Can't Release 110V Adapter on Portable Charger | Model X

[GaryBowler]

I inserted the 110V 3-pronged unit (on the left) into the charger head and can't release it. I'm sure it's a simple process, but for the life of me I can't figure it out. Would appreciate any assistance. Thanks in advance.


COMMENT | REGRETS: I've had my Model X for 13 days now - really like the vehicle, but perhaps did not think the process through enough. I live in Manhattan and have discovered that there are no free Super Chargers in New York City except JFK Airport. That's at least a 30-45 minute trip with round trip tolls totaling $12. The two Super Chargers suggested by Tesla personnel are in parking lots and costs from $12 to $27. Currently I go at night to the Tesla Service Area in Paramus, NJ, which is also a $12 toll. Not what I expected.

 

[r0xx0r]

Did you push this button while you were removing the adapter? If you push it all the way in, it will be released when you push the button.

Charging your model X under cold weather with 120V-15A will go nowhere. I think the charge rate will be around 2-3miles/hour.

 

[MP3Mike]

Did you push this button while you were removing the adapter? If you push it all the way in, it will be released when you push the button.

That is for the old mobile charger. The instructions for the new one, like he pictured, just say: "To remove an adapter, firmly grasp the adapter and pull it from its socket."

So just pull straight out.

 

[Rocky_H]

Regarding the regrets, I'm curious why you think you must go to the Tesla Supercharging station to fill up your car. Any public charging station can be used, and New York City has been doing a lot to put a lot of charging stations throughout the parking garages all through the city. Plugshare shows tons of them.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=7&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj4wffDyY3aAhVZVWMKHSFqBQYQFgh-MAY&url=https://www.plugshare.com/api/view/map?latitude=40.71468293898577&longitude=-74.0059731&spanLat=0.6526493707271115&spanLng=1.3238525390625&name=New%20York&usg=AOvVaw0v4Vg3pp2h6zh_I55wUJvk

So maybe see what ones are near where you live or work that you can use while your car is parked there. I think this may be just a light bulb moment of realizing that this isn't always the same as the "filling station" mindset people have always had with gas cars. You don't need to drive to the electric filling station and wait to charge it and then leave. The best case is to find where you can park your car that has charging available so that it does its thing unattended while you are away working. Relying on going to a Supercharger all the time is going to get old fast.

Leading the Charge: Mayor Announces Fast-Charging EV Hubs in All 5 Boroughs

New York City gets an extensive new electric car charging program with 50 fast-charging stations

I might recommend that this would be a good one to check in the regional section of this forum for "Mid-Atlantic", which includes New York, and see if there are threads there about what parking garages near you have good charging. Maybe post a new thread asking for suggestions near those locations of good places to park/charge.
Mid-Atlantic

 

[GaryBowler]

Did you push this button while you were removing the adapter? If you push it all the way in, it will be released when you push the button.

Charging your model X under cold weather with 120V-15A will go nowhere. I think the charge rate will be around 2-3miles/hour.

Thanks very much for your reply. My unit does not have the button. Only small rectangular holes. Much appreciated nevertheless!

 

[GaryBowler]

That is for the old mobile charger. The instructions for the new one, like he pictured, just say: "To remove an adapter, firmly grasp the adapter and pull it from its socket."

So just pull straight out.

Thanks! Will attempt this tonight.

 

[GaryBowler]

Regarding the regrets, I'm curious why you think you must go to the Tesla Supercharging station to fill up your car. Any public charging station can be used, and New York City has been doing a lot to put a lot of charging stations throughout the parking garages all through the city. Plugshare shows tons of them.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=7&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj4wffDyY3aAhVZVWMKHSFqBQYQFgh-MAY&url=https://www.plugshare.com/api/view/map?latitude=40.71468293898577&longitude=-74.0059731&spanLat=0.6526493707271115&spanLng=1.3238525390625&name=New%20York&usg=AOvVaw0v4Vg3pp2h6zh_I55wUJvk

So maybe see what ones are near where you live or work that you can use while your car is parked there. I think this may be just a light bulb moment of realizing that this isn't always the same as the "filling station" mindset people have always had with gas cars. You don't need to drive to the electric filling station and wait to charge it and then leave. The best case is to find where you can park your car that has charging available so that it does its thing unattended while you are away working. Relying on going to a Supercharger all the time is going to get old fast.

Leading the Charge: Mayor Announces Fast-Charging EV Hubs in All 5 Boroughs

Rocky - thanks very much. I'll look into your suggestions. I also should have provided more details. For example, I work in Midtown NYC and public transportation is the way most people travel to work in Manhattan. I have tried, through several apps, to find local garages with recharge capabilities, as I don't have one in my apartment building. But the cost is from $12 to $27 minimum. So, the only option so far is doing just that - driving to a Tesla Supercharger location and waiting.
New York City gets an extensive new electric car charging program with 50 fast-charging stations

I might recommend that this would be a good one to check in the regional section of this forum for "Mid-Atlantic", which includes New York, and see if there are threads there about what parking garages near you have good charging. Maybe post a new thread asking for suggestions near those locations of good places to park/charge.
Mid-Atlantic

Great idea! Will jump on this right away. Thanks!

 

[bwestlak]

I don't know if you have access to a 120 Volt plug, but we charge all the time on 120V even though we have 5 other level 2 chargers at our house. Gaining 4 miles per hour more than compensates for our average use. For those times when we are planning a long trip and need a faster charge, we just plug in the Tesla charger instead. Four miles an hour adds up to over 17,000 miles per year if you only charged at home for 12 hours a night. Factoring in supercharging on trips, level one charging is good for over 25,000 miles a year. Think of your Tesla battery as storage smoothing out the variances in how far you travel each day giving you an average range of 60-70 miles a day if you include supercharging on long trips.

 

[GaryBowler]

I don't know if you have access to a 120 Volt plug, but we charge all the time on 120V even though we have 5 other level 2 chargers at our house. Gaining 4 miles per hour more than compensates for our average use. For those times when we are planning a long trip and need a faster charge, we just plug in the Tesla charger instead. Four miles an hour adds up to over 17,000 miles per year if you only charged at home for 12 hours a night. Factoring in supercharging on trips, level one charging is good for over 25,000 miles a year. Think of your Tesla battery as storage smoothing out the variances in how far you travel each day giving you an average range of 60-70 miles a day if you include supercharging on long trips.

Thanks so much for the response - good information that I was not aware. I live in a high-rise apartment building in New York City with no charging devices in the parking garage. I thought about running a very long extension cord to my vehicle, (if they permitted it) so it could charge during the week but read somewhere in an article that the 110V charger should go directly into an outlet. I only use my MX on weekends because I commute to work on a bus and subway during the week, as with 95% of all people who work in Manhattan.

Is there any options available to use a specific type of extension cord that would work that you may be aware of?

 

[wws]

Thanks so much for the response - good information that I was not aware. I live in a high-rise apartment building in New York City with no charging devices in the parking garage. I thought about running a very long extension cord to my vehicle, (if they permitted it) so it could charge during the week but read somewhere in an article that the 110V charger should go directly into an outlet. I only use my MX on weekends because I commute to work on a bus and subway during the week, as with 95% of all people who work in Manhattan.

Is there any options available to use a specific type of extension cord that would work that you may be aware of?

Extension cord is probably not a good idea for a number of reasons.

You might look around the garage to see if there are any receptacles. Maybe even 20 amp ones that would charge the car a little faster (with the purchase of an inexpensive 5-20 adapter). If you find one, be sure to clear it with Management first.

But as others have suggested, check out plugshare to find some J-1772 charging stations nearby that might be handy to use. CHAdeMO might be another alternative and is much faster than the typical J-1772 - but requires a somewhat expensive adapter.

 

[GaryBowler]

Extension cord is probably not a good idea for a number of reasons.

You might look around the garage to see if there are any receptacles. Maybe even 20 amp ones that would charge the car a little faster (with the purchase of an inexpensive 5-20 adapter). If you find one, be sure to clear it with Management first.

But as others have suggested, check out plugshare to find some J-1772 charging stations nearby that might be handy to use. CHAdeMO might be another alternative and is much faster than the typical J-1772 - but requires a somewhat expensive adapter.

Really appreciate this info! I must learn about J-1772 stations and CHAdeMo - seen that terminology around but want to learn what they mean. Thanks again!

 

[SMAlset]

Were you able to separate your adapter? I understand the new ones can be a tight fit that get easier over time.

Definitely check out the J-1772 stations in your traveling area. I'm in Calif. but a lot of shopping centers are adding J-1772s in their parking garages so convenient to use while shopping there. CHAdeMo might be something for you to consider. Faster charge but the adapter because it's more than just a prong part like the J-1772 is, costs a pretty penny (450.00). But I know members here who travel alot and need to get back on the road for business find it worth having in addition to their J-1772. In your case if you are only driving on the weekend and depending where you drive, maybe not. But sometimes you need a faster charge and if a station is closer than going to a Supercharger then might be worth it. But if you can wait this year looks like close to a dozen of new Tesla Supercharger sites will be popping up all over NYC.

If you haven't yet looked at the Tesla.com site (Charging section--located down the right side ladder menu), you might want to check it out. Here's a map of NYC showing current Superchargers (red) and upcoming installations (gray). The gray ones won't pin point the exact location yet but generally from what I've seen in my area they are somewhat close. When a station goes online it will show up in your Navigation when you ask to see Superchargers. That Mid-Atlantic thread @RockyH pointed you to will keep you apprised of new locations that have started their build out...probably with construction photos and progress reports.

This is the Tesla map showing only Destination chargers (usually Level 2 and requiring staying or dining at the sponsoring location). So maybe a night out for dinner can provide you with some charge.

We've had our S75D for a little over a year now and really love it and the fact we have gone EV. It does take a little bit of time of adjust to EV life and a new tech car but then it all becomes second nature. Best thing is you've found TMC and owners who will be glad to help out if they can with questions. Do read through your manual however. We've learned alot hanging out here. Enjoy you new car and come back and let us know how life in NYC with it is going. I've seen a few other NYC apartment dwellers on the forum so you have company!

 

[SMAlset]

Hey, just noticed you joined TMC back in 2013. Is the MX your first Tesla? In any event, welcome to the family!

At some point you should ask your apartment building management if they will install a few dedicated EV charging spots for residents to use. With EVs becoming more popular it's a renting feature more apartment dwellers will be asking for. Find any other EV owners in your building and maybe go in together to request it. They should at least install J-1772 charging devices that can give a decent rate of charge but a few simple NEMA 14-50 electrical outlets will also work for people and is what we use at home with our MCU to plug into.