dhrivnak
Active Member
Just be thankful you are able to help others.
I even went as far to list my house on PlugShare and about once a year I have someone come and use it.
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FAQ: Home Tesla charging infrastructure Q&A
- Thread starter FlasherZ
- Start date
I even went as far to list my house on PlugShare and about once a year I have someone come and use it.
FlatSix911
Porsche 918 Hybrid
See my comments below ... feel free to ask additional questions and let me know if you need a referral code
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1. With 2 Tesla’s I was thinking about installing only 1 HPWC. I could alternate charging between the 2 cars every other day since this should cover our range from the standard range M3. Would there be any problem with this? Based on your usage pattern you should be fine with one HPWC.
2. Instead of spending money on two HPWC's, I would add a 14-50 outlet in the same wall location. I am guessing this would be a small incremental expense. This could serve as a 2nd charger for the 2nd M3 or as a backup for any future EV that doesn’t use the HPWC. I assume this is less expensive than buying a 2nd HPWC and that a 2nd HPWC is overkill since it’s not needed. Is my thinking correct? Yes, an additional NEMA 14-50 is far less expensive than another HPWC. This is exactly what I did in my garage
3. My home is only several years old and main circuit breaker has 200A. It has a 70A subpanel for household outlets, etc... Should be fine based on your usage profile listed below.
4. We have very little electricity usage during the day. Evenings primarily only TV and a few computers of usage. All lights are LED so not much draw. Air condition use only during summer months but fairly mild weather and high A/C setting over 75 degrees so I think electricity draw doesn’t come close to using the full 200A. Would this be enough or would an expensive upgrade to 400A circuit be required? If 200A is enough, would electrician just need to install the HPWC and 14-50 outlet on the wall and cost would be reasonable, say less than $1000? No need to upgrade your service at this time. An electrician can complete a load calculation to confirm. I paid $700 for installation of a HPWC and NEMA 14-50 in my garage.
5. We have solar installed and have a big credit that should cover at least one and maybe both of the EV electricity charging during the year. Would this impact any decision on what to install for charging? Yes, you can use your credit to cover charging and also switch to a EV favorable TOU rate schedule for additional savings in SoCal.
6. The main breaker is on wall outside of garage and I am planning to install the HPWC directly inside garage and where there is also another subpanel already on the wall. Does anyone have any experience with a good electrician in Orange County who offer decent prices to do this type of install? If 200A is enough, would electrician just need to install the HPWC and 14-50 outlet on the wall and cost would be reasonable, say less than $1000, since I don't need to add another circuit breaker? Get 3 quotes from different electricians and let them know you are comparison shopping. You should be fine with a $1,000 budget for the work based on your sub panel location.
7. Oh and a misc. dumb question – when the Tesla is being charged, can one accidentally pull the car out of the garage with the charging cable still plugged to the car and ruin something? Or is there some sort of alert or disabling where you cannot drive off until the charging cable is removed from the car. I am thinking ahead and can see through an oversight how this might happen to me. Your Tesla will not engage the drive train when the vehicle is charging ... fool proof!
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Questions and comments I have regarding charging set up. Feedback would be greatly appreciated.
1. With 2 Tesla’s I was thinking about installing only 1 HPWC. I could alternate charging between the 2 cars every other day since this should cover our range from the standard range M3. Would there be any problem with this? Based on your usage pattern you should be fine with one HPWC.
2. Instead of spending money on two HPWC's, I would add a 14-50 outlet in the same wall location. I am guessing this would be a small incremental expense. This could serve as a 2nd charger for the 2nd M3 or as a backup for any future EV that doesn’t use the HPWC. I assume this is less expensive than buying a 2nd HPWC and that a 2nd HPWC is overkill since it’s not needed. Is my thinking correct? Yes, an additional NEMA 14-50 is far less expensive than another HPWC. This is exactly what I did in my garage
3. My home is only several years old and main circuit breaker has 200A. It has a 70A subpanel for household outlets, etc... Should be fine based on your usage profile listed below.
4. We have very little electricity usage during the day. Evenings primarily only TV and a few computers of usage. All lights are LED so not much draw. Air condition use only during summer months but fairly mild weather and high A/C setting over 75 degrees so I think electricity draw doesn’t come close to using the full 200A. Would this be enough or would an expensive upgrade to 400A circuit be required? If 200A is enough, would electrician just need to install the HPWC and 14-50 outlet on the wall and cost would be reasonable, say less than $1000? No need to upgrade your service at this time. An electrician can complete a load calculation to confirm. I paid $700 for installation of a HPWC and NEMA 14-50 in my garage.
5. We have solar installed and have a big credit that should cover at least one and maybe both of the EV electricity charging during the year. Would this impact any decision on what to install for charging? Yes, you can use your credit to cover charging and also switch to a EV favorable TOU rate schedule for additional savings in SoCal.
6. The main breaker is on wall outside of garage and I am planning to install the HPWC directly inside garage and where there is also another subpanel already on the wall. Does anyone have any experience with a good electrician in Orange County who offer decent prices to do this type of install? If 200A is enough, would electrician just need to install the HPWC and 14-50 outlet on the wall and cost would be reasonable, say less than $1000, since I don't need to add another circuit breaker? Get 3 quotes from different electricians and let them know you are comparison shopping. You should be fine with a $1,000 budget for the work based on your sub panel location.
7. Oh and a misc. dumb question – when the Tesla is being charged, can one accidentally pull the car out of the garage with the charging cable still plugged to the car and ruin something? Or is there some sort of alert or disabling where you cannot drive off until the charging cable is removed from the car. I am thinking ahead and can see through an oversight how this might happen to me. Your Tesla will not engage the drive train when the vehicle is charging ... fool proof!
Canuck
Well-Known Member
Not necessarily. If you do get two HPWCs note the power sharing options of the new ones...
Power Sharing HPWC
I am still a bit confused. I understand that if there were no constraints I should buy a few HPWC. But the real question I would like to find out is what the cost vs. benefits of getting 2 HPWC as compared to one HPWC and a 14-50 outlet. The way I see it there's a cost of $500 for an additional HPWC and I will assume a couple of hundred dollars for an additional 14-50. What will two WC give me? With the 14-50 I see possibly enough power and also be able to use on a new EV down the road. Is there something else I am missing by not having 2 WC?
Yes, you are missing the convenience of plugging in both cars every day and letting them charge as needed. In the grand scheme of things, you should spend the money to install two HPWCs sharing the largest possible circuit given your panel capacity. That way, if you ever need to charge one car faster, the capacity is there and when the two cars are charging at the same time, they are sharing a larger pool.
The only other option I would propose, is to put one 14-50 socket for each car. However, in total, this requires more capacity (2 x 50A) than sharing 60 amps between two HPWCs. Using one EVSE to charge two cars is a hassle, pure and simple. I would go as far as to say I would rather routinely charge one car on 120V (recharging about 40 miles per night) than to share a 240V EVSE.
I hope someone can help me with this, don't know what other section of the forum to post it on. I'm waiting for the Model 3 Long Range, I had an electrician do an on-site estimate, he saw my current main power panel is old (maybe from 1912 when house was built), anyways I will need to replace my main electrical panel and have the power company disconnect my service, they install new main electricity panel with 200 amps service from power company.
Then when main electrical panel installed, have power company connect power to the new main electrical panel. Later, wire 240v wiring from the front of the house to the detached garage near the back of the house and install NEMA 14-50 subpanel 60A breaker. They will need to go to the crawl space to do the work. Quoted about $6-7k for the job, I know I should get more estimates but does this price range sound reasonable?
Then when main electrical panel installed, have power company connect power to the new main electrical panel. Later, wire 240v wiring from the front of the house to the detached garage near the back of the house and install NEMA 14-50 subpanel 60A breaker. They will need to go to the crawl space to do the work. Quoted about $6-7k for the job, I know I should get more estimates but does this price range sound reasonable?
HankLloydRight
No Roads
So you have a 100-amp service panel now? Have you considered a NEMA 14-30 outlet which only requires a 30 amp circuit and charges at 24 amps to the car? You can still get a pretty decent charge from that overnight, and maybe you won't need new 200 amp service panel.
If you're only using the included mobile charging adapter (see: Tesla Product Page Template) -- that can only charge at 32 amps from the NEMA 14-50 anyway. You'd need to get a Wall Charger to charge at 40 amps.
If you're only using the included mobile charging adapter (see: Tesla Product Page Template) -- that can only charge at 32 amps from the NEMA 14-50 anyway. You'd need to get a Wall Charger to charge at 40 amps.
brucet999
Active Member
1912? So you have a fuse box and knob-and-tube wiring? If they replace the panel, the city may make you bring other wiring up to code.
Having a 200 amp panel is meaningless if your service wires are not upgraded from the power pole, since old service wires would not carry that much load.
Here in SoCal, just replacing the panel will cost $3k or more. Having to run conduit and large gauge wires under the house and then in underground to the garage could cost quite a lot, but seems high to me. I would get another estimate from a licensed electrician before going ahead.
Make sure that their quotes include city permits.
Thanks and I assume someone did upgrade the main fuse box since the permit center said last time the electrical permit was issued was in the 1980s. I do agree with cost is high and will for sure get another estimate. I went to the city permit center today and got approved for 600v up to 200 amps service, will need the licensed electrician to contact city-owned power company to begin work and permit include 240v 60A NEMA 14-50. I asked if I can also add Tesla HPWC, she said depends on building inspector but may or may not want us to go back to permit center and adjust the permit description. Now, have to find another estimate from a licensed electrician.
If you want more detailed help from here, post a picture of your main panel. What you’ve been quoted is a major job, so get at least one other opinion on what to do and a quote. As others have said, you can by just fin with a 30a breaker so that might not need a full panel replacement unless you really want to do one.
FlatSix911
Porsche 918 Hybrid
One correction here ... The NEMA 14-50 is rated for a 50A circuit and will provide 40A or 32A continuous depending on your EVSE charger.
I would recommend that you simply install a 30A circuit for a NEMA 14-30 and save the expense of installing a new 200A panel and NEMA 14-50.
israndy
Supercharger Hunter
The power company will likely upgrade the wires as they have been out swaying in the wind for decades. I don't believe we paid anything other than time while they came and put up the new wires after the new 200 amp panel was put in place. We also got a new meter, so they must take such opportunities to upgrade your equipment.
Wonder if I should be thinking about a 300 amp panel now that we have two electric cars and an RV added to the breakers installed.
-Randy
brucet999
Active Member
No need for a 300 amp panel. Right now your house operates fine on what must be 100 amp or less. Lowest electric rates are late night to early morning, so that's when you will charge your EVs. The 200 amp upgrade recommendation is likely just because you have used up all the slots in the old panel, or that an added 50A breaker would overload the panel if used at the same time as other big loads. Of course, you won't do that, but code just goes by whether you could, not whether you ever would.
I have a remodeling project about to start and code requires a bunch of dedicated circuits, so I must also upgrade to a 200A panel to meet code, even though the underground feed wires from Edison are capable of only 150A. Edison looked at our usage and told me that the highest usage at any time in the past year has been 24 amps; exactly what Blue Max draws when charging overnight from the dryer outlet in the garage.
If you're in PG&E territory and are upgrading the service from the pole due to EV charging installation, ask if the PG&E subsidy program is still available. They used to have a program that would subsidize up to $2,500 (IIRC) for service upgrades required to install EV charging equipment.
PwrOutage
Member
Excited, I'm ready for the Model 3. Tips: Got 3 bids using Craigslist, between $300-600 w/ parts included. On my post I asked for a 14-50 with pictures of the panel and my desired run and use of gauge 6 copper up to code. The lowest bid guy came out, great guy with lots of industrial factory experience, installing panels for charging high amp forklifts, dunkin donuts location ect.. Install took about 2 hours, most of it dealing with drywall removal and replacement actually. I will back my Model 3 in, so it will be very simple to plug and unplug the car.
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Agree 100% with the second option above. Just install two 14-50's and call it a day. Buying a HPWC for any Tesla is such an odd thing. Who, beside an ER doctor or nurse who is "on call" and living a significant distance from the hospital, needs a HPWC?!?
We have had two MS's since 2013 or 2014 and never had an issue with charging on the NEMA 14-50's. Heck, we even drop the amps to 15 or 10 just to slow things down and minimize any voltage drop (which harms efficiency).
mknox
Well-Known Member
Here's one reason: I actually wanted to buy a second UMC so I could leave one in the car and one at home, but at the time, the HPWC was within $100 of the UMC. So I got the HPWC, set the DIP switches for 40 amps and made a nice neat installation in my garage.
israndy
Supercharger Hunter
Don't forget you are talking about the Tesla community. If you can spend that much on a car you may have a second home. Nothing worse then making a trip to the other house and not being able to turn around and head home if needs warrant. I don't need high speed at home and I am thinking about getting the Plugless Charger if a version for the M3 comes out, but at the cabin it's HPWC all the way.
-Randy
-Randy
Duly noted; didn't think of that use case.
One would think that would be a bit of a rare situation, but I can see how that might create the be possible need for a HPWC, especially if there's no SuperCharger en route.
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