How to Charge my Tesla?!

[ozweepay]

I thought this would be a sticky, but it's not. And I should know the answers after 1+ years of ownership, but I don't.

Here's the kind of charging that I have done:

120V at home (about 4 mi/hr of charging)
240V at home (about 40 mi/hr of charging)
Superchargers (about 150-200 mi/hr of charging)

But what about other options? Those chargers around town and at the airport... how do I use those? Do I bring my adapters from home or will they have Tesla-friendly plugs already? Do I have to pay? Is there a club I join? Is there a FAQ that explains all of this for Tesla owners somewhere?!

 

[sdorn]

This forum is a good starting point. Just read a few dozen threads and you'll start to figure it out.

Most public charging stations use a J1772 plug which you have an adapter for in the set that came with the car. Charging speed varies, but somewhere between 15 - 30mph probably. Some are free, and some you have to pay. There are a few larger networks that you can get cards to use (Blink, ChargePoint, EVgo are a few of the bigger ones). You can check them all out online.

The fastest public charging stations that aren't Superchargers use a system called CHAdeMO. You have to buy a special adapter from Tesla to use those, but they have decent availability, especially at Nissan dealerships. They are a good alternative if you can't find a Supercharger or as a backup in case there is an issue with the Supercharger.

You probably know about Tesla destination chargers, but those are also good to use and can be found at restaurants, hotels, and similar places. The Tesla website has those listed.

Using a website / app like PlugShare is a good place to go to find all the available charging options in a given area, including Tesla specific options and public charging options.

 

[GoTslaGo]

Someone else posted about a site called RV Parky | RV Parks & Campgrounds Directory, Reviews, Photos

apparently lists 14-50 chargers at RV parks and others.

 

[JRMW]

I agree with you

a very knowledgeable person should create a WIKI, and then make that a sticky thread.

My car is delivered on Wednesday, and stupid Xcel energy has not come out to hook up my house yet.

So I'm starting to sweat just a little bit, going over math in my head.

My round trip work/home is 25 miles to 27 miles depending on which route I take.
BUT it's super freezing cold here now. (like +5 to -20 F).
My understanding is that I will use 50% more energy when it's cold.
thus, I'll use 37 to 40 miles per day Monday to Friday.
I don't drive much on weekends. But let's add 70 miles/week for incidentals
so that's (40*5)+70= 270 miles of range used per week,

I can trickle charge probably 3 miles/hour at home. probably about 10 hr/day... so 30 miles charge per day Monday to Friday
probably can trickle charge 20 hrs/day on weekends. so 60 hrs per day on Sat Sunday

The only Supercharger in my area is 9 miles out of my way from my job.
but it's next to a supermarket.

there is a J1772 charger 1/2 block from my job. I THINK it's probably going to be a 3 or 4 mi/hr situation. $1/hour. 10 hrs of work x 4 = 40 miles.

So I need 200-270 miles per week
I'll get 30 miles x 5 = 150 miles
I'll get 60 miles x 2 = 100 miles.

not including the Supercharger (if I go out of my way and shop over there), and the J1772 charger.

Hey... maybe I'll be fine!

Doing the math makes me feel better.

however: this is one of the problems for EV adoption... you still have to plan (at least a little) even with a Tesla!

that said, once I get my stupid electrical hooked up this issue will go away.

 

[AMPd]

I agree with you

a very knowledgeable person should create a WIKI, and then make that a sticky thread.

My car is delivered on Wednesday, and stupid Xcel energy has not come out to hook up my house yet.

So I'm starting to sweat just a little bit, going over math in my head.

My round trip work/home is 25 miles to 27 miles depending on which route I take.
BUT it's super freezing cold here now. (like +5 to -20 F).
My understanding is that I will use 50% more energy when it's cold.
thus, I'll use 37 to 40 miles per day Monday to Friday.
I don't drive much on weekends. But let's add 70 miles/week for incidentals
so that's (40*5)+70= 270 miles of range used per week,

I can trickle charge probably 3 miles/hour at home. probably about 10 hr/day... so 30 miles charge per day Monday to Friday
probably can trickle charge 20 hrs/day on weekends. so 60 hrs per day on Sat Sunday

The only Supercharger in my area is 9 miles out of my way from my job.
but it's next to a supermarket.

there is a J1772 charger 1/2 block from my job. I THINK it's probably going to be a 3 or 4 mi/hr situation. $1/hour. 10 hrs of work x 4 = 40 miles.

So I need 200-270 miles per week
I'll get 30 miles x 5 = 150 miles
I'll get 60 miles x 2 = 100 miles.

not including the Supercharger (if I go out of my way and shop over there), and the J1772 charger.

Hey... maybe I'll be fine!

Doing the math makes me feel better.

however: this is one of the problems for EV adoption... you still have to plan (at least a little) even with a Tesla!

that said, once I get my stupid electrical hooked up this issue will go away.

If the car is parked in super cold location as in -20F, that trickle charge of 3mph turns to 0, or at best 1mph.

 

[hmmm]

I agree with you

a very knowledgeable person should create a WIKI, and then make that a sticky thread.

My car is delivered on Wednesday, and stupid Xcel energy has not come out to hook up my house yet.

So I'm starting to sweat just a little bit, going over math in my head.

My round trip work/home is 25 miles to 27 miles depending on which route I take.
BUT it's super freezing cold here now. (like +5 to -20 F).
My understanding is that I will use 50% more energy when it's cold.
thus, I'll use 37 to 40 miles per day Monday to Friday.
I don't drive much on weekends. But let's add 70 miles/week for incidentals
so that's (40*5)+70= 270 miles of range used per week,

I can trickle charge probably 3 miles/hour at home. probably about 10 hr/day... so 30 miles charge per day Monday to Friday
probably can trickle charge 20 hrs/day on weekends. so 60 hrs per day on Sat Sunday

The only Supercharger in my area is 9 miles out of my way from my job.
but it's next to a supermarket.

there is a J1772 charger 1/2 block from my job. I THINK it's probably going to be a 3 or 4 mi/hr situation. $1/hour. 10 hrs of work x 4 = 40 miles.

So I need 200-270 miles per week
I'll get 30 miles x 5 = 150 miles
I'll get 60 miles x 2 = 100 miles.

not including the Supercharger (if I go out of my way and shop over there), and the J1772 charger.

Hey... maybe I'll be fine!

Doing the math makes me feel better.

however: this is one of the problems for EV adoption... you still have to plan (at least a little) even with a Tesla!

that said, once I get my stupid electrical hooked up this issue will go away.

I ended up having to use 110v for a while too and you should be totally fine charging overnight and topping things up @ the supercharger once a week. In fact, the density of options available in your area is much better than average.

Have you modeled things using evtripplanner.com? It's pretty accurate.

 

[hmmm]

I ended up having to use 110v for a while too and you should be totally fine charging overnight and topping things up @ the supercharger once a week. In fact, the density of options available in your area is much better than average.

Have you modeled things using evtripplanner.com? It's pretty accurate.

Part 2 as my first post is locked already...

I am willing to bet that you'll end up looking forward to going to the supercharger...9 miles is nothing and personally, I like chilling for 20mn while charging: heat on, music on --> nice way to disconnect (pun intended).

 

[UberEV1]

Those chargers around town and at the airport... how do I use those?

This is a great question for those who have never used "Level 1" chargers before. Level 1 chargers are the most common publicly available chargers in the US and often maintained by companies like ChargePoint, Blink, etc. Just bring the one small Tesla plug adapter (roughly 2" in diameter x 3" long (came with charging cable kit) and have a smart phone handy to set up an account if it requires pay-for-power.

 

[JRMW]

If the car is parked in super cold location as in -20F, that trickle charge of 3mph turns to 0, or at best 1mph

Nooooo! Darn you Minnesota. Darn you straight to heck!

 

[Jim J]

Used Chargepoint or the first time and it worked well. Download the app now, put some money in and you're good to go when you find one.

 

[TexasEV]

This is a great question for those who have never used "Level 1" chargers before. Level 1 chargers are the most common publicly available chargers in the US and often maintained by companies like ChargePoint, Blink, etc. Just bring the one small Tesla plug adapter (roughly 2" in diameter x 3" long (came with charging cable kit) and have a smart phone handy to set up an account if it requires pay-for-power.

No, those are level 2 charging stations using the J1772 standard. Level 1 charging refers to 120V.

 

[TexasEV]

I thought this would be a sticky, but it's not. And I should know the answers after 1+ years of ownership, but I don't.

Here's the kind of charging that I have done:

120V at home (about 4 mi/hr of charging)
240V at home (about 40 mi/hr of charging)
Superchargers (about 150-200 mi/hr of charging)

But what about other options? Those chargers around town and at the airport... how do I use those? Do I bring my adapters from home or will they have Tesla-friendly plugs already? Do I have to pay? Is there a club I join? Is there a FAQ that explains all of this for Tesla owners somewhere?!

They use your J1772 adapter. Nothing to do with your UMC or its adapters.
Every J1772 station could be different. Look at the map on Plugshare.com and for each station it will tell you which network it's part of, if any (Blink, ChargePoint, etc.) and the fee if any. If you find you'll want to use a Blink or ChargePoint station, go to their website to sign up and you'll get a card which will make it easier.

These were really intended for short range EVs. They're usually only 30A, or about 18 miles/hr range. If you have charging at home the only time a Tesla owner would likely charge at one of these would be at a destination when traveling.

 

[steveho]

@JRMW I have been averaging 500+ wh/mi in the last couple days! SO on a 60D that's 120 miles. Just sayin'.

Just ran out to my car, and my total average is 480wh/mi which is 125 miles per charge. Keep in mind that I'm giving rides, and doing full blast accelerations, and heating and seats and defrosting. If you don't do that (that'll never happen), then you should get more miles than what I'm doing.

 

[JRMW]

Thanks Steve!

I foresee lots of trips to the Oakdale Hy-Vee in my future!

 

[UberEV1]

No, those are level 2 charging stations using the J1772 standard. Level 1 charging refers to 120V.

Thanks! Yes, meant to say Level 2.

 

[TR5642]

Sign up for accounts with the ChargePoint and Blink networks. Perhaps some others in your area if you see on Plugshare or other sites. They both have free plans where you get one card (you can usually use your phone instead too) to charge at L2 (J1772 plug which stores in a pocket in the back left of the glove box) stations. Very handy to have that option. Check the rates though. They can range from free, to free for a time, to per kWh to per hour. Some are a bargain, some not. My office used to have one that was reasonable at $1/hr which worked out to 17c kWh, BUT at 4 hours it jumped to $10/hr (a wee bit of encouragement to move the car and share)