Charging on Standard Outlet

[blatant0MICRON]

So I don't have a garage, only a townhouse where I park outside. But I have a standard outlet right by the door, but the problem is that the charging cable Tesla provided isn't long enough.

I was wondering if it's OK to use an extension cord for this or should I just go to a supercharger that is literally 5 minutes away from my house? I have heard stories from people where their extension cords just starting becoming hot and burnt out.

If you recommend an extension cord, which do you guys recommend?

 

[rmeden]

I don't see a problem with an outdoor rated, high quality (thick) extension cord, but won't you only get 2-3 miles per hour with 110V? I haven't tried it.. not sure it's worth the trouble.

 

[DaveORD]

Make sure good quality cable and only buy as long as you need. Extra length only means more losses which means less miles per hour of charge. Cable should handle 12 Amps continuously for a 15A circuit, make sure rated for that and rated for outdoors. I'd look for 10 or 12 gauge, smaller gauge = thicker cable = better for what you want. I am getting 4 - 4.5 miles per hour inside my garage. What you get depends on ext cable, heat pump cutting in or not because outside temperature.

 

[CyberShy]

To reduce problems, use the shortest possible extension. 10Awg if you can find it.

 

[svebiker]

Do you have an electric stove or an electric dryer? I use the outlet from my electric stove to charge and use a 50ft 50Amp RV extension cord (6 guage). Using this, you can charge at least 5x faster than using a normal wall outlet.

For my first every charge, I used a 50ft 12guage extension cord for a normal outlet, which I bought at Home Depot that was advertised for usage with power tools and capable of doing 15A.

 

[CyberB]

I don't how long your commute is but if it's 30 miles or so, I would charge up once a week at supercharger and trickle charge at home over the weekend. 15-20 amp outlets are a pain in the ass, do you know what else you have plugged in on that circuit ? THe minute you plug in your Tesla it may trip the breakers, if it's outdoors I assume it's GFI - and those trip easily.

 

[mackgriggs]

I've only been using 110V outlet for the past 2 months. We have been thinking of moving to a new house so don't want to pay for a 14-50 outlet in the garage if we are just going to be moving soon. Would rather install it at the new house.

We just run errands and kids to dance class and things. Even if we had a 30 mile commute it wouldn't be an issue....an overnight charge should get you back to full every day. Any longer than that...then yeah, it would start becoming a problem.

 

[Klau2]

I hope you don't live in some where that's cold. I noticed during cold weather, the charging isn't consistent at a 120v outlet since the car is also heating up the battery. I have a level 2 charger at home, but at work, i happen to have a 120v outlet next to my car. I noticed anytime the outside temperature is below 50 F degree, charging becomes inconsistent. It will charge for a little bit, then stop charging throughout the day. Sometimes I would have to manually stop charging it and start again just to get the it going.

 

[LevelHeaded]

I've only been using 110V outlet for the past 2 months. We have been thinking of moving to a new house so don't want to pay for a 14-50 outlet in the garage if we are just going to be moving soon. Would rather install it at the new house.

We just run errands and kids to dance class and things. Even if we had a 30 mile commute it wouldn't be an issue....an overnight charge should get you back to full every day. Any longer than that...then yeah, it would start becoming a problem.

This is heavily dependent on ambient temperature where the car is parked. With no need to cool/heat battery due to ambient temperature, you could expect to replenish that much nightly. But in cold temps, maybe not so much

 

[StoicKiwi]

As others have stated, you'll want to use the shortest extension cord you can get away with while keeping the thickness up. 12GA should be perfectly fine for up to 20A circuits.

I made a video a while ago about 120v options but if your outdoor outlet is on a 20A breaker and you have a NEMA 5-20 outlet instead of a 5-15, you can get the Mobile Connector adapter from Tesla's site and charge ~33% quicker. They also make 5-20 extension cords you could use with the adapter as well:

Adapter:
Gen 2 NEMA Adapters

NEMA 5-20 10ft extension cord:
https://www.amazon.com/AC-WORKS-Hea...-20+extension+cord+10ft&qid=1595356977&sr=8-2

Hope this helps!