Candleflame
Active Member
depends where you live. in the usa and central europe you can probably skip it. in australia its a must.
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Mobile Charger: Do I need it?
- Thread starter mod3InLA
- Start date
GregBallantyne
Member
Everyone's situation can be different. I've been using my mobile charger for home charging, only installing a 30A plug into an existing circuit. Never yet unplugged the mobile connector after first plugging it in 5 years ago. If I get another Tesla, I'll continue that same approach I imagine. Traveling, I always have Tesla Superchargers or Tesla level 2 destination charging available. Never yet used the first adapter or searched for a charge. 20-22 mph charging is plenty for home charging.
Eric33432
Member
It depends on where you go.
We use 2 Tesla Wall Connectors at home for our MX and MY Teslas and keep my MC in the frunk of the MX. We use it about 4 to 6 times a year. It is nice when getting somewhere to be able to charge overnight at 240 volts and not having to leave the island to get to the Supercharger which is about 20 miles away for the week or so we are there.
But we travel to vacation homes, and to friends/family, so this option is available for us. If you do not do that, I think it would not be of much use as you have to have a power outlet that is available and convenient to use.
If you do have this situation it requires a little planning. For example, how far is the 240 volt receptacle and what type is it? And will the place you are staying let you use their power?
I use the dryer receptacle at the afore mentioned destinations, which can be a three pin (NEMA 10-30R) or 4 pin (NEMA 14-30R) receptacle.
Since these receptacles are also often further than the length that the MC cable will reach, I have purchased a 3-wire 50 foot #10 AWG extension cord with the 10-30 plug and receptacle configuration, and a short adapter cable with a NEMA 14-30P on one end and a NEMA 10-30R on the other end. I can plug the extension cord directly into a 10-30R dryer receptacle, or use the adapter to plug into a 14-30R dryer plug. The NEMA 10-30 adapter for the MC then plugs into the extension cord, or if it is close enough, it plugs directly into a 3 pin dryer receptacle, or I use the 4 pin to 3 pin adapter to plug into a 4 pin dryer receptacle.
Before you flame me for using an extension cord, which I would not recommend for daily use, let me tell you the one I purchased is of very high quality and very well made.
I also keep a tire repair kit, battery operated air compressor, and the jack pucks in the frunk. I have had to use the tire repair kit twice since June 2022, and from time to time I use the air compressor to top up the tires.
I also let my son borrow this for a few months to use his dryer receptacle after he bought his M3P because he was moving within a few months and did not want to install a Wall Connector until he moved into his new house.
This shows the 50' extension cord and the short 3 pin to 4 pin dryer adapter cable:
All fits nicely in this bag:
We use 2 Tesla Wall Connectors at home for our MX and MY Teslas and keep my MC in the frunk of the MX. We use it about 4 to 6 times a year. It is nice when getting somewhere to be able to charge overnight at 240 volts and not having to leave the island to get to the Supercharger which is about 20 miles away for the week or so we are there.
But we travel to vacation homes, and to friends/family, so this option is available for us. If you do not do that, I think it would not be of much use as you have to have a power outlet that is available and convenient to use.
If you do have this situation it requires a little planning. For example, how far is the 240 volt receptacle and what type is it? And will the place you are staying let you use their power?
I use the dryer receptacle at the afore mentioned destinations, which can be a three pin (NEMA 10-30R) or 4 pin (NEMA 14-30R) receptacle.
Since these receptacles are also often further than the length that the MC cable will reach, I have purchased a 3-wire 50 foot #10 AWG extension cord with the 10-30 plug and receptacle configuration, and a short adapter cable with a NEMA 14-30P on one end and a NEMA 10-30R on the other end. I can plug the extension cord directly into a 10-30R dryer receptacle, or use the adapter to plug into a 14-30R dryer plug. The NEMA 10-30 adapter for the MC then plugs into the extension cord, or if it is close enough, it plugs directly into a 3 pin dryer receptacle, or I use the 4 pin to 3 pin adapter to plug into a 4 pin dryer receptacle.
Before you flame me for using an extension cord, which I would not recommend for daily use, let me tell you the one I purchased is of very high quality and very well made.
I also keep a tire repair kit, battery operated air compressor, and the jack pucks in the frunk. I have had to use the tire repair kit twice since June 2022, and from time to time I use the air compressor to top up the tires.
I also let my son borrow this for a few months to use his dryer receptacle after he bought his M3P because he was moving within a few months and did not want to install a Wall Connector until he moved into his new house.
This shows the 50' extension cord and the short 3 pin to 4 pin dryer adapter cable:
All fits nicely in this bag:
GreenCoffee
Member
In 5 years of owning a model 3 I have only used the mobile connector at my Brothers house out near lake Oroville, CA where we put in a 50A RV outlet, I bought an adapter that would let me charge at RV stalls in case I was out in the boonies but never used it, my 3 came with the UMC but my Y did not, I bought one for the $230 as it seems like a cheap price to pay for the added insurance.
Nothing wrong with using a quality properly sized extension. RVers use them all the time. I use my RV cord for some charging and it is not warm to the touch.
I considered an extension to our dryer plug, but our Tt30 RV outlet is more than enough for our home charging. Plus our home is 10 minutes from three different SC’s if we need them.
I considered an extension to our dryer plug, but our Tt30 RV outlet is more than enough for our home charging. Plus our home is 10 minutes from three different SC’s if we need them.
100% use it.
with a NEMA 14-50 adapter it's my daily charging at home... 32 miles/ hour is *plenty* fast enough for me.
and when road-tripping and staying at Air BnBs ... the included 120V adapter for household outlets lets me charge 5 miles/ hour in the driveway of the Air BnB. 60+ miles overnight for free isn't nothing and let's you drive an additional ~hour the next day without charging.
in places without a SC nearby (Taos , NM) the 120V overnight charging is absolutely crucial for us.
with a NEMA 14-50 adapter it's my daily charging at home... 32 miles/ hour is *plenty* fast enough for me.
and when road-tripping and staying at Air BnBs ... the included 120V adapter for household outlets lets me charge 5 miles/ hour in the driveway of the Air BnB. 60+ miles overnight for free isn't nothing and let's you drive an additional ~hour the next day without charging.
in places without a SC nearby (Taos , NM) the 120V overnight charging is absolutely crucial for us.
I use the Mobile chargers with the 3 and the Y as our daily chargers, gets me plenty of charge each night. I unplug them about once per year to go on a road trip. With the supercharger network they usually end up just riding in the car, but it's nice to have them there just in case.
We kept our big long high quality 50A extension cord from our RV. But we hadn’t carried it in our Model X yet. Maybe we should on a long road trip - you never know.
Lindenwood
Active Member
This cabin was far enough into the boonies that my car actually warned me I was passing the point of no return since it didn’t know if any chargers besides the one I had left 100+ miles ago.
I arrived with about 30% battery, but 2 nights on a 120v outlet (with an extension cord) got me to ~90% for the return trip.
Given how much I travel to visit family, including staying in AirBnBs, I probably use my mobile charger 3 or 4 nights a month.
I arrived with about 30% battery, but 2 nights on a 120v outlet (with an extension cord) got me to ~90% for the return trip.
Given how much I travel to visit family, including staying in AirBnBs, I probably use my mobile charger 3 or 4 nights a month.
I've had my Model 3 for 2.5 years / 44k miles and have used my mobile connector zero times. I have a HPWC and the mobile connector was included with the car. I use SuperChargers for road trips, and haven't yet come across a situation where I needed the mobile connector. I may *never* use mine, but I keep it in the under trunk just in case.
ODWms
Member
Never used it once, anywhere in the almost 5 years I’ve had the car. I find that chargers tend to have their own cable.
Msjulie
Active Member
I have one from when Tesla supplied it with the car - used it at an Air BNB that had nothing but a normal 115 and super chargers 30mins away. Not an everyday situation these days but it let me put 25miles on overnight
smogne41
Active Member
I use mine a few times a year, but it has been crazy useful when I needed it. I consider it essential for how I use the car. My use case is when visiting friends (some of whom don't have charging nearby) for the weekend, I can usually fill up the car before we leave. Getting the Tesla pig-tails that also fit dryer plugs is also super handy to have with it.
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