Electric Requirements

[jerome8283]

Hi all,

I’m trying to better understand the requirements for the install of the Tesla Gen 3 Wall charger and mobile connector. I will have an electrician come out to assess my situation but I’m just trying to get an idea.

I have an electrical box in my garage that has a 30amp breaker that was installed for my dryer. There are also plenty of spare openings for additional breakers.

1. Could I tap into this electrical box 30amp breaker for the Wall charger and share it with the dryer(when not in use).
2. What would be the max breaker required to achieve the best charging output, 60amps?
3. Would the electrician need to determine the overall load available for my home?
4. What is the max length of the cord for the Wall changer, 18ft?

Thanks

 

[ajstan]

A lot of wall connector questions can be answered at the link below, but here’s what I understand from talking to the electrician who did my install:

1 & 2: Yes, you could, but if your panel and electrical service can handle it, install a 60 amp breaker so you can charge at maximum speed.

3: You could check it yourself, but I don’t know enough to walk you through it. The electrician can tell you. It’s a function of the capacity of your panel, what you already have connected to it, and the level of electric service you have running to the panel.

4: 24’

Wall Connector

The Tesla Wall Connector is the most efficient way to charge a Tesla at home — just plug in your vehicle overnight and wake up to a charged vehicle.

www.tesla.com

 

[240vPlug]

Hi all,

I’m trying to better understand the requirements for the install of the Tesla Gen 3 Wall charger and mobile connector. I will have an electrician come out to assess my situation but I’m just trying to get an idea.

I have an electrical box in my garage that has a 30amp breaker that was installed for my dryer. There are also plenty of spare openings for additional breakers.

1. Could I tap into this electrical box 30amp breaker for the Wall charger and share it with the dryer(when not in use).

Not recommended. There are products that allow for sharing of the circuit but I wouldn't use those long term as a permanent solution for daily home charging.

1. What would be the max breaker required to achieve the best charging output, 60amps?

You would need a 60 amp breaker to configure the Wall Connector for maximum charge rate of 48 amps.

1. Would the electrician need to determine the overall load available for my home?

It is a good idea if your electrical panel is at or near capacity. Generally I would do it regardless so that you know what your current load is. This will allow you to make more informed decisions moving forward.

1. What is the max length of the cord for the Wall changer, 18ft?

Wall connector comes with a 24ft cord. See Wall Connector for full details.

Thanks

Responses in bold above.

 

[SkyDog]

I'm not qualified to answer most questions about electricity, but I do recommend that you get more than 1 electrician to look at your situation. I had different electricians tell me very different things about what was or wasn't possible for getting my Tesla Wall Connector installed.

 

[Sophias_dad]

Should I set a timer for the "My electrician used 6AWG romex and a 60 amp breaker.... is that okay" question?

Just to be clear, it is NOT okay to put a 60 amp breaker on 6AWG romex(that is, not conductors-in-conduit) if you know its going to be connected to a 48 amp EV load. Plenty of 'professional' electricians screw that up.

 

[jerome8283]

Should I set a timer for the "My electrician used 6AWG romex and a 60 amp breaker.... is that okay" question?

Just to be clear, it is NOT okay to put a 60 amp breaker on 6AWG romex(that is, not conductors-in-conduit) if you know its going to be connected to a 48 amp EV load. Plenty of 'professional' electricians screw that up.

I’m having an electrician come out Monday to determine what is required and the cost, no work will be done yet. I will certainly keep this in mind.

 

[howardnj]

Hi all,

I’m trying to better understand the requirements for the install of the Tesla Gen 3 Wall charger and mobile connector. I will have an electrician come out to assess my situation but I’m just trying to get an idea.

I have an electrical box in my garage that has a 30amp breaker that was installed for my dryer. There are also plenty of spare openings for additional breakers.

1. Could I tap into this electrical box 30amp breaker for the Wall charger and share it with the dryer(when not in use).
2. What would be the max breaker required to achieve the best charging output, 60amps?
3. Would the electrician need to determine the overall load available for my home?
4. What is the max length of the cord for the Wall changer, 18ft?

Thanks

I think the place that you should start is first contact your local municipal office. Are permits required?
I used a local NJ licensed electrician that was on Tesla's website for recommended electricians. Not all licensed electricians are familiar with installing EV chargers.
To answer #1 No you should not!
#2 The NJ licensed electrician that I used installed a 100 amp sub panel in my garage
#3 Yes! In order to qualify for the NJ $1500.00 PSE&G rebate my electrician had to submit a load/data form to PSE&G
#4 24 feet

Good luck

 

[jerome8283]

I think the place that you should start is first contact your local municipal office. Are permits required?
I used a local NJ licensed electrician that was on Tesla's website for recommended electricians. Not all licensed electricians are familiar with installing EV chargers.
To answer #1 No you should not!
#2 The NJ licensed electrician that I used installed a 100 amp sub panel in my garage
#3 Yes! In order to qualify for the NJ $1500.00 PSE&G rebate my electrician had to submit a load/data form to PSE&G
#4 24 feet

Good luck

I already have a 100 amp sub panel in my garage. There is a dual 30 amp breaker for my dryer and a 15 amp breaker for the oil burner.

 

[howardnj]

I already have a 100 amp sub panel in my garage. There is a dual 30 amp breaker for my dryer and a 15 amp breaker for the oil burner.

All you need is dual 60 amp breakers for you wall charger that will allow you to charge at the maximum 48 amps

 

[jerome8283]

I have an electrician coming out today. We’ll see. Thanks

 

[jerome8283]

The electrican came out and they can install a 50 amp line right off the sub panel in the garage. And, @Sophias_dad you were right, it must be a separate line specific for this, not the existing romex.

Question for you all. I believe the existing cable from the Wall charger is 18ft? Can this be extended at all? Reason I ask is the electrician said he could save me $$ if he could install the Wall Charger close to the panel. Currently I need the charger close to the garage door opening because there’s not enough space to park the car in the garage so I need to extend the cable under the door out to the car.

 

[Stirfry]

The electrican came out and they can install a 50 amp line right off the sub panel in the garage. And, @Sophias_dad you were right, it must be a separate line specific for this, not the existing romex.

Question for you all. I believe the existing cable from the Wall charger is 18ft? Can this be extended at all? Reason I ask is the electrician said he could save me $$ if he could install the Wall Charger close to the panel. Currently I need the charger close to the garage door opening because there’s not enough space to park the car in the garage so I need to extend the cable under the door out to the car.

I believe the Tesla Gen 3 wall charger has an option for both 18' and 24' cables.

*edit* Looks like just a 24' cable now:

 

[jerome8283]

I would need it longer if possible.

 

[Sophias_dad]

The electrican came out and they can install a 50 amp line right off the sub panel in the garage. And, @Sophias_dad you were right, it must be a separate line specific for this, not the existing romex.

I'm not sure what I was right about there, but it does have to be a separate line.

Note that if you are looking for a 48 amp charging rate, the line and breaker have to be 60 amp capable(aka 48 amp continuous). If the '50 amp line right off the subpanel' implies 50 amp wiring and a 50 amp breaker and is used with an EV charger, its only allowed to supply 40 amps.

 

[jerome8283]

I'm not sure what I was right about there, but it does have to be a separate line.

Note that if you are looking for a 48 amp charging rate, the line and breaker have to be 60 amp capable(aka 48 amp continuous). If the '50 amp line right off the subpanel' implies 50 amp wiring and a 50 amp breaker and is used with an EV charger, its only allowed to supply 40 amps.

I realized this and emailed the electrican a few minutes ago, thanks.

See thread #5 above where you commented on romex.

 

[davewill]

The electrican came out and they can install a 50 amp line right off the sub panel in the garage. And, @Sophias_dad you were right, it must be a separate line specific for this, not the existing romex.

Question for you all. I believe the existing cable from the Wall charger is 18ft? Can this be extended at all? Reason I ask is the electrician said he could save me $$ if he could install the Wall Charger close to the panel. Currently I need the charger close to the garage door opening because there’s not enough space to park the car in the garage so I need to extend the cable under the door out to the car.

My advice is NOT to depend on using the maximum length of your wall connector cable. It's a pain in the butt to constantly coil and uncoil a long cable. Spend the money now to put the wall connector in the most convenient location. When I did my last one, another 10ft of distance was an extra $50 as I recall. This was for #6 THHN in hard conduit mounted on the wall.

Do you intend to park outside permanently? I ask because running the cable under the door exposes it to damage from the door pinching the cable, and has the potential to create gaps that could let rodents into your garage. Better to mount the wall connector outside if you're going to be using it there.

 

[jerome8283]

My advice is NOT to depend on using the maximum length of your wall connector cable. It's a pain in the butt to constantly coil and uncoil a long cable. Spend the money now to put the wall connector in the most convenient location. When I did my last one, another 10ft of distance was an extra $50 as I recall. This was for #6 THHN in hard conduit mounted on the wall.

Do you intend to park outside permanently? I ask because running the cable under the door exposes it to damage from the door pinching the cable, and has the potential to create gaps that could let rodents into your garage. Better to mount the wall connector outside if you're going to be using it there.

Yeah I thought about cable pinch and the potential for rodents, good points.

 

[fiehlsport]

Make sure they do a 60A breaker with #6 THHN wire in conduit (metal or PVC is fine) - a 50A circuit will limit your wall connector to 40 amps versus the 48A it is capable of. Minor, but best to max it out now while you can.

Also, note that a neutral wire is not necessary, so that should save you some cash. Two hot wires and a ground, can be #6, #6, and downsized to #8 for the ground.

 

[Darmie]

It may be a little late now but I will always recommend future proofing your install. You may not see it now, but down the road there could be another Tesla in the family. Not that you need to currently install two wall connectors, but having the extra power will go far. If it is all set in stone, the benefit of the Gen 3's are that they can communicate via wifi in order to do load sharing.

 

[jerome8283]

It may be a little late now but I will always recommend future proofing your install. You may not see it now, but down the road there could be another Tesla in the family. Not that you need to currently install two wall connectors, but having the extra power will go far. If it is all set in stone, the benefit of the Gen 3's are that they can communicate via wifi in order to do load sharing.

It’s not too late, nothing has been done. Can you clarify what you’re recommending? Thanks