Home Charging Setup Recommendation Needed

[TomLee]

Hi folks

I got my SR+ in June this year, but not having my home charger setup yet. Mainly due to the fact that I have a lot of supercharging credits that I still have more than 6,000 miles left. And I also have access to level 2 work/mall/rec center chargers. As I don't charge every day and probably also due to the short commute, I found the range that it used is much more than what I drove. Therefore, I started to log my odo and range and trying to find the pattern. While reading through the posts here, I started to record my charging event as well. Anyway, I may not 100% clear what’s going on for all the loss and range things yet, but more or less have above average knowledge about it.

Just in time with my supercharge credit expiring, my local government provides rebate to install the home charger. So it’s time to take that down from my list. My goal is to track the daily usage against the distance that I drove. I was thinking about install a Tesla wall connector with a dedicate meter, however, I heard a lot of people prefer to install a generic charger, for example Juicebox, so that no need to install the meter and capable of charging other brand of EVs. I’d like to hear from you what do you think is a better choice?

Thanks in advance

 

[joebruin77]

I faced the same decision when I first bought my Tesla. I was debating between the Juicebox EV charger vs the Tesla Wall Connector. I ultimately decided to go for the Tesla Wall Connector. The Juicebox requires that you use the J1772 adapter, whereas the Tesla Wall Connector does not require any special adapter. Also the maximum charge rate is a bit higher for the Tesla (48 amps vs 40 amps for the Juicebox). There have been a few times when I wanted to top off the battery between drives and having that little bit of extra charge capacity was helpful. And I think the Tesla Wall Connector just looks cooler.

There are 3 main factors as to why I would get the Juicebox: 1) If the unit is installed outside and I lived in an area with extremely cold weather, the Juicebox might stand up to the cold and ice a bit better 2) If there was a chance I wanted to charge a non-Tesla EV, the Juicebox works on many makes not just Teslas 3) The Juicebox comes with Wifi connectivity, so you can monitor and control it online. I thought this would be a cool feature if you are at all concerned about non-authorized use of your charger.

 

[TomLee]

I faced the same decision when I first bought my Tesla. I was debating between the Juicebox EV charger vs the Tesla Wall Connector. I ultimately decided to go for the Tesla Wall Connector. The Juicebox requires that you use the J1772 adapter, whereas the Tesla Wall Connector does not require any special adapter. Also the maximum charge rate is a bit higher for the Tesla (48 amps vs 40 amps for the Juicebox). There have been a few times when I wanted to top off the battery between drives and having that little bit of extra charge capacity was helpful. And I think the Tesla Wall Connector just looks cooler.

There are 3 main factors as to why I would get the Juicebox: 1) If the unit is installed outside and I lived in an area with extremely cold weather, the Juicebox might stand up to the cold and ice a bit better 2) If there was a chance I wanted to charge a non-Tesla EV, the Juicebox works on many makes not just Teslas 3) The Juicebox comes with Wifi connectivity, so you can monitor and control it online. I thought this would be a cool feature if you are at all concerned about non-authorized use of your charger.

Thanks for your reply!

I have a SR+ (32A max) so charging speed is out of picture for me. Few things I was thinking not to install the Tesla:
1) No plug-in version available now. So I can't use my UMC as a backup if the wall connector ever fails.
2) No log so I'll need to install a dedicate meter to track the usage.
3) Not wifi capable so no remote control? this is not very important for me as I can't think of many use case for it.

 

[ivy_]

Thanks for your reply!

I have a SR+ (32A max) so charging speed is out of picture for me. Few things I was thinking not to install the Tesla:
1) No plug-in version available now. So I can't use my UMC as a backup if the wall connector ever fails.
2) No log so I'll need to install a dedicate meter to track the usage.
3) Not wifi capable so no remote control? this is not very important for me as I can't think of many use case for it.

The most cost effective is a 14-50 with the UMC, if you are indoors. Get a second UMC if you need a backup.

There is no real need for a meter. Just install the Stats app, or its android equivalent.

The remote control part comes from the car itself. There’s no need to interact with the charger. It is not much more than an extension cord that has some safety mechanisms built in.

 

[boriszima]

I would also install Tesla as it seems you do not have any other PHEV/BEV. If you want to track of your usage, you might want to look into TeslaFi among the few. Keep it simple, so you can keep your adapter for your on road needs.

 

[joebruin77]

A corded 14-50 plug runs $520 on the Tesla website. A Tesla Wall connector is $500 AND often eligible for utility rebate programs.

I had a 14-50 outlet installed next to the hard wired Wall Connector. If the wall connector is ever inoperable, I can use my UMC with the 14-50 adapter as a backup.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Nothing beats a 14-50 outlet for value. Easiest to install, can take your charging cord with you on trips, provides lots of current on a 50 amp breaker.

Wall connector is cool looking, can be set up to handle multiple vehicles, is dependable and weather resistant.

 

[TomLee]

Rebate comes only when a charger is installed. NEMA 14-50 is unfortunately not count as a charger. So for this case, sounds like Tesla Wall charger is every one’s choice.

 

[joebruin77]

Correction to my earlier post. Since OP has an SR+, the highest amp he can charge at is 32amps. So no point in getting the corded 14-50 connector (which can charge up to 40 amps). But if you buy a second UMC and the 14-50 adapter, that will still run $310 with no utility rebates. I bought my Wall Connector for $550 (got the extra long cable) and received $500 from my local utility.

 

[ivy_]

Rebate comes only when a charger is installed. NEMA 14-50 is unfortunately not count as a charger. So for this case, sounds like Tesla Wall charger is every one’s choice.

Agreed. Get the rebate.

 

[srs5694]

I found the range that it used is much more than what I drove. Therefore, I started to log my odo and range and trying to find the pattern. While reading through the posts here, I started to record my charging event as well. Anyway, I may not 100% clear what’s going on for all the loss and range things yet, but more or less have above average knowledge about it.

Keep in mind that the main range estimate on the Tesla's screen is based on the EPA energy-efficiency rating. This rating will be optimistic if you drive aggressively or in extremely hot or extremely cold weather. It's probably not worth trying to track it more closely, but if you want to do so, you should look into TeslaFi or one of the third-party apps that will connect to Tesla's servers and extract detailed data on your car. It's also possible to write scripts yourself to do this via Tesla's API (that's what TeslaFi and the apps do), but I don't have any pointers to get you started on this. You'll also obviously have to know enough about writing scripts to do the job. The energy-use graph that you can pull up on the Tesla's screen, OTOH, incorporates terrain data and tracks your actual energy use. You can use this to see how well you're doing compared to the EPA rating.

Just in time with my supercharge credit expiring, my local government provides rebate to install the home charger. So it’s time to take that down from my list. My goal is to track the daily usage against the distance that I drove. I was thinking about install a Tesla wall connector with a dedicate meter, however, I heard a lot of people prefer to install a generic charger, for example Juicebox, so that no need to install the meter and capable of charging other brand of EVs. I’d like to hear from you what do you think is a better choice?

Chances are a Tesla Wall Connector is your best bet. Third-party EVSEs require use of Tesla's J1772 adapter. Although every Model 3 ships with one of these, using it means you'll have to either leave the adapter at home most of the time or plug/unplug it with every use. If you want to keep one permanently with the EVSE and one permanently with the car, you'll need to buy another, which effectively raises the cost of the third-party EVSE by $95. Tesla's price for their Wall Connector is actually pretty good, so a third-party EVSE will almost certainly end up costing more than Tesla's, especially if you include the cost of a second J1772 adapter. Some EVSEs, like the JuiceBox, are network-enabled, which is a plus; but you can get equivalent or better data from TeslaFi or Tesla apps, so there's very little advantage to those EVSEs' network features. The JuiceBox's network features can talk to some utilities to schedule charging when there's a surplus of "green" electricity available, but this feature works only with some utilities (mostly in California, I think). Also, its timed charging features don't work well with Teslas, which tend to ignore when the power becomes available once they fall asleep. Thus, unless and until Tesla fixes that bug, and unless your utility works with the feature, it isn't much of an advantage.

The main advantage of a third-party EVSE is that you can charge non-Tesla EVs. This may be important if you think you may be buying one in the future or if you have friends or relatives with EVs who visit often (particularly if they take a road trip to visit you). Some -- but by no means all -- third-party EVSEs come with NEMA 4 weather ratings, which is superior to the NEMA 3R weather rating that Tesla's Wall Connector carries. The main advantage of NEMA 4 is that these units should be able to stand up to power washers. Even NEMA 3R devices should stand up to just about anything that Mother Nature can throw at them, short of a hurricane. (The Mobile Connector has no weather rating, but I gather buying another of them is not in the cards for you for other reasons.) Of course, weather ratings are irrelevant if you'll be installing in a nice dry garage.

 

[toolman335]

If I was you and the rebate was dangling in front of me, I'd go with the Tesla unit.
That being said, I have a Juicebox with an outlet and I love it. With how quickly the EV market is evolving I certainly might plan on having other brands of vehicles. Also, if/when the unit dies you just simply plug in another one. My life is better off with less hard-wired things in my life because I have to pay other people to deal with them.

Somehow I manage to attach the tiny adapter every time I charge at home. I keep it in my center console. People act like doing that is the most difficult part of their day. It takes one second. At most.

 

[SSedan]

I would do the Tesla wall connector and aim as high as practical on the amperage without any regard for what car you have today.
Next car might accept more amperage, or maybe circuit sharing is in the future. Swapping the wall connector later is easy compared to having to rewire later because you cheaper out.

 

[user212_nr]

Hi folks

I got my SR+ in June this year, but not having my home charger setup yet. Mainly due to the fact that I have a lot of supercharging credits that I still have more than 6,000 miles left. And I also have access to level 2 work/mall/rec center chargers. As I don't charge every day and probably also due to the short commute, I found the range that it used is much more than what I drove. Therefore, I started to log my odo and range and trying to find the pattern. While reading through the posts here, I started to record my charging event as well. Anyway, I may not 100% clear what’s going on for all the loss and range things yet, but more or less have above average knowledge about it.

Just in time with my supercharge credit expiring, my local government provides rebate to install the home charger. So it’s time to take that down from my list. My goal is to track the daily usage against the distance that I drove. I was thinking about install a Tesla wall connector with a dedicate meter, however, I heard a lot of people prefer to install a generic charger, for example Juicebox, so that no need to install the meter and capable of charging other brand of EVs. I’d like to hear from you what do you think is a better choice?

Thanks in advance

Sounds like your tracking the daily electricity usage is a short-term fascination, one that you hope to resolve someday. So here is a nice meter for $26, and I'd suggest to get the Tesla charger because of the matching connector.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A4VF7U8/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

As to your "range anxiety", ie. range not matching what is posted, I wouldn't worry too much about it. There's only 2 main sources of power - the motor(s) and the HVAC system. You might figure out why the numbers are not estimating right, but you won't save any money on electricity except by improving your driving efficiency and/or turning down the climate control.

 

[Scrannel]

I was just given a $1000.00 rebate from SCE in So. Ca. and they don't care how I charge the car. (I use a NEMA 14/50).

 

[RFernatt]

I use a JuiceBox on a 14-50. It was installed before the Tesla arrived and I use it with my LEAF also. I did buy a second J1772 adapter for the Tesla off eBay (so cheaper than from Tesla). I do like the WiFi control, logging, and ease of taking the EVSE with me if I move or it needs to be replaced. I can plug the UMC into the 14-50 as a backup.

One thing I do like about JuiceBox app control is the ability to vary the charging amps so that the car will finish charging right before I want to leave. The new v10 software also has some capabilities along those lines, but you can't access it from the app (yet).

You can't go wrong with either choice, just depends on what your priorities are.

 

[TomLee]

Keep in mind that the main range estimate on the Tesla's screen is based on the EPA energy-efficiency rating. This rating will be optimistic if you drive aggressively or in extremely hot or extremely cold weather. It's probably not worth trying to track it more closely, but if you want to do so, you should look into TeslaFi or one of the third-party apps that will connect to Tesla's servers and extract detailed data on your car. It's also possible to write scripts yourself to do this via Tesla's API (that's what TeslaFi and the apps do), but I don't have any pointers to get you started on this. You'll also obviously have to know enough about writing scripts to do the job. The energy-use graph that you can pull up on the Tesla's screen, OTOH, incorporates terrain data and tracks your actual energy use. You can use this to see how well you're doing compared to the EPA rating.



Chances are a Tesla Wall Connector is your best bet. Third-party EVSEs require use of Tesla's J1772 adapter. Although every Model 3 ships with one of these, using it means you'll have to either leave the adapter at home most of the time or plug/unplug it with every use. If you want to keep one permanently with the EVSE and one permanently with the car, you'll need to buy another, which effectively raises the cost of the third-party EVSE by $95. Tesla's price for their Wall Connector is actually pretty good, so a third-party EVSE will almost certainly end up costing more than Tesla's, especially if you include the cost of a second J1772 adapter. Some EVSEs, like the JuiceBox, are network-enabled, which is a plus; but you can get equivalent or better data from TeslaFi or Tesla apps, so there's very little advantage to those EVSEs' network features. The JuiceBox's network features can talk to some utilities to schedule charging when there's a surplus of "green" electricity available, but this feature works only with some utilities (mostly in California, I think). Also, its timed charging features don't work well with Teslas, which tend to ignore when the power becomes available once they fall asleep. Thus, unless and until Tesla fixes that bug, and unless your utility works with the feature, it isn't much of an advantage.

The main advantage of a third-party EVSE is that you can charge non-Tesla EVs. This may be important if you think you may be buying one in the future or if you have friends or relatives with EVs who visit often (particularly if they take a road trip to visit you). Some -- but by no means all -- third-party EVSEs come with NEMA 4 weather ratings, which is superior to the NEMA 3R weather rating that Tesla's Wall Connector carries. The main advantage of NEMA 4 is that these units should be able to stand up to power washers. Even NEMA 3R devices should stand up to just about anything that Mother Nature can throw at them, short of a hurricane. (The Mobile Connector has no weather rating, but I gather buying another of them is not in the cards for you for other reasons.) Of course, weather ratings are irrelevant if you'll be installing in a nice dry garage.

Thanks for your opinion! I'm a data guy and dealing with data (not e-business kind) a person can ever think of. I can explain same set of data totally opposite and person still buy me. So I understand how important it is to look at the data at it's original form and where it came from. I'm not saying I don't trust Teslafi or Stats (I have Stats and used it regularly) for the charging numbers, rather doubt how they get their numbers. Are those measurement from the wall or from the car? Or are they calculated numbers using some kind of formula? Do they include loss or not? I don't have all the answers, neither most of the users here in the forum. Besides, I do see suspicious charging numbers (cross checking from other numbers) recorded by Stats especially for home charging (110v at the present) numbers. Thus why I prefer to install a dedicated meter for this purpose. I hope to do this as "accurate" or as "original" as possible.

Sounds like your tracking the daily electricity usage is a short-term fascination, one that you hope to resolve someday. So here is a nice meter for $26, and I'd suggest to get the Tesla charger because of the matching connector.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A4VF7U8/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

As to your "range anxiety", ie. range not matching what is posted, I wouldn't worry too much about it. There's only 2 main sources of power - the motor(s) and the HVAC system. You might figure out why the numbers are not estimating right, but you won't save any money on electricity except by improving your driving efficiency and/or turning down the climate control.

Thanks for your recommendation! I'll definitely buy one of those. I'm actually not too much worried about the range. Reason I'm pushing it is trying to see it's limit. I don't have an ICE backup at home so I don't want any surprise when coming back from the ski resort or something like that. I too not worry about the electricity bill that much as gas price in Vancouver is one of the most expensive areas. I definitely save a lot of money on that even with all the phantom drain, driving inefficiency, etc. I just want to find out what's indeed the Wh/km or Wh/mile instead of someone told me what it is. Because I highly doubt that's the truth. .

I use a JuiceBox on a 14-50. It was installed before the Tesla arrived and I use it with my LEAF also. I did buy a second J1772 adapter for the Tesla off eBay (so cheaper than from Tesla). I do like the WiFi control, logging, and ease of taking the EVSE with me if I move or it needs to be replaced. I can plug the UMC into the 14-50 as a backup.

One thing I do like about JuiceBox app control is the ability to vary the charging amps so that the car will finish charging right before I want to leave. The new v10 software also has some capabilities along those lines, but you can't access it from the app (yet).

You can't go wrong with either choice, just depends on what your priorities are.

Thanks for your comments. You seems to be the few that install the JuiceBox

 

[TomLee]

I was just given a $1000.00 rebate from SCE in So. Ca. and they don't care how I charge the car. (I use a NEMA 14/50).

That was generous! Rebate in my area covers only 50% of the cost up to $700.

 

[srs5694]

Thanks for your opinion! I'm a data guy and dealing with data (not e-business kind) a person can ever think of. I can explain same set of data totally opposite and person still buy me. So I understand how important it is to look at the data at it's original form and where it came from. I'm not saying I don't trust Teslafi or Stats (I have Stats and used it regularly) for the charging numbers, rather doubt how they get their numbers. Are those measurement from the wall or from the car? Or are they calculated numbers using some kind of formula? Do they include loss or not? I don't have all the answers, neither most of the users here in the forum. Besides, I do see suspicious charging numbers (cross checking from other numbers) recorded by Stats especially for home charging (110v at the present) numbers. Thus why I prefer to install a dedicated meter for this purpose. I hope to do this as "accurate" or as "original" as possible.

If you're interested in digging into the data and have the necessary skill with scripting, you may want to look into using the Tesla API directly. I can't provide you with any pointers on that, though -- perhaps you should search for an existing thread on that subject or start a new one. There must be some documentation out there somewhere. TeslaFi and the various apps all use the API, but they may process the data in one way or another before presenting it to you. Because that's the source of their data, it can't provide a direct from-the-wall measurement of electricity used, but my impression (based on what TeslaFi provides) is that the API provides both to-the-car and to-the-battery measurements. The from-the-wall and to-the-car figures should be very close to each other, varying only by line loss through the EVSE and its cords, as well as any measurement error.

I happen to use a Clipper Creek HCS-40 with a JuiceNet board installed. (I bought this for a Chevy Volt that I drove prior to my Model 3.) Thus, I have access to both the JuiceNet measurements and those provided by TeslaFi. I can't say that I've tracked the differences on a regular basis, but I did for a few charging sessions, and they were indeed quite close, with TeslaFi saying that the car consumed just a tiny bit less electricity than JuiceNet did.

A plain old electric meter installed between your breaker box and your EVSE will give you a simple way to measure usage, but unless it's network-enabled, you'll need to manually write down its usage figures. If you prefer to track it in a per-charge-session basis without checking a physical meter every time you unplug the car, then either the Tesla API (or something that uses it, like an app or TeslaFi) or a network-enabled EVSE (like a JuiceBox or ChargePoint Home) should provide you with the data you need. The Tesla API will give you data on charging away from home, of course, which might or might not interest you. Note also that the car will sometimes draw power multiple times between when you plug it in and when you unplug it. This may happen if the car wakes up and discovers it's low on charge (say, because of cold or if a feature like Sentry Mode is active); or if you enable climate control just before leaving. Thus, if you want to record use via a meter, you should keep this in mind.

 

[TomLee]

A plain old electric meter installed between your breaker box and your EVSE will give you a simple way to measure usage, but unless it's network-enabled, you'll need to manually write down its usage figures. If you prefer to track it in a per-charge-session basis without checking a physical meter every time you unplug the car, then either the Tesla API (or something that uses it, like an app or TeslaFi) or a network-enabled EVSE (like a JuiceBox or ChargePoint Home) should provide you with the data you need. The Tesla API will give you data on charging away from home, of course, which might or might not interest you. Note also that the car will sometimes draw power multiple times between when you plug it in and when you unplug it. This may happen if the car wakes up and discovers it's low on charge (say, because of cold or if a feature like Sentry Mode is active); or if you enable climate control just before leaving. Thus, if you want to record use via a meter, you should keep this in mind.

The whole idea of using JuiceBox is that it has the data logging capability. But after reading all the comments above, I may just go with the Tesla wall connector for it's higher current output (future proof ) and get a data logging capable meter. Now the mission is to find such a meter! If no such meter, I may just log it once a week or even once a month.