I have searched everywhere for this

[Tannergroup2]

I am taking delivery of my first Tesla in 2 weeks. I did get the black wall connector as my referral reward but those are not shipping until April. My question is what should I have installed in my garage, I know the 14-50 plug but at how many amps?
This is all a bit confusing to me lol Thanks in advanced.

 

[Snowstorm]

If you are preparing to install the HPWC, then you would have a 60, 80 or 100 A breaker with a suitably large gauge wire going to the garage. Until your HPWC arrives, go to Home Depot and buy a 14-50 receptical box for a few dollars. These are the ones some electric stove use and just mount it to the wall where the HPWC will be for now. You can use your mobile charger cord that came with the car to charge at 240v 40A, which will be about 10kW and for sure enough for a full charge each night. I have such a setup but only a 14-30, repurposed from a dryer. Charges at 24A 240V, still good for an overnigh full charge.

Once your HPWC arrives, replace receptical with HPWC.

 

[mongo]

I am taking delivery of my first Tesla in 2 weeks. I did get the black wall connector as my referral reward but those are not shipping until April. My question is what should I have installed in my garage, I know the 14-50 plug but at how many amps?
This is all a bit confusing to me lol Thanks in advanced.

50 Amp breaker, 6 gauge or larger wire, 40 Amp charge limit for the 14-50 socket.

 

[Snowstorm]

50 Amp breaker, 6 gauge or larger wire, 40 Amp charge limit for the 14-50 socket.

That is the right setup for a 14-50, but if OP is going for a HPWC and this is only a temp solution, should he not just go with the final larger breaker and wiring right now so it doesn't have to be redone?

 

[mongo]

That is the right setup for a 14-50, but if OP is going for a HPWC and this is only a temp solution, should he not just go with the final larger breaker and wiring right now so it doesn't have to be redone?

Yah, hence the 14-50 caveat at the end. For upgrade path, the cable size can be be larger at installation, but the breaker must still be 50A while the end connection is a 14-50. With large gauge, there will likely need to be a splice/ junction to reduce wire size to what the socket is rated for. Also need to plan ahead for the extra wire to reach the HPWC vs the socket. Could remove socket, add cover plate and have a splice/junction to the extension lines. Depending on final setup, there may be requirement for a local disconnect. This could replace the 14-50 box and then feed the HPWC.
Using properly sized conduit would allow the lowest cost now and, when the HPWC is installed. upgrading the wire to match the final setup.

 

[bonnie]

All of the above - have it wired for the HPWC & it will be overspec'd for the 14-50.

FYI, have the 14-50 outlet installed 'upside down', i.e., ground on the top. That way the cable hangs down when plugged in. It's less stress.

Install instructions for the HPWC: https://www.tesla.com/sites/default...l_connector_installation_manual_80A_en_US.pdf

 

[DMack]

All of the above - have it wired for the HPWC & it will be overspec'd for the 14-50.

FYI, have the 14-50 outlet installed 'upside down', i.e., ground on the top. That way the cable hangs down when plugged in. It's less stress.

Install instructions for the HPWC: https://www.tesla.com/sites/default...l_connector_installation_manual_80A_en_US.pdf

I’m in the same boat as the OP.
Is being overspec’d ok in this scenario?(installing a 14-50 until the HPWC arrives)

 

[mongo]

I’m in the same boat as the OP.
Is being overspec’d ok in this scenario?(installing a 14-50 until the HPWC arrives)

Bigger wire is fine, just may need a reducer. Breaker must match application in use, 14-50 needs 50A, Future HPWC needs appropriate size (charge setting is 80% of breaker setting).

 

[deonb]

I’m in the same boat as the OP.
Is being overspec’d ok in this scenario?(installing a 14-50 until the HPWC arrives)

Overspec-ing the wiring is fine. You just need a 50A breaker temporarily because of the 14-50 outlet.

The 14-50 outlet internally can't handle more than 50A, so even though your wiring might be able to handle 100A, the outlet or things connected to it will melt down. The 50A breaker protects it in the mean time until you have an HPWC.

At the point the HPWC arrives, you keep the same wire in the wall and change the outlet on one end, and the breaker on the other.

 

[seenhear]

I'm in a similar situation too... waiting for the black signature wall charger.
We just moved to a new house, and the builders wired a spot in the garage for "EV charging" but did not install an outlet, nor any breakers in the main panel for the wiring... they just installed the wires. How can I tell what gauge the wiring is? There's about 4 inches coiled up in the wall box they left, so I can see the wiring. I have calipers. Can I just measure the diameter of the copper and look it up? Should the insulation jacket on the wires say the gauge?

Also... how did OP get a referral order delivered before his/her own Tesla was delivered? That seems unusual!

 

[mspohr]

I'm in a similar situation too... waiting for the black signature wall charger.
We just moved to a new house, and the builders wired a spot in the garage for "EV charging" but did not install an outlet, nor any breakers in the main panel for the wiring... they just installed the wires. How can I tell what gauge the wiring is? There's about 4 inches coiled up in the wall box they left, so I can see the wiring. I have calipers. Can I just measure the diameter of the copper and look it up? Should the insulation jacket on the wires say the gauge?

Also... how did OP get a referral order delivered before his/her own Tesla was delivered? That seems unusual!

The wire gauge is usually printed on the wire is very small hard to read print.
It would be best if the electrician installed 6 gauge wire (4.1mm).
Here's a list of wire sizes:
Wire Gauge vs. Diameter

 

[Tannergroup2]

S

If you are preparing to install the HPWC, then you would have a 60, 80 or 100 A breaker with a suitably large gauge wire going to the garage. Until your HPWC arrives, go to Home Depot and buy a 14-50 receptical box for a few dollars. These are the ones some electric stove use and just mount it to the wall where the HPWC will be for now. You can use your mobile charger cord that came with the car to charge at 240v 40A, which will be about 10kW and for sure enough for a full charge each night. I have such a setup but only a 14-30, repurposed from a dryer. Charges at 24A 240V, still good for an overnigh full charge.

Once your HPWC arrives, replace receptical with HPWC.

Thanks for all the responses!! So if I do this the mobile charger will be able to handle say a 100A breaker until the HPWC comes?

 

[mongo]

S

Thanks for all the responses!! So if I do this the mobile charger will be able to say a 100A breaker until the HPWC comes?

If you have a 14-50 at one end of the wire, you need a 50A max breaker at the other. In the future proof (up-sized wire) case, you are protecting the socket.

 

[NickFie]

If you can afford slightly higher expense:

100 Amp breaker in main panel.

3-gauge copper wire from that to sub-panel in garage. HPWC manual listed that as minimum when I installed last November.

50-Amp breaker in garage sub panel feeding appropriate wire gauge for your interim plug. That will remain available if you take up welding or acquire an EV that prefers a different connection.

When HPWC arrives, electrician installs:

100 Amp breaker in garage sub panel.

3-gauge copper between breaker and HPWC. Subpanel acts as visible cutoff switch for HPWC.

 

[Lloyd]

Yes, you can, but #2 or 3 wire is difficult to bend and adapt to the lugs of the 14-50 plug. I can be done though. Be sure and leave yourself a long enough tail to wire the HPWC later. I used #6 wire for this job and it will handle 48 amps (60 amp breaker) and is more than enough to charge two cars overnight.

 

[brkaus]

Thanks for all the responses!! So if I do this the mobile charger will be able to handle say a 100A breaker until the HPWC comes?

No. If your putting in a 14-50 outlet you should use a 50a breaker. Otherwise any problem in the outlet would cause fire instead of trippIng the breaker. A 50a breaker is less than $10. So not much sunk cost.

I like @NickFie idea above. A sub panel is pretty cheap.

Are you having this professionally done?

How many miles do you drivevs day and do you have other options for charging? You may be able to get by with 120v charging until your wall connector shows up?

Or buy a wall connector and then sell yours later. Sure, some lost cost in the transaction, but may be less than having an electrician in twice.

 

[gregd]

Do you really need the higher charging current? What is your main panel's capacity?

#4 wire is the largest that the 14-50 outlet can take; normally they're fed with #6. Putting in an even larger wire is possible, but splicing to a smaller gauge wire is kind of messy, and while unlikely, it's one more connection that can go bad over time. #4 is really annoying to work with; larger is worse.

As noted, you can't have any larger than a 50 amp breaker with a 14-50 outlet. I put in #4 wire for my 14-50, for future proofing and to keep the voltage sag to a minimum (40' run). Decided to just keep it that way, as the 14-50 gives some flexibility in what hooks into it (e.g. an RV or other EVSE), vs a wall charger that is fixed to the Tesla connector. 40 amps charging was plenty for the 60 mile round trip commute that I had. I even drop it down to 24 amps most of the time, just to be easier on the overall system and grid, since I easily get back to a full charge in one night.

If you do plan to have the 14-50 for a while, try to find one that's designed for RV use, or just leave your UMC plugged into it. The cheap ones tend to wear out quickly if something is plugged in an out frequently. You probably don't need to keep the UMC in the car on a daily basis.

 

[NickFie]

My take is that it’s better to have spare capacity than, a few years down the road, wish you had installed more. The heavier gauge cable will reduce power loss at any charge rate.

The second electrician visit should be fast- short cable run in the same room, one breaker and one device to add.

Suggest you use an electrician from Tesla’s recommendation list, at least for the second visit.

 

[Uncle Paul]

I originally installed a Home Depot 14-50 plug. Was a cheapie and the plug, box and wiring got really hot when charging at 40 amps. Turned out there was some arcing internally. The Electrician changed it out to a professional grade plug, and it has been running cool and efficient ever since. Believe Tesla spec's a high quality plug. Some of the Home Depot stuff is bargain basement. Electrician was not one from Tesla's list, but a neighbor that claimed Tesla experience and knowledge. He ran out of the good plugs and picked up one from Home Depot on the way here.
When it comes to Tesla charging systems, error on the side of higher capabilities rather than lower costs.

 

[FlatSix911]

Here is a handy reference guide from Tesla on the available HPWC settings and corresponding Recharge rates.
I would recommend installing a new circuit between 40-60 Amps (32-48A output) as this is more than adequate for overnight charging.