Garage mounted 240v NEMA 14-50...? Check! Central Vacuum outlet...? Check!

[Amitch1]

Now all that's needed is a Grey Model S P85, pano, 21's with tan leather.

Now I know what it's like for you mothers and fathers out there waiting for a child to be delivered! We don't have kids, and this is the first and only time I've been forced to wait for something. You're talking to Mr. Utterly Impatient. I yell at microwave ovens to hurry for 2 minute popcorn. Torture.:wink:

Our electrician just installed the 240v NEMA 14-50 outlet in the garage plus a new and separate electrical panel used for our emergency standby generator. We dedicated a 110v circuit for the garage just in case we had no other choice but to charge the Tesla on 110v during a hurricane or other major black-out.

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Sorry for the gigantic photos!

 

[stevezzzz]

I know the waiting is hard: been there, done that. I had my NEMA 14-50 ready to go for over a year before the S showed up. But show up it did, and boy is it terrific. You'll see...

 

[spleen]

Our electrician just installed the 240v NEMA 14-50 outlet in the garage plus a new and separate electrical panel used for our emergency standby generator. We dedicated a 110v circuit for the garage just in case we had no other choice but to charge the Tesla on 110v during a hurricane or other major black-out.

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Sorry for the gigantic photos!

When you get your Model S (and I completely understand the impatience!), please do yourself a favor and TEST your backup generator and whether it will charge your Model S on 120v. EVSEs are notoriously picky about current waveforms and usually require a true sine wave (kind of like computers, rather than most electrical appliances) and a lot of generators out there don't produce true sine waves. Best to discover this now instead of in an emergency when you really need it to work and it doesn't.

 

[FlasherZ]

When you get your Model S (and I completely understand the impatience!), please do yourself a favor and TEST your backup generator and whether it will charge your Model S on 120v. EVSEs are notoriously picky about current waveforms and usually require a true sine wave (kind of like computers, rather than most electrical appliances) and a lot of generators out there don't produce true sine waves. Best to discover this now instead of in an emergency when you really need it to work and it doesn't.

The EVSE's don't care, but the chargers do.

Cheap, standard generators produce true sine waves, but with a lot of distortion and frequency variation because they must run at precisely 3,600 RPM to give 60 Hz. It's this distortion and frequency variation that sensitive electronics hate.

I have a 25 kW Generac unit that has a 4-cylinder liquid-cooled engine that will charge my car with minimal interruption. Occasionally, my UPS's go onto battery (and Model S will stop charging), but for the most part it can charge okay. I've found that the smaller, air-cooled generators produce too much variation and charging goes offline far more frequently.

Tesla Model S will charge just fine on inverter generators, like Honda's EU series...

 

[spleen]

The EVSE's don't care, but the chargers do.

Cheap, standard generators produce true sine waves, but with a lot of distortion and frequency variation because they must run at precisely 3,600 RPM to give 60 Hz. It's this distortion and frequency variation that sensitive electronics hate.

I have a 25 kW Generac unit that has a 4-cylinder liquid-cooled engine that will charge my car with minimal interruption. Occasionally, my UPS's go onto battery (and Model S will stop charging), but for the most part it can charge okay. I've found that the smaller, air-cooled generators produce too much variation and charging goes offline far more frequently.

Tesla Model S will charge just fine on inverter generators, like Honda's EU series...

Thanks for the clarification, FlasherZ - I knew when I typing my reply that it wasn't quite exactly right (close!) but I knew that you'd be by to correct me if it was wrong, lol.

I thought that a lot of cheaper generators didn't produce true sine waves but instead "modified sine waves"? maybe I misunderstood.

 

[Btrflyl8e]

@Amitch1, I just saw that gray in person yesterday... It is gorgeous. If I hadn't gotten the blue I think I would've gone with the gray.

I remember it felt like I was going to jump out of my own skin trying to contain myself waiting. All a distant memory and in the end worth every agonizing minute! Do you have a delivery window?

 

[DavidM]

The Honda EU inverter generators are in fact awesome, but pricey. Nice clean power for Model S or electronics, sensitive refrigerators, etc. Whisper quiet. Electronic start. And can be modified to run on propane or natural gas. I recently bought the EU3000iS (120V, 3,000 watt). Would have preferred the EU6500, but the smaller unit was a nice compromise. However, the 6,500 could charge the Model S in a power outage at 240V.

My 3000 powers 6 key 120V circuits in my service panel via a manual transfer switch ($225). We had an electrician wire it up for $500. No more worries about losing power for hours or days. Entire project cost about $3,500.

 

[ToddRLockwood]

Amitch1: You might also want to install an air hose and modest air compressor to keep your tire pressures optimal. Griots Garage has a couple of nice solutions...

http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/auto+retracting+air+hose+reel.do?sortby=ourPicks

http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/digital+tire+inflating+gun.do?sortby=ourPicks (This tool is awesome!)

You can get a table top air compressor from Home Depot for about $125.

With such a heavy car, correct tire pressures are particularly important and will protect you from wheel damage.

 

[Amitch1]

spleen - great tip. thanks for the heads-up!

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Ok, got it - good stuff.

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@Btrflyl8e, Interestly enough - my wife and I had to thumb-wrestle over the blue or the grey. To me, there wasn't going to be a 'looser' either way. We purposely pushed delivery off until the 3rd or 4th week of Sept, since we've actually decided to take a 2 week vacation this year (damn it!).

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@ToddRLockwood - that's a really good tip on several levels. Since I road bike and of course maintaining tire pressures for both our cars - this is really a no brainer.

 

[Amitch1]

We use a 5500 watt Generac. Would a line conditioner help clean up the sine waves?

The EVSE's don't care, but the chargers do.

Cheap, standard generators produce true sine waves, but with a lot of distortion and frequency variation because they must run at precisely 3,600 RPM to give 60 Hz. It's this distortion and frequency variation that sensitive electronics hate.

I have a 25 kW Generac unit that has a 4-cylinder liquid-cooled engine that will charge my car with minimal interruption. Occasionally, my UPS's go onto battery (and Model S will stop charging), but for the most part it can charge okay. I've found that the smaller, air-cooled generators produce too much variation and charging goes offline far more frequently.

Tesla Model S will charge just fine on inverter generators, like Honda's EU series...