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Mobile Connector vs. Wall Connector for Outdoors

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Just go with a wall connector, makes everything seamless and safe. Tired of hearing you do not need the available power from a wall connector as you have time and slow charging works for me. This is so far from reality, not that you always need a quicker charge but there are so many times that on wants to put in juice quickly for unexpected events/circumstances, IMHO it not even a discussion.

Why charge your cell phone with a .5w wall adapter when you can charge with 4 times the power and more? Many times its fine but there are also many times you want as much juice as you can get, quickly. Point is if the option is there you will never wish you did not install it in the first place and believe me this will happen. A little bigger wire and a bit more cost is all that it takes for the perfect setup for all circumstances.
 
I have been using a regular 120V outlet on the outside wall of my condo with a mobile connector for my Model Y LR. Plugging in at night and unplugging in the morning. It has worked flawlessly for 3 months giving me 30-40 miles per night which is enough for my city driving. However, recently when plugging in, the GFCI trips on the outlet repeatedly and I have had to give up charging for the evening. It works sporadically now. Did something change with the Model Y software? My electrician has said that there is nothing wrong and that I am getting 20A to that outlet - I would think that is enough for the mobile connector? He is now advising me to switch to a Tesla wall charger and he will upgrade the outlet to 40A for about $800 (charger separate). I don't need the charge speed but he recommends it for convenience and that it is a better solution. He also says it will add value to my condo when I come to sell it (I agree with that!). Does anyone have any similar experiences or views? View attachment 841965
If you are upgrading from a 120 volt to a 240 volt circuit, why not go with a circuit that can take advantage of the full capability of the Tesla Wall Connector? Going from a 40 amp to a 60 amp circuit should not cost that much more, which if using THHN wire in a conduit will just be an upgrade from #8 to #6 wire and a larger breaker. Curious if you have done anything yet and if so what you did and are you happy with the result?
 
If you are upgrading from a 120 volt to a 240 volt circuit, why not go with a circuit that can take advantage of the full capability of the Tesla Wall Connector? Going from a 40 amp to a 60 amp circuit should not cost that much more,
It's a condo, so those frequently don't have a as big of an electrical service as a full house, so it sounds to me like there's not enough spare capacity to go all the way up to a 60A without really expensive additional upgrades.
 
Outdoor GFCI receptacles are now required by code but they can be problematic. Depending on the weather conditions there can be excessive humidity and condensation forming around the receptacle that can cause the GFCI to repeatedly trip. If you want a more reliable, faster home charging setup the Tesla Gen3 Wall Connector and 240V/40A circuit would be a good solution. BTW there is no outlet when installing the Wall Connector as it is designed to be hard wired.

Not sure from your post what you electrician was proposing to install as an upgrade. A 50A rated circuit would enable charging at 40A. A 40A rated circuit would enable charging at 32A. (EV charging is always limited to a maximum of 80% of the circuit rating.)

Your existing L1 (120V and 12A) charging is capable of adding 4 miles per hour of range. L2 charging at 240V and 40A would add up to 36 miles of range per hour (about 10X faster). L2 charging at 240V and 32A would add up to 29 miles of range per hour.

Unless you plan to move in the near future I would suggest you have the L2 circuit installed.
If you get a Tesla Wall Connector, how does the connector know if you have it connected to a 30 or 40 or 50 amp circuit?
 
Please explain, "it will work but it's not ideal". thanks
  • Wall chargers look a lot nicer and have integrated cord storage
  • Wall chargers can charge faster
  • Wall chargers are cheaper to install if you hard wire (no GFCI needed)
  • You can keep the portable charger in the car for emergency use
If you get a Tesla Wall Connector, how does the connector know if you have it connected to a 30 or 40 or 50 amp circuit?
You do a setup in the wall charger to tell it your circuit size.
 
If you get a Tesla Wall Connector, how does the connector know if you have it connected to a 30 or 40 or 50 amp circuit?
As part of the installation you configure the Gen3 Wall Connector using your phone or laptop and the local WiFi network of the Wall Connector to setup the Wall Connector to match the circuit rating, i.e. for a 50 amp circuit you would set the Wall Connector for a 50 amp circuit, the Wall Connector automatically will limit the maximum amperage supplied to 40 amps (80% of the circuit rating.)
 
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I have been using a regular 120V outlet on the outside wall of my condo with a mobile connector for my Model Y LR. Plugging in at night and unplugging in the morning. It has worked flawlessly for 3 months giving me 30-40 miles per night which is enough for my city driving. However, recently when plugging in, the GFCI trips on the outlet repeatedly and I have had to give up charging for the evening. It works sporadically now. Did something change with the Model Y software? My electrician has said that there is nothing wrong and that I am getting 20A to that outlet - I would think that is enough for the mobile connector? He is now advising me to switch to a Tesla wall charger and he will upgrade the outlet to 40A for about $800 (charger separate). I don't need the charge speed but he recommends it for convenience and that it is a better solution. He also says it will add value to my condo when I come to sell it (I agree with that!). Does anyone have any similar experiences or views? View attachment 841965
If I was in this situation I'd remove that recepticle pictured and mount a wall connector using the existing 20 amp wiring. I'd change the breaker to a 2 pole 240 volt which is likely around $10. The Wall connector can be set to a 20 amp breaker.
 
Please explain, "it will work but it's not ideal". thanks
Some good response has been given. I also feel there is a safety aspect...some may disagree. 14-50 plugs were not designed for long continuous loading of an EV charger. The contactors can wear out over time. I have seen numerous instances of melting receptacle and/or plugs. Another failure point is the plug itself as many are manufactured as cheaply as possible and suffer possible QC issues.

Lastly aside from GFCI breakers being more costly, and I speak from experience, they are known to nusciance trip causing interrupted charging and frustration.

For the other reasons as well as safety I always recommend folks go with a wall connector for a permanent home charging setup.
 
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Put it this way: You just dropped sixty grand into a car; what's another four hundred?
I hate hearing these kinds of statements. Sure, you could pull out a stack of cash and set it on fire if you want, because you just spent $60,000. That's really stupid. Wealthy people become wealthy by NOT wasting money all the time just because it seems they could afford to.

What does matter is what is the value of the thing, and is it worth it? And that's where this becomes a more relevant discussion. In this case, you basically will need to spend close to $400 either way. So then what do you get? By trying to do an outlet, you are buying a host of problems, with a flaky GFCI breaker, additional loose connections for worse safety, more exposure to the elements, lower potential charging speed, etc.

So for the same price, the outlet is a worse thing to get. That's a better way to say it.
 
Well I don't disagree with you, but money is non-linear - meaning I'll go to Krogers and get my bread from the clearance section to save a dollar, but not mind so much adding another three fifty to the price of a car ... but yes, that would be because it's worth it
 
I used a wall connector for two years before I moved. I have a new WC which I can't install for another 6-9 months. I have a 50A arc welder circuit in the garage. I can't use the garage, so I plugged a mobile connector in the garage and ran the cable through the wall. The only thing outside is the cable and the car connector, so it's probably at least as safe as the wall connector. You obviously lose some length on the cable though. Still, if it works for you, it delivers 32A, and no 240V outlets or the connector hardware in the rain. Yes, you have to put a hole in the wall with a gasket, but it looks better than any of the big outlet housings.