Considering Model S, advice on charging at home...

[DEinspanjer]

That said, the range seems to deplete pretty quickly. I'm not sure how anyone gets 300 range. I drive 25-30mi/day but my range depletes 50-60mi/day. Maybe it is my heavy gas pedal during the first few days, but I have a feeling that the actual full range will be more like 200-225 than 300. I hear from east coasters that in the winter it is more like 175 under normal acceleration conditions. Also, I hear very cold weather hurts when parked, so planning for the worst in Chicago.

Keep an eye on the kW guage on the right hand side of your speedometer when on the highway. If you spend most of your time above 20 kW then you are burning through the battery. If I keep aware of it then I can easily get the 230 rated range estimate. I have never tried to get to the ideal range. Just too many factors that make it almost impossible.

Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk HD

 

[mknox]

My dryer uses a 14-50, granted both my house and dryer are brand new. I realize most older dryers use a 14-30.

That must be a hell of a dryer. I've heard of older dryers using NEMA 10-30's but just about every new dryer I've seen is currently 14-30 (these are both 30 amp receptacles). (I've even scoped out some hotel laundry rooms in case I ever need to run an extension :smile

The 14-50 is a 50 amp receptacle more common with electric ovens, but I guess if the dryer is big enough...

 

[Electric Machete]

It's easy to get twisted up trying to sort out amperage and voltage and NEMA plugs.
A toaster plug style outlet (120V) can provide 3-5 miles for each hour it is plugged in.
A washing machine style outlet (240V, Tesla recommends NEMA 14-50) can provide 25-30 miles for each hour it is plugged in.
The high powered wall connector essentially doubles the 240V output and can charge at up to 60 miles per hour it is plugged in.

I believe the salesman was explaining that you wouldn't need the high powered wall connector. Most people don't need it.

 

[NotMandatory]

An alternate view:

We had our Model S for 3 weeks before adding the 14-50 to the garage (same reason as purplewalt...had other priorities to address first before adding the 50A circuit). But during that time, we actually found our existing (and admittedly painfully slow) 120V/15A garage outlet to be perfectly "adequate". Why? It's painfully slow when looking at it to see a mere 3 or 4 miles of range added each hour, but if we plugged it in as soon as we got home (which we always do), by the next morning our typical 30-50 miles of usage from the previous day was fully recovered. Obviously, if you drive a lot more than 30-50 miles in a short period of time, it'll take a couple days to recover that deficit...be we never had an issue in those initial 3 weeks. Just something to keep in mind.

We definitely haven't needed the twin charger or the HPWC. The 14-50 gives us nearly 30 miles of range per hour, so even if we drove it all the way to empty and then plugged it in at night for a full range charge for the next day (ours shows 275 rated miles with a full range charge), it would be ready in less than 10 hours. And note that 1) you'll rarely ever drive it down to empty, and 2) you'll probably rarely ever "top it off" all the way with a full range charge. So with typical usage for us, the 14-50 has the car fully charged within 2-3 hours.

So while the 14-50 is highly recommended, I'd say a standard 120V line can definitely help a lot of owners "get by" until then, and that most folks probably won't ever "need" a 2nd charger and the HPWC unless they need a very fast turnaround at home between depleting the battery and an immediate long-range trip.

 

[gmtom1]

So how does the math work out on determining how much kW I'll be taking from the wall each night, if my average daily drive is 30 miles? Just wondering how much additional capacity on a monthly basis I should plan for when planning my solar PV system.

Thanks.

 

[swaltner]

So how does the math work out on determining how much kW I'll be taking from the wall each night, if my average daily drive is 30 miles? Just wondering how much additional capacity on a monthly basis I should plan for when planning my solar PV system.

To make the math easy, plan on 333 Wh/mile, which means you would consume 10 kWh propelling the car. With efficient driving, many drivers get it down below 300 Wh/mile, although with spirited driving, the usage is higher. Add in some extra energy loss for the charger not being 100% efficient and vampire losses inside the car until Tesla Motors re-activates the sleep feature in a future firmware release, and a total guesstimate would be something like 15 kWh/day. You can use the PVwatts web site to plan the size of your solar system with that. Depending upon your location and if you want to get that extra production in the Winter as well as the Summer, you're looking at something like an extra 2-5 kW of solar panels.

Of course, these numbers are just guesses and if you're like everyone else that gets a Model S, you'll be driving significantly more than normal. One of those "drawbacks" to having a car that is fun to drive. You just look for excuses to go for a drive, or your 10 mile commute home becomes a 50 mile cruise, just because.

 

[gmtom1]

@swaltner - Thanks for the info & advice. You'd think that with their "affiliation" with SolarCity, they'd have a PV need calculator on the TM site, or link to one on the SC site.

 

[Sandy S]

Hey guys. Considering a switch from a BMW to a Model S. I
drive under 50 miles a day. I drive around 8,000 per year. The Tesla salesman told me it was not necessary to install a 220 plug because of my driving habits. He said a regular plug will charge the car 30
miles per 1 hour of charging. If thats true, I would be perfectly comfortable buying one and just using the charger that it comes with; however, I spoke with a couple who have a Model S and they said they had to instal the 220 plug because it took them DAYS to get a full charge without one which I find hard to believe. Can some owners chime in here and give me some good advice? Really appreciate it!!
-Matt

I own a Model S Signature Performance (#810). I drive an average of 50 miles per day, and on a few occasions each month hit 120 - 150 miles per day.

I would highly recommend a NEMA 14-50 outlet. This is 240 V at 50 Amps. The car will draw 40 Amps. It will charge at a rate of 28 miles per hour which has meet my needs. However, I am installing the Tesla High Power Wall Charger (100 Amp Service) at my office so that I can charge at a rate of 56 miles per hour if I need to travel to an unscheduled meeting. The new software permits you to charge to various levels to maximize battery life. Don't consider making the switch from a BMW to a Tesla. JUST DO IT!! You won't regret it.