 50-amp circuit (required by code for outlet but not for the WC)
3. And then add the cost for a Tesla adapter ($45) and some sort of cable management system, say $35.

 

[3sr+buyer]

The other thing to note is that if an existing 120V outlet in the garage is on a 15A circuit shared with other stuff, 12A charging may not be too safe if the other stuff draws a significant amount of current. If that is the case, there may be an upgrade needed there if charging an EV or PHEV on 120V is anticipated.

 

[3sr+buyer]

​

My general suggestion is to get quotes for the following -
WC on 60a circuit (48a charging)
WC on 50a circuit (40a charging) (or 30a, 20a...)

Would a hardwired EVSE like the Tesla wall connector really make sense for lower power circuits and charging? Hardwiring does have the disadvantage that if the EVSE has problems (defects, damage, etc.), it is more difficult to replace. Whereas if a plugin EVSE fails, it can temporarily (or permanently) be replaced quickly by another one, like the Tesla mobile connector.

 

[ATPMSD]

Would a hardwired EVSE like the Tesla wall connector really make sense for lower power circuits and charging? Hardwiring does have the disadvantage that if the EVSE has problems (defects, damage, etc.), it is more difficult to replace. Whereas if a plugin EVSE fails, it can temporarily (or permanently) be replaced quickly by another one, like the Tesla mobile connector.

You don’t save much money since you will still need a commercial grade outlet, GFIC breaker, adapter, etc. As to problems, you would need to install a new outlet, change the breaker and buy an adapter! Whereas you would already have multiple backups including a 120V outlet, numerous public chargers and SuperChargers.

 

[3sr+buyer]

You don’t save much money since you will still need a commercial grade outlet, GFIC breaker, adapter, etc. As to problems, you would need to install a new outlet, change the breaker and buy an adapter! Whereas you would already have multiple backups including a 120V outlet, numerous public chargers and SuperChargers.

I had a plug-in EVSE used with a previous EV. When I noticed that it did not play all that reliably with the Model 3, all I had to do was unplug it and plug in the mobile connector that came with the Model 3 with the matching adapter plug. If the old EVSE were hardwired, that would not have been so easy.

 

[jeremymc7]

There’s a thread somewhere that compares the various types and brands of 50A outlets with recommendations.

Anyone have the link handy to post here.

 

[3sr+buyer]

There’s a thread somewhere that compares the various types and brands of 50A outlets with recommendations.

Anyone have the link handy to post here.

It is a sticky thread, so easy to find.

Master Thread: Definitive 14-50 NEMA Outlet Guide

Comparing the 2 outlets recommended by Tesla with the sub $10 big box model as well as the one I think you should buy 1. Hubbell 9450a 2. Bryant 9450fr 3. Cooper 5754n 4. Leviton 279-S00 The Hubbell and Bryant are far and away the superior product here and since Hubbell owns Bryant and these...

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[brkaus]

Would a hardwired EVSE like the Tesla wall connector really make sense for lower power circuits and charging? Hardwiring does have the disadvantage that if the EVSE has problems (defects, damage, etc.), it is more difficult to replace. Whereas if a plugin EVSE fails, it can temporarily (or permanently) be replaced quickly by another one, like the Tesla mobile connector.

It has the advantage of being quite adjustable to any wiring/breaker. It also has the option of power sharing. This might be valuable in a house that is very capacity constrained. A WC is also rated for outdoors.

But, a 6-20 (or similar) is likely to be much less expensive, so your correct, I likely would not pick a WC for a lower capacity circuit unless there were other contributing circumstances.

Btw - A gen3 is super easy to replace if one fails.

 

[ATPMSD]

I had a plug-in EVSE used with a previous EV. When I noticed that it did not play all that reliably with the Model 3, all I had to do was unplug it and plug in the mobile connector that came with the Model 3 with the matching adapter plug. If the old EVSE were hardwired, that would not have been so easy.

Given the variables, there is no perfect solution and changing cars (good point) is a valid concern. I suggest today’s EVSE units, whether Tesla or not, pretty much work with all cars. So it boils down to cost, features and comfort level.