Home charging confusion

[1100MCM]

Don't know what a TOU is; I'm still learning the jargon.

2,3,6,7 don't apply to me.

For 4 and 5, I can simply use the ChargePoint.

The NEMA 14-50 is which charger; what is its normal name?

TOU is time of use. That’s when your power company charges a lower cost for electricity used during off peak hours. If the window for this off peak period is small such as 12A-8A then the Wall Connector is best since that would assure that your car is fully charged before higher electricity rates kick in.

 

[jjrandorin]

Don't know what a TOU is; I'm still learning the jargon.

2,3,6,7 don't apply to me.

For 4 and 5, I can simply use the ChargePoint.

The NEMA 14-50 is which charger; what is its normal name?

TOU = "time of use" which, in this context at least, is talking about electric utility billing plans that bill you different rates for when you use your power, as well as how much you use. In a Time of Use plan, electricity is cheaper (usually) in the middle of the night.. much cheaper, in exchange for a "peak" time charge in the late afternoon to evening, from 4-9 or 5-9 that is triple (or more) the nighttime rate.

NEMA 14-50 = 50 Amp electrical outlet, of a specific type. This is an electrical outlet that you would plug "a charger" into. Many people get an electrician to put in (or put in themselves) this outlet, then plug in the connecter that comes with the car into it, and use that to charge. You dont need a NEMA 14-50 outlet because you already have the chargepoint.

There are other NEMA plugs but for car charging, the 14-50 is the one many people like to talk about here.

 

[Pricedm]

Most of the time I use a ChargePoint level 2 charging station. But at home I have a Tesla HPWC. Definitely had a few situations where I needed miles quickly.

For what it's worth, if you have space to add a double circuit breaker in your home's electric service box, it is pretty easy DIY job. Lots of videos online to walk you thru the electric work.

 

[jerry33]

Don't know what a TOU is; I'm still learning the jargon.

2,3,6,7 don't apply to me.

For 4 and 5, I can simply use the ChargePoint.

The NEMA 14-50 is which charger; what is its normal name?

TOU means Time of Use. It's an electrical plan that has lower rates at certain times of the day.
A NEMA 14-50 is a type of receptacle that the mobile connector can plug into. It's the most common type. (With the Gen 2 you need to buy the $35 matching plug from the Tesla website). It's also called a 50 amp RV receptacle so you can use the mobile connector when camping at an RV park that has 50 amp connections.

 

[Michelle_eriw]

TOU = "time of use" which, in this context at least, is talking about electric utility billing plans that bill you different rates for when you use your power, as well as how much you use. In a Time of Use plan, electricity is cheaper (usually) in the middle of the night.. much cheaper, in exchange for a "peak" time charge in the late afternoon to evening, from 4-9 or 5-9 that is triple (or more) the nighttime rate.

NEMA 14-50 = 50 Amp electrical outlet, of a specific type. This is an electrical outlet that you would plug "a charger" into. Many people get an electrician to put in (or put in themselves) this outlet, then plug in the connecter that comes with the car into it, and use that to charge. You dont need a NEMA 14-50 outlet because you already have the chargepoint.

There are other NEMA plugs but for car charging, the 14-50 is the one many people like to talk about here.

Thanks.

Unfortunately, my electric company (Dayton Power and Light) doesn't have a time of use plan. It doesn't have any plans. The provider (Salt River Project) I had in Arizona not only had a time of use plan, but also had a special one for electric vehicles.

I know what NEMA plugs are in general; I just don't know which of the various charging units have which type of plug

 

[SMAlset]

Use a NEMA 14-50 with the Tesla cable on a 50 amp circuit. Using the adapter is a pain in the a**. It always get stuck and can be a pain to remove.

Our home set up is a 14-50 outlet with 50A circuit along with our corded 14-50 wall connector. With the LR AWD Model 3 I'm able to "dial up" the amps if need be for a faster charge but I pretty much leave it in the low 30s (reduced heat and no need to charge faster in my experience for the most part). We did elect to go the 14-50 outlet route should we sell our house (more universal--and HPWC will limit charging to Teslas pretty much) and elected to buy the corded mobile connector so we wouldn't be plugging and unplugging and wearing on the plug and outlet (also wanted to have our mobile connector kept with the car). The corded mobile connector as you know costs around the same price as the HPWC so it could have been a toss up. Actually another factor for us was that the HPWC stuck out further from the wall and so we went with the more slimmer source as there was a limited amount of space to get around the car where we had the power installed.

BTW our second car is a MS which like my AWD Model 3 could also had a 48A onboard charger. My husband could have had a 60A circuit breaker installed but he went with a 50A breaker instead when our NEMA 14-50 outlet was installed so we can't fully draw the 48A, but it's never been a problem charging at a slower rate for us on either car. The 50A-60A thing might have been due to our main panel being pretty full at that point.

 

[SageBrush]

There are a few problems that I foresee with it, though; the most significant being that it probably won't reach the charge port on the M3 unless I back the car into the garage. And that would entail moving stuff in storage to make room so I can park far enough from the wall to open the door to get in and out.

Is this thread about your short cable ? It seemed to start out as a desire for more current, or perhaps a debate of money vs convenience.

 

[Michelle_eriw]

Our home set up is a 14-50 outlet with 50A circuit along with our corded 14-50 wall connector. With the LR AWD Model 3 I'm able to "dial up" the amps if need be for a faster charge but I pretty much leave it in the low 30s (reduced heat and no need to charge faster in my experience for the most part). We did elect to go the 14-50 outlet route should we sell our house (more universal) and elected to buy the corded mobile connector so we wouldn't be plugging and unplugging and wearing on the plug and outlet (also wanted to have our mobile connector kept with the car). The corded mobile connector as you know costs around the same price as the HPWC so it could have been a toss up. Actually another factor for us was that the HPWC stuck out further from the wall and so we went with the more slimmer source as there was a limited amount of space to get around the car where we had the power installed.

BTW our second car is a MS which like my AWD Model 3 could also take advantage of 48A charging. My husband could have had a 60A circuit breaker installed but he went with a 50A breaker instead when our NEMA 14-50 outlet was installed so we can't fully draw the 48A, but it's never been a problem charging at a slower rate for us on either car. The 50A-60A thing might have been due to our main panel being pretty full at that point.

I've been trying to find a comparison between the Corded Mobile Connector. the charger that comes with the car, and the Wall Unit. Haven't been able to find anything yet. So a few questions.

1. What is the maximum amperage the CMC can handle from the electrical course? I understand that the Wall Unit can handle 48 Amps, which needs a 60 Amp circuit breaker.

2. How long are the cords for the two units?

3. Does the charger that comes with the car operate on 120V, 240V, or either (with the right plug, of course). How long is its cord? What is the maximum amperage it can handle at 240V (assuming that it can at all)?

 

[Michelle_eriw]

Is this thread about your short cable ? It seemed to start out as a desire for more current, or perhaps a debate of money vs convenience.

The short cable is just a small part of it.

 

[Shadious]

Another option is what I did- 50 amp circuit- NEMA 14-50 with a Gen 1 UMC which charges at 40 amps. You can keep the other charger in the car. I get 39 mph charging on the model 3 and 34 on the model S.

 

[Michelle_eriw]

Another option is what I did- 50 amp circuit- NEMA 14-50 with a Gen 1 UMC which charges at 40 amps. You can keep the other charger in the car. I get 39 mph charging on the model 3 and 34 on the model S.

What charger do you plug into the 14-50?

 

[arnolddeleon]

I’ve been charging my Model X off of 32A 240V at home for years, and never wished for faster. The ChargePoint should be fine.

In your shoes I’d probably leave the J1772 adapter on the ChargePoint unless there’s another car that uses it, maybe by a second from Tesla or eBay to keep in the car.

If you're going this route I recommend getting a spare J1772 adapter to leave behind (if you're going to leave one behind). Otherwise, just make the ritual of stowing it in the car part of the process of getting going.

 

[SageBrush]

The short cable is just a small part of it.

Perhaps you could clarify your questions by priority

 

[SMAlset]

Wall connector is the optimal solution to run at 48A. but also the most expensive. (It’s what I have, and it’s great)

The only other way to get 48A (that I know of) would be to order a J1772 charger rated for 48A and then use the adapter. All other options get less than 48A

A NEMA 14-50 outlet on a 60A circuit and using Tesla's 14-50 Corded Mobile Connector will also take advantage of the 48A AWD Model 3 onboard charger. If you use the Corded Mobile Connector with a 50A breaker, then expect 37mrph.** Should you ever have a need for a 14-50 outlet for power tools or plugging in an RV for example, you have that option available with the 14-50 outlet and CMC and just unplugging it for those times. Having a dedicated 14-50 outlet in the garage is a nice convenience to have.

Onboard Charger

**see Teslatap's chart for Charging speeds for common electrical outlets using mobile connectors--see footnote 1: Only with long-range battery AND Gen 1 Mobile Connector or the optional Corded Mobile Connector with a fixed 14-50 cable from Tesla (cars ship with Gen 2 MC, which is limited to 32 amps and 30 mrph) Tesla Model 3 Home Charging Guide | TeslaTap

Tesla's website use to list more info for the 14-50 Corded Mobile Connector than it does now ie. the charge rate and circuit breaker info. I think they prefer to sell the HPWC instead but the Corded does give you other useage options and it's still listed as a Best Seller for them.

I've been trying to find a comparison between the Corded Mobile Connector. the charger that comes with the car, and the Wall Unit. Haven't been able to find anything yet. So a few questions.

1. What is the maximum amperage the CMC can handle from the electrical course? I understand that the Wall Unit can handle 48 Amps, which needs a 60 Amp circuit breaker.

2. How long are the cords for the two units?

3. Does the charger that comes with the car operate on 120V, 240V, or either (with the right plug, of course). How long is its cord? What is the maximum amperage it can handle at 240V (assuming that it can at all)?

Some answers above. You'll find the cable length listed for each in the item description in the Shop area but Corded Mobile is 20 ft. cable, 2 feet longer than the longest for the HPWC; Gen 2 Mobile Connector is also 20 ft. but will require adapters for 14-50 and the Gen 2 is limited to 32A. The HPWC will need to be on 60A circuit; Tesla indicates up to 44mrph. This number will always depend on temperature etc.

As I mentioned previously if your panel won't permit a 60A circuit but you can add a 50A circuit, the CMC might be your best bet for a faster charge.

 

[arnolddeleon]

You need to figure out what problem you are trying to solve. What are the various things that matter to you; cost, convenience, sexiness, speed of charging, satisfaction of using what you already have, an excuse to spend more money on toys (seriously!)

Here is *my* experience. I've been driving EVs for over 18 years. I currently (ooh there's a pun in there I didn't plan on) use a JuiceBox Pro and an Aerovironment to charge a Model 3 and Model Y (very recent). Less than 2 years ago that was RAV4-EV and LEAF, so two cars that use a standard J1772 nozzle. A few things I've learned, once the batteries got big enough and I had fast chargers available I stopped caring about the speed of home charging setup (24A 240V and above). I quickly got a spare J1772 adapter to leave at home. I kept contemplating using the Universal Mobile Connector or getting High Power Wall Connector (HPWC) at home for convenience because it can open/unlock the charge but my Juice Box had "green" charging features that I also wanted to keep. Recently software updates has made this a much better situation. The car now wakes up if it was asleep when you press the J1772 release button (after a little pause). So if you have a key present you can easily unplug (previously you would need to manually wake the car through any of a variety of methods). The 30% tax credit was extended so buying a new HPWC is potentially subsidized. Every EVSE I've owned/built had some sort of promotion (clean air initiatives, sub metering pilots), or good deal associated with it (Kickstarter, someone selling a CT500 they no longer needed). So for a while I was obsessed with figuring out with optimizing for the "best" one. Now I just want them to just work.

 

[RayK]

I've been trying to find a comparison between the Corded Mobile Connector. the charger that comes with the car, and the Wall Unit. Haven't been able to find anything yet. So a few questions.

1. What is the maximum amperage the CMC can handle from the electrical course? I understand that the Wall Unit can handle 48 Amps, which needs a 60 Amp circuit breaker.

2. How long are the cords for the two units?

3. Does the charger that comes with the car operate on 120V, 240V, or either (with the right plug, of course). How long is its cord? What is the maximum amperage it can handle at 240V (assuming that it can at all)?

Taking the last question first:
Yes, the mobile connector can use either 120V or 240V with the corresponding NEMA plug. Each NEMA plug adapter (i.e, 14-50, 5-15, etc.) is 9" long, as measured from the center of the plug until where it plugs into the mobile connector. The cable from the GEN2 mobile connector to the end of the plug that goes into the car is 19.5'. Note that if the power outlet in the house/garage is located significantly above the floor, the 9" afforded by the NEMA plug adapter is going to make the whole mobile connector dangle in the air.

As far as the corded mobile connector is concerned I would assume that the length of the cord that plugs into the wall is about the same 9" (don't quote me on that as I've never seen one). I would also assume that the cord length from the mobile connector to the car is also just over 19 feet.

The mobile connector has NEMA plugs for 50 amp outlets so a maximum continuous rate of 40 amps is allowed.

edit: Here's a picture of the corded mobile connector: Corded Mobile Connector The cord looks to be about the same as the NEMA plug adapters; 9 inches.

edit2: Here's the different NEMA plug adapters for the GEN2 mobile connector: Gen 2 NEMA Adapters

 

[SMAlset]

Since you already have a 50A circuit for charging your upcoming AWD LR Model 3, a Corded Mobile Connector wouldn't require any additional electrical work if you want to go from about 32mrph to 37mrph on that 50A circuit with a NEMA 14-50 outlet to use. But think you weren't sure if your ChargePoint was plugged into one or if it was hardwired, so that would be something to figure out. If hardwired in, I don't think it would be a big deal (time and $s) at all to remove it and connect the existing wiring to a new outlet since the wiring is already run.

If you want to charge even faster at apx 44mrph with a HPWC, you'd need to at least upgrade your wiring and circuit breaker to 60A which you said you know.

Does your daily driving nearly deplete your range in your car every day or are you just going to be topping off to your desired range every night or when you want and need to?

 

[SMAlset]

...

The NEMA 14-50 is which charger; what is its normal name?

NEMA 14-50 is the type of outlet that you plug an electrical device into (like an EVSE or power tool or RV). It's kind of like your house outlets with the two prongs but different and runs on 240v unlike your typical small house appliances on 120v.

It will take a while to pick up the vocabulary etc. We all go through it, expecially if it's your first EV. BTW you will get better at backing your car into spots if you will be charging at Superchargers and get practice that way. The car's back up camera and white visual lines on the screen do make it pretty easy.

 

[Michelle_eriw]

Perhaps you could clarify your questions by priority

Considering that the short cable issue came up late in the discussion, and was an aside, that should hace cued you in that it was low priority.

 

[Michelle_eriw]

NEMA 14-50 is the type of outlet that you plug an electrical device into (like an EVSE or power tool or RV). It's kind of like your house outlets with the two prongs but different and runs on 240v unlike your typical small house appliances on 120v.

It will take a while to pick up the vocabulary etc. We all go through it, expecially if it's your first EV. BTW you will get better at backing your car into spots if you will be charging at Superchargers and get practice that way. The car's back up camera and white visual lines on the screen do make it pretty easy.

I'm not asking what a NEMA 14-50 is. I'm asking what chargers have a NEMA 14-50 plug.