Charging during holiday travel

[longshadows]

Holiday travel is just around the corner and we all want to take the new "wheels," but I'm a little worried about finding adequate charging at my destinations..

The kit that comes with the Tesla has a 20 foot cable and adapters for the NEMA 14-50, 110 volt home sockets and the J-1772 adapter used by some 3rd party chargers.

What has been the experience with:

1) Trying to use the cable and adapter to charge at a residence, off the home dryer socket (given that's 20 feet or less from where we can park the Tesla)?

2) With the J-1772, what's the word on ChargePoint and PlugShare. How do they compare?​

Thanks!

 

[Silicon Desert]

In my experience over the last couple of years, it's going to depend on where you are traveling. In some of the congested cities like San Diego, San Francisco bay area, etc, it gets really crowded on superchargers. I see you are in the East coast so there are probably places back there which get crowded. Along the major interstates I have never run into any issues. In fact the SCs are more often less than half full.

As for the low current charging, I've never bothered doing that. I've always used the superchargers on trips. If you are charging on a 120 Volt outlet (it's been decades since they were 110V, but same thing), or 240 V dryer outlet, I've never been in a location where I could use them and if I did, it would take all night to charge. Some places have the "Destination chargers" which are convenient, yet again, it can take several hours to get a full charge.

I've never needed to use Chargepoint for Plugshare, so no experience there. And for reference, my trips have been multiple coast to coast trips along various interstates like mainly I40, I70, I80.

 

[Eno Deb]

What has been the experience with:

1) Trying to use the cable and adapter to charge at a residence, off the home dryer socket (given that's 20 feet or less from where we can park the Tesla)?

It works fine, but you need an additional adapter from Tesla (either NEMA 14-30 for newer houses or 10-30 for older ones).

2) With the J-1772, what's the word on ChargePoint and PlugShare. How do they compare?

They really don't. Chargepoint is a charging network and Plushare is an independent app to find chargers. For traveling I'd recommend to sign up for a Chargepoint account, since it's one of the biggest networks and they can be convenient if there are no Tesla chargers around. Depending on your region, you may also want to sign up for other networks such as Blink, SemaConnect or EVGo, but they are generally less common.

 

[jdcollins5]

We just used a ChargePoint charger at the NC Zoo in Asheboro, NC. It only charged at a 24 mph rate but since we were there for 3 hours we gained enough miles to make it to the next Supercharger that was 115 miles away.

 

[TexasEV]

As for the low current charging, I've never bothered doing that. I've always used the superchargers on trips. If you are charging on a 120 Volt outlet (it's been decades since they were 110V, but same thing), or 240 V dryer outlet, I've never been in a location where I could use them and if I did, it would take all night to charge.

That’s the whole point of plugging in overnight! The car charges while you’re sleeping.

 

[kavyboy]

Don't underestimate the 120V wall outlet, if there's nothing else available. At 3-4 miles/hour recharge, an overnight charge might get you 40 miles or so. Not much, but it can make a world of difference to make the trip less stressful.

 

[eladts]

We just used a ChargePoint charger at the NC Zoo in Asheboro, NC. It only charged at a 24 mph rate but since we were there for 3 hours we gained enough miles to make it to the next Supercharger that was 115 miles away.

I do most of my charging with ChargePoint as I have no home charging and there are many free ChargePoint station in my area. I did the same with the Volt I had before. Using their app or their web site you can locate their chargers and check their availability status. You can also see usage stats.

 

[jdcollins5]

I do most of my charging with ChargePoint as I have no home charging and there are many free ChargePoint station in my area. I did the same with the Volt I had before. Using their app or their web site you can locate their chargers and check their availability status. You can also see usage stats.

I found the charger at the Zoo with the ChargePoint app and it took me right to the charger in the parking lot. It was right at the Main Entrance and it was free!

 

[ecarfan]

I found the charger at the Zoo with the ChargePoint app and it took me right to the charger in the parking lot. It was right at the Main Entrance and it was free!

I’m glad it was available. The main problem with public L2 chargers is that there is often just one or maybe two of them and they can be occupied for many hours. Or they can be out of order. You can’t rely on them.

 

[ewoodrick]

Enjoy your travels. Try to plan charging around bio breaks.
Use PlugShare app to find J-1772 plugs near places where you park for a few hours.

 

[ecarfan]

Holiday travel is just around the corner and we all want to take the new "wheels," but I'm a little worried about finding adequate charging at my destinations..

If Tesla Superchargers won’t be sufficient for a planned trip, you really need to carefully research the charging options at your destinations. Call them, explain your situation, and see what they have available.

As @Eno Deb correctly pointed out, to charge from a home dryer outlet you need an adaptor and there are two types of dryer plugs in the US. Plus of course you need to make sure you can get close enough to it to plug in. Tesla says not to use extension cords, and I understand why they say that, but in my opinion it can be done safely with a properly chosen high quality extension cord. For example, I’ve used a NEMA 14-50 cord like this Heavy-duty NEMA 14-50R extension cord for EV, 30 ft. along with a 10-30 adaptor like this NEMA 10-30P to 14-50R Adapter to charge from a dryer outlet.

 

[NeverFollow]

I would recommend to test the L2 (J-1772) in advance at stores like Whole Food... to have an experience for it.
In particular to be prepared about things to do during a typical 3 or 4 hours charging session.

You can plan to rest in your car, but depending of the weather, this might not be so comfortable after a while.
In particular if there is no bathroom available around.

One issue that I encountered, using EVgo for example, is that there might be several Fast DC Chademo,
but there might be only one L2 plug, which might be used already, and there is no way to determine how long
the car currently using it will need for, or when the car owner will be back.

Most of the time, I noticed that Leaf or i3 drivers stay inside their car, but L2 drivers are not present.
Sometime I left my phone number on the windshield asking to call or text me when the plug will be
available since I live close by but I never got any call back. The EVgo app can tell you if a plug is
available, but this is not always accurate. And you cannot make reservation.

 

[CUBldr97]

So I suggest you look at the plugshare app... and look to where you are going to travel. on the East coast you have chargepoint, blink, greenlots, and maybe a few others public chargin infrastructure. most of these have the ability to join their network, with no fees and only pay as you go. keep in mind most nissan dealers have free free j1772 and chademo plugs(although not viable for model 3), bmw, ford, and even chevy now have j1772's.
second if you are going to your parents house or friends, ask them if they have an electric dryer that you could run an extension cord from. Most dryer outlets are not nema 14-50 or 14-30 so you may need an adapter. go to this website to look for tesla specific adapters: EVSEadapters.com electrical adapters for Tesla drivers, welders, RVs in addition you can get a 25-100foot 220v extension cord. don't worry about all the folks who will say "DON'T use an extension cord", as that is purely garbage. Many tesla owners were using extension cords and making their own adapters long before there was a SC network. I have a small colelction of adapters and a 25 foot extension cord for 220v 60 amps. never an issue. As an s owner i also have the CHADEMO adapter. don't think that works yet on the 3 for some reason. As mentioned you can also use 110, but plan on being parked for a long time at 3mph.
You can also look for campsite that have RV parking electrical hookups.
Traveling is not an issue if you take some time to plan it out.

 

[Eno Deb]

For example, I’ve used a NEMA 14-50 cord like this Heavy-duty NEMA 14-50R extension cord for EV, 30 ft. along with a 10-30 adaptor like this NEMA 10-30P to 14-50R Adapter to charge from a dryer outlet.

It should be pointed out that there is a risk when using such a 3rd party adapter. If you have the 14-50 pigtail adapter connected to the UMC, the car assumes that it's connected to a 50A circuit and will pull 32A, which is too much for a 10-30 outlet. So if you forget to manually reduce the current you may blow the fuse or even cause a fire.

Most dryer outlets are not nema 14-50 or 14-30 so you may need an adapter. go to this website to look for tesla specific adapters: EVSEadapters.com electrical adapters for Tesla drivers, welders, RVs

14-30 is very common in newer houses. Adapters for both types of dryer outlets are available from Tesla for $35. They are safer than these 3rd party adapters since they can signal the maximum safe ampacity to the car.

 

[Silicon Desert]

Yup I agree the point is that a destination charger takes all night. It's just that I have never been at a place where it was convenient to do it, so that was actually my point. The OP may not realize that they charge at such a low current as to take all night.

 

[Big Earl]

PlugShare is a must-have. Explore your route prior to your trip and see what's available to you.

I also recommend A Better Routeplanner for planning your Supercharger stops. You can customize various settings from travel speed to weather conditions and temperature.

 

[Rocky_H]

If you're staying mainly to interstate routes that have Supercharger coverage, then you don't really need to do much preparing or planning for other kinds of charging if you don't want. Superchargers are going to be at least 7 to 10 times faster than most other kinds of charging, so it's usually not worth messing with other kinds unless something does happen to be really convenient next to where you are going to park overnight anyway. I did a 5,332 mile trip in 11 days in February this year, and I didn't even bother to plan what cities I was going to stop in. I would just get up, see how far I wanted to go that day, round it off to the nearest city with a Supercharger, and then book an AirBNB room in that city. Easy enough.

It was February, though, so here's a tip for the cold. If you aren't going to be charging overnight, you want to head to the Supercharger when you get to the city in the evening to at least do most of a charge while your battery is still warm, rather than just planning to do your recharging in the morning. Sitting out in the cold overnight below freezing will put a serious limitation on your charging speed in the morning. You'll get to the Supercharger, and the car will be warming itself for a half hour or more before ramping up to significant charging speed.

 

[Need]

I don't think there are many Tesla owners charging at someone else's dryer socket, unless it is a close relative/friend's house.
It would be awkward to ask, "Can you move your car out of the garage so I could park my Tesla in there to use your electricity to charge my car?"

I have seen people posted pictures of charging 110 at motel room. Running the cable out the door to the car parked in front of the room.

So far we have only charged at superchargers and destination chargers. There are so many of them with hundreds of miles around here. On the first few trips, we bought the UMC just in case. Never had any chance to use it. So now we just have the J1772 in the glove box just in case. Never had to use it either. We just need to plan ahead on trips.

 

[Nilnoc]

When I visit my out of town relatives, I just take along my mobile charger and use a 120v outlet in their garage or outside. There's always been one within 20 feet of where I can park. For my Model X, it charges at one percent per hour. One percent is 3 miles of range. It's probably 4 miles for a Model 3. So every 24 hours I gain 75 miles of range. Before arrival, if necessary, I supercharge at the closest supercharger that is along the way. That's in order to have enough arrival charge, added to the charge I plan to gain at my relatives to then make it to the first supercharger on our way back home.

For example, we frequently visit my wife's sister in Glassboro, NJ, 150 miles from our home. I leave home with a 90% state of charge, travel non-stop, and arrive with about 30% SOÇ. Depending on whether we stay one night or two, plugged into 120v I then leave with anywhere from a 45% SOC to a 70% SOC. So I may or may not need to stop at a supercharger on the way home. I have my relatives so well trained that they have cleared the necessary spot for me to park.

 

[Rocky_H]

I don't think there are many Tesla owners charging at someone else's dryer socket, unless it is a close relative/friend's house.
It would be awkward to ask, "Can you move your car out of the garage so I could park my Tesla in there to use your electricity to charge my car?"

Yes, the amount of charging resources are obviously a lot different now in 2018 than they were around 2013-2015 or so too. I did go on a trip back in about 2015, where we rented a house in Portland Oregon, and I ran my 30 foot 14-50 extension cord up the driveway, in the doggie door to the kitchen, down the stairs to the basement, and into the laundry room to charge from the dryer outlet for multiple days. But now that obviously wouldn't be necessary. On my big trip this year, sure, I plugged in at family's house when I stayed there on a few overnights just because I was already going to be parked in their garage or driveway.