Level 1 vs. Level 2 Charging Cost?

[LanonJ]

Hey guys,

I just purchased my brand new Model Y 2 weeks ago and I’m down to 500 miles of the 1,000 I was given for the referral bonus or whatever. I’m stuck between upgrading to a level 2 charging solution or staying at level 1. I drive about 30-40 miles per day and I usually charge about 30-40 miles per night when I get home and if I miss a day or two and get down to 100 miles or so I just fully charge on my two days off and then go from there. If I miss that charging cycle I just drive to my charging station (7.6 miles out) and fully charge up then head home and usually have about 270-290 miles of range. My deciding factor is this:

If I upgrade to a level 2 charging station at home will that lower or increase my bill, versus if I just stay on the basic level 1 charging, or will it have no adverse change to my bill?

Im a newbie so when it comes to electricity and all that good stuff I just don’t get it. Like say I need to charge 100 miles on my car. That would take 20 hours (5 miles per hour) on my level 1. But on level 2 it might do it in half the time or maybe even faster then that. But does it cost the same thing to do both since it is giving me 100 miles either way. Or since the level 2 charging is faster and does it in half the time, does that make it cheaper? Trying to see if I am paying to just charge faster or if I am actually paying for efficiency in the long run since I will be charging 100% at home over the next 7-10 years.

To add to the equation, don’t know if this helps or I tried to switch to TOU and potentially go solar. However, my electric company PG&E said to stay on my current plan because I pay 0.17 cents for my baseline tier, 0.22 cents for tier 2, and 0.265 cents for high use regardless of how much I use or the time of day I charge. They did say going solar would be up to me on whether or not I can negotiate a cheap rate with the solar company. But that’s a different conversation for a different day. I just wanted to add how much I was paying just in case that changes things!

Weather: In the summer it gets about 90-108 degrees, and normally 80-95 on regular days so that may also be a factor as I lose range due to the heat as well.

If there is anything else that would help let me know. I want to be as transparent as possible, to ensure I get the answer I am looking for! Thanks as always and look forward to your responses!

 

[jcanoe]

240v is more efficient than 120v and so you get something like 3x or more on the charging speed. Check out this table

Gen 2 NEMA Adapters

Use a variety of household outlets to charge your Tesla with a Gen 2 NEMA Adapter. Simply attach the appropriate adapter to your Mobile Connector, plug into the corresponding outlet and begin charging. Adapter Max Distance Gained Per Hour of Charge Model S Model 3 Model X Model Y 5-15 3...

shop.tesla.com

Charging at 240V is more efficient but this is a measure of how much energy is consumed versus how much energy actually gets into the battery. For 120V charging the efficiency is approximately ~80% to 85%, for 240V charging efficiency is ~90% (could be a bit higher.)

Where the Tesla NEMA plug adapter chart does not make sense, at least to me, is that with the 6-20 plug adapter the chart shows 14 miles of range added per hour but for the 5-20 plug adapter (120V/20A) only 4 miles of range per hour. It seems to me that the 5-20 adapter should be capable of at least 5 or 6 (if not 7) miles of ranged added per hour. This has nothing to do with charging efficiency.

Tesla states the NEMA 6-20 adapter will add 14 miles of range per hour. When I charged my Model Y at 240V/16A I was able to add 12+ miles per hour, not sure about 14 miles per hour. Now I when I charge my Model Y at home I charge at 240V/32A and observe 25.5 miles per hour (not the 29 miles per hour Tesla shows in the chart.)

 

[TravelFree]

My garage is attached, but located on the opposite side of the house from my main panel which is also located underground (basement). So I basically had three options:

• Install single new circuit run of 75' 4/3 romex + wall connector + 60A breaker (no future proofing)
• Install two new circuit runs: 1) first run 75' 4/3 romex + wall connector + 60A breaker and 2) second run 75' 6/3 romex + NEMA 14-50R (future proofing)
• Install new 100A subpanel in garage using 1ga aluminum service wire + two 6' runs 6ga THNN in conduit to wall connector + NEMA 14-50R (future proofing)

It is a 66' run of ANY wire to reach the garage from my main panel box in the basement. So every option is basically $1000 or more. With copper wire being so expensive 75' of 4/3 romex installed with the breaker starts at $1000. Doing two runs is basically $2000. Where as installing the 100A subpanel uses 1ga aluminum service wire which is cheaper and gives me a ton of options in the future. That $2000 price also includes a county permit on all the electrical work which is $500 by itself.. so its really only about $1500 for the actual parts & labor.

While its certainly cheapest to do a single run, you have to keep in mind that only covers charging one vehicle. What happens if/when my wife decides to get an EV? Then we are looking at sharing a single charger, installing some type of switching equipment to share two chargers or calling an electrician back out to run a second new circuit and paying another $1000.

The 100A subpanel in the garage now means I can add as many short runs in the garage as needed for rather cheap and do so using conduit outside the wall. Could add more 15A or 20A outlets (builder only gave us one outlet) around the garage wall for handheld tools & tools. It even allows adding a third 240V option.. like installing a 14-50 outlet outside the garage wall if I were get something like a Cybertruck that does not fit inside my garage. Which means that vehicle can only be charged in the driveway.

The 100A subpanel in the garage is the most cost effective solution that future proofs against everything I can think of over the next 10 years. If there anything I regret is not thinking like this when we built this home just 8 years ago. Chances are the builder could have installed a single or couple 240V outlets in the garage really cheap with the home was built in 2013. Really regret not considering what I might need in the garage for the next 10 years and now Im paying for it. Wont make that mistake again.

I still say you should have gotten several bids. I think you are being ripped off based on some quick research on permit costs for Washington DC. Here a small job would be $10 for the permit. My install took a little over 3 hours. The hardest part was pulling 60 ft of 6-3 through the attic crawl space.

My last suggestion- Have you ever tried Home Advisor? If you have that for your area, don't spec too many details for the job. Just say you need a NEMA 14-50 receptacle in your garage that is 70 ft to the main breaker panel on the other side of the house. Home Advisor will make sure the guys they send to you are licensed and insured.

 

[ATPMSD]

Where the Tesla NEMA plug adapter chart does make sense, at least to me, is that with the 6-20 plug adapter the chart shows 14 miles of range added per hour but for the 5-20 plug adapter (120V/20A) only 4 miles of range per hour.

Seems odd to me as well. My best “guess” is the Tesla is consuming energy while charging perhaps running pumps, heaters / coolers, etc. and they consume a baseline amount of power?

 

[Daekwan]

I still say you should have gotten several bids. I think you are being ripped off based on some quick research on permit costs for Washington DC. Here a small job would be $10 for the permit. My install took a little over 3 hours. The hardest part was pulling 60 ft of 6-3 through the attic crawl space.

My last suggestion- Have you ever tried Home Advisor? If you have that for your area, don't spec too many details for the job. Just say you need a NEMA 14-50 receptacle in your garage that is 70 ft to the main breaker panel on the other side of the house. Home Advisor will make sure the guys they send to you are licensed and insured.

You guys keep making assumptions. I did get several bids. Trust me.. under no situation would I want to overpay for this installation. Especially for something I might not use or will never need. I reached out to about 12 electricians total mostly using a combination of internet review sites like Yelp, Thumbtack, etc. I even sent a personal message to the poster JCanoe.. who literally just posted right above you in this very thread as I thought he might know an electrician based on his signature.

$2020 with the permit included was the absolute cheapest. $2350 was the second cheapest, then $2500 with the highest quote being $3850. Several electricians verified the permit alone was $500 in my county. FYI I live in MD, albeit extremely close to the MD/DC border (so close that the nearest Supercharger is located 7 miles away near the only Costco in DC). While I didn't specifically try Home Advisor.. simple math alone shows that if I were to do this myself the wiring cost right NOW for a single reel of 75' 4/3 romex is about $600. And that's buying bulk wire from a local warehouse: 4-3-w-g-nm-b-wire-black

Home Depot/Ebay prices for '75 4/3 romex would be closer to $1000. I work in IT and pull all types of low voltage wire, like ethernet, fiber & coax. I've personally run CAT6 to many rooms in this house and already have all the pulling tools. So in theory I could do pull one or two new circuits.. but I still would not be able to pull a permit on it in PG County unless I was a licensed electrician.

FWIW the absolute cheapest quote I got from a licensed electrician on the most basic single run of 75' 4/3 romex + 60A breaker was $900.. and thats still with no permit. That's it. That's the "cheap" price with no possibility of future expandability. There is simply no magic $300 trick to get this done.. even if I did it myself.

And yes, I also made sure to hide my car in any pictures/videos and never mention anything about "Tesla" unless it was absolutely required for the quote. In fact, the $2020 quote I received is based on the installation of the 100A subpanel and two 14-50 receptacles branching off it into the garage I purposely did NOT mention the WC.. until the $2020 quote was agreed upon. Once it was agreed upon, I then revealed I'd prefer one run to be terminated with the WC instead.

 

[Schulz1983]

So it sounds like it might be better to charge at a higher rate in the winter and lower during the summer as the batteries can get too hot

Efficiency wise just charge 240 all the time. I setup scheduled departure with charging to end at 6 am. So the Y is fully charged and batteries warmed from the charging when we leave at 6 in the morning. That way in the winter time we don’t waste electricity to warm the batteries or waste the battery warming when we leave the house. I truly believe 240 is the way to go.

 

[spokey]

that is about what I paid. The estimate was something like 2250. Final was around 1800 as the permits were a bit less (but still some hundreds of dollars). And sounds like a similar run. I think I was around 65'. From the main through the basement wall, out winding around to the back of the garage, in the garage then up and over to the front between one garage door and the walk in door. All in conduit except maybe the short piece from the main in the basement.

I hear ya about the cable. Was IT myself. Had my own company until I retired. But pullling CAT-6 is a lot different than this stuff. At least for me. Last time I did something like it was putting in the dryer run. Decided never again. Just getting that stuff to bend around corners was the tough part.

I'd suggest a question of who is more expensive, near DC or central NJ near Princeton. Except of course we'd both lose.

 

[spokey]

Efficiency wise just charge 240 all the time. I setup scheduled departure with charging to end at 6 am. So the Y is fully charged and batteries warmed from the charging when we leave at 6 in the morning. That way in the winter time we don’t waste electricity to warm the batteries or waste the battery warming when we leave the house. I truly believe 240 is the way to go.

I wasn't suggesting lower voltage, but lower amperage (as in set via the charge display).

I can't really use scheduled departure as I'm retired and have no schedule. Didn't leave the house until after 1PM today.

 

[Schulz1983]

I wasn't suggesting lower voltage, but lower amperage (as in set via the charge display).

I can't really use scheduled departure as I'm retired and have no schedule. Didn't leave the house until after 1PM today.

I tried the lower amperage thing. I read someplace it is better to charge the batteries at like 30 amps instead of 48 amps. Another page in here disproved that and I went back to the 48 amps. I think higher the amperage the more efficient the charge. Ultimately battery degradation is minimal and I think at 160k miles is like 6%. So nothing that I’m concerned about. I decided to just do 48 amp and charge the battery. By the time I have any major degradation we will probably be upgrading the vehicle anyway as battery tech improves. I do super chargers when necessary and try to keep the battery between 20-80%. If I need 100% then I charge to . I just don’t let it sit at 100%

 

[Daekwan]

I tried the lower amperage thing. I read someplace it is better to charge the batteries at like 30 amps instead of 48 amps. Another page in here disproved that and I went back to the 48 amps. I think higher the amperage the more efficient the charge. Ultimately battery degradation is minimal and I think at 160k miles is like 6%. So nothing that I’m concerned about. I decided to just do 48 amp and charge the battery. By the time I have any major degradation we will probably be upgrading the vehicle anyway as battery tech improves. I do super chargers when necessary and try to keep the battery between 20-80%. If I need 100% then I charge to . I just don’t let it sit at 100%

Yep. From everything I've read across a range of sites, you want to charge as home with as much amperage as possible. And efficiency is the answer. The closer you get to maximum charging speeds the cheaper it costs to charge in the long run.

This is the reason why I'm going all out on 60A breaker and 4/3 romex.. for the ability to charge at the maximum power of 48A. Even though my SR maxes out at only 40A when using the WC.. I still want to install fastest/most powerful way to charge a new Tesla at home. Who knows.. with the way these used car values keep going up I might just end up selling my SR and getting a Plaid before the year is over lol.

 

[Schulz1983]

Yep. From everything I've read across a range of sites, you want to charge as home with as much amperage as possible. And efficiency is the answer. The closer you get to maximum charging speeds the cheaper it costs to charge in the long run.

This is the reason why I'm going all out on 60A breaker and 4/3 romex.. for the ability to charge at the maximum power of 48A. Even though my SR maxes out at only 40A when using the WC.. I still want to install fastest/most powerful way to charge a new Tesla at home. Who knows.. with the way these used car values keep going up I might just end up selling my SR and getting a Plaid before the year is over lol.

I went with the wall charger as well. We refinished our garage last year. Built all custom cabinets, lighting, floors etc. simply the wall charger looks sharp. A lot of people mentioned the 14-50 but I like to keep my mobile charger in the vehicle and buying a second one is almost as expensive as the wall charger. I doubt I will leave the Tesla brand. If I do then I will buy a different charger. We keep vehicles for 10 years so I don’t have to worry about it for a long time. Only thing that would make me upgrade early is getting over 550 miles of range in a Y.

 

[jcanoe]

Yep. From everything I've read across a range of sites, you want to charge as home with as much amperage as possible. And efficiency is the answer. The closer you get to maximum charging speeds the cheaper it costs to charge in the long run.

This is the reason why I'm going all out on 60A breaker and 4/3 romex.. for the ability to charge at the maximum power of 48A. Even though my SR maxes out at only 40A when using the WC.. I still want to install fastest/most powerful way to charge a new Tesla at home. Who knows.. with the way these used car values keep going up I might just end up selling my SR and getting a Plaid before the year is over lol.

Actually the SRMY maximum amperage when charging using Level 2 is 32A. The charging circuit needs to be rated for at least 40A.

 

[TravelFree]

Yep. From everything I've read across a range of sites, you want to charge as home with as much amperage as possible. And efficiency is the answer. The closer you get to maximum charging speeds the cheaper it costs to charge in the long run.

This is the reason why I'm going all out on 60A breaker and 4/3 romex.. for the ability to charge at the maximum power of 48A. Even though my SR maxes out at only 40A when using the WC.. I still want to install fastest/most powerful way to charge a new Tesla at home. Who knows.. with the way these used car values keep going up I might just end up selling my SR and getting a Plaid before the year is over lol.

More information and now it makes more sense-- You want to go all out and do the maximum engineering overkill, cost is no object.

I didn't even buy the Wall Charger as the cost per hour difference would have me spending for 6 years to reach a break even point and I don't need the speed difference.

Your county is pretty restrictive and obviously expensive on the permit as it is the highest for the work, even your overkill of a sub panel and two NEMA 14-50 outlets. Glad I don't live there. Here a Home owner can be his own contractor and hire a licensed electrician to do the work. The Permit is a minor cost.

I don't agree with the claim you have to charge with the highest amperage possible. You can if that is needed but not cost effective unless your need is that you commute 280 miles every day.

I don't commute, but my wife does 3 days a week averaging 100 miles on her days to travel. The range on the Y is ideal. So she gets home with 90 to 100 miles SOC. Wwe plug in a mobile charger Gen 1 I bought off ebay, we we keep the Gen 2 in the Frunk. (convenience). Gen 1 is rated for 36 amps. However, I reduce the amperage to 20 amps and it will add 100-110 miles range in about 6-7 hours. So she leaves the house with 200-210 miles with a 100 miles safety in case she needs to do a little more. The M Y will charge to 100% from < 5% overnight but that is not good for the battery. If I ever had a need to charge both M S and M Y at the same time I bought a NEMA 14-50 splitter for $100.

Amazon.com: Parkworld 692095 RV 50 AMP Splitter Adapter 14-50P Male Plug to Dual 14-50R Female Connector 3FT (Black) : Electronics

Buy Parkworld 692095 RV 50 AMP Splitter Adapter 14-50P Male Plug to Dual 14-50R Female Connector 3FT (Black): Audio & Video Accessories - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

I can do this with both running with 20 amps for plenty of range overnight. If I need more range on the M S There are many Superchargers I can stop at for 26 cents a KWH and add in 10-15 minutes. I have yet to need to charge both cars at the same time. It has been an unnecessary cost so far but the rebate money allowed me to get it for free.

In the end we both will have plenty of options, but I believe my cost per mile will be significantly lower than yours because as an engineer I design with cost in mind and consider near term anticipated growth. I'll never be traveling 300 miles a day with both Teslas in a location where there are no Superchargers. It would be a waste of money to install that much.

Did I say that while I spent $200 for my materials on the initial installation, the local power company paid me a $1000 rebate check to install the NEMA 14-50 receptacle for EV home charging. I was already $800 ahead when the system was installed. Life is great!

 

[Schulz1983]

More information and now it makes more sense-- You want to go all out and do the maximum engineering overkill, cost is no object.

I didn't even buy the Wall Charger as the cost per hour difference would have me spending for 6 years to reach a break even point and I don't need the speed difference.

Your county is pretty restrictive and obviously expensive on the permit as it is the highest for the work, even your overkill of a sub panel and two NEMA 14-50 outlets. Glad I don't live there. Here a Home owner can be his own contractor and hire a licensed electrician to do the work. The Permit is a minor cost.

I don't agree with the claim you have to charge with the highest amperage possible. You can if that is needed but not cost effective unless your need is that you commute 280 miles every day.

I don't commute, but my wife does 3 days a week averaging 100 miles on her days to travel. The range on the Y is ideal. So she gets home with 90 to 100 miles SOC. Wwe plug in a mobile charger Gen 1 I bought off ebay, we we keep the Gen 2 in the Frunk. (convenience). Gen 1 is rated for 36 amps. However, I reduce the amperage to 20 amps and it will add 100-110 miles range in about 6-7 hours. So she leaves the house with 200-210 miles with a 100 miles safety in case she needs to do a little more. The M Y will charge to 100% from < 5% overnight but that is not good for the battery. If I ever had a need to charge both M S and M Y at the same time I bought a NEMA 14-50 splitter for $100.

Amazon.com: Parkworld 692095 RV 50 AMP Splitter Adapter 14-50P Male Plug to Dual 14-50R Female Connector 3FT (Black) : Electronics

Buy Parkworld 692095 RV 50 AMP Splitter Adapter 14-50P Male Plug to Dual 14-50R Female Connector 3FT (Black): Audio & Video Accessories - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

I can do this with both running with 20 amps for plenty of range overnight. If I need more range on the M S There are many Superchargers I can stop at for 26 cents a KWH and add in 10-15 minutes. I have yet to need to charge both cars at the same time. It has been an unnecessary cost so far but the rebate money allowed me to get it for free.

In the end we both will have plenty of options, but I believe my cost per mile will be significantly lower than yours because as an engineer I design with cost in mind and consider near term anticipated growth. I'll never be traveling 300 miles a day with both Teslas in a location where there are no Superchargers. It would be a waste of money to install that much.

Did I say that while I spent $200 for my materials on the initial installation, the local power company paid me a $1000 rebate check to install the NEMA 14-50 receptacle for EV home charging. I was already $800 ahead when the system was installed. Life is great!

That’s the great thing about these EV installs. You went for the cheap route and I went for aesthetics. All depends on how much you want to spend. I didn’t mind spending the money as we will have Tesla’s for a very long time. I use tou charging so I would be unable to charge the way you do. I have a short window to get the vehicle recharged while spending only 5 cents a KW to do said charging.

 

[TravelFree]

That’s the great thing about these EV installs. You went for the cheap route and I went for aesthetics. All depends on how much you want to spend. I didn’t mind spending the money as we will have Tesla’s for a very long time. I use tou charging so I would be unable to charge the way you do. I have a short window to get the vehicle recharged while spending only 5 cents a KW to do said charging.

I got a notice from my power company that they will offer TOU discounts to EV owners. Details will be sent to us in July so I don't know how it will work. I'd love to get 5 cents per KWH. I would have no problem putting a hundred necessary miles of range on the Y in faster time. My NEMA 14-50 is capable of 36 amps but the Gen 1 mobile unit gets hot and that's why I cut it way back to 20 amps. I would not call my setup aesthetic but it has served me well for over 2years now. This is what it was like when I still had my Nissan Leaf. That EVSE does 6.6KW maximum and charges the Tesla fine with the adapter

 

[spokey]

. . .

If I ever had a need to charge both M S and M Y at the same time I bought a NEMA 14-50 splitter for $100.

Amazon.com: Parkworld 692095 RV 50 AMP Splitter Adapter 14-50P Male Plug to Dual 14-50R Female Connector 3FT (Black) : Electronics

Buy Parkworld 692095 RV 50 AMP Splitter Adapter 14-50P Male Plug to Dual 14-50R Female Connector 3FT (Black): Audio & Video Accessories - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

I can do this with both running with 20 amps for plenty of range overnight. If I need more range on the M S There are many Superchargers I can stop at for 26 cents a KWH and add in 10-15 minutes. I have yet to need to charge both cars at the same time. It has been an unnecessary cost so far but the rebate money allowed me to get it for free.

. . .

I thought you weren't allowed to run more than 80% max for a charger because of continuous duty. The car can control for one charging but how does that work if you use that splitter?

 

[Daekwan]

I went with the wall charger as well. We refinished our garage last year. Built all custom cabinets, lighting, floors etc. simply the wall charger looks sharp. A lot of people mentioned the 14-50 but I like to keep my mobile charger in the vehicle and buying a second one is almost as expensive as the wall charger. I doubt I will leave the Tesla brand. If I do then I will buy a different charger. We keep vehicles for 10 years so I don’t have to worry about it for a long time. Only thing that would make me upgrade early is getting over 550 miles of range in a Y.

Yep. I can understand why people choose either route. The included mobile charger gets the job done and can accept a wide variety of power inputs thanks to the many available adapters. Its one of the reasons I chose a Tesla. I actually bought the 14-30 and 14-50 adapter last year.. mainly because I had rented a couple Tesla's already and figured at worst.. the adapters would pay for themselves by being able to fully charge at home instead of using Superchargers when renting.

That said I 100% agree the mobile charger should be kept in the vehicle. Thats your lifeline when traveling. If you cant get to a Supercharger or 3rd party AC or DC charger with the J1772 adapter.. then plugging the mobile charger into a outlet somewhere is your final play. Its also tremendously useful when visiting friends or family for the weekend or just traveling in general. I went to visit a friend in upstate NY and was happy to plug in there for the weekend which allowed me to leave with a 100% full battery. And sure the people who use the mobile charger + 14-50 outlet can simply unplug the mobile unit and throw it in the trunk/hatch whenever they are going on a trip.. but as a person who has already done that.. it gets really old.. really quick. I would much rather just have it in the car at all times for emergencies.

Finally I totally agree on the wall connector. IMO its was a must have before I even bought the car. It looks great, its the absolute fastest way to charge at Tesla at home, its by far the most convenient way to charge at home. I understand people not wanting to pay extra for the wall charger + installation as that gets really expensive. But if you are going to buy an EV.. then having some sort of home charging solution is part of the equation. Im honestly surprised Tesla doesnt have an option to purchase the wall connector + installation and include everything into the price of the car. I mean come on.. they sell solar panels, solar roofs and Powerwall battery packs. Really no good reason why they cant just sell me everything for one price.

Actually the SRMY maximum amperage when charging using Level 2 is 32A. The charging circuit needs to be rated for at least 40A.

So maybe i've interpreted this incorrectly. But my reading was that the mobile charger tops out at 32A. While the SR could top out at 40A when specifically using the wall connector.

Either way I'd still want the wall connector installed at maximum amperage to future proof against later purchases. I plan on keeping this car atleast 3 years, but my wife will probably get a new EV in the next year or two.

More information and now it makes more sense-- You want to go all out and do the maximum engineering overkill, cost is no object.

I didn't even buy the Wall Charger as the cost per hour difference would have me spending for 6 years to reach a break even point and I don't need the speed difference.

Your county is pretty restrictive and obviously expensive on the permit as it is the highest for the work, even your overkill of a sub panel and two NEMA 14-50 outlets. Glad I don't live there. Here a Home owner can be his own contractor and hire a licensed electrician to do the work. The Permit is a minor cost.

I don't agree with the claim you have to charge with the highest amperage possible. You can if that is needed but not cost effective unless your need is that you commute 280 miles every day.

I don't commute, but my wife does 3 days a week averaging 100 miles on her days to travel. The range on the Y is ideal. So she gets home with 90 to 100 miles SOC. Wwe plug in a mobile charger Gen 1 I bought off ebay, we we keep the Gen 2 in the Frunk. (convenience). Gen 1 is rated for 36 amps. However, I reduce the amperage to 20 amps and it will add 100-110 miles range in about 6-7 hours. So she leaves the house with 200-210 miles with a 100 miles safety in case she needs to do a little more. The M Y will charge to 100% from < 5% overnight but that is not good for the battery. If I ever had a need to charge both M S and M Y at the same time I bought a NEMA 14-50 splitter for $100.

Amazon.com: Parkworld 692095 RV 50 AMP Splitter Adapter 14-50P Male Plug to Dual 14-50R Female Connector 3FT (Black) : Electronics

Buy Parkworld 692095 RV 50 AMP Splitter Adapter 14-50P Male Plug to Dual 14-50R Female Connector 3FT (Black): Audio & Video Accessories - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

I can do this with both running with 20 amps for plenty of range overnight. If I need more range on the M S There are many Superchargers I can stop at for 26 cents a KWH and add in 10-15 minutes. I have yet to need to charge both cars at the same time. It has been an unnecessary cost so far but the rebate money allowed me to get it for free.

In the end we both will have plenty of options, but I believe my cost per mile will be significantly lower than yours because as an engineer I design with cost in mind and consider near term anticipated growth. I'll never be traveling 300 miles a day with both Teslas in a location where there are no Superchargers. It would be a waste of money to install that much.

Did I say that while I spent $200 for my materials on the initial installation, the local power company paid me a $1000 rebate check to install the NEMA 14-50 receptacle for EV home charging. I was already $800 ahead when the system was installed. Life is great!

There's certainly no wrong way to do this and everybody has a different solution. You can do it the cheap way. Or you can go full tilt. More often in life.. you end up getting exactly what you pay for. In the gun community we call this mentality: "Buy once.. Cry Once.." Which means when you do it right the first time around.. then you will never need to worry about doing it a second time.

I didnt buy a Tesla to save money. I bought it to enjoy a new experience. And being able to charge quickly & conveniently from home is part of that experience. If my concern was ultimately saving money.. then I honestly should have kept driving the 2018 Honda CRV I traded in for my Model Y. Furthermore.. I cant help but honestly chuckle at someone who is using the words like "cost effectiveness" & seems so concerned the cheapest possible home charging solutions.. but also is showing in their signature they have spent about $170K on Tesla's including adding the FSD option on both vehicles.. and all in just the past year.. wow!!!

There's nothing stopping me from doing this "cheap" way. Which means buying my own cable in bulk and installing it myself. Skipping the county permit. And just praying nothing bad happens.. like a fire.. where insurance is involved and I'm hoping they will cover it. But IMO thats totally irresponsible. If Im that concerned with saving $2,000.. then I shouldnt be buying $50K vehicles to begin with. Plenty of people spend way more than $2K on custom wraps, PPF or ceramic coatings. Comestic items that may or may not look better depending on who you ask.

Where as the charging solution Im planning to install might be overkill.. but its something tangible & permanent that will be used daily. More importantly it completely future proofs me for another decade and will quickly charge practically any EV I might consider buying/owning in the future. Its such a smart decision all around.. that I imagine many new home builders will be offering the same sort of solutions in the future.. as dual-EV ownership is now becoming extremely popular. Seems like once a husband or wife gets a Tesla.. their spouse soon purchases one of their own!

That’s the great thing about these EV installs. You went for the cheap route and I went for aesthetics. All depends on how much you want to spend. I didn’t mind spending the money as we will have Tesla’s for a very long time. I use tou charging so I would be unable to charge the way you do. I have a short window to get the vehicle recharged while spending only 5 cents a KW to do said charging.

I do wonder how long I will keep this car.. my guess is 3-5 years and then possibly trading it for a Cybertruck. Also need to look into exactly when we should switch over to a TOU charging plan as we are also both still working from home which means the HVAC and alot of electronics being used during the day.

But those are all reasons I'm going with the "Buy once, Cry once" solution. There is a good chance my wife will get in EV in next year or two.. and like you explained there is going to be a certain window to get both EV's fully charged when electricity is at its cheapest.

 

[Schulz1983]

I got a notice from my power company that they will offer TOU discounts to EV owners. Details will be sent to us in July so I don't know how it will work. I'd love to get 5 cents per KWH. I would have no problem putting a hundred necessary miles of range on the Y in faster time. My NEMA 14-50 is capable of 36 amps but the Gen 1 mobile unit gets hot and that's why I cut it way back to 20 amps. I would not call my setup aesthetic but it has served me well for over 2years now. This is what it was like when I still had my Nissan Leaf. That EVSE does 6.6KW maximum and charges the Tesla fine with the adapter
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Our tou is from 10 pm to 6 am. We drive about 100 miles sometimes more a day so I need the higher charger. I also have scheduled departure setup and try to finish charging right before we leave. That way the batteries are warm in the winter time.

 

[Daekwan]

Our tou is from 10 pm to 6 am. We drive about 100 miles sometimes more a day so I need the higher charger. I also have scheduled departure setup and try to finish charging right before we leave. That way the batteries are warm in the winter time.

I totally forgot about scheduled departure. That's a great way to have both the batteries & cabin.. nice and warm when leaving the home from work on cold mornings! We dont get a lot of snow in DC.. but it's still freezing most mornings from Nov to Feb.

I think our TOU is from 12midnight to 8am. Thanks for the unintentional reminder to check with our electric company on those times/rates/signup.

 

[jcanoe]

It would be helpful if Tesla offered a Wall Connector and/or a Corded Mobile Connector with a longer charging cord. The current charging cord is too short for my needs. A 24ft to 25ft charging cord, an additional 6ft, would be great.

 

[TravelFree]

Our tou is from 10 pm to 6 am. We drive about 100 miles sometimes more a day so I need the higher charger. I also have scheduled departure setup and try to finish charging right before we leave. That way the batteries are warm in the winter time.

I'll have to see what our plan is like but I look forward to saving a few bucks a month on my electric bill although compared to what I paid for the ICE cars a couple years ago per mile The EV's are dirt cheap.

Many here are much younger and the outlook is different. We're retired and try to live off SS income reserving IRA's for the luxury splurges. Have to take the RMD on the IRA's and that's what we used to pay cash for the Teslas and the Leaf. So keeping the Teslas, I hope for the full 8 years and then I might be forced to give them to my grandsons. I don't believe I'll be driving much in my mid 80's. Meanwhile, just having fun with the new technology. The M S has free Supercharging for life so I rarely plug in at home. In fact I think other than a few test runs I haven't plugged the M S in this year. Free is even better than TOU.

So maybe i've interpreted this incorrectly. But my reading was that the mobile charger tops out at 32A. While the SR could top out at 40A when specifically using the wall connector.

Either way I'd still want the wall connector installed at maximum amperage to future proof against later purchases. I plan on keeping this car atleast 3 years, but my wife will probably get a new EV in the next year or two.

That's the Gen 2 with the plug-in supply cords. I keep those in the car with a collection of plugs to charge from different sources. The Gen 1 will run at higher current. It states in the instructions it will run at 40amps. The highest I tested was 36 amps for 6 hours and I decided it was running too hot. Heat is what kills electronics so since I don't need the speed, running it at room temperature 20 amps seemed to be a good idea. This way I can run two of these with the splitter, each at 20 amps and still only hitting 80% of my 14-50 circuit.
I bought the Gen 1 Mobile EVSE with wall bracket and 14-50 plug adapter all for $200 on ebay. Tesla discontinued these.

The splitter is $100 and is not pretty when connected but it works. There is a plug-in splitter box that is $500 that does the same thing and makes for a prettier setup. It is two big to fit in my 14-50 box but I would never spend $500 for a splitter. Even $100 was a little obscene, IMO.


If you really need / want the speed and are installing a 100a circuit, you could hard wire your Tesla wall charger and run that thing at 80 amps. You'll have to locate the older Gen 2 WC to do that as the new ones now sold only do 48 amps.