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charging, how often do you plug in at home?

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10 months old and 53xx miles and I’m now only charging to 50%, I plug in when our Volt doesn’t need the charger. Initially I plugged in EVERYDAY and charged to 80%.

Aside from “a plugged in Tesla is a happy Tesla” and don’t charge past 90% unless you plan on using it right away I don’t know if there is a “ones size fits all” answer.
 
I used to be a believer in plugged in every night. But appears the BMS will only get readings of the battery a high SoC. Since knowing that, I've now made it a point to pick a couple of days during the week where I let the car purposely sit overnight at home with a low to medium SoC (20 to 60%). The idea is that the BMS needs to take readings low, med, high to properly gauge the health of the battery.. and it will only take those readings when the car has been sleeping for at least 4 hours.

Ironically I mainly use regular ass 110V for most of my charging. I dont drive over 30 miles most days and can easily fill up the tank using the slowest charging method. I do plan to get the wall charger installed, already purchased it.. just still on the fence on should I do it myself or pay some electrician a $1000 to run some 6/3 romex and install a 60A breaker. I can also L2 charge using the 30A dryer outlet as its in our mudroom and sits on the opposite side of the garage wall. I generally do this only in 'emergencies' (like a long road trip the next day) where I need to fill the battery completely in 6-8 hours.
Please check out the threads on installing a wall charger. From what I have read (and I am not an electrician), 6/3 romex is not rated for a 60A breaker.
 
The electronics runs off the 12 volt battery, not the high voltage battery. The electronics that has a small drain on the 12 volt battery are the systems that secure the car, locks, sensors, and radio receivers for your remotes among others while the car is parked and locked. As the 12 volt battery is drained from these devices, it has to be recharged by the HV source (through a 12v regulator) which is being charged by your EVSE which will maintain the HV battery at a set % of maximum. So, while the EVSE doesn't run the electronics and other low voltage devices directly it does draw power from the HV battery that will be kept to the % you set it at. If the HV battery is not plugged in for an extended period of time the drain is said to be about 1% per day as the HV battery replenishes the 12v battery to run the electronics etc.

If you install 24 hour monitoring software you can see these times when the EVSE replenishes the HV battery that is drained to the set %. All this is why Tesla wants you to keep your car plugged in when you won't be using the car for extended periods of time to avoid the 12v battery from eventually going dead which can ruin it.

If you leave the car not plugged in, to prevent the HV battery from being drained it quits recharging the 12v battery when the HV is below a certain %, Then the 12v battery will be drained. When that happens you can't unlock the car. There is a port in the front bumper you can open which you can apply 12v to open the Frunk. Then you can gain access to the 12v battery and charge it up enough to unlock the car, or if necessary replace it.

I suggest you read your manual as this stuff is explained.

Thank you for confirming my point that the EVSE does not power onboard electronics when it’s not actively charging the HV battery or preconditioning the cabin or battery. (I use TeslaFi and also have a home energy monitor that tracks real-time energy usage on the circuit that I plug my UMC into, so I’m aware of when the UMC does/doesn’t draw power.)
 
Please check out the threads on installing a wall charger. From what I have read (and I am not an electrician), 6/3 romex is not rated for a 60A breaker.
6-3 is rated for 55 amps but the NEC allows it to be used for 60 amp breakers. This is the national standard. I'm running 6-3 on a 60 amp breaker. I sometimes run two Mobile chargers at 26amps for a total of 52 amps maximum and the system runs at room temperature. The key is to maintain the amperage max load below 55amps if running Romex. If running 6-3 in conduit you could allow the current to exceed 55 amps as the heat will dissipate better than Romex. But it is never a good idea to load a breaker to maximum because if there is any surge current it will trip and that can get annoying. If I run one Mobile charger I set the current to 30 amps.

Note that Tesla built the Gen 1 Mobile charger with sub standard primary 240v wiring. The EVSE will allow for 40 amps on a NEMA 14-50 but uses 12-3 wire. They corrected this with a redesign in the Gen 2 by limiting it to 32 amps. At 40 amps, the Gen 1 will get quite hot. I actually run my Gen 1 Mobile EVSE at 26 amps with the setting in the Tesla.
 
6-3 is rated for 55 amps but the NEC allows it to be used for 60 amp breakers. This is the national standard. I'm running 6-3 on a 60 amp breaker. I sometimes run two Mobile chargers at 26amps for a total of 52 amps maximum and the system runs at room temperature. The key is to maintain the amperage max load below 55amps if running Romex. If running 6-3 in conduit you could allow the current to exceed 55 amps as the heat will dissipate better than Romex. But it is never a good idea to load a breaker to maximum because if there is any surge current it will trip and that can get annoying. If I run one Mobile charger I set the current to 30 amps.

Note that Tesla built the Gen 1 Mobile charger with sub standard primary 240v wiring. The EVSE will allow for 40 amps on a NEMA 14-50 but uses 12-3 wire. They corrected this with a redesign in the Gen 2 by limiting it to 32 amps. At 40 amps, the Gen 1 will get quite hot. I actually run my Gen 1 Mobile EVSE at 26 amps with the setting in the Tesla.
From what I've read.. the installation instructions from Tesla say to use 6g wire which is why Im planning to use 6/3. I understand technically I can use 6/2 as the WC does not need the neutral wire, but Im planning on running this wire this one time and never again.. which means 6/3 is more future proof if I ever sold my Tesla. I could use the 6/3 run to convert it into a regular 14-50P outlet.. by just changing the breaker to 50A.
 
From what I've read.. the installation instructions from Tesla say to use 6g wire which is why Im planning to use 6/3. I understand technically I can use 6/2 as the WC does not need the neutral wire, but Im planning on running this wire this one time and never again.. which means 6/3 is more future proof if I ever sold my Tesla. I could use the 6/3 run to convert it into a regular 14-50P outlet.. by just changing the breaker to 50A.

It's your home, but,I still think that there are issues that would be addressed by using a 50A breaker to begin with. Again this is discussed in a lot of detail in the home charger threads.
 
From what I've read.. the installation instructions from Tesla say to use 6g wire which is why Im planning to use 6/3. I understand technically I can use 6/2 as the WC does not need the neutral wire, but Im planning on running this wire this one time and never again.. which means 6/3 is more future proof if I ever sold my Tesla. I could use the 6/3 run to convert it into a regular 14-50P outlet.. by just changing the breaker to 50A.
As an electrician you follow the code. As a tech guy you understand what works. In the home, the code says the neutral and ground are bonded at the panel. Technically there is no current carried on the neutral but the code says the NEMA 14-50 uses 6-3 w ground. There are other requirements such as when you use Sheathed cable and individual stranded etc. Too much for this discussion. Bottom line is regardless what is stated in threads, you go by the code, if for no other reason than your liability incase there is a fire. You don't want a fire inspector to report a code violation to your insurance company.
 
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When plugged in, Model Y
wakes up when needed to automatically maintain a
charge level that maximizes the lifetime of the Battery.
If you plug it in all the time, how do you know what to set the maximum charge level? Is it 80%? If the battery drops to 70%, is that not good for the battery? I know that 10% is bad, but should I be plugging it in at 70% or wait until it gets to 50% before plugging in? I don't drive very much every day and it seems to be an inconvenience to plug it in every single day if I'm not consuming that much range.
 
If you plug it in all the time, how do you know what to set the maximum charge level? Is it 80%? If the battery drops to 70%, is that not good for the battery? I know that 10% is bad, but should I be plugging it in at 70% or wait until it gets to 50% before plugging in? I don't drive very much every day and it seems to be an inconvenience to plug it in every single day if I'm not consuming that much range.
Tesla recommends keeping the Tesla vehicle plugged in. For those who don't drive very much you can set the maximum charging level to between 60% and 80% and the Tesla vehicle will automatically maintain the battery charge. You can even skip charging for a day or two and nothing bad will happen.

Tesla recommends not charging above 90% on a daily basis, but you can if you need to charge beyond 90% before leaving on a trip. Likewise the Tesla vehicle should be charged before the battery state of charge falls too low, certainly before 20% although nothing will happen to the battery if you need to go below 20% to reach your destination or the next Supercharger or other charging location.

The Tesla vehicle will use some power when parked. You can minimize this by setting Sentry Mode to not turn on at your home location. If you have purchased Full Self Driving you can turn off Summon Mode when parked at your home as this also uses additional power.

In warm weather the Tesla vehicle will automatically cool the battery as required. I have observed my Model Y wake up from sleep mode about once an hour in the afternoon when my home garage is warmest. As far as I can tell the Model Y is circulating coolant through the battery to the radiator, may be running the radiator fan too. I have not observed any condensate on the floor of my garage that would indicate that the AC has been running, at least not for any length of time. I don't think the power used to maintain the temperature of the battery is excessive, I could charge every other day with no concern.

If you have Cabin Overheat Protection set to On with AC then the Model Y will use more of the battery to maintain the passenger cabin at under 105F (40.5C) Cabin Overheat Protection remains active for 12 hours after you park. You can set Cabin Overheat Protection so it only runs the HVAC fan and not the AC compressor. This will use less power. You can also turn off Cabin Overheat Protection.
 
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I shoot for a more balanced approach I have a 2017 MS 90D, and I went with the recommendations of battery university ( do a search there are some threads with the link to the analysis and the site it is very informative ) battery university looks at the charge discharge cycles of Lion batteries ( hence the "A charged battery is a happy battery") and also the life time amount of number of "cycles" used to charge. because of that I range my charges from 30-40% low to 80 % - 85% and use the least amount of charge cycles I can depending on my driving . for me that averages about very 3-4 days some times I can go once a week on the '17 S 268 mile range ( I also just watch battery percentage giving up on miles estimate long a go) . I have free super charging but I save that for longer trips . my degradation is very minimal ( like 1 %, translates to about 4 miles ) and charge usage seems about the same for my 38K miles so far around 280 W/mile , ( save cold winter and very hot summer periods.
 
Something else to keep in mind is Sentry Mode. If this is important to you to have security recording when the alarm is armed be aware that it doesn’t work at low battery states due to the power demands when it’s on. Which is why many of us don’t have it on at home in the garage, unless you want to keep it plugged into n daily and don’t might the extra electricity usage. I think it shuts off at like 20% battery, regardless of size of battery.
 
Charge mine to 80% every day, although I occasionally don't plug it in and don't worry about it. Why 80%? Due to family concerns, I need to be able to get to PA, drive around a while, and come back with little notice. I picked 80% at first because it wasn't 100 and I did a little math and figured out what I thought I would need. I made the trip a couple weeks after getting the car and found out that I used 50% for the round trip so that gives me a 30% cushion for driving around here or there. If I did not have this need, I would probably charge somewhere around 50-60% because that would let me do my daily driving with enough cushion to make me feel comfortable.

So how much should you charge? Evaluate what you need for daily and emergency driving (not everyone has to make long emergency drives) and play around with the limit until you find something comfortable that works for you.

The place that I need to go to in PA recently installed a charge point J1772 charger so that could help some in an emergency. But it is really slow so it would be more for use overnight.
 
I charge to 80% except when traveling back and forth to Twin Cities. I plug in 2-3 times per week. I am retired and do not have a commute. My driving is for pleasure and errands. Planning making some road trips when I will charge to 90% except when less is needed to get to my next destination. I am a new Tesla owner Model Y which I took delivery on June 7. I have off peak charging rates and rooftop solar. I also have a second EV (Nissan Leaf 2012) which my wife drives and we use for local trips.
 
Charge mine to 80% every day, although I occasionally don't plug it in and don't worry about it. Why 80%? Due to family concerns, I need to be able to get to PA, drive around a while, and come back with little notice. I picked 80% at first because it wasn't 100 and I did a little math and figured out what I thought I would need. I made the trip a couple weeks after getting the car and found out that I used 50% for the round trip so that gives me a 30% cushion for driving around here or there. If I did not have this need, I would probably charge somewhere around 50-60% because that would let me do my daily driving with enough cushion to make me feel comfortable.

So how much should you charge? Evaluate what you need for daily and emergency driving (not everyone has to make long emergency drives) and play around with the limit until you find something comfortable that works for you.

The place that I need to go to in PA recently installed a charge point J1772 charger so that could help some in an emergency. But it is really slow so it would be more for use overnight.
this! One of the selling points of having an EV and charging at home was "wake up everyday with a full tank". For me charging to 50% meant having slightly less flexibility. Imagine if your gas powered vehicles were basically always half full. Not a big deal but if you could have it always full you would. What tipped it was after reading the forums, that most data shows charging up to 90%+ seems to have minimal wear, plus Tesla has said a plugged in battery is a happy battery, I decided to make the most of having an EV.
 
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this! One of the selling points of having an EV and charging at home was "wake up everyday with a full tank". For me charging to 50% meant having slightly less flexibility. Imagine if your gas powered vehicles were basically always half full. Not a big deal but if you could have it always full you would. What tipped it was after reading the forums, that most data shows charging up to 90%+ seems to have minimal wear, plus Tesla has said a plugged in battery is a happy battery, I decided to make the most of having an EV.
The slider in the Charging section of the Tesla app shows up to 90% as 'daily' and anything over as 'trip'. That's definitive enough for me. I plug in every night and charge to 80%.
 
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The slider in the Charging section of the Tesla app shows up to 90% as 'daily' and anything over as 'trip'. That's definitive enough for me. I plug in every night and charge to 80%.
Elon has said a few times anything between 50-90% is fine for daily use.. and backed that up with saying "dont over think it". This is also exactly what is shown on both the car's screen and the official Tesla app. So there is really no reason not to charge to up to 90% daily outside of personal preference.

I was plugging in daily, but as I've adjusted to actually driving the car and how much real world range I have.. I since stopped plugging in daily. I charge to 90% and proceed to drive about 20 miles daily.. every once in a while I'll drive 50 or even 100 miles in a single day but this only occurs a couple times each month. At this point I only plug in when the SoC has dropped to about 30-40%. I figure even with just 40% its enough charge to go anywhere I really need to go And if there was ever something truly unexpected in my daily routine then there is a 250kw Supercharger about 7 miles from my home.

While its nice to leave home with a "full tank" every morning, reality is I wouldnt treat an ICE car this way.. I'd drive it until it got to about a 1/4 of tank before hitting the gas station. Now that the range anxiety has calmed down and I know there are literally 100's of charging options around my city.. Im very comfortable with treating my EV in a similar fashion.
 
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