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Hello everyone. Just picked up a new model X and we're looking into charging solutions. Currently on a regular outlet which isn't ideal :)

We have a breaker box located in the garage right near where the car is parked.
Question is, would we be able to install a nema 6-50 or 14-50 and just plug the mobile connector into that? Is there any downside?

I would assume with one of those plugs with the mobile connector it would charge at 20mph based on Tesla's website. I would think this will be the most versatile option and the cheapest because we only have pay for the adapter cable ($35) for the mobile connector and the cost to install the new outlet. Plus the outlet can be used for other cars down the road, not just Tesla.

Any help appreciated :)
 
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You can do that but technically you need a ground fault breaker for an EV outlet . If you add a ground fault breaker plus a mobile connector it comes close to the cost of a Wall Connector (which doesn’t need a ground fault breaker because it’s hardwired). I’m a strong believer in leaving your mobile connector in your car, that’s why they call it a mobile connector. Because just when you need it you won’t have it if you constantly use it as your primary home charger.
 
You can do that but technically you need a ground fault breaker for an EV outlet . If you add a ground fault breaker plus a mobile connector it comes close to the cost of a Wall Connector (which doesn’t need a ground fault breaker because it’s hardwired). I’m a strong believer in leaving your mobile connector in your car, that’s why they call it a mobile connector. Because just when you need it you won’t have it if you constantly use it as your primary home charger.
Mind sharing a link to a ground fault breaker I can use? And also what's the benefit to having one? I was planning on installing just a regular oven or high power appliance outlet in the garage with my shade tree electrician. One last question, is there a cheaper way to get level 2 charging?

Regarding leaving the mobile connector at home, it's not a major problem if we charge up everyday. By chance if we need some extra power away from home, we would much rather just use a supercharger. Quicker and more convenient.
 
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Mind sharing a link to a ground fault breaker I can use? And also what's the benefit to having one? I was planning on installing just a regular oven or high power appliance outlet in the garage with my shade tree electrician. One last question, is there a cheaper way to get level 2 charging?

Regarding leaving the mobile connector at home, it's not a major problem if we charge up everyday. By chance if we need some extra power away from home, we would much rather just use a supercharger. Quicker and more convenient.

If your thinking of doing this yourself and asking these types of questions I highly advise you don't.
Just because the battery charges doesn't mean you did it right.

Benefit of having a GFI? Are you really asking that?
It's required electrical code to help prevent you, a loved one or FUTURE owner of your home from being electrocuted.

Same reason why GFI is in your kitchen, bathroom etc.
Which one? That should be obvious if you know what you're doing. Depends on your panel.

Well of course you can use a supercharger. If there is one near by. Believe it or not, that's not always the case.
Sometimes the closest one might be out of range or inconveniently out of the way.
EV's are still a very immature infrastructure. You want every option available to save you time and headaches.

Say you arrive at some cool bed and breakfast, or a friends house for the weekend Friday night, that has level 1/2 charging.
Sorry honey, I'll be back in 3 hours, I need to drive 50 miles, charge to 100% (which takes forever) and drive 50 miles back.
When you could have just plugged it in, even at a slow charge rate and gone for dinner with your family.
You spent how much on the car? And you're worried about saving $200-$300?

Wall connector is safer, more robust, more flexible and a drop in the bucket and allows you to keep you mobile connector with the car for maximum comfort and flexibility (isn't that the reason you bought the car?). Why be "Cheap" (your subject line, which is accurate) now?
 
Heh, it's funny. I agree and disagree with various parts of @mswlogo 's recommendations.

Question is, would we be able to install a nema 6-50 or 14-50 and just plug the mobile connector into that? Is there any downside?
No, not really any downside at all. I've been using my mobile charge cable for over 6.5 years as my permanent charging in my garage. It just stays plugged in, hanging on the wall. It's fine.
I’m a strong believer in leaving your mobile connector in your car, that’s why they call it a mobile connector. Because just when you need it you won’t have it if you constantly use it as your primary home charger.
Meh, totally overblown.
Say you arrive at some cool bed and breakfast, or a friends house for the weekend Friday night, that has level 1/2 charging.
Meh, also nonsense. Bring it with you if you're going to go on a trip.
By chance if we need some extra power away from home, we would much rather just use a supercharger. Quicker and more convenient.
Yeah, exactly.

OK, but now to get to the GFCI breaker thing.
And also what's the benefit to having one?
It's required electrical code
This. Period. It is kind of a dumb requirement for installations in garages like this, but it is required, so you need to do it. I won't ever recommend people breaking code.

Mind sharing a link to a ground fault breaker I can use?
No. Panels and breakers have so much incompatibility that you really need to get one that is the brand that matches your panel.

If you add a ground fault breaker plus a mobile connector it comes close to the cost of a Wall Connector (which doesn’t need a ground fault breaker because it’s hardwired).
Yes, this is true. Those stupid GFCI breakers for 240V circuits are expensive, like $100+. And they can sometimes have nuisance tripping from conflicting with the ground test that the mobile cable does or interaction with the GFCI that is built into that. Plus then the $35 adapter cable, so it is getting close to where it's not much more expensive to just go with the wall connector. But right now the gen3 wall connectors are a clusterf#@& because Tesla released a pathetic product with unfinished garbage firmware.
 
Heh, it's funny. I agree and disagree with various parts of @mswlogo 's recommendations.


No, not really any downside at all. I've been using my mobile charge cable for over 6.5 years as my permanent charging in my garage. It just stays plugged in, hanging on the wall. It's fine.

Meh, totally overblown.

Meh, also nonsense. Bring it with you if you're going to go on a trip.

Yeah, exactly.

OK, but now to get to the GFCI breaker thing.

This. Period. It is kind of a dumb requirement for installations in garages like this, but it is required, so you need to do it. I won't ever recommend people breaking code.

No. Panels and breakers have so much incompatibility that you really need to get one that is the brand that matches your panel.

Yes, this is true. Those stupid GFCI breakers for 240V circuits are expensive, like $100+. And they can sometimes have nuisance tripping from conflicting with the ground test that the mobile cable does or interaction with the GFCI that is built into that. Plus then the $35 adapter cable, so it is getting close to where it's not much more expensive to just go with the wall connector. But right now the gen3 wall connectors are a clusterf#@& because Tesla released a pathetic product with unfinished garbage firmware.

I guess you never run into Murphy's law. I do all the time ;) I try to simplify my life so I don't have to remember things. Like taking my mobile charger. It's also a nuisance to have to take it, when the odds are I WON'T need it. I like not having to think about it, EVER. To many other things to think about.

I don't think it's dumb at all to require it in a garage. It snows a lot where I am, boots / sneakers can get wet, I often pull in to melt the last of the ice off. So my garage floor can stay damp for weeks in the winter. All it takes is a damp floor (you don't need to be standing in puddle), wet sneakers from cleaning your car off and a slip of the fingers when plugging in. Is it rare, YES. Is it possible, YES. Why even thing twice about it? It would really be a bad day if it happens. Remember, you have to worry about curious kids messing with things too. Or really stupid people. It's not just about how YOU might use it.

Great point about the false tripping though !!

I love GFI's and AFI's they often find faults on lines that don't require either.
 
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I guess you never run into Murphy's law. I do all the time ;) I try to simplify my life so I don't have to remember things. Like taking my mobile charger. It's also a nuisance to have to take it, when the odds are I WON'T need it. I like not having to think about it, EVER. To many other things to think about.
So don't. I usually don't bother to bring it even when I am traveling to other cities, because it's not 2014 anymore. Cities have charging infrastructure now that is Superchargers and J1772. I'm not going to need to plug into an "outlet", regardless.

I don't think it's dumb at all to require it in a garage. It snows a lot where I am, boots / sneakers can get wet, I often pull in to melt the last of the ice off. So my garage floor can stay damp for weeks in the winter. All it takes is a damp floor (you don't need to be standing in puddle), wet sneakers from cleaning your car off and a slip of the fingers when plugging in. Is it rare, YES. Is it possible, YES. Why even thing twice about it? It would really be a bad day if it happens.
And you are stuck in your own mental paradigm about it always being mobile and getting it in and out of the car every day and plugging and unplugging it every day. But for NOT using it that way, and instead, keeping it plugged in permanently, that is not applicable. I haven't unplugged mine more than about once or twice a year generally.
 
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I was all set to buy a $100 GFI 50amp CB when I was installing my plug-in JuiceBox 40 but then I saw this statement in the install instructions:

Recommend against GFI circuit breaker. JuiceBox performs all self-test functions and meets the GFI requirement for UL certification.
 
So don't. I usually don't bother to bring it even when I am traveling to other cities, because it's not 2014 anymore. Cities have charging infrastructure now that is Superchargers and J1772. I'm not going to need to plug into an "outlet", regardless.


And you are stuck in your own mental paradigm about it always being mobile and getting it in and out of the car every day and plugging and unplugging it every day. But for NOT using it that way, and instead, keeping it plugged in permanently, that is not applicable. I haven't unplugged mine more than about once or twice a year generally.

It really depends where you live and drive. Sure, if I only visited the city besides my daily commute I probably wouldn't need it either. But there are many places I go that are not in close range to superchargers. But I plan carefully so I don't need to use the Mobile Connector. But it's always there. I also would prefer charge where I sleep than sit in the car and supercharge. It just gives more options for very little cost. If I never use it, it's fine. If I could have a spare tire with out the cost of using up a lot of space I'd have one in a heart beat. The cost is insignifcant.

I never go into the city. I've used the mobile connector in the car once and never would have thought of it in a million years. I have a cabin I was moving out of and into another. In the middle of no where. I had a Wall Connector there. I had a moving "Pod" dropped in the driveway. It prevented me from using the Wall Connector. I was able to use the Mobile Connector at a neighbors cabin. I was towing stuff too and using the Model X a lot. Could I have driven to a supercharger 40 miles away, sure. But a PITA.
 
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If your thinking of doing this yourself and asking these types of questions I highly advise you don't.
Just because the battery charges doesn't mean you did it right.

Benefit of having a GFI? Are you really asking that?
It's required electrical code to help prevent you, a loved one or FUTURE owner of your home from being electrocuted.

Same reason why GFI is in your kitchen, bathroom etc.
Which one? That should be obvious if you know what you're doing. Depends on your panel.

Well of course you can use a supercharger. If there is one near by. Believe it or not, that's not always the case.
Sometimes the closest one might be out of range or inconveniently out of the way.
EV's are still a very immature infrastructure. You want every option available to save you time and headaches.

Say you arrive at some cool bed and breakfast, or a friends house for the weekend Friday night, that has level 1/2 charging.
Sorry honey, I'll be back in 3 hours, I need to drive 50 miles, charge to 100% (which takes forever) and drive 50 miles back.
When you could have just plugged it in, even at a slow charge rate and gone for dinner with your family.
You spent how much on the car? And you're worried about saving $200-$300?

Wall connector is safer, more robust, more flexible and a drop in the bucket and allows you to keep you mobile connector with the car for maximum comfort and flexibility (isn't that the reason you bought the car?). Why be "Cheap" (your subject line, which is accurate) now?
I did say install with an electrician. Questions I'm asking just asking for myself and knowledge. Sorry if they sound dumb to you.

Regarding GFI, I have read the car has built in protection already so having another layer in the outlet would be redundant. Hence why I asked.
We plan on leaving the house with a full battery whenever possible to avoid situations where we have to top up away from home. With a little planning I'm sure we'll be fine.

Regardless of how much we paid for the car, I don't see anything wrong with trying to save some money... Especially to repurpose a mobile connector that will otherwise hardly get used.
 
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I did say install with an electrician. Questions I'm asking just asking for myself and knowledge. Sorry if they sound dumb to you.

Regarding GFI, I have read the car has built in protection already so having another layer in the outlet would be redundant. Hence why I asked.
We plan on leaving the house with a full battery whenever possible to avoid situations where we have to top up away from home. With a little planning I'm sure we'll be fine.

Regardless of how much we paid for the car, I don't see anything wrong with trying to save some money... Especially to repurpose a mobile connector that will otherwise hardly get used.

Sorry for being a hard nose.

GFI in the handle you plug into the car does not cover the exposed outlet you proposing installing.

Those outlets and plugs are the weakest link and totally are unnecessary.

See link below.

melted 14-50 outlet - Google Search
 
You can do that but technically you need a ground fault breaker for an EV outlet . If you add a ground fault breaker plus a mobile connector it comes close to the cost of a Wall Connector (which doesn’t need a ground fault breaker because it’s hardwired). I’m a strong believer in leaving your mobile connector in your car, that’s why they call it a mobile connector. Because just when you need it you won’t have it if you constantly use it as your primary home charger.
This is a good point. I didn't realize the outlet itself would cost that much, I thought the most money would go towards labor. I think an outlet with the mobile charger I will come out ahead, but not by much. The nuisance tripping is something to consider too. Cheapest hardwired chargers are 300+ with a quick search, but they are less flexible. If I want to upgrade, move, or change in the future it will probably be more difficult.

I guess we have to see what estimates the electrician gives and go from there. I'm sure there's other costs I'm not considering too, but at least this gives me a better idea about what to expect.
 
You can do that but technically you need a ground fault breaker for an EV outlet . If you add a ground fault breaker plus a mobile connector it comes close to the cost of a Wall Connector (which doesn’t need a ground fault breaker because it’s hardwired). I’m a strong believer in leaving your mobile connector in your car, that’s why they call it a mobile connector. Because just when you need it you won’t have it if you constantly use it as your primary home charger.
 
Can I ask then, you have both a Wall Connector and Mobile Connector? Do you know of the all the advantages to a Wall Connector? I'm currently looking at installing 50amp outlet, and I'm thinking having my dedicated power source going to Wall Connector is a limiting factor, for possibe future RV., thoughts? Thanks our Y expected any day!
 
Can I ask then, you have both a Wall Connector and Mobile Connector? Do you know of the all the advantages to a Wall Connector? I'm currently looking at installing 50amp outlet, and I'm thinking having my dedicated power source going to Wall Connector is a limiting factor, for possibe future RV., thoughts? Thanks our Y expected any day!

The biggest difference is the Wall Connector will charge up to 50% faster at 48 amps (assuming hard wired w a 60 amp breaker). If you ever need more than one, they can be configured to share between them, on a single circuit. I have two (gen 2) and use load sharing every day.
 
Can I ask then, you have both a Wall Connector and Mobile Connector? Do you know of the all the advantages to a Wall Connector? I'm currently looking at installing 50amp outlet, and I'm thinking having my dedicated power source going to Wall Connector is a limiting factor, for possibe future RV., thoughts? Thanks our Y expected any day!

@DCGOO covered a lot.

But to add you don't need a GFCI breaker with wall connector.
You can adjust current at the turn of a dial if things change, not that common a need, but handy if needed.
Wall Connector is much better if it's exposed to any kind of weather, no brainer in that case.
I don't know if the Gen3 WallConnectors add any value with the Wifi interface besides the load balancing communication with each other.

I just ordered another Gen2 wall connector (Ebay) because I prefer the 24' ft cord. Sold my house and buying another. What are the odds the buyer had a Model X and really wanted the Wall connector to stay.

But if you are seriously considering an RV or a Welder ;) that's about the only good reason for a 14-50 outlet.
Some folks T-Off a 14-50 outlet off the Wall Connector for other purposes (Technically does not meet code, but if do that be sure to add a GFCI). You can always do that later if the need arises. Some folks put a plug on the Wall Connector, I think that's a bad idea, even though that meets code.
 
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For me, it was well worth the extra money to install the Gen3 wall charger. For the last 18k+ miles, I charged at home and work on a 20 amp circuit, 6-7 mph, using the mobile connector. With the wall connector, I get 45 mph at 48 amps. I don't always need the faster charging but It is nice to have when needed. I suppose a rate between the two could be viewed as a tolerable compromise. The really nice thing though is that I do not have to keep moving the mobile connector. I suppose if you can leave the mobile connector at home it might not be such a pain but here in the outback of Montana, you can easily be hundreds of miles from a supercharger, or anywhere with anything, for that matter. I always travel here with a spare tire and the mobile connector. Depends on how your life is arranged I suppose but in any case, the wall connector, for me, is really the snake's hips.........
 
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You can do that but technically you need a ground fault breaker for an EV outlet ...
Where did you get that information? Correct me if I'm wrong but the NEC (National Electric Code) specifically states that you should NOT install a NEMA 14-50 outlet on a GFI breaker. It is also not required for a 6-50 outlet and Tesla recommends against it. Further, Tesla recommends not installing their wall chargers on GFI breakers. The same is true for virtually all EVSE manufacturers (not just Juicebox).
 
Show me where, in the code, it requires you to have a ground fault breaker.

I bought a used Tesla UMC and it stays in the garage. Cheaper than a wall connector or Juice Box.
I have enough adaptors that I can plug in wherever. We Supercharged from DFW to Phila and back but not easy to find a Supercharger in Phila so I used my UMC at my son's house. Another family member lives in Kerrville, Tx. When I go to visit, I also use my UMC. Nearest SC is in San Antonio, Junction or Austin. None very close.