Charging Requirement and Options

[Brenkj]

I just ordered my Model 3 and I have some charging questions that I'm sure are pretty basic (sorry). Is it true that a 20-foot charging cable comes with the car? If so, I'll probably try that first before plunking down $500 for the wall charger.

I know I need to plug into something more than just a regular outlet, but I don't know enough about electricity to know what exactly. We have a refrigerator in our garage (where the car will charge) that uses a bigger, more powerful outlet. Is that the type of outlet that should be used to charge the car?

Lastly, I've read that the Tesla wall charger charges faster than the UMC. Can anyone give me an idea how much faster - say to go from zero to a full charge?

Thanks.

 

[TexasEV]

Sounds like you need to spend some time on this Tesla.com web page
Home Charging Installation
and the more detailed pages it links to, then come back here with what questions you still have, or opinions you’re interested in.

 

[MrRandyB]

The best I have gotten with the included UMC is 5 miles of range added per hour, so empty to full would be 62 hours

The best I have gotten with the HPWC is 48 miles of range added per hour, so empty to full would be 6.5 hours

 

[MrRandyB]

I should add I was using the UMC with a normal 5-15 outlet

I thought most refrigerators use normal 5-15 outlets too, if you have a 5-20 or something else it can go faster and there are other adapters for the UMC you can buy to fit these other outlets

The other most common is a 14-50, for which an adapter comes with the UMC

 

[MrRandyB]

This site give you a good idea of the adapters that Tesla offers for the most common outlet types and the speed they will charge your car

Model S/X/3 Gen 2 NEMA Adapters

 

[gilscales]

The included UMC will be enough for the vast majority of people charging their cars and can charge at 32A.
I purchased the HPWC to be able to charge at 48A only to discover that coming from my main panel was a bit to much work so I opted to come off of a sub panel over the garage with a 40A breaker giving me the same 32A charging capability as the included UMC, I have occasionally come home from a road trip with less than 6 or 7% charge and still the car only takes 10 hours or so to charge at that 32A charge speed, most times we plug in every 3 days or so after drawing to 50 or 60% and then it charges in 4 or 5 hours at most because we will daily charge only to 90%

Would be helpful to know how far the main panel is from your charging location

 

[Brenkj]

Thanks for the responses. It sounds like the included UMC will work with any size/power/type of outlet to charge the car, and it's just a matter of how quickly it will charge. Is that fair?

 

[gilscales]

Thanks for the responses. It sounds like the included UMC will work with any size/power/type of outlet to charge the car, and it's just a matter of how quickly it will charge. Is that fair?

Yes, to get the most out of your UMC (32A) then you must install a 14-50 nema outlet, most people run 6/3 gauge Romex wire from a 50A breaker in the main panel to the outlet unless the wire will be exposed then wire pulled in conduit will be the preferred method, check with a local licensed electrician to make sure you have the ability to do this first.

 

[Eno Deb]

I just ordered my Model 3 and I have some charging questions that I'm sure are pretty basic (sorry). Is it true that a 20-foot charging cable comes with the car?

Yes.

I know I need to plug into something more than just a regular outlet, but I don't know enough about electricity to know what exactly. We have a refrigerator in our garage (where the car will charge) that uses a bigger, more powerful outlet. Is that the type of outlet that should be used to charge the car?

Freezers typically use 120V and 15/20A on a regular 5-15 or 5-20 outlet. You can charge the car from that, but it will be very slow. Better would be a dryer outlet (which are usually 240V/30A) or installing a new 240V outlet. For a dryer outlet you'll need to buy an additional adapter from Tesla (10-30 or 14-30).

Lastly, I've read that the Tesla wall charger charges faster than the UMC. Can anyone give me an idea how much faster - say to go from zero to a full charge?

See here:

Wall Connector

For comparison, the adapter that comes with the car tops out at 30 miles charged per hour, which is more than enough to charge the car overnight unless you have an extremely long commute.

 

[Rocky_H]

Several of us on the other Tesla forum put together a really informative guide that teaches about some of the types of charging and how they work, how fast they are, etc.
Tesla Model 3 Home Charging Guide | TeslaTap

 

[Brenkj]

I checked when I got home and you're right - the refrigerator in the garage runs off a "regular" outlet (i.e., it looks like all of the 3-prong outlets in my house). I don't know enough about this stuff to be able tell anything beyond that in terms of how much power it draws, etc. So, is it fair to say that I'll be able to plug the UMC into that outlet to charge for starters, without any fancy (costly) electrician work? If that turns out to be too slow, I can always figure out a better option later.

 

[whatthe2]

I checked when I got home and you're right - the refrigerator in the garage runs off a "regular" outlet (i.e., it looks like all of the 3-prong outlets in my house). I don't know enough about this stuff to be able tell anything beyond that in terms of how much power it draws, etc. So, is it fair to say that I'll be able to plug the UMC into that outlet to charge for starters, without any fancy (costly) electrician work? If that turns out to be too slow, I can always figure out a better option later.

Yes, it will work, but you'll get 2-3 miles of range per hour.

 

[TexasEV]

If you’re buying Model 3, you should have a proper charging circuit installed. That means either a NEMA 14-50 outlet or a Wall Connector. Just consider it part of the price of the car.

 

[GSP]

@Brenkj,

If you drive less than 25-30 miles per day a normal outlet and your UMC may be enough. However, sharing with the fridge may require to set the charging rate even lower.

I recommend getting quotes from 2-3 electricians to install a 240 Volt outlet, even if you plan to try the 120 V outlet first. That way you will know what your options are and how much they will cost.

Ask the electricians to quote installing a "NEMA 14-50" outlet on a 50 Amp breaker, and also quote for 40 Amp breaker.

GSP

 

[TexasEV]

@Brenkj,

If you drive less than 25-30 miles per day a normal outlet and your UMC may be enough. However, sharing with the fridge may require to set the charging rate even lower.

No, don’t even think about sharing an EV charging circuit with a refrigerator! Really, anyone who can afford a Model 3 should be able to afford to have a properly wired dedicated circuit installed for it. Otherwise, think again if you can afford the car.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Not sure it is being able to afford, but more likely how little you can spend to get the charging capability adequate for your needs.

Seems like the best bang for the buck is to install a 240V NEMA 14-50 plug and a 50 amp circuit breaker by a licensed and experienced electrician. By getting several bids you can often save money there too. Make sure you get the good stuff plug and larger wires as you will be transfering a lot of current for a lot of years.

Then simply use the external charger/cable/plug that comes with your car, and you have something that will give you enough charging speed to easily charge while you sleep.

Some just use the cable that comes with the car and plug into a 120V normal household wall socket. Will charge, but s-l-o-w-l-y.

 

[brkaus]

If you do not use the fridge outlet for a fridge, and it is a single outlet in the circuit, it may be able to be converted to a 6-15 or 6-20 by an electrician.

I would go for 14-50 first, but if that is priced very high and you do not drive a lot or have a supercharger you can occasionally use, a 6-20 wouldn’t be too bad.

 

[eprosenx]

I just ordered my Model 3 and I have some charging questions that I'm sure are pretty basic (sorry). Is it true that a 20-foot charging cable comes with the car? If so, I'll probably try that first before plunking down $500 for the wall charger.

I know I need to plug into something more than just a regular outlet, but I don't know enough about electricity to know what exactly. We have a refrigerator in our garage (where the car will charge) that uses a bigger, more powerful outlet. Is that the type of outlet that should be used to charge the car?

Lastly, I've read that the Tesla wall charger charges faster than the UMC. Can anyone give me an idea how much faster - say to go from zero to a full charge?

Thanks.

There are many threads here that discuss the various options in great detail. I recommend reading as much around this forum as possible.

I will call out that the Wall Connector is also an option. There are lots of threads that compare the merits of the Wall Connector vs. the UMC and the various types of receptacles you can plug the UMC into.

The "right" decision depends on a lot of factors. Your use cases (how many miles you drive), how long you intend to own the house (or rent), how much price sensitivity you have, etc...

I personally put in a 60a circuit into a Wall Connector because I needed to charge outside and the Wall Connector works well for that use case and I wanted to always keep my UMC in my car. But I did the work myself and I did not have much price sensitivity and I wanted the max charging capability for my M3 "just because".

 

[GSP]

No, don’t even think about sharing an EV charging circuit with a refrigerator! Really, anyone who can afford a Model 3 should be able to afford to have a properly wired dedicated circuit installed for it. Otherwise, think again if you can afford the car.

I have always been a big proponent of installing a dedicated 240 V circuit for EV charging. Most people will have a much better EV experience with 240 V charging, and/or absolutely require it.

However, over the years I have learned that some people can get by just fine with a standard 120 V outlet, charging at 8 or 12 Amps. The majority of Chevy Volt drivers, and a double digit percentage of Leaf drivers, only have 120 V charging at home, and it satisfies their needs. Their needs are modest. Some people rarely drive over 10 miles per day, and/or don't drive every day. After the occasional longer drive, they get enough charge overnight for the next day's driving and gradually get a full charge over 2-3 days and nights. A long range EV (200+ miles) makes it ever easier for people with modest driving needs to get by on 120 V charging.

I do strongly recommend upgrading the standard 99 cent 120 V outlet with a commercial or industrial grade outlet for $2-4 plus labor, using the screw terminals to attach the wires, not the push in connections.

As for sharing with a refrigerator, I also don't recommend it. I am not sure if the OP would need to do that or not. I was trying to say that it could be a problem. However, I don't know for sure that can not be done. It might be possible with charging at 8 A, an efficient 'fridge, and a 20 A circuit.

GSP

 

[Brenkj]

Thanks for all the responses. TexasEV: Thanks for the (unsolicited) financial advice. I guess I'll just cancel my Model 3 order since I don't want to buy something I may not need....

One last question: If I do the 120-to-240 upgrade and then use the UMC, as Uncle Paul suggests, would I be able to use that same 240 outlet if I decide later to buy a wall connector, or would I have to install a brand new electrical line to run to the wall connector? Thanks.