Charging Questions for Possible M3SR[+] Owner.

[BeeGood]

I don't understand the fear of not having a full battery. Even if you continuously drain the battery 10% a day because you can't charge fast enough, the by the of the week you'll have 30-40%. Is it that difficult or impractical to visit a supercharger once a week?

If you have a L2 charger and you plug it in every time you park at home, how much more convenient is it really vs using L1 that you also plug in everyday?

The thing is, if you even have 1 day a week where you can plug the car in for 16 hours, you're gonna keep the battery topped up anyway and you won't even need to make a supercharger stop at all.

Yes, depending on your situation, the difference between L1 and L2 is significant and worth paying for.

Another way to state the figures in your example, if you’re “net daily SOC loss” is 10% (which sounds reasonable for the OP’s commute) you only have a 30-40% buffer for the entire week. It doesn’t take much (cold weather, unexpected errands, bad traffic) to eat through a significant portion (or all) of that 30-40% before you get to the weekend.

This happened to me twice in two months of L1 charging. It’s personal preference of course but I didn’t like getting home Friday evening knowing that I’d either have to go out of my way to a super charger (closest is 20 minutes away) or spend half my weekend on the plug. It’s either don’t use the car for 20 hours or waste over an hour of my time in a part of town I don’t really go to.

Now, granted, this didn’t happen often. But as I said before, it’s always on your mind as a possibility and you’re constantly concerned with avoiding it. I never think about this with L2 because I know no matter what SOC I return home with in the evening, I’m getting back to 75-90% by the time I wake up.

 

[bbell]

Yes, it is, haha. And I really wouldn't mind doing that, it's just a small inconvenience, haha.

I do see dryer plug splitters, I found one on Amazon which even has a comment from a Tesla owner.

https://www.amazon.ca/Parkworld-886580-Splitter-Receptacle-3-Prong/dp/B07CVSJ6S9?th=1

This way you can leave the dryer and Tesla charger plugged in continually.

Just be careful not to charge while running the dryer, or you will trip the breaker.

Note because you are in the USA you could probably find one for a much better price that I can get here.

 

[jjrandorin]

I do see dryer plug splitters, I found one on Amazon which even has a comment from a Tesla owner.

https://www.amazon.ca/Parkworld-886580-Splitter-Receptacle-3-Prong/dp/B07CVSJ6S9?th=1

This way you can leave the dryer and Tesla charger plugged in continually.

Just be careful not to charge while running the dryer, or you will trip the breaker.

Note because you are in the USA you could probably find one for a much better price that I can get here.

I would highly highly recommend NOT doing a dryer splitting plug from amazon. Not only can you "trip the breaker" but if the breaker doesnt operate properly (possible) you could overheat the wiring if both are run at the same time, and possibly start a fire.

The only dryer splitter plug I would recommend would be a dryer buddy, and then only the versions that only allow one of the two sides to be on at any given time so one CANT run both at the same time. Otherwise its just asking for trouble.

People tend to forget that electricity can be very dangerous, but continuous charging from an EV will push electrical wires more than anything else they have sustained. As a reminder, this is what a high voltage disconnect can look like:

 

[bjrosen]

The right way to handle charging is to have a new 240V/60A line and a Tesla Wall Connector installed. It cost me $750 for the electrical work and the Tesla Wall Connector costs $500. An alternative is to get a smart splitter for you dryer outlet,

NeoCharge Smart Splitter for EV Owners

NeoCharge Dual Car Smart Splitter allows you to plug both vehicles into a single NEMA-14-50 outlet. NEMA 14-30 and NEMA 10-30 also available. Shop now.

evannex.com

A smart splitter will allow you to share the outlet between the EVSE and the dryer, it will automatically turn off the charger when you are using the dryer. However the cost of this splitter is almost as much as a Tesla Wall Connector, $439. Running a new line and installing the TWC is a one time expense and it's the fastest and most convenient way to charge the car.
Forget about using the 120V outlet, it's painfully slow and likely to be unreliable. Chances are that line has other loads on it and if it has a GFCI it will trip all the time.
Your daily charging costs will be minimal. At 40 miles a day you will only be using 10KWh or 85 cents, round that up to a dollar to account for charging losses.

 

[F14Scott]

Rather than the Dryer Buddy, I'd recommend spending the $3-400 having an electrician wire a 240VAC outlet in your garage. Even the lowly 6-20 (20 Amps) will get you 15 miles range per hour, which will be way more than enough for your commute (and is likely enough for anyone with a Model 3, unless they need a big charge, RFN). A 6-20 should be built into every new garage, IMO.

 

[TexasIronMan]

I’d be curious enough to check what type of existing wring is installed for your dryer plug, (possibly aluminum which isn’t optimum), but think a new run done in the appropriate copper conductors, complete with plug in the garage should be what you eventually chose. That 240/30 amp circuit will charge at 22/miles per hour of charging... good luck, you’ll love the car.

I have attached a Google Doc link below with a picture of the plug I’d be using if this is what you’re talking about. Untitled document

 

[TexasIronMan]

I will get back to everyone soon. I love all the help and of course always would love more input on this this thread. The more opinions the better!

 

[MikeyC]

Dryer Buddy and feeding the EVSE cable through the wall is an option, but once you get an EV (basically any EV), you'll likely not want an ICE car after that so my suggestion is spend the money to have a 14-50 installed in the garage like others are saying. If you have an open breaker spot in your box, I've found it'll be between $500 and $700 to get it installed. More if your box is already maxed out. But it'll be worth it: your garage will be "EV ready" and you won't have to worry about it.

The other option is to just try the 120 for a while and see how it works for you. 20 miles each way at 30 minutes is under 60 MPH so you'll likely get pretty good efficiency and can charge on 120 overnight. Just get in the habit of plugging the car in every time you get home and it won't be an issue where you have to always be "thinking about charging": when it's in the garage... it's plugged in.

Mike

 

[TexasIronMan]

So a quick question. Is it really that bad to swap out the dryer and the charger when I need it however? I mean if the Tesla is plugged in ~80% of the time and the dryer only when we do laundry which is 2 times a week for a few loads. Will it really be bad? For some reason I just can’t wrap my head around it being that bad of a thing, haha.

 

[father_of_6]

Yes, it's really bad to plug and unplug from that outlet regularly. They're not manufactured for it. It will become "loose"... what that really means is not a good contact between metals. That bad connection causes gaps, which will arc. It'll cause heat and/or a fire.

 

[TexasIronMan]

Yes, it's really bad to plug and unplug from that outlet regularly. They're not manufactured for it. It will become "loose"... what that really means is not a good contact between metals. That bad connection causes gaps, which will arc. It'll cause heat and/or a fire.

So I would definitely have to get a splitter like the Neo Smart Splitter above or get something installed. I think my best bet would be to get a splitter so I can take it with me once we move.

 

[charlieaf92]

Really, just get an extra outlet installed in the garage or the Tesla Wall Charger. I just looked at the dryer buddy and it looks to be roughly the same amount of time, effort, and expense - and not as good of a solution. When I got my welder I put a 240v outlet in the garage for less than $50 in materials. It's not much more difficult than changing a circuit breaker - so if you've ever done that (google it if you haven't) you should be fine. Just shut the mains off for the entire panel and watch some Youtube videos - or if you're not comfortable doing it yourself, pay someone a couple hundred bucks to come do it for you. The time, effort, and headache it saves you will be well worth it. I plug my car in every time I pull it into the garage. Sure you don't have to, but that seems to be the recommendation for keeping the battery conditioned properly - and since my charger is right by the back of the car it only takes a second. I couldn't imagine having to unwind a whole cable and route it through a doorway every time I get home and get ready to leave. It will get old really quick, I promise you.

 

[TexasIronMan]

Really, just get an extra outlet installed in the garage or the Tesla Wall Charger. I just looked at the dryer buddy and it looks to be roughly the same amount of time, effort, and expense - and not as good of a solution. When I got my welder I put a 240v outlet in the garage for less than $50 in materials. It's not much more difficult than changing a circuit breaker - so if you've ever done that (google it if you haven't) you should be fine. Just shut the mains off for the entire panel and watch some Youtube videos - or if you're not comfortable doing it yourself, pay someone a couple hundred bucks to come do it for you. The time, effort, and headache it saves you will be well worth it.

Someone posted this and it basically just looks like a plug and go. I’d much rather do this then have to attempt my landlord and go through all that, haha. NeoCharge Smart Splitter

 

[father_of_6]

If you have a garage, just having a 240v installed there is probably really your best option. Probably cheaper than buying a splitter, and you won't have to run a cord through your house.

 

[charlieaf92]

Someone posted this and it basically just looks like a plug and go. I’d much rather do this then have to attempt my landlord and go through all that, haha. NeoCharge Smart Splitter

Ah! My apologies, I missed the part of the thread where you said you were renting. Even so, I would at least talk to the landlord about it - from a convenience standpoint you're really really going to want the plug as close to the car as possible.

 

[TexasIronMan]

Ah! My apologies, I missed the part of the thread where you said you were renting. Even so, I would at least talk to the landlord about it - from a convenience standpoint you're really really going to want the plug as close to the car as possible.

The Dryer plug would basically be like 5 feet from the car if I backed it in. It’s only separated by a door, haha. I think if I end up getting one I may go with the Neo Smart Splitter as mentioned above and I just found out I have a Supercharger 33 minutes from my house.

 

[MikeyC]

To me, the "middle ground" isn't as good as the endpoints. I've been in your position: not wanting to have to "fool with" an electrician installing stuff and instead, looking for workarounds. So try the 120 for a while and see how it works. If it's not enough, have an outlet installed in the garage. In your case, with it being so close to an existing 240 outlet (just the other side of the wall), it probably would be $500 or less to install it. I drive very little since I work at home and the 120 would have worked for me but I decided that since I'm never going back to ICE cars, I wanted an "EV garage" and had the 240 install done in the garage.

The middle ground is something like unplugging/replugging 240 cables regularly, having to hole punch through the garage wall to the laundry room (else what are you going to do, run it through the door and leave the door open?). Seems like cutting your nose off to spite your face. Just my .02.

Mike

 

[charlieaf92]

The Dryer plug would basically be like 5 feet from the car if I backed it in. It’s only separated by a door, haha. I think if I end up getting one I may go with the Neo Smart Splitter as mentioned above and I just found out I have a Supercharger 33 minutes from my house.

Running it through the doorway will get old, but at least it isn't a far distance! As far as superchargers, think of those more of road trip stops. They're crazy fast (full charge in under an hour), but also considerably more expensive than charging at home (you pay for the speed and convenience). They're also harder on your battery than home charging. Perfect for a road trip, not great for daily/weekly use.

 

[jjrandorin]

Someone posted this and it basically just looks like a plug and go. I’d much rather do this then have to attempt my landlord and go through all that, haha. NeoCharge Smart Splitter

Looking at that splitter you linked to, the appliance version of that seems like it would work. By the time you buy the splitter, and the adapter that you will need to buy to plug in the mobile connector that comes with the car, you will be spending the same amount as a tesla wall connector, and likely MORE than you would spend to have a line put in the garage somewhere close to the electrical panel.

 

[Nichigo]

The worst your Landlord can say is no right? You won't lose anything by asking. It seems like any viable solution will involve additional money spent and electrical work. The Wall connector is the most streamlined/safe/fastest solution. A quick email to the Landlord should clarify whether it's an option or not.