Home charging setup

[Shelby16]

I got my Tesla not long ago and am currently connected to my dryer outlet via a 30 foot cable. I get about 7/8MPH compared to the 3MPH on the standard outlet. Both with the mobile plug.

I have an electrician coming next week. Should I just have them install a 60amp connection in my garage or what is going to give me the best charge/bang for the buck?

 

[RayK]

I'm planning on installing a HPWC, a transfer switch and 14-60 outlet on a 60A breaker. It would give me the best charging rate and allows for any future EV owner in the house to get access to 60A of power if they don't have a Tesla. I will normally use the HWPC but have the 14-60 as a backup. I already have an adapter cable that plugs into the 14-60 outlet so I can plug in the mobile connector with the 14-50 plug: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B085N9GLHY/

If you are planning only on using the mobile connector? If so, then I'd say go for the most power you can connect to the main panel.

 

[Fernand]

Best bang for the buck? How far is it to your neighbor's 220 volt outlets?

 

[Michelle_eriw]

I got my Tesla not long ago and am currently connected to my dryer outlet via a 30 foot cable. I get about 7/8MPH compared to the 3MPH on the standard outlet. Both with the mobile plug.

I have an electrician coming next week. Should I just have them install a 60amp connection in my garage or what is going to give me the best charge/bang for the buck?

It depends on the model. SR and SR+ can't charge greater than 32 amps. LR can charge 48 amps, which will need a 60 amp breaker.

 

[ebmcs03]

It depends on the model. SR and SR+ can't charge greater than 32 amps. LR can charge 48 amps, which will need a 60 amp breaker.

That’s not best bang for the buck. In order to get 60amp, depending on your panel, it’ll cost a heck of a lot to get that much power out of a 100amp panel. You’ll need to upgrade to at least a 200amp panel.
You don’t need 48amps for daily charging I would say 32amps for home charging is already more than adequate. At 30 miles an hour charge rate. It’s better than commercial ChargePoint stations which output 25 miles per hour. 6KW and hour.

 

[mrau]

Installing a 14-50 (50 amp) outlet is a good place to start. There are some things to consider:

What can your electrical panel handle without an upgrade? There are limits.

What are you going to use to charge up the car? If using the mobile connector that came with the car it is limited to 32 amps no matter what you plug it into. A 14-50 outlet is more than enough. If you decide on a Tesla Wall Connector ($500) you can get up to 48 amps charging if it is on a 60 amp circuit.
​

Here is a chart that shows some charging rates using the mobile connector.

 

[ebmcs03]

Installing a 14-50 (50 amp) outlet is a good place to start. There are some things to consider:

What can your electrical panel handle without an upgrade? There are limits.

What are you going to use to charge up the car? If using the mobile connector that came with the car it is limited to 32 amps no matter what you plug it into. A 14-50 outlet is more than enough. If you decide on a Tesla Wall Connector ($500) you can get up to 48 amps charging if it is on a 60 amp circuit.
​

Here is a chart that shows some charging rates using the mobile connector.

View attachment 584722

I have a 6-20 and it’s adequate.

 

[TheRFMan]

Running a 60A circuit is a lot more trouble and a lot more expensive than a 50A one. 6-gauge multi-wire Romex NM-B is only allowed up to 55A by code. De-rated to 80% for continuous load, you can use a 44A load at most for charging. To get 48A continuous for charging, you need a circuit rated for 60A, which requires conduit with individual conductors from the panel to the outlet/junction box.

The best value and most versatile setup is probably to put in a NEMA 14-50 outlet on an 50A breaker, and charge at 32A or 40A.

If you have a smaller 100A service like I do, charging at anything over 32A is a lot. Any higher than that, and I’d be close to tripping the main breaker if the dryer and A/C were also running.

 

[ToothlessM3]

I'm planning on installing a HPWC, a transfer switch and 14-60 outlet on a 60A breaker. It would give me the best charging rate and allows for any future EV owner in the house to get access to 60A of power if they don't have a Tesla. I will normally use the HWPC but have the 14-60 as a backup. I already have an adapter cable that plugs into the 14-60 outlet so I can plug in the mobile connector with the 14-50 plug: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B085N9GLHY/

If you are planning only on using the mobile connector? If so, then I'd say go for the most power you can connect to the main panel.

Why would a transfer switch be installed with a HPWC setup? Is the purpose to limit the load on your panel if you have a <200A system?

 

[RayK]

No, it is to share a single 60A breaker. My main panel is 200A and all I have left is a spot for a new 60A breaker. I'll be using the HPWC normally but have the 14-60 outlet as a backup.

 

[TheRFMan]

No, it is to share a single 60A breaker. My main panel is 200A and all I have left is a spot for a new 60A breaker. I'll be using the HPWC normally but have the 14-60 outlet as a backup.

I don't know your specific setup and style of panel, but if you're running out of physical breaker slots, it's usually possible to free some up by moving some standard 120V circuits to a dual breaker that combines two independent breakers in one slot, like this one:

Siemens 15 Amp Tandem Single Pole Type QT Circuit Breaker-Q1515U - The Home Depot

 

[SageBrush]

To get 48A continuous for charging, you need a circuit rated for 60A, which requires conduit with individual conductors from the panel to the outlet/junction box.

I'm not certain I am following how this is different than 50 Amp. Do you mean that there is 50 Amp that is one sheath with 3 wires inside ?

 

[TheRFMan]

I'm not certain I am following how this is different than 50 Amp. Do you mean that there is 50 Amp that is one sheath with 3 wires inside ?

Yes. Obviously check with your local electrical code, but in most locations in North America, this can be used for nominal loads up to 55A (44A continuous) for indoor runs (assuming your garage is attached to the house and the outlet/charger will be in the garage): Southwire 50 ft. 6/3 Stranded Romex SIMpull CU NM-B W/G Wire-63950032 - The Home Depot

You can get 3-wire+GND for a 14-50. If wiring a HPWC directly, you don't need a neutral, so 2-wire+GND is sufficient.

Here's a reference from a manufacturer: Applications Charts - Cerrowire

 

[Capcan]

Are you sure you need this much power?
Here was my calculation:
I will seldom arrive home with less than 10% remaining; I will seldom charge to more than 90%; and 80% of 75kWh is 60kWh.

A 30 amp circuit delivering 24A at 220V will provide 60kWh in less than 12 hours.

This was ok for me, we seldom intend to drive that much day-by-day (80% of range). If we do we will plan to charge for more than 12 hours. I will also consider the weather, since where I am in Winter the battery needs maybe half an hour of preheat time before the charge will start.

There are advantages to staying at 30A. For my local code, I only needed #10 two conductor plus safety ground (#10 2/1) and this is readily available, 30A half-breakers are available (15/30 and 30/15 breaker pair halves the breaker space needed). Note that in most jurisdictions a nearby disconnect is needed for 60A circuits, which means you cannot just put a hole in the wall and feed the HWPC from the rear if this is outside (and the disconnect needs to be weather proof). So I would not do 60A.

The other advantage for me was that I only had a 100A service and I did not want to push it too far.

 

[RayK]

I don't know your specific setup and style of panel, but if you're running out of physical breaker slots, it's usually possible to free some up by moving some standard 120V circuits to a dual breaker that combines two independent breakers in one slot, like this one:

Siemens 15 Amp Tandem Single Pole Type QT Circuit Breaker-Q1515U - The Home Depot

Yes I already have some like that:

The 200A panel was installed several years ago when one of the incoming phases burned out (was previously a 100A panel). You can see that I've numbered the breakers with the possibility of doing exactly what you mentioned. However, given the current configuration of my panel (see the 3rd photo in the link above), I figure that it's much easier right now (and probably cheaper) to punch out the panel below #44 and install the 60A double-pole breaker there, than it is to replace/rearrange several of those 15/20A breakers.

Plus I don't want to give the impression, nor the possibility, that one can run both the HWPC and 14-60 at the same time at the full 48A. I've not done a formal load evaluation for the house but I'm thinking that might be a little too much. I've got A/C and lately we've been running it at a continuous 76 degrees; even overnight. As you probably know, California is on fire, plus there's a heat wave going on (estimated 107 here today in San Jose). It's 11am right now and 92....

 

[xcat]

You should be getting closer to 20 miles of range per hour on a dryer outlet

 

[scottwith1t]

I have a 6-20 and it’s adequate.

Same. Easy install, and the wire is cheap. Don't gotta worry about any of the stuff that the higher power solutions run into.

Or just run with a NEMA 6-50, you don't need to run a neutral wire for an electric vehicle. I just don't understand why so many folks recommend the 14-50 for an outlet that will do nothing but charge an EV when it seems the 6-50 is so much better suited.

 

[Wallstgrl]

Installing a 14-50 (50 amp) outlet is a good place to start. There are some things to consider:

What can your electrical panel handle without an upgrade? There are limits.

What are you going to use to charge up the car? If using the mobile connector that came with the car it is limited to 32 amps no matter what you plug it into. A 14-50 outlet is more than enough. If you decide on a Tesla Wall Connector ($500) you can get up to 48 amps charging if it is on a 60 amp circuit.
​

Here is a chart that shows some charging rates using the mobile connector.

View attachment 584722

I considering purchasing a Charge Point Home Flex 6-50 unit because my energy company has a huge rebate on it. I don't know anything about installing it and I'm purchasing a model Y. From what I'm reading, sounds like I should have a 50A breaker installed? thanks for any guidance.

 

[freeAgent]

I considering purchasing a Charge Point Home Flex 6-50 unit because my energy company has a huge rebate on it. I don't know anything about installing it and I'm purchasing a model Y. From what I'm reading, sounds like I should have a 50A breaker installed? thanks for any guidance.

Yes, you'll want a 50 amp breaker installed, which will allow you to set the Chargepoint Home Flex to charge at up to 40 amps. The only way to be up to code and go over 40 amps is to hard-wire the charging station and have a circuit >50 amps. I don't think it's worth the hassle for most since you'll be able to charge up overnight quite easily at 40 amps already and you won't have to deal with the added cost (thicker cable, perhaps more involved upgrades to your panel/service) and more difficulty in switching charging stations that hard wiring entails.

 

[PDB2655]

I have mine set up with 60 amp breaker and a 12 foot cord works well charges my Model 3 in a couple of hours each night. Just make sure your charger is set up to your WiFi so it can get the proper updates Tesla sends to it. had that problem and I was getting 3 blinking reds wouldn't charge more then a half hour. My Son and figured it out with some help from Tesla support.