Mobile Connector vs. Wall Charger - Renting a House

[BradfordCat]

I have a 2023 M3 RWD (no mobile connector included). I drive, on average, about 40 miles per day. We're about to move into a rental house for the next 12+ months. The owner saw my Tesla when he showed us the house and was intrigued by the idea of installing a wall charger in the garage. But, do I really need one?

I told him if he would pay to get it installed properly, I would buy the charger itself and he could just keep it there whenever we move out as selling point for his next tenants.

So, my options are:

1) Buy a Mobile Connector ($230) and use it until we own our own house. Then put up a wall charger at our own house and toss the mobile connector into the trunk for emergencies.

2) Buy a Wall Charger ($475). Faster charging, but I'm essentially gifting a nearly $500 item to his property once we move out some day (not complaining though...it's cool he's even willing to have this conversation).

I'm leaning towards the mobile connector. It's cheaper, I would own it my self, and it would be a good spare to keep in the trunk once I've got a real charger later on.

Anything I'm missing here? Seems like I don't drive enough to really warrant needing the wall charger.

 

[brkaus]

What outlet is available for the UMC?

 

[davewill]

Why would you not have to leave the mobile connector behind? You told him you'd buy the "charger" and leave it behind. Also how long do you plan to stay?

 

[jjrandorin]

Why would you not have to leave the mobile connector behind? You told him you'd buy the "charger" and leave it behind. Also how long do you plan to stay?

I was just about to ask the same thing, since it sounded like the deal with the person who owns the house is stated as:

I told him if he would pay to get it installed properly, I would buy the charger itself and he could just keep it there whenever we move out as selling point for his next tenants.

So, it sounds like the OP is leaving some sort of charger in either case, at least per the stated agreement. Perhaps you need to re have that discussion, and ask them to put in an outlet instead of a wall connector, and encourage renters to "bring their own"?

 

[ATPMSD]

I told him if he would pay to get it installed properly

The cost to install a UMC more than the WC. For the UMC you need a 50-amp wire, plus a GFCI breaker at about $150, plus an outlet designed for a continuous load such as a Bryant or Hubbell outlet at about $80. In the case of a WC there is the cost of the wire (which should be either 50-amp true or 60-amp) and a $15 breaker. The wall connector will support any 240V circuit from 20-amps to 60-amp.

Also, since most EV companies have stated they are moving to NACS the WC is, I suggest, the better option. And of course your needs may change in the future. With the landlord picking up the install cost, buying and then leaving the WC is a fair deal.

Alternatively, you could buy the Tesla Universal Wall connector which should cover all EVs since it supports both the Tesla NACS and J1772 plugs.

https://shop.tesla.com/product/universal-wall-connector

 

[Sophias_dad]

I'm voting UMC and no install at all. 40 miles a day can be recovered in eight hours of charging on any standard 120V outlet.

Paying an electrician to install an outlet or HPWC will probably be far more expensive than you think even if the electrical panel is right there in the garage.

 

[ATPMSD]

@Sophias_dad

In this case the deal is the owner will do the install. Since the OP will have to buy a UMC to use a 120V outlet anyway, why not let the owner do the install? Then the only question is whether it is worth upping the ante to go with a wall connector.

 

[Soul Surfer]

The mobile connecter is your friend, whenever you are on the road. I would not invest in a wall connector, just to leave it behind at a rental property. I’m just saying that my mobile connector, which came with my 2021, has saved my bacon more than once.

 

[BSparx]

I have been using the Universal Mobile Connecter charging from a 15 amp circuit for months now. The car charges about 25% overnight, so this can keep up with your w we 40 miles per day.

For us there are often days where the car charges more than just overnight. We have had no problem keeping the car charged to meet our needs, including charging to 100% a few times each month. I say this to point out that the hard wired wall charger is not required for the 40 miles per day you are planning for, and even a bit more.

However, I think you have made an excellent proposal to the landlord. With the hardwired wall charger the battery can be significantly recharged in a few hours, like 5-6x faster than the UMC. The situations where you might worry about getting the car recharged in time for your next drive will be probably zero. The landlord gets an asset that will improve the competitiveness of the property. By splitting the costs both parties get the benefits at significantly reduced cost.

 

[Eric33432]

I suspect the OP did not consider that the Mobile Connector *might* need a 240 volt outlet installed, and was considering just using it with a regular 5-15 or hopefully a 5-20 receptacle for 120 volt 12 or 16 amp charging. Or perhaps there is already a 240 volt outlet in the garage, or a nearby dryer outlet he can use.

I also suspect the OP and his landlord did not consider the cost of having an electrician install a Tesla Wall Connector (the "charger" is installed in the car). If the electrical panel is not in the garage this can become a very expensive proposition, depending on how far and difficult it is to bring the wire into the garage. Even if the electrical panel is in the garage, installing it will very likely cost significantly more than the Wall Connector itself. The landlord may not want to do that when he finds out what that cost might be. Other considerations are what size circuit you would install and if the electrical service and panel have the extra capacity needed for such circuit. That said, if the landlord is still willing to install the Wall Connector, I say that is an excellent deal and I would do it since you will be there at least a year.

For 40 miles a day I might just use 120 volt charging, with a stop at a supercharger from time to time as needed. It will work a bit better if you have a 120 volt 20 amp circuit that is connected to a NEMA 5-20 receptacle (the one with the T-shaped plug on the left side when the ground pin is on the bottom), and such circuit is not wired to other receptacles that are being used when the car is being charged. If you have such a circuit available, you would need to order the 5-20 adapter for the Mobile Connector.

My son and his girl friend both have Teslae, and were planning to move in several months to a new house, and tried using 120 volt charging using two different 120 volt circuits and two Tesla Mobile connectors, and due to the amount of driving they do it did not work out for them. So they used the dryer outlet, which was located near, but not in, the garage, shared between his Model 3 Performance and his girl friends little Model 3 rear wheel drive using a NEMA 14-30P to 10-30R adapter and an extension cord with 10 g wire and NEMA 10-30 connectors with no problems, but it was definitely not convenient. This is not desirable for several reasons including leaving the door from the laundry room to the garage slightly open, but they did it on a temporary basis for a few months with no issues. Once they moved he installed a Tesla Wall Connector on a 50 amp circuit (40 amp charging) which they share between their two Teslae. The each drive about 50 to 75 miles a day, sometimes much more.

If you were to use the dryer outlet for anything more than just a month or two, you need to get a way to be able to leave the dryer and the Mobile Connector plugged in all the time. You do not want to be unplugging the dryer from the outlet on a regular basis. There are Y adapter cables, switches, and more complex ways to do this that are covered elsewhere on this forum.

I strongly concur you want to keep the Mobile Connector, possibly with an assortment of different adapters and cables, in the Frunk, if you have the opportunity to charge when visiting friends or family, or if you go to out of the way places. Only needing it once can save you a huge hassle.

 

[rlsd]

If you charge at the superchargers then the cost for 52 week is $25 x 52 = $1300 (I paid around $20-$25 per charge at supercharger stations when I went on long trips).
For convenience I would give the owner $500 to install a wall charger or a NEMA 14-50 (still need to buy mobile charger) to share the cost. But the owner must call an electrician to install for him/her. It's the owner's house. There are potential legal issues when there is any accident if I call an electrician to install for me.

 

[BradfordCat]

Why would you not have to leave the mobile connector behind? You told him you'd buy the "charger" and leave it behind.

I didn't word this well. The owner has no EV experience, and I have been using a Supercharger exclusively and have not looked into home charging options until this moment. So, it was a conversation between two people with only a vague idea of what they were actually discussing.

Now that I'm slightly less clueless about what I'm actually asking, this would be my proposal to him:

Option 1: I buy a Universal Wall Connector. He hires and pays for a qualified electrician to hardwire it into the garage. Universal Wall connector becomes part of his property and remains there after we leave.

Option 2: I buy a Mobile Connector which will remain my property. He hires a qualified electrician to make sure there is an outlet in the garage that can be safely used with the mobile connector. I'll reimburse him 100% for whatever he pays the electrician. The Mobile Connector leaves with me when we move.

There is a Supercharger 5 minutes away from the house, so it sounds like even at 120v a Mobile Connector should be fine for my current needs.

 

[rlsd]

I didn't word this well. The owner has no EV experience, and I have been using a Supercharger exclusively and have not looked into home charging options until this moment. So, it was a conversation between two people with only a vague idea of what they were actually discussing.

Now that I'm slightly less clueless about what I'm actually asking, this would be my proposal to him:

Option 1: I buy a Universal Wall Connector. He hires and pays for a qualified electrician to hardwire it into the garage. Universal Wall connector becomes part of his property and remains there after we leave.

Option 2: I buy a Mobile Connector which will remain my property. He hires a qualified electrician to make sure there is an outlet in the garage that can be safely used with the mobile connector. I'll reimburse him 100% for whatever he pays the electrician. The Mobile Connector leaves with me when we move.

There is a Supercharger 5 minutes away from the house, so it sounds like even at 120v a Mobile Connector should be fine for my current needs.

Installing an EV outlet or wall charger costs at least $400. Some charges $800, $1000,... depending on the location of the main panel and the length of the cable. You may also need to subscribe with the electric company for EV rate, otherwise it could be more expensive than charging at superchargers.

How much do you pay to charge at the supercharger each month now (it's on the Tesla App)? How easy to charge there? Can you charge early in the morning or late at night to have a better rate?

 

[ATPMSD]

So then:

Option 1 costs you $595 and you leave with nothing
Option 2 costs you more. $230 for the UMC plus the cost of the install, which as @rlsd stated could be a lot. But you leave with the UMC.
Option 3 buy the UMC and use a 120V outlet in the garage. You will need to ensure it is on a dedicated circuit. Hopefully it will be a 20-amp circuit, in which case you also need to buy a 5-20 adapter for $35.

 

[gsmith123]

Option 3 buy the UMC and use a 120V outlet in the garage. You will need to ensure it is on a dedicated circuit. Hopefully it will be a 20-amp circuit, in which case you also need to buy a 5-20 adapter for $35.

This is pretty easy to check, btw, if you have a chance to walk around the property and look for Nema 5-20 outlets (vs the "normal" 5-15 outlets).

I second considering this option if it's available for a rental and you're only driving 40 miles a day on average. And you have a Supercharger available. And no install is needed so you won't have to wait on that to be completed.

 

[davewill]

To me, the right choice depends on how long you are planning to stay. Years? Go ahead and do the Wall Connector. Less time? Maybe try to get by with a 120v outlet.

 

[BradfordCat]

To me, the right choice depends on how long you are planning to stay. Years? Go ahead and do the Wall Connector. Less time? Maybe try to get by with a 120v outlet.

Tough question. We won't know until we live there for a bit, but our initial impression is that we love this house and will hopefully stay here a couple years until we're ready to buy our own home. Tbh, if there are no major issues with the house, we might start making him offers to sell it to us in a couple years. So, I guess the answer is, at least 12 months, probably 24-36 months, maybe 40+ years.

I suspect the answer is going to be Mobile Connector for now simply because I don't think either the party had any idea how expensive this could all potentially become.

 

[brkaus]

An electrician (ideally 2-3) should be able to provide a quick quote.

A) how much for a 14-50 for an EV. If it’s terribly high, how much for a 14-30. They should quote with a gfci breaker

B) how much for a hard wired EVSE on a 60a breaker. Evse provided by customer. If crazy high, how much for 50a breaker or 30a breaker circuit. No gfci is required as its built in the WC.

 

[davewill]

Tough question. We won't know until we live there for a bit, but our initial impression is that we love this house and will hopefully stay here a couple years until we're ready to buy our own home. Tbh, if there are no major issues with the house, we might start making him offers to sell it to us in a couple years. So, I guess the answer is, at least 12 months, probably 24-36 months, maybe 40+ years.

I suspect the answer is going to be Mobile Connector for now simply because I don't think either the party had any idea how expensive this could all potentially become.

Get a couple of quotes. Depending on where the panel is and pricing in your area, the install could be as low as $500 or so. It might be more, but why assume without trying?

Also, the mobile connector is only cheaper if you already have an outlet ready to go, otherwise it can be more than installing a wall connector.

 

[Tronguy]

Get a couple of quotes. Depending on where the panel is and pricing in your area, the install could be as low as $500 or so. It might be more, but why assume without trying?

Also, the mobile connector is only cheaper if you already have an outlet ready to go, otherwise it can be more than installing a wall connector.

More on this. Code says if you have a Mobile Connector, you’ll need a GFCI. At 240VAC, these aren’t cheap. Further, despite the comments, you really want 240VAC. The charge rates are faster and the place is being future proofed against EVs, something the owners would like.

On top of this, you do NOT want a cheapie Home Depot socket. They die soon and are a fire hazard, especially if you plug the Mobile Connector in and out much for trips and such.

Result: if you count on your fingers, turns out that a Tesla Wall Connector, which doesn’t need a GFCI and costs around $450 these days, and the associated wiring, is cheaper than putting in a decent NEMA14-50 and the required GFCI, can supply more current, and will be compatible with all the future NACS compatible cars coming, will be the way to go. Really.