Is it true that all new cars are delivered with 48A chargers, no other option?

[rypalmer]

Only one situation I'd advocate upgrading to 72A: if you park outside and you live in a very cold (think -25ºC) and snowy climate, and have a long commute. Such as if you are a Tesla taxi driver in Quebec City. The battery heater can take about half the amperage the 48A charger can provide, really eating into your net charge rate.

Last I checked, the upgrade can be ordered as: "1090835-00-A - MODEL S, ASY,GEN3 CHARGE SYSTEM,72A,1PHASE, UPGRADE KIT"

 

[MP3Mike]

No, only the Model 3 midrange has a 32A charger (as will the short range when it ever gets built). The Model 3 long range has 48A charger and all Model S and X have 48A Charger.

He is talking about the limit of the UMC. The UMC that comes with all Teslas right now is limited to 32A even though the car may be able to charge faster.

 

[Nitemare3219]

I still charge at 40a. I'm not paying $500 for a wall charger.

I still charge at 40A too but WITH a HPWC (didn't want to pay more for a 60A circuit). To me it was worth it because it looks better than a UMC and 14-50 in the garage, and I can have the UMC with me at all times in case it's needed without wearing out the 14-50 with plug cycles or being bothered every day to take it with me. Seems worth the $500 to me. Fairly priced against 3rd party connectors and costs the same as buying another UMC.

 

[TexasEV]

He is talking about the limit of the UMC. The UMC that comes with all Teslas right now is limited to 32A even though the car may be able to charge faster.

We need to save this thread for the next time someone complains when we correct a poster who calls the thing on the wall a "charger" and says we're just being pedantic when we explain the charger is in the car and the thing that plugs into it is a connector, or EVSE. This is a perfect example of the confusion that's caused when people don't use the correct terminology. One person is talking about the thing in the car and the other is talking about the thing on the wall, and they're talking past each other because someone calls the thing on the wall a "charger" instead of a "connector".

 

[LCR1]

We need to save this thread for the next time someone complains when we correct a poster who calls the thing on the wall a "charger" and says we're just being pedantic when we explain the charger is in the car and the thing that plugs into it is a connector, or EVSE. This is a perfect example of the confusion that's caused when people don't use the correct terminology. One person is talking about the thing in the car and the other is talking about the thing on the wall, and they're talking past each other because someone calls the thing on the wall a "charger" instead of a "connector".

#FirstWorldProblems

 

[Rocky_H]

We need to save this thread for the next time someone complains when we correct a poster who calls the thing on the wall a "charger" and says we're just being pedantic when we explain the charger is in the car and the thing that plugs into it is a connector, or EVSE. This is a perfect example of the confusion that's caused when people don't use the correct terminology. One person is talking about the thing in the car and the other is talking about the thing on the wall, and they're talking past each other because someone calls the thing on the wall a "charger" instead of a "connector".

Again...there are relevant and not relevant times to explain that. This is a relevant one.

 

[Brass Guy]

I was under the impression that the *newer* 48/72 charger was a single unit with a software upgrade path which would be done at the service center. I thought they didn't actually make a 48A charger, but software limited the 72.Tesla removed the upgrade as an option on the order page, but a customer could easily get it when their car was delivered.

Is the upgrade to 72 a replacement charger? Is there even still an upgrade option?

 

[LCR1]

Pretty sure they are different units.

 

[Rocky_H]

I was under the impression that the *newer* 48/72 charger was a single unit with a software upgrade path which would be done at the service center. I thought they didn't actually make a 48A charger, but software limited the 72.Tesla removed the upgrade as an option on the order page, but a customer could easily get it when their car was delivered.

Is the upgrade to 72 a replacement charger? Is there even still an upgrade option?

There was only a very small window of time on some models where they were software-limited chargers. But a lot of people still remember hearing about when that was the case, so that unfortunate outdated "knowledge" is still out there. They have been different physical parts for quite a while now.

 

[rhumbliner]

I think I could have used a higher than 48A L2 charging level 3 times in the last 2 years and 55K miles. I NEEDED it zero times.

I would agree that I don’t need the faster charging, but I make the Jackson - Bend round trip 3-4 times each year and have to make use of the 70-amp evse in Burns. With my 72-amp charger I can shave 2hrs off of my charge time which makes the upgrade cost well worth it for me.

I think folks have to assess their own particular driving patterns to determine if the 72-amp capability is worth the extra cost.

 

[AnOutsider]

They need to better train their staff. We picked up a new X today and while transferring stuff from the old to the new, we noticed it was charging at a rate 22mph on the screen. Asked the rep if it had a 48A onboard charger and if so, if we could upgrade, they got us a solar advisor twice as they thought we were asking about energy products.

They finally got someone who claimed to know and said he looked it up and the reason our paperwork didn't say 72A charger was because they all came standard with 72A now and that the lower charge rate we witnessed is due to their HPWC being downrated and sharing a line with a few others as they charged delivery vehicles.

Fair enough, but we got home and plugged in only to find 48A was still the highest rate. Checking out the electrek blog seems to indicate they should have known about this change for nearly 2 months at this point. Not pleased, but will wait to see what they have to say on the matter.

 

[TexasEV]

They need to better train their staff.

That implies that they train their staff.

 

[AnOutsider]

Sad, but probably not too far from the truth in some instances.

I just got off the phone with a rep from Fremont and he was able to confirm that they are indeed all 48A now and that they are NOT upgradeable any longer. So 48A and 48A only in the USA.

There seems to have been a previous memo where all cars had 72A standard, and then the new update in November. I was told the car had 48A, but then told 72A and when I noticed the slower charging, 72A was reiterated. Had they just said yes, it's 48A, my next question would have been "how much to get the 72A upgrade" which should have revealed the above fact and better informed our decision.

Some bumps to be expected when buying last minute, but wife is now deciding if we just say screw the tax credit and wait to get a vehicle that's exactly what we want.

 

[tga]

Some bumps to be expected when buying last minute, but wife is now deciding if we just say screw the tax credit and wait to get a vehicle that's exactly what we want.

What's "exactly what you want"? An X with a 72A charger? You can't get that anymore. Even if you could, if you return the new X and buy another, it would cost you (price of 72A upgrade) + $7500. Is it really worth that?

 

[ucmndd]

If I may ask, what is the use case that demands a 72 amp charger? So many people seem to think this is a mandatory feature and for the life of me I just can’t figure out why.

 

[AnOutsider]

What's "exactly what you want"? An X with a 72A charger? You can't get that anymore. Even if you could, if you return the new X and buy another, it would cost you (price of 72A upgrade) + $7500. Is it really worth that?

The change was made in November, so surely there are more. Just none that would have gotten here by today to take the credit (and bolster Tesla's Q4 sales). We preferred the white interior, but got black. We would have preferred the figured ash decor, but got CF (and the minor upgrade cost that entailed). Even if we couldn't get 72A (which I know we can), we could've gotten a 100D 7 seater that matched our visual preferences.

Now, is that worth losing the $7500? Ehhh. It's not like it'd be 100% gone, and we may be able to offset that by ditching options we DIDN'T want. Plus, in the meantime, we'd be returning to our ole faithful Model X anyway.

If I may ask, what is the use case that demands a 72 amp charger? So many people seem to think this is a mandatory feature and for the life of me I just can’t figure out why.

I don't know about "many people" but as someone who has had a Tesla with an 80A charger since 2012 and a 72A charger since 2016, it comes in handy. I love being able to throw on 60ish miles in an hour in my S. The X is my wife's vehicle and she does a LOT of running around (hence the 60k miles in less than 3 years). She homeschools (which these days means a lot of schooling OUTSIDE the home) and there have been many times they've done day trips, come home fairly low and needed to recharge quickly for evening activities (sports, dance, swimming etc). There's even been a couple times things had to be skipped due to not having the range and needing to go home.

I talked her out of switching to a Honda Pilot that she wanted partially due to range issues (and partly due to space issues solved by the 7 seater), but adding another impediment to "doing my daily thing without inconvenience" isn't exactly good

Is it something we could get used to and work around? Sure, but you don't spend 6 figures to compromise.