I have two question - Highly gratefull in advanced for answering. Ty

[Mendione]

Hello everyone here in this prestigious Tesla community. Wishing you the best, here are my two questions. In advanced thank you so much for taking your valuable time in answered them.

1) What is the best home charger you can recommend. See, I am moving to my new home (so excited, and I am moving with my whole gang, including the dog a big champagne color Goldendoodle). Well I need to have a charger 240VAC. Please be so kind to recommend me the best I should buy. Of course the best cost/ performance ratio. Ty

2) I have my T M3, parked in my house (I am still living here until I move to my new home - hopefully in a very short term). I parked it on Wednesday June 22nd in my garage with 284 miles of battery. And I left because I had to go somewhere else. Today, according with Tesla app it has 198 miles of battery. So almost 1/3 of the battery has drainage. With all this been said, my question is:

What is the best procedure in order to leave the T M3 parked and hibernated for, lets say, about a week? I try not to see the cameras remotely, but at the same time I think its essential to leave activated the sentry function. Anyway what would be - according to your vast experience (I'm totally brand new with Tesla world) - the procedure to leave the car parked for long period of time and with the minimum possible drainage.

Want to thank you all of you again, for taking your valuable time answering this 2 questions. Thank you

 

[RedTesY]

There are many wall chargers available, from local hardware stores (Lowes, Home Depot, Ace, etc.), and on-liine (Amazon). I've worked a lot with Clipper Creek (ClipperCreek.com), they have a variety and are very reliable. The least expensive home charging setup is a 240v/50amp NEMA 14-50 outlet (RV/dryer outlet) and use your Mobile Connector Kit with the NEMA 14-50 plug. Although it's limited to 32 amps, it will meet your needs. Use a trusted local electrician for installation.

Have you carefully read the manual about how to store your M3? There are a number of ways to reduce energy use while stored. And, the best option is to leave it plugged in!

 

[Florida53]

There are many wall chargers available, from local hardware stores (Lowes, Home Depot, Ace, etc.), and on-liine (Amazon). I've worked a lot with Clipper Creek (ClipperCreek.com), they have a variety and are very reliable. The least expensive home charging setup is a 240v/50amp NEMA 14-50 outlet (RV/dryer outlet) and use your Mobile Connector Kit with the NEMA 14-50 plug. Although it's limited to 32 amps, it will meet your needs. Use a trusted local electrician for installation.

Have you carefully read the manual about how to store your M3? There are a number of ways to reduce energy use while stored. And, the best option is to leave it plugged in!

Agree. NEMA 14-50, leave it plugged in.

 

[KenC]

I 2nd the use of your mobile charger and a NEMA 14-50 outlet. As for your drain, 86 miles in 48hrs or so, seems on the high end of excessive, if it was in your garage. Some of that was Sentry and some might be your climate protection settings. You are in Miami. Try turning the Climate Protection to fan only. Also, if you have Smart Summon, turn that off.

 

[joebruin77]

When choosing an EVSE, there are several factors to consider such as:

1) Do you plan on charging only Teslas or do you plan on charging non-Tesla EV's? Do you plan on charging outside in your driveway or inside in your garage? I personally chose the Tesla Wall Connector and I love it. I especially like the fact that I do not have to use an adapter, as I would if I was using a J1772 EVSE. And the Wall Connector is more weather resistant compared to the mobile charger (if installed outside).

2) While it is true charging at a max of 32 amps will usually be sufficient, there have been several times when I was glad I could charge at 48 amps. So I personally would get an EVSE that is capable of charging at the maximum rate your particular Tesla can handle. I don't think you mentioned what type of Model 3 you have. So just check the owner's manual to see what the maximum amp your particular Tesla can charge at and get an EVSE that can charge at that rate if needed. Please note this is a personal preference - others may feel that 32 amps is more than sufficient, even if your car can handle a max of 48 amps.

3) There are some EVSEs that are hard-wired and others that can be plugged into a Nema 14-50 outlet. The advantage of the hard-wired models is that they can often charge at higher maximum amps than the plugged-in version. The advantage of the plugged in version is that if the unit breaks, you can easily unplug it and temporarily use your mobile charger, or just get a new unit and replace it easily.

4) Check with your local power utility and see if there are any rebates being offered. This may make a huge difference in your decision. For example, my power company offers a rebate of $500 but only for certain models and only for hard-wired units. No rebate is offered for a 14-50 outlet or for an EVSE that is plugged into a 14-50 outlet.

5) There is a great youtube channel called State of Charge by Tom Moloughney. He does thorough reviews of every major EVSE on the market. Here is an example of one of his videos:

6) One final suggestion. If you end up getting a hard-wired EVSE, I would consider also getting a 14-50 outlet installed in addition to the EVSE. That way, if the EVSE stops working, you have the backup option of using the Nema 14-50 outlet with your mobile charger. This is the set up I have.

 

[Mendione]

There are many wall chargers available, from local hardware stores (Lowes, Home Depot, Ace, etc.), and on-liine (Amazon). I've worked a lot with Clipper Creek (ClipperCreek.com), they have a variety and are very reliable. The least expensive home charging setup is a 240v/50amp NEMA 14-50 outlet (RV/dryer outlet) and use your Mobile Connector Kit with the NEMA 14-50 plug. Although it's limited to 32 amps, it will meet your needs. Use a trusted local electrician for installation.

Have you carefully read the manual about how to store your M3? There are a number of ways to reduce energy use while stored. And, the best option is to leave it plugged in!

Dear RedTesY, Ty very much for your advise. I will going to follow each and everyone of it. Unfortunately, I haven't enough time … yet … to read the T M3 owners manual. I will though asap. Again Ty .

 

[Mendione]

I 2nd the use of your mobile charger and a NEMA 14-50 outlet. As for your drain, 86 miles in 48hrs or so, seems on the high end of excessive, if it was in your garage. Some of that was Sentry and some might be your climate protection settings. You are in Miami. Try turning the Climate Protection to fan only. Also, if you have Smart Summon, turn that off.

Thank you KenC. Yes I am in Miami and this summer looks like its gonna be vey hot. I don't have summon function, I am trying to turn the climate protection to fan but using the app, looks like I cant or I don't know how to do it (never mind). It is in my garage BUT outside, so all the heat is on it. BUT, I bought and installed a shades for the windshield and the completely the top of the car. My T M3 is long range dual motor

 

[Mendione]

Agree. NEMA 14-50, leave it plugged in.

Thank you Florida53. I only have the 110VAC charger that came with my Tesla Model 3 dual motor long range, BUT I did not leave it plugged.

 

[Mendione]

When choosing an EVSE, there are several factors to consider such as:

1) Do you plan on charging only Teslas or do you plan on charging non-Tesla EV's? Do you plan on charging outside in your driveway or inside in your garage? I personally chose the Tesla Wall Connector and I love it. I especially like the fact that I do not have to use an adapter, as I would if I was using a J1772 EVSE. And the Wall Connector is more weather resistant compared to the mobile charger (if installed outside).

2) While it is true charging at a max of 32 amps will usually be sufficient, there have been several times when I was glad I could charge at 48 amps. So I personally would get an EVSE that is capable of charging at the maximum rate your particular Tesla can handle. I don't think you mentioned what type of Model 3 you have. So just check the owner's manual to see what the maximum amp your particular Tesla can charge at and get an EVSE that can charge at that rate if needed. Please note this is a personal preference - others may feel that 32 amps is more than sufficient, even if your car can handle a max of 48 amps.

3) There are some EVSEs that are hard-wired and others that can be plugged into a Nema 14-50 outlet. The advantage of the hard-wired models is that they can often charge at higher maximum amps than the plugged-in version. The advantage of the plugged in version is that if the unit breaks, you can easily unplug it and temporarily use your mobile charger, or just get a new unit and replace it easily.

4) Check with your local power utility and see if there are any rebates being offered. This may make a huge difference in your decision. For example, my power company offers a rebate of $500 but only for certain models and only for hard-wired units. No rebate is offered for a 14-50 outlet or for an EVSE that is plugged into a 14-50 outlet.

5) There is a great youtube channel called State of Charge by Tom Moloughney. He does thorough reviews of every major EVSE on the market. Here is an example of one of his videos:

6) One final suggestion. If you end up getting a hard-wired EVSE, I would consider also getting a 14-50 outlet installed in addition to the EVSE. That way, if the EVSE stops working, you have the backup option of using the Nema 14-50 outlet with your mobile charger. This is the set up I have.

Dear JoeBruin77, thank you so much for such a complete answer. I really appreciate this. I will follow your advises as well as all the advises that such a nice people answered my questions. So, in order to complete your exceptional flow chart, you're right, please allow me to include that my Tesla Model 3 is dual motor long range and it accept perfectly the 48 amp. I will watch the video that you kindly included here and surely I will finally arrive to a conclusion.

Finally, its that ok, to leave the car plug to the charger?

Have an excellent weekend

 

[joebruin77]

Finally, its that ok, to leave the car plug to the charger?

In the words of Elon Musk, "A plugged-in Tesla is a happy Tesla". So yes, it is definitely ok to leave the car plugged into the EVSE. Just make sure to limit your upper charge percentage. For example, I typically limit my daily charge to 80%. Anything at or below 90% is ok. But you only want to charge above 90% once in a while if you are going on a road trip.

 

[Florida53]

Thank you Florida53. I only have the 110VAC charger that came with my Tesla Model 3 dual motor long range, BUT I did not leave it plugged.

You can buy the 14-50 adapter and use that very charger.

 

[Birdsfan]

I second the Tesla charger, liked it so much I got one for work too. In the Tesla app under climate, there is a window you can swipe up from the bottom of the screen. You will find the Camp Mode, Dog Mode, Defrost Car as well as Cabin Overheat.

 

[LVTD]

2) While it is true charging at a max of 32 amps will usually be sufficient, there have been several times when I was glad I could charge at 48 amps. So I personally would get an EVSE that is capable of charging at the maximum rate your particular Tesla can handle. I don't think you mentioned what type of Model 3 you have. So just check the owner's manual to see what the maximum amp your particular Tesla can charge at and get an EVSE that can charge at that rate if needed. Please note this is a personal preference - others may feel that 32 amps is more than sufficient, even if your car can handle a max of 48 amps.

3) There are some EVSEs that are hard-wired and others that can be plugged into a Nema 14-50 outlet. The advantage of the hard-wired models is that they can often charge at higher maximum amps than the plugged-in version. The advantage of the plugged in version is that if the unit breaks, you can easily unplug it and temporarily use your mobile charger, or just get a new unit and replace it easily.

In reading this, it could be inferred that you can use a 48A charger in a NEMA 14-50 outlet. (I am not saying you are actually saying this, just that to me it's not clear.)

However, you should definitely NOT charge at 48A in a NEMA 14-50. Yes, 48 is less than 50 (and 50 means 50A), for continuous use, the electrical codes say you should only load a circuit at 80% of the rated value, which would be 40A.

 

[joebruin77]

In reading this, it could be inferred that you can use a 48A charger in a NEMA 14-50 outlet. (I am not saying you are actually saying this, just that to me it's not clear.)

However, you should definitely NOT charge at 48A in a NEMA 14-50. Yes, 48 is less than 50 (and 50 means 50A), for continuous use, the electrical codes say you should only load a circuit at 80% of the rated value, which would be 40A.

Sorry if that was not clear. Yes, in order to charge at 48 amps, your EVSE needs to be hardwired to a line with a 60-amp breaker. That is why 40 amps is the maximum you can safely charge at with a 14-50 outlet.