Converting 110 outlets for home charging ?

[bigevil]

Just ordered a MR M3 and unfortunately the house I'm renting is so old that we'd need a whole new panel install/upgrade for me to put in the HPWC or a NEMA connector. Landlady didn't seem too moved by my "help me save the environment and improve the resale value of your house" letter so unless I want to spend $3.5k on a rental house I won't be charging at home.


In my home driveway there is a duplex 110 outlet (I think that's what it's called) with 2 standard electrical outlets outside. I'm wondering if there is a way to convert that to 220 and or something else to make use of my home's existing charging when in a pinch or for top ups? I've seen some like transformer/converters online but I'm not sure if/how they're rated or if they work w/ Teslas amperage etc. Until I find a solution there's some superchargers around Los angeles, and a handful of chargepoints etc. so I'll survive. I'm more like a 20 mile a day kind of guy.


Any help would be GREAT!!

 

[derotam]

Even if you used a device to convert to 240, it wouldn't help because you would still be limited in total power as provided by that circuit. If you are only a 20 mile a day guy, then just use the 120v outside outlet to charge.

 

[SpiceWare]

Only 20 miles a day is easily covered by plugging into a standard NEMA 5-15 outlet with the included adapter. Tesla lists it as gaining 3 mph when charging, but actual experience shows that's really 4-5 mph so you'd fully charge in 4-5 hours (and likewise the optional NEMA 5-20 adapter (120 volts at 20 amps) gains closer to 7 mph, not 4 mph). I've been using the included 5-15 adapter since the end of May.

Tesla's list:

Actual experience:

 

[compu85]

Are there any other plugs on that circuit? If not, you could have an electrician change the outlet on the outside of the house to a NEMA 6-15, and replace the breaker with a 15A 240v. This would double your charging speed.

-J

 

[bigevil]

Are there any other plugs on that circuit? If not, you could have an electrician change the outlet on the outside of the house to a NEMA 6-15, and replace the breaker with a 15A 240v. This would double your charging speed.
-J

good question, I'll look. the house is SO old there's literally like 5 breakers in the whole panel, so I can't imagine those outlets are on their own. That said, if you're saying I might be OK with the regular outlet's that's GREAT! I've read though that as far as efficiency goes its a killer for the power bill. Not sure if that makes sense or my understanding is way off. Also, I'd love to keep my cable(s) in the car for charging so this means buying a 2nd set of cables correct? [~$500]?

 

[compu85]

If you only have 5 breakers you need to figure out what else is on that circuit, and if the panel and wiring is up to the task of charging an EV.

If you want to save some $$ on cables, any standard J1772 120v EVSE will work with the adapter that came with the car. You don't have to use the higher current capable Tesla mobile connector.

The slight efficiency loss of charging at 120v is not going to kill your power bill.

 

[derotam]

You would be hard pressed to see any efficiency hit on your power bill.

 

[bigevil]

Ok sick! will find out and report back. Any recommendations on these standard J1772 EVSE you mentioned? sorry such a newbie.

 

[EinSV]

To echo what others have said, for 20 miles a day you don't *need* to do anything. I charge on a standard 120V and typically get around 5 mph charging on my Model 3 LR. Just plug it in regularly and you should be fine. It is less efficient but given your circumstances it could be the way to go.

Tesla provides the adapter with the car so you don't need to do anything -- just pick up the car, find the 120V adapter and plug it in.

 

[compu85]

Any recommendations on these standard J1772 EVSE you mentioned? sorry such a newbie.

Go on ebay and look up EV chargers. Clipper Creek makes nice ones. The Lear made chargers that came with the Fiat 500e can operate on 120 or 240V.

-J

 

[SpiceWare]

Just a reminder that this is what comes with the car, no EVSE required. As mentioned above, I've been using the NEMA 5-15 since I got my 3.

This is from a handout I made to give to people who come up asking questions about my 3. Anybody's more than welcome to download that handout and make changes for your own use (change picture to match your car, your referral code, supercharging pricing for your state, etc). Instructions to download in this tweet.

 

[DBeckwith]

Most homes now have 15 amp circuits. However, there was a time when 20 amp was in vogue. Maybe you are lucky and your rental has a NEMA 5-20 style outlet:

If so, you can use this adapter and get 50% more miles per hour:

Model S/X/3 Gen 2 NEMA Adapters

I get between 5 and 6 miles an hour on my Model 3 with the NEMA 5-20 adapter. However, don't think you can replace a 5-15 outlet with a 5-20 and achieve the same results. It requires a 20 amp circuit breaker and 12 gauge wire.

 

[Cosmacelf]

Can you post a picture of your electrical panel? Maybe there is something we can suggest. Right now, your best bet is to use the included Mobile Connector and just plug into the 120v outlet.

 

[eprosenx]

I will second what others have said: If you only have like five breakers in the whole house then that receptacle outside is likely shared with a bunch of other stuff. If you even draw the paltry 12a at 120v that it in theory could provide, you may overload the circuit due to other loads.

Converting it to 240v would force all other receptacles on the circuit out of service to do it safely as they would be 240v then (so you would have to remove them and cap them off).

Typically converting a circuit to 240v is most feasible when you have a dedicated circuit you just want to switch over. Most common is for a freezer in the garage.

 

[Rocky_H]

Just a reminder that this is what comes with the car, no EVSE required.

This needs clarification so people aren't misled. The cable that comes with the car IS an EVSE. It just happens to be a portable one. So you really mean no additional EVSE required.

 

[mswlogo]

If the circuit is “dedicated” you can fairly easily have it changed to 220V. No new wires needed. All outlets on that circuit would need to change to 220V.

Just call an electrician. It shouldn’t cost much. If landlady is near by or another tenant uses that outlet then you might have an issue.

It’s not a big deal or expensive to switch it to 220 and not a big deal to put it back. You could even give landlady a deposit to cover putting it back if you don’t get it done.

220 is a LOT better than 110. So I’d do it if you can.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Sounds like this is a case where it would be worth while to have an electrician take a look and see what can be done.

Sometimes you can double up a couple circuits to get additional amperage, but it has to be done properly.

 

[ReddyLeaf]

good question, I'll look. the house is SO old there's literally like 5 breakers in the whole panel, so I can't imagine those outlets are on their own. That said, if you're saying I might be OK with the regular outlet's that's GREAT! I've read though that as far as efficiency goes its a killer for the power bill. Not sure if that makes sense or my understanding is way off. Also, I'd love to keep my cable(s) in the car for charging so this means buying a 2nd set of cables correct? [~$500]?

save yourself all the extra bother and expense of changing electrical stuff. Just use the 120V plug and you’ll get about 50 mi per night. I’ve been using this method for 3+ yr

 

[ewoodrick]

It doesn't sound like you need more, so enjoy what you have. No need to reinvent the wheel.

 

[Need]

And if you really really want to spend money on it, you could look up Quick 220 system. I think you will need two 110V outlets that are on different circuits and out of phase, so you can't just use your 2 outside outlet that are on the same circuit and same phase.

Also you could see if you have a electric dryer outlet in the house. Some houses have it.