Charging three Teslas

[RyanS]

I need to figure out a way to charge three EVs and not sure how.
I started out with Nissan Leaf and NEMA 6-20. After I got my MS, I added NEMA 6-50. After I got my M3, I added NEMA 14-50. I deactivated 6-20 since I got rid of Leaf. Well... I just ordered a MY. My daughter is getting my MS and she will be home when she is on school breaks. Potentially, I will have to charge three cars at night together. Electricity cost is the cheapest from midnight to 6am in my area.

Charging two cars with separate circuits has worked well for me for several years. I could try to reactivate 6-20 for the third car but not sure if my 200a circuit can handle that. The cleanest option would be to buy three Tesla wall chargers and connect them to 100A and share. But this could cost me several thousand $$$. I am trying to avoid extra costs if I can. Any suggestions or ideas on how I can charge three EVs safely and cost-effectively?

thank you

 

[RTPEV]

Do you really need to charge them all simultaneously?

When I had 2 LEAFS and a LEAF and a Volt, yes, we needed to charge both cars each night.

But now that we have a Model 3 and an ID.4, we are each charging our cars every 4-5 days worst case. I have a dual-headed charger, but we rarely if ever actually take advantage of that.

If you already have 2 outlets that you are using, it seems like you could still charge each car 2 out of 3 days, but that seems like pretty excessive usage if that's really necessary. Maybe you are looking for a solution that you can avoid having to swap parking spots to accommodate this charging schedule, but it seems to me the most cost-effective solution is to simply continue to use the two outlets you have.

 

[LoudMusic]

I agree with RTPEV. Do you really need to charge all three every night?

If so, the three wall connectors on a single circuit seems like the best solution. The hardware is $495 now. And maybe there's some tax incentive in California for hardware and installation? I bet you could get it all done for a couple grand?

 

[Big Earl]

Take your 6-50 circuit and use it to power two Wall Connectors (shared circuit). Then use the 14-50 for the third car.

This is basically the setup I have at home currently, although I have a 14-30 instead of a 14-50. Two Wall Connectors share a 50 amp circuit.

 

[RyanS]

Both my wife and I drive a lot. 130miles per day per person. So we have to charge our cars daily. My daughter won’t be driving that much so she could charge when we are not or during the day. I agree, two shared wall connector could be a good option. Thanks

 

[gglockner]

If so, the three wall connectors on a single circuit seems like the best solution. The hardware is $495 now. And maybe there's some tax incentive in California for hardware and installation? I bet you could get it all done for a couple grand?

If cost isn't a concern, this is, by far, your best option. The Tesla wall connectors are networked, so they can share up to 60A. That way, you won't overload your household 200A feed, yet you can plug in all 3 vehicles and schedule them for overnight charging.

Alternately, you could get 2 wall chargers for your wife and you, and make your daughter charge during the daytime. Since she is only charging occasionally, this will be more cost effective, even with the higher cost for daytime electricity.

 

[RTPEV]

Since she is only charging occasionally, this will be more cost effective, even with the higher cost for daytime electricity.

Key point! How expensive does electricity have to be to justify shelling out $500 for a third wall connector?

 

[gglockner]

Key point! How expensive does electricity have to be to justify shelling out $500 for a third wall connector?

... plus electrician labor.

 

[pb2000]

You're talking about 96A of EV (or less if you're using gen2 mobile connectors) charging in the middle of the night, leaving 64A available (continuous load). Unless you use resistive heat in the winter or have multiple other large loads (hot tub), you should be fine. If you're still worried, just current limit the cars connected to the 50A plugs.

 

[Tedkidd]

Take your 6-50 circuit and use it to power two Wall Connectors (shared circuit). Then use the 14-50 for the third car.

This is basically the setup I have at home currently, although I have a 14-30 instead of a 14-50. Two Wall Connectors share a 50 amp circuit.

Great suggestion.
Splitting wall chargers 2 ways will share 40/2 and require purchase of 2 wall chargers, 40/3 will require 3 wall chargers and is so slow it will probably put him outside of his off peak rate.