Home charging advice

[Jjrss]

I was in the same boat in regards to moving soon after getting a Tesla (<1 year).

All of the quotes I got for a dedicated wall charger were 150% the cost of a wall charger and didnt include the wall charger in the estimates. "Tesla Tax".

I ended up getting the 14-50 installed in the garage for versatility for myself and a potential future buyer who didnt have a Tesla. Installed parts and labor for $650.

I used the same electrician on the new house, and opted to stay with the 14-50 solution. My commute is 80 miles a day, and I charge to 80%. I haven't had any issues with it keeping up.

My future EV may not be a Tesla, and may require 80A or more (Ford Lightning for example). Maybe if the Wall Charger and Teslas handled by-directional charging I would have opted for it... for me, it just looks like eye candy and not future proof.

 

[Daekwan]

I wasn't going to constantly plug/unplug the NEMA 14-50... And was asking which mobile connector to buy.

But yeah, it's an attached garage and I am leaning towards the Gen 3 Wall Connector. Though I think the labor for the 2 jobs will vary in price.

Get the G3 HPWC and make sure its installed on a 60A breaker. Its the fastest & best solution for charging a Tesla period. As long as you have a Tesla, you will wont have any future regrets from purchasing it. I was also able to get a TON of rebates ($300 power company, 30% IRS, up to $700 state). With the other solutions you will never be able to charge any faster, even in urgent situations. With the HPWC you always have the option to charge slower, if forever reason you wanted to.

Its absolutely amazing to me that people have no problem paying $60K to $140K for a new Tesla, will spend another $10K for gimmicky FSD, but when it comes to home charging they get cheap all of a sudden. Battery capacity will only grow in size, as the costs of cells & manufacturing continue to decrease.. which means newer EV's will come with even more range than they do now. There's quite a few EV's already available right now with battery packs over 100kWh in size and up to 500miles of range. I cannot imagine spending that much money on a new EV & then needing to charge it any slower than necessary.

FWIW I put the HPWC on side of the garage and a 14-50R outlet on the other side of the garage. I knew my wife was also shopping for an EV. And Im glad I did, she just picked up an ID.4.. so we are now both able to charge our cars quickly and/or off-peak when electricity is the cheapest. I purchased a Chargepoint Home Flex for her charging needs as we could plug it in immediately to the 14-50R, charge at 40A and claim the IRS 30% credit. But the Home Flex really is flexible, I can remove the 14-50P 'ponytail', hardwire it to a 60A breaker on a dedicated circuit as its only 3 feet away from the sub panel and this will allow her to charge at the full 48A capability. It will free up the 14-50R for future use.

 

[Jjrss]

Get the G3 HPWC and make sure its installed on a 60A breaker. Its the fastest & best solution for charging a Tesla period. As long as you have a Tesla, you will wont have any future regrets from purchasing it. I was also able to get a TON of rebates ($300 power company, 30% IRS, up to $700 state). With the other solutions you will never be able to charge any faster, even in urgent situations. With the HPWC you always have the option to charge slower, if forever reason you wanted to.

Its absolutely amazing to me that people have no problem paying $60K to $140K for a new Tesla, will spend another $10K for gimmicky FSD, but when it comes to home charging they get cheap all of a sudden. Battery capacity will only grow in size, as the costs of cells & manufacturing continue to decrease.. which means newer EV's will come with even more range than they do now. There's quite a few EV's already available right now with battery packs over 100kWh in size and up to 500miles of range. I cannot imagine spending that much money on a new EV & then needing to charge it any slower than necessary.

FWIW I put the HPWC on side of the garage and a 14-50R outlet on the other side of the garage. I knew my wife was also shopping for an EV. And Im glad I did, she just picked up an ID.4.. so we are now both able to charge our cars quickly and/or off-peak when electricity is the cheapest. I purchased a Chargepoint Home Flex for her charging needs as we could plug it in immediately to the 14-50R, charge at 40A and claim the IRS 30% credit. But the Home Flex really is flexible, I can remove the 14-50P 'ponytail', hardwire it to a 60A breaker on a dedicated circuit as its only 3 feet away from the sub panel and this will allow her to charge at the full 48A capability. It will free up the 14-50R for future use.

Some of us landed a Model Y LR under $50K because it hit the "affordability" range, with ICE monthly gas prices factored in

Spending thousands more on non-future proof (and arguably way over-priced) solutions didnt pass the sniff test.

If the mobile charger meets your commuting needs, always plug your car in when you get home from work or from running errands and you'll rarely have a "urgent need" range anxiety. Or, have a second car if your family is elderly and or accident prone. Save the money for the emergency room bills.

 

[jcanoe]

I'll admit I never looked at the price, and that's cheaper than I expected......I thought they'd be charging $100 or so. It's $45 here in Canada (weak Canadian dollar).

A Cable Organizer performs two functions. First, it provides a bracket (wall mount) to hold the Mobile Connector chassis so it is not constantly putting additional weight on the plug and receptacle. Second, it provide a way to hang the coiled charging cord so the charging cord is off of the floor and not a trip hazard when not in use. You can improvise these supports anyway you like. The Cable Organizer, whether purchased from Tesla or one of the Amazon/eBay/Etsy sellers is an inexpensive addition to your home charging setup when using the Gen2 Mobile Connector as your primary means of home charging. (The Tesla Gen3 Mobile Connector provides a built in means of hanging the charging cord when not in use so you may not need a separate cable hanger for the charging cord.)

 

[Jjrss]

A Cable Organizer performs two functions. First, it provides a bracket (wall mount) to hold the Mobile Connector chassis so it is not constantly putting additional weight on the plug and receptacle. Second, it provide a way to hang the coiled charging cord so the charging cord is off of the floor and not a trip hazard when not in use. You can improvise these supports anyway you like. The Cable Organizer, whether purchased from Tesla or one of the Amazon/eBay/Etsy sellers is an inexpensive addition to your home charging setup when using the Gen2 Mobile Connector as your primary means of home charging. (The Tesla Gen3 Mobile Connector provides a built in means of hanging the charging cord when not in use so you may not need a separate cable hanger for the charging cord.)

Gen 3 Mobile Connector?

 

[jcanoe]

Gen 3 Mobile Connector?

Good catch, meant to write Gen3 Wall Connector.

 

[almil18]

You could also get a ccs juice box or similar and use Tesla provided ccs adapter. That way if you want to use the full power of 14-50 while getting the added benefit of having a common charging infrastructure that could be added selling point for rental/sales.

 

[jcanoe]

You could also get a ccs juice box or similar and use Tesla provided ccs adapter. That way if you want to use the full power of 14-50 while getting the added benefit of having a common charging infrastructure that could be added selling point for rental/sales.

That would have to be an SAE J1772 Juice Box, etc. Tesla provides an SAE J1772 charging adapter with every new Tesla vehicle. Combined Charging System (CCS) is not a home charging standard.

 

[Daekwan]

Some of us landed a Model Y LR under $50K because it hit the "affordability" range, with ICE monthly gas prices factored in

Spending thousands more on non-future proof (and arguably way over-priced) solutions didnt pass the sniff test.

If the mobile charger meets your commuting needs, always plug your car in when you get home from work or from running errands and you'll rarely have a "urgent need" range anxiety. Or, have a second car if your family is elderly and or accident prone. Save the money for the emergency room bills.

I certainly understand the argument to save money, but honestly if you are that stretched financially, you shouldn't be purchasing a $50K vehicle in the first in the place regardless of what drivetrain it uses.

Furthermore depending on how many rebates, credits and other incentives are available to you.. there is a good chance installing a dedicated L2 wall charger might be as cheap.. or even cheaper than just the 14-50 outlet. I will get back a total of $1000 from the power company & state of MD for the purchase + installation of my HPWC, rebates & credits that would not have be applicable to a just a 14-50 outlet alone. My net costs to purchase the Tesla HPWC.. and pay an electrician to install a new 100A subpanel in the garage (65 feet away from my main 200A panel) plus the additional 14-50 outlet in my garage was $250 after all rebates, credits and incentives are added.

 

[Ardymary]

I have the same question, Previous owner had 2014 Model S P100 and they removed the wall charger in garage - The junction box is still there and on the other wall I can see another 220V plug (Like Landry one), So no idea if it make sense to buy wall charger for MY and how much is the cost, Also what`s mu options for wall charger, Is there any other or I should stick with Tesla!

 

[jcanoe]

I have the same question, Previous owner had 2014 Model S P100 and they removed the wall charger in garage - The junction box is still there and on the other wall I can see another 220V plug (Like Landry one), So no idea if it make sense to buy wall charger for MY and how much is the cost, Also what`s mu options for wall charger, Is there any other or I should stick with Tesla!

Check with your local power utility company. You may be eligible to purchase a Level 2 electric vehicle service equipment (EVSE) for practically no cost through a rebate program. Possible vendors offering this charging equipment include Chargepoint, ClipperCreek and JuiceBox. The Tesla Gen3 Wall Connector in generic terms is a Level 2 EVSE fitted with a Tesla specific charging connector. The other brands of EVSE use the SAE J1772 charging connector (Tesla vehicles come with a Tesla to SAE J1772 adapter.)

 

[senojjones]

I've got both a 14-50 on a 40 amp breaker and a Tesla wall charger outside my house. The 14-50 was installed by me, using a really thick 50 foot cable from Home Despot, easy install. Wiring the 14-50 is not easy. I should have wired that first, with the box sitting on the bench, then run the cable back to the subpanel. Instead I wired the outlet, standing on a chair, as it is connected to an overhead beam. Not terribly difficult if you're handy, but the wire is super thick and getting all four wires in just the right place is not trivial

. I had cleaned out that garage bay, (i have 3), so now i can keep the car indoors and charge it. Next year we'll replace my wife's aging Subaru with a Model Y, so two chargers makes life a bit easier.

 

[1plavs]

I've got both a 14-50 on a 40 amp breaker and a Tesla wall charger outside my house. The 14-50 was installed by me, using a really thick 50 foot cable from Home Despot, easy install. Wiring the 14-50 is not easy. I should have wired that first, with the box sitting on the bench, then run the cable back to the subpanel. Instead I wired the outlet, standing on a chair, as it is connected to an overhead beam. Not terribly difficult if you're handy, but the wire is super thick and getting all four wires in just the right place is not trivialView attachment 751021. I had cleaned out that garage bay, (i have 3), so now i can keep the car indoors and charge it. Next year we'll replace my wife's aging Subaru with a Model Y, so two chargers makes life a bit easier.

How much has your electric bill gone up with one EV? We are considering a 2nd EV as well.

 

[Daekwan]

Check with your local power utility company. You may be eligible to purchase a Level 2 electric vehicle service equipment (EVSE) for practically no cost through a rebate program. Possible vendors offering this charging equipment include Chargepoint, ClipperCreek and JuiceBox. The Tesla Gen3 Wall Connector in generic terms is a Level 2 EVSE fitted with a Tesla specific charging connector. The other brands of EVSE use the SAE J1772 charging connector (Tesla vehicles come with a Tesla to SAE J1772 adapter.)

So one of the things that was really surprising to me is that Pepco (services DC & MD) will give a $300 rebate on the Tesla HPWC. To qualify for the rebate you have to 1) purchase it new from an actual retailer (Just buy it directly from Tesla.. not from Ebay or reseller marketplaces like this forum), 2) Install it within a certain amount of time (I installed mine within about 6 months of purchase and still qualified), 3) provide pictures, serial numbers, receipts AND allow Pepco to monitoring your charging via 3rd party access to your Tesla account.

Its important to note this $300 rebate ONLY applies to the HPWC and not the mobile connector (which can also charge at L2 rates). I found this out as I already had the mobile charger with a 14-30R adapter and was using it to charge at L2 off 30A plug from my dryer. Pepco specifically wanted pictures and receipts of the HPWC installed and activated before issuing the $300 rebate. As I pointed out to the other poster, many of these programs required a dedicated L2 wall charger.. and its worth checking as there might be enough rebates, credits and incentives to make the HPWC as cheap as 14-50.

Since I have the wife's ID.4 plugged into the 14-50R outlet and now using the Chargepoint Home Flex, I'm going to see if I can get the $300 rebate again as I have now have a second L2 EVSE wall mounted charger.. specifically of the purpose of charging a second EV.

Details about Pepco's $300 rebate on a L2 EVSE wall mounted charger can be found here:

https://www.pepco.com/SmartEnergy/InnovationTechnology/Documents/Pepco_Residential_Rebate_Application.pdf

Oh and speaking of savings from installing a wall mounted L2 charger. Once I completed the forms above with Pepco, received the $300 rebate for the Tesla HPWC.. I was THEN invited to save even more money by receiving an invitation into Pepco's "off-peak, off-bill" plan which allows me to charge up using rates that cheaper from 8pm to 12noon M-F and all day on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Its important to point out this is a credit program, which means you will still get billed at the full rate for electricity 24/7, however ever quarter Pepco will calculate how much of your EV charging occurring during the off-peak and provides the credit in the form of a Amazon gift card.

Details about the "off-peak, off-bill" credit available from Pepco can be found here:

https://www.pepco.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/Pepco%20OPOB%20CPA.pdf

Its important to note that the Rebate + Off-Peak,Off-Bill credit programs are tied together. You must participate in one, to be invited to participate in the other. Here is the explanation:

How to Participate ​

This program is paired with Pepco's $300 Residential Rebate offering. Customers who have purchased and installed an eligible EV charger from July 2019 and on, can apply for the $300 rebate as well. In order to participate in the OPOB program, customers must first apply for the rebate to determine eligibility. Since charger data is used to calculate the credit amount, Pepco must ensure that the data is obtainable from the charger in addition to giving customers $300! Customers can indicate their interest in participating in the OPOB program by checking the bottom of the rebate application and submitting the signed customer participation agreement to [email protected].

If you have already applied for a charger rebate, you can let us know you're interested in the OPOB program by completing the customer participation agreement and emailing it to [email protected].

 

[Daekwan]

I've got both a 14-50 on a 40 amp breaker and a Tesla wall charger outside my house. The 14-50 was installed by me, using a really thick 50 foot cable from Home Despot, easy install. Wiring the 14-50 is not easy. I should have wired that first, with the box sitting on the bench, then run the cable back to the subpanel. Instead I wired the outlet, standing on a chair, as it is connected to an overhead beam. Not terribly difficult if you're handy, but the wire is super thick and getting all four wires in just the right place is not trivialView attachment 751021. I had cleaned out that garage bay, (i have 3), so now i can keep the car indoors and charge it. Next year we'll replace my wife's aging Subaru with a Model Y, so two chargers makes life a bit easier.

Thanks for your showing the picture of the 14-50R with the cover removed.

And yeah, those wires are a lot thicker than what you expect. They dont bend easily.

 

[Jjrss]

I've got both a 14-50 on a 40 amp breaker and a Tesla wall charger outside my house. The 14-50 was installed by me, using a really thick 50 foot cable from Home Despot, easy install. Wiring the 14-50 is not easy. I should have wired that first, with the box sitting on the bench, then run the cable back to the subpanel. Instead I wired the outlet, standing on a chair, as it is connected to an overhead beam. Not terribly difficult if you're handy, but the wire is super thick and getting all four wires in just the right place is not trivialView attachment 751021. I had cleaned out that garage bay, (i have 3), so now i can keep the car indoors and charge it. Next year we'll replace my wife's aging Subaru with a Model Y, so two chargers makes life a bit easier.

So... did this pass inspection??

14-50 should be on a GFCI 50A breaker to pull the maximum 40A for the dedicated 14-50 Mobile Connector (50A x 80% = 40A). Required gauge wire is 6 AWG copper for 50A. Otherwise, you have a huge firehazard.

 

[Jjrss]

I certainly understand the argument to save money, but honestly if you are that stretched financially, you shouldn't be purchasing a $50K vehicle in the first in the place regardless of what drivetrain it uses.

Furthermore depending on how many rebates, credits and other incentives are available to you.. there is a good chance installing a dedicated L2 wall charger might be as cheap.. or even cheaper than just the 14-50 outlet. I will get back a total of $1000 from the power company & state of MD for the purchase + installation of my HPWC, rebates & credits that would not have be applicable to a just a 14-50 outlet alone. My net costs to purchase the Tesla HPWC.. and pay an electrician to install a new 100A subpanel in the garage (65 feet away from my main 200A panel) plus the additional 14-50 outlet in my garage was $250 after all rebates, credits and incentives are added.

Sadly, neither my state, county, city or local power company offered any rebates for charging. Only federal which is now gone as of 12/31/21.

Please, keep EVsplaining your justifications for why I shouldnt have purchased a Tesla because I couldnt justify the cost of an over priced Tesla charging solution. Maybe... I have other fun toys that are common to 14-50, and vacation property with a 14-50 for a trailer. My MYLR will be the downpayment for a non-Tesla going forward, which wont use a Tesla proprietary charging solution. 60A charging won't cut it in 5 years with 500+ mile range vehicles.

Penny wise, pound poor.

 

[Daekwan]

Sadly, neither my state, county, city or local power company offered any rebates for charging. Only federal which is now gone as of 12/31/21.

Please, keep EVsplaining your justifications for why I shouldnt have purchased a Tesla because I couldnt justify the cost of an over priced Tesla charging solution. Maybe... I have other fun toys that are common to 14-50, and vacation property with a 14-50 for a trailer. My MYLR will be the downpayment for a non-Tesla going forward, which wont use a Tesla proprietary charging solution. 60A charging won't cut it in 5 years with 500+ mile range vehicles.

Penny wise, pound poor.

I certainly understand my suggestions do not apply to every EV owner, specifically you.

That said look around, you are not the only person with an EV on this forum. My advice is mostly to help anyone who has purchased an EV and is looking for advice on charging at home. Hence the title of this thread is "Home Charging advice".

Happy New Year!!

 

[Jjrss]

I certainly understand my suggestions do not apply to every EV owner, specifically you.

That said look around, you are not the only person with an EV on this forum. My advice is mostly to help anyone who has purchased an EV and is looking for advice on charging at home. Hence the title of this thread is "Home Charging advice".

Happy New Year!!

Will do, I'd suggest taking my posts as advice in this thread as well. Not all people fit in your views of what an EV owner "aught" to do, nor do they mine.

The OP has an investment property, which is why I commented. Not all EV owners will be Tesla owners. The 14-50 is "good'nough" for an investment property to attract all types of EV owning renters.

I mean, if you could afford a 60~120k Tesla, why wouldnt you own your own property? (yes, that is sarcasm taking your argument to the extreme)

Happy New Year!

 

[Jjrss]

So... did this pass inspection??

14-50 should be on a GFCI 50A breaker to pull the maximum 40A for the dedicated 14-50 Mobile Connector (50A x 80% = 40A). Required gauge wire is 6 AWG copper for 50A. Otherwise, you have a huge firehazard.

Edit: I read up a bit more on NEMA, as long as you are using the mobile charger with 14-50 adapter maximum charge rate is 32A, which is safe (40A x80% = 32A).

14-50 to 40A GFCI breaker is ok over 8 AWG copper. Just never try to go full 40A charging. If you want tocharge at 40A, you'd need to upgrage to 6 AWG wiring and a 50A GFCI breaker.