Extension cord and 220 jack advice - just got my X yesterday!

[Mrburlingame]

Hi everyone,

I've probably spent way too much time enjoying all of the comments here the last few months so thank you all. I've learned a lot. Just got my 75D yesterday! The included cord is not long enough and I need another 5ish feet. Should I get one longer one, or get an extension?

Should I get this one, or one from Tesla? Camco 55194 50 AMP 15' PowerGrip Extension Cord Amazon.com: Camco 55194 50 AMP 15' PowerGrip Extension Cord: Automotive

Also, my electrician installed this box. I had assumed it would be one that I could wrap the cord around and leave there during the day - will this be just fine?

Thank you in advance!

 

[Mrburlingame]

Also, are there any other charging adapters that are "must haves"? I plan to mostly charge at home or at a Supercharger or Chargepoint.

 

[davewill]

The extension cord will work, but I NEVER recommend extension cords for daily use. Too many ways for one to go wrong. Fine for occasional use where you can keep an eye on it. You've got a few choices. You can ignore my advice and use the extension cord. You can buy an HPWC, which has a longer cable, and have it hard-wired in place of your outlet. You can send your mobile connector to the guys at QuickChargePower.com and they will lengthen it for you.

Finally, you can have the electrician back out and have him move the outlet closer to your car...which is honestly what I would do. Long cables and extension cords are just plain a nuisance to deal with on a daily basis. Also, I would look at giving that outlet some kind of weather protection, unless you don't plan to charge when it's raining.

P.S. It also looks like you could just back into your driveway and have plenty of slack...but I figure you already rejected that for some reason.

 

[TexasEV]

I agree. Have the electrician move the outlet to where it's convenient to plug in the car.

 

[Rocky_H]

Yeah, I might be inclined to just get a wall connector with the 24 foot cord mounted out there instead of modifying my mobile charge cable. Or seriously, just back in.

 

[Mrburlingame]

Hi all, thank you for your suggestions. Over the last week I've been backing in and it's been just fine. I was hoping to pull in front first since we keep the car seat behind the passenger seat and easier access with opening the door on the right side of the driveway instead.

Due to a large bouganvillea on the right side of the garage that we didn't want to touch, we chose not to put the wall connector there. Would get messy with wrapping up the cable.

Does Tesla sell a 24 foot cord that could use to replace my current one, or what would you recommend? Thanks in advance.

Also, any suggestions on a hook to wrap the cord around?

 

[ishop4more]

We hang our charging cord on a decorative garden hose hanger. Mounted it to the wall with 4 drywall screws (it's in our garage).

 

[Mrburlingame]

We hang our charging cord on a decorative garden hose hanger. Mounted it to the wall with 4 drywall screws (it's in our garage).

Great idea! I can get one.

 

[vandacca]

Hi all, thank you for your suggestions. Over the last week I've been backing in and it's been just fine. I was hoping to pull in front first since we keep the car seat behind the passenger seat and easier access with opening the door on the right side of the driveway instead.

Due to a large bouganvillea on the right side of the garage that we didn't want to touch, we chose not to put the wall connector there. Would get messy with wrapping up the cable.

Does Tesla sell a 24 foot cord that could use to replace my current one, or what would you recommend? Thanks in advance.

Also, any suggestions on a hook to wrap the cord around?

As far as I know, you need to order the latest Wall Charger with the 24' cord. If you have the Wall Charger with the 8.5' cord, you're out of luck. But there is no harm in calling Tesla Service and asking if you can purchase just a replacement cord, but I very much doubt they'll do that as it's a pretty serious electrical connection to make.

With regards to wrapping up the cable, 2 Gecko Toes clips is a popular solution. Search this forums for many pictures.
What's up with HPWC?
What's up with HPWC?
What's up with HPWC?
What's up with HPWC?

Actually, the Tesla Wall Charger is probably fine by itself, as the charger was designed to have the cable wraps around it.

 

[Mrburlingame]

Thank you Vandacca. I am hoping not to order the Tesla Wall Charger primarily since my electrician just put the box (not sure what's technically called) with the 220. No idea if that's pricey or not to upgrade since I just got it, and haven't gotten my electrician's bill yet.

I will call Tesla Service and see if they have a longer cord to replace the one that came with the vehicle, but I agree, unlikely they would let me swap it out since mine is now "used" even if they had one. If they do, I'm happy to buy a new one.

Thanks for the Gecko Toes suggestion and link to that thread!

 

[Rocky_H]

Thank you Vandacca. I am hoping not to order the Tesla Wall Charger primarily since my electrician just put the box (not sure what's technically called) with the 220. No idea if that's pricey or not to upgrade since I just got it, and haven't gotten my electrician's bill yet.

I will call Tesla Service and see if they have a longer cord to replace the one that came with the vehicle, but I agree, unlikely they would let me swap it out since mine is now "used" even if they had one. If they do, I'm happy to buy a new one.

Thanks for the Gecko Toes suggestion and link to that thread!

If you do get the Tesla wall connector, installation should be really cheap (basically whatever the guy charges for service call plus half hour job). It will not require a new wiring run. The electrician can simply unhook the 14-50 outlet that is mounted on the wall and use those existing wires to mount the wall connector there. It will still use that existing 50A circuit and provide the same current as your mobile cable.

As to your second question about longer Tesla mobile cable, no, they don’t sell one, but there is a company called Quick Charge Power that offers a service where you can send them your Tesla UMC, and they will put in a longer length of wire into it that you specify. A length of 30 feet is $150. Here’s a link to that.

Tesla UMC extension