Home Charging Setup

[AndreSF]

My commute is about 80 miles a day.

Yeah, so with Tesla wall connector installed even on 20Amp circuit and pulling ~10-11mi/hr, you will easily recharge nightly (assuming your car is parked for 8-9hrs at night. Even if you miss a night, there is still plenty of back up charge in the battery.
I would not overthink it at this stage, and make changes later as needed.

 

[gregd]

Regardless of charging need (I agree you have lots of options given your expected usage), I'd get that main panel inspected ASAP. Understand the electrician is coming tomorrow (Monday)... Please let us know what he/she says.

 

[bakerboy]

So, the electrician called me and had to cancel our appt. due to a family emergency, so we rescheduled for this Friday.

I also had a solar co. appt. yesterday, he came and looked at everything and said I really need to upgrade my service to at least a 200 amp, even if I didnt go solar. He included in his quote to install solar and the service upgrade which would be $2000 just for the upgrade including everything (work, parts, permits, re-stuccoing). He also said after the service upgrade and the solar was installed he would install a 14-50 outlet in between my garage doors for free as a bonus.

 

[Rocky_H]

Oh yeah, that's another reason for a supply-side connection - no 20% limit. Although 20% of 200A gives you 9.6kW, which is still a lot of solar.

Yep, we got our solar system installed at the end of last year. We only have a 125A main panel, which was full. We got a supply side connection for the 7.25kW solar system, which would have been over the 20%.

 

[bakerboy]

Thanks!

I'm gonna get 2 more companies to come by this weekend so I can have about 3 proposals to compare and then make a final decision.

 

[ZBB]

BTW, what is it about CA and their exterior-mounted breaker panels? I've never seen a main panel on the outside of the house, except in CA...

It's also common in AZ...

 

[bakerboy]

So, delivery is getting closer (I'm estimating around 2 more weeks) and it's not very likely I will be able to get a solar install/service upgrade before I get the car due to the financial consideration (I have to wait because if I get a loan for the solar it might complicate the loan for the car) so once I get the car it looks like my only 2 options are either a 5-15 plug that is around 30'-40' away or the 10-30 outlet for the dryer that is about the same distance away, or drive to an EVgo charging station that is about 3 miles from my house to charge every other day.

**Option 1**
If I use the 10-30 plug, I will need to make an "extension" that has a male 10-30 plug on one end and a female 14-30 plug on the other, then plug the UMC into that. Does anyone have experience making such a thing?


**Option 2**
Get a store bought extension cord for the 5-15 plug and connect the UMC to that

**Option 3**
Drive to an EVgo charging station that is about 3 miles from my house to charge every other day.


So which option do you guys think would be most feasible for a temporary solution (2-3 months max)

T.I.A.

 

[Rocky_H]

So, delivery is getting closer (I'm estimating around 2 more weeks) and it's not very likely I will be able to get a solar install/service upgrade before I get the car due to the financial consideration (I have to wait because if I get a loan for the solar it might complicate the loan for the car) so once I get the car it looks like my only 2 options are either a 5-15 plug that is around 30'-40' away or the 10-30 outlet for the dryer that is about the same distance away, or drive to an EVgo charging station that is about 3 miles from my house to charge every other day.

**Option 1**
If I use the 10-30 plug, I will need to make an "extension" that has a male 10-30 plug on one end and a female 14-30 plug on the other, then plug the UMC into that. Does anyone have experience making such a thing?


**Option 2**
Get a store bought extension cord for the 5-15 plug and connect the UMC to that

**Option 3**
Drive to an EVgo charging station that is about 3 miles from my house to charge every other day.


So which option do you guys think would be most feasible for a temporary solution (2-3 months max)

T.I.A.

Here are a couple of thoughts on this.

On option 1, I have made an adapter cable—not that specific one, but same type of work. It’s not really that hard. Start with buying a 10-30 cord from Amazon or somewhere, so at least the plug side is already molded on. Then, you can just get a 14-30 receptacle to wire onto the other end. It’s pretty simple and is a good speed charging option. Alternatively, there is a ready-made adapter cable from EVSEadapters that is a 10-30 plug to 14-50 receptacle, which I have. If you use the Tesla 14-50 plug, it will not know the current limit, so that’s not a great long term plan. However, I did hear someone on this forum suggest cutting off the angled neutral of his Tesla 14-30 plug with a Dremmel tool or something similar, so it could fit in the 14-50 receptacles, but would properly manage the current for a 30 amp circuit. That would be a decent idea.

On option 2, don’t just get a regular garden/outdoor type extension cord. Those almost always use 16 gauge wire, which is too thin for long term continuous overnight use of the 12A draw for charging a car. I would go 12 gauge for a 5-15 outlet or 10 gauge if you’re using a 5-20.

You are going to hate option 3—it’s going to get old really fast, so I wouldn’t recommend it. But you could do some combination of 2 and 3 if the overnight slow charging starts falling behind your use.

Some of this is back calculating from how many miles a day you drive. A 5-15 outlet will refill you at about 3 miles per hour. So if you can let it charge for 10 hours, that would be 30 miles. If that keeps up with your daily driving, that would work fine. If that’s not, then you probably should go with option 1.

 

[bakerboy]

Thanks Rocky!

Is this the adapter?

NEMA 14-50R to 10-30P Adapter

On my 10-30 outlet, it says: 10-30R Is that different from the 10-30P adapter?

If I go the 5-15 route, would this be sufficient:

Power By Go Green 25 ft. 12/3 SJTW Extension Cord - Orange with Lighted Green Ends-GG-14025 - The Home Depot

 

[miimura]

Thanks Rocky!

Is this the adapter?

NEMA 14-50R to 10-30P Adapter

On my 10-30 outlet, it says: 10-30R Is that different from the 10-30P adapter?

If I go the 5-15 route, would this be sufficient:

Power By Go Green 25 ft. 12/3 SJTW Extension Cord - Orange with Lighted Green Ends-GG-14025 - The Home Depot

R means receptacle and P means Plug. That is why the wall is 10-30R and the adapter is 10-30P. However, I strongly recommend using the 14-30 adapter so that you don't accidentally pull too much current from the 10-30 circuit.

The 12/3 cord is good enough for 120V charging. However, the first time you use it, make sure to check the temperature of the plug and socket ends of the extension cord. The wire may be thick enough, but if they didn't do a good job with the connections at the ends, they could still overheat. Warm is ok, but if it's ever hot enough that you can't hold it firmly in your hand for 10 seconds straight, reduce the current or stop using it entirely.

 

[_jal_]

Do #1. I second the opinion that you're going to hate #3.

FWIW, I installed a single 14-50 outlet at the end of a dedicated conduit on a dedicated circuit. No sub panel or anything. Super simple and totally worth it. I've just skimmed the thread, but it sounds like you might have a panel problem, but if you can do it, do it. I started out thinking I'd just use the 120V/15A route, and it would have been fine. But at 240V/40A I'm getting 5 times as much power. That's the difference between taking 10 hours to charge and 2. Granted, I've charged from below 20% maybe twice, but it's a nice piece of mind.

 

[bakerboy]

Thanks everyone!

If I were to try and make my own cable with a 10-30p, a 25'-40' cable and a 14-30r, can anyone give me step by step instructions or even an existing video link on youtube?

Also, what exact wire should I use?

Can I use this wire and cut off the 10-30r and replace it with a 14-30r:

Amazon.com : Conntek Rubber SJOOW 10/3 NEMA 10-30P 3 Prong Dryer Rubber Extension Cord, 25-Feet : Patio, Lawn & Garden

 

[miimura]

Yes, you can use that one, remove the receptacle and put this one on in its place.

Amazon.com: Leviton 55054 30 Amp, 125/250 Volt, NEMA 14-30R, 3P, 4W, Surface Mounting Receptacle, Straight Blade, Industrial Grade, Grounding, , Side Wired, Steel Strap, Black: Home Improvement

Connect the Neutral from the 10-30 to the Ground pin on the 14-30 and label it clearly "For Tesla Charging Only". If you can manage to put an additional jump wire, you could connect the 14-30 Neutral also. The Ground pin is required for the UMC to function.

 

[BerTX]

If it were me, being a practical cheapskate, I'd spend the money on something I would use again. A 50' 120v extension cord is something you could use again, either to carry in the car on trips or uses around the house. Buying an expensive higher-capacity cable that will probably be too big to carry in the car and has no practical use around the house would seem wasteful and short-sighted to me.

Another factor to me is that YOU NEED TO REPLACE THAT PANEL. Having the 120v charging will be just annoying enough to make you want to get that done, rather than getting something more practical that will be "good enough" and allow you to wait to get the work done until after the fire.

 

[bakerboy]

Thanks miimura!!!!

Thanks BerTX, I completely agree with you on that my panel needs to be upgraded, unfortunately i need to make sure the loan for the car goes through and then I can start thinking about solar/upgrade.

 

[brkaus]

I'd start with the 5-15 extension cord (costco has 2 50ft 12ga cords for $36). Supplement with the EVGo as needed.

Might give you a good excuse to get in a nice walk in

However, you will probably find you drive more than you expected. So be prepared for a backup plan.

 

[bakerboy]

Thanks brkaus!!!

Well, we do have 2 Level2 chargers at work, the only reason I have not mentioned them is because we have about 30 volts/i30's and other EV cars and they literally occupy the 2 chargers ALL DAY. I've been monitoring this usage and on Fridays atleast one spot is open, so I maybe able to charge there also.

 

[tga]

You should probably read FlasherZ's charging FAQ - FAQ: Home Tesla charging infrastructure Q&A and Cosmacelf's homemade adapter document - http://cosmacelf.net/Home Made Adapters.pdf

Option 1 - you can buy SOOW cord (rubber coated, stranded) by the foot from Home Depot & Lowes and put on a 10-30P/14-30R on either end. 10/3 ($2/ft) should be fine for 30 feet. Much longer than that and you probably want 8/3 ($3/ft). I carry around a 25ft 10-30P to 10-30R cord I built from 10/3 SOOW that I use to charge off dryer outlets at various family members' homes. It lives in the rear truck cubby (along with chademo adapter, UMC bag, etc)

Option 2 - 12 gauge minimum. I wouldn't have a problem using that for a 5-20 extension, either (the house wiring will be 12ga for a 20A outlet). Make sure the plug fits tightly (old outlets sometime loosen up). Also, I've plugged into outlets that are at the end of a long chain with lots of spices, and I've seen a significant voltage drop, which can mean the car dials back the charge rate even more (lucky if you get 3 mph)

Option 3 - I did basically this for 3 months (I found the car earlier than expected, and didn't have charging set up yet). I plugged in a couple of nights a week at a local 30A Chargepoint station 1.5 miles from home. I'd walk home or get a ride with Mrs. TGA (her office is by the Charepoints). I'd also use the local supercharger periodically as needed. Having said that, being able to plug in at home and charge at night is much easier...

 

[_jal_]

Do what @tga says and do option 1. Just make sure you don't put your cable across an ice skating rink or pinch it in a door or something. You're going to have 4 times as much power if you want it. You're going to drive it all the time once you get it I've never picked up so much dry cleaning, or gone for milk as often, or wanted to drive 500 miles to see the in-laws so bad.

 

[Blup85]

Yep, we got our solar system installed at the end of last year. We only have a 125A main panel, which was full. We got a supply side connection for the 7.25kW solar system, which would have been over the 20%.

Just curious, how does a "supply side" work? Is it actually tied on the other side of the meter or between your main breaker and the utility meter? If its the former, you wouldn't be able to measure how much power you are sending back to the grid, so I'm guessing its just on the other side of your main panels breaker so you can't overload your main?