How many amps to setup 220 In the garage?

[Indpowr]

I haven't seen any threads on this but I am trying to prepare for the Tesla to arrive

How many amps should I run?

I see no real need for a power wall when I can plug directly into the outlet.

Any suggestions

 

[gavine]

If you plan on installing a 240V outlet to work with the UMC that comes with the car, you would want to install a 50amp NEMA 14-50 outlet. The UMC comes with a NEMA 14-50 plug. Just make sure the wire gauge is thick enough to handle 40amps of continuous current (6AWG I believe)

I'm not sure if that answers your question.

 

[wiredprairie]

Have a look on Tesla's web site for the recommendations: Home charging installation

If you get the Tesla wall connector, you have more options:

• For vehicles with the Standard Charger: Install with a 60-amp circuit to match the standard on-board charger of your Tesla (20% faster charging than a NEMA 14-50 outlet)
• For vehicles with the High Amperage Charger Upgrade: Install with a 90-amp circuit to match an upgraded onboard charger of your Tesla (50% faster than a standard onboard charger)
• Power sharing: Link up to 4 Wall Connectors to a single circuit to maximize available power

 

[thefortunes]

Sticky thread in the Charging forum:

FAQ: Home Tesla charging infrastructure Q&A

 

[Indpowr]

I feel dumb lmao thanks all

 

[TexasEV]

Also it's 240V, not 220V.
Here is details from Tesla on how to install the NEMA 14-50 outlet if you go that route:
https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/downloads/US/universalmobileconnector_nema_14-50.pdf

 

[bharned3]

I used the referral in my area on Tesla's website and had the 240 installed. There were like 4 electricians on the list for me and I reached out to all 4 for a quote and one of them came in almost 200 cheaper than the rest and that included the permit. They had it done in about 30 minutes and another hour wait foe the inspector to chow up and sign off.

Now i just need my car to get here!!

 

[brkaus]

This clip always coms to mind.

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[gavine]

Why is 220V such a common mistake? People always ask me if I installed a 220 for charging. Only reason I know it's 240V is because that's what the car reports. Anyone care to explain the misnomer?

 

[berkeley_ecar]

I talked with 5 different electricians before installing my NEMA 14-50 outlet near my parking space in our condo. garage. Three were on the list of recommended firms offered by Tesla. Two of those were large firms, and kept ditzing around asking questions, requesting photos of our electrical closet, etc., but failing to make a site visit or get down to particulars and provide as estimate, and this went on for weeks. The remaining one of the three, System Innovation, promptly came for a site visit, laid out a clear and sensible plan, listened to my concerns about a clean well organized installation that would accommodate future outlets for other owners and the aesthetics of our nicely finished garage, and offered a fair price. I went with them and they did a beautiful job, including handling city permissions and inspections. Ours was a bigger job than most, as it involved penetrating a wall to carry conduit from our main electrical closet (connected to my meter) into the garage. Inform yourself as much as you can in advance, talk to multiple vendors, get references, and don't necessarily go with the low bidder.

As for people mislabeling 240V as 220V -- my guess would be that 120V (standard household voltage) is floating around in their heads...

 

[gavine]

As for people mislabeling 240V as 220V -- my guess would be that 120V (standard household voltage) is floating around in their heads...

Could be, but I also hear people saying 110 as well so I think there's more to this.

 

[strider]

In the US for residential use, the power company is supposed to provide 2 x 120V phases at the meter. But after the meter there are losses as it goes through your panel and distribution. Devices that connect to your house are supposed to be able to operate down to 110V to account for this loss. So since a device would be rated for 110V some people call it a 110V device and by extension, the wall it's plugged into as a 110V plug. Obviously double for dual phase devices (like our cars) and you get 220V vs 240V.

You may also see 208V which is used in industrial/commercial installs where 3 phases of power are brought in. For example, a lot of L2 chargers will be 208V/30A

Also, for the OP, a NEMA 14-50 is the most flexible solution. However, if your house is old and can't handle another 240V/50A circuit you may be able to install a 14-30 which is 240V/30A (this is what electric dryers use). A 14-50 will add ~30mph of charge while a 14-30 will add ~20 mph of charge. Depending on how far you drive the 30A may be enough.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Could be, but I also hear people saying 110 as well so I think there's more to this.

It's just historical. Voltages used to vary more and be lower. Standard has been 240V/120V since around 1960.
The 110V stuck in the psyche and culture, I guess.

 

[JHWJR]

Why is 220V such a common mistake? People always ask me if I installed a 220 for charging. Only reason I know it's 240V is because that's what the car reports. Anyone care to explain the misnomer?

I think a lot of people think that the higher voltage is likely double the 110 standard. But it's not.

 

[TexasEV]

I think a lot of people think that the higher voltage is likely double the 110 standard. But it's not.

Huh? 110 hasn't been standard for more than 50 years (120 is) and 240 V is double of that. That's where 120V comes from, it's half of the 240V feed.

 

[drklain]

+1. I agree that people are confused because appliances will say they are 110V or 220V appliances so people assume the service is 110V/220V vice the actual 120/240.

 

[TR5642]

BTW, your wording suggests you might be planning to do the work yourself. Don't forget that EV charging is classified as 'continuous' use and the standards are different. IOW, you should not max out the rating of the upstream infrastructure. I think the common factor is 80% meaning that your 'continuous load' should not exceed 80% of the rated infrastructure. Also, the loads during 50A charging are significantly larger than nearly anything else in your house. So if you are sharing circuits - dangerous. If your house supply is already maxing out - dangerous (even though you're probably charging at night when the other things aren't drawing as much)

 

[wiredprairie]

And -- to add to what @TR5642 said, in many jurisdictions, you may be expected to pull a permit and have it inspected upon completion of the work. Check the forum post above for more details if needed.

 

[WARP 10]

I'm curious as to how many people have a service panel that can accommodate an additional 90amp circuit for the HPWC? I have a 200amp panel, where there are a lot of houses in the neighborhood that only have 100, and there was barely enough capacity for the 50amps for the NEMA 14-50.

 

[wiredprairie]

When we built our house in 2004, we installed 2 150 AMP panels and the electrical service provider thought we were crazy going that big (they hadn't planned for homes in our small neighborhood to have more than 200A service apparently).

We just went with a 50AMP circuit. We didn't forsee any occasions where the higher speed charging would be needed. We have 7 hours of significantly reduced electrical rates, and as long as the car completes its charging during that time, we're good.