Model 3 Charging Questions. *Looking at purchasing*

[1.21GW]

Its possible but not fun.

 

[Kevy Baby]

Also, if you have 120V 20A outlet it will be much better that 15A. You just have to buy the correct plug from Tesla. Charger comes with 15A plug, but you can order 20A for less than $50.

I've used the standard 110 plug that was provided with my car and regularly got 7 MPH charging. The outlet is a 15A but I wouldn't be surprised if it were a 20A circuit (I live in a condo and the electricity in the garage is covered by the association, so I can't verify the circuit without letting them know I have charged on their dime).

Charging on just a level 1 works on a daily basis if your daily commute is short enough. Personally, I think dragging an extension cord out on a regular basis would be a PITA.

 

[SageBrush]

I've used the standard 110 plug that was provided with my car and regularly got 7 MPH charging. The outlet is a 15A but I wouldn't be surprised if it were a 20A circuit

I'm under the impression that the Tesla adapters set the max Amps.

 

[P3dStealth]

I used a regular outlet for about 6 months on my 24mile commute no problem. I charged it up to 90 on the weekend then just kept plugging in when I got home.

 

[Kevy Baby]

I'm under the impression that the Tesla adapters set the max Amps.

Could be - I never checked. All I remember is getting 7 MPH. But

1. I switched to percentage (for my sanity)
2. I don't charge at home much any more (I charge at work for free and keep home charging for rare instances).

 

[Gasaraki]

Hello,

I am a long time Tesla fan (as I am sure most of us are). I am looking into buying my first Tesla within the next few months however I do have a few concerns with charging. The house I am renting right now only has standard outlets in the garage (no washer/dryer plugs) which means I would have to use trickle charging. Is it even worth getting one at that point knowing I would only be able to do trickle charging only?

However, I was curious if there was possibly an extension cord on the market that could connect to a washer/dryer plug to run one out to my garage. The laundry room is decently close to the garage and if possible or if need be I could run one out there.

The closest supercharger is about 20 miles from me so I was thinking if I used trickle charging when I got home and went to the supercharger at least once a week I could possibly make it work. I drive about 30 minutes to work everyday.

Just looking at getting some input/ideas. Thank you!

If you drive 30 minutes to work everyday (1 hour round trip) and you don't have trickle charging at work, I wouldn't get it if you don't have good charging at home. Let's say you drive 60mph, 1 hour a day, so 60 miles a day. Then i'm assuming you do actually need to use it one in awhile for other stuff, so let's say 70 miles a day, add some vampire drain, and weather related losts, 80 miles a day. The 120V 12A plug at home will give you 5 miles an hour MAX. So it will take you 16 hours to replace the 80 miles charge you use daily.

 

[TexasIronMan]

So, from this plug (picture I am attaching) I will get 22 miles per hour during charging, correct? Saying I am able to reach it in the laundry room.

 

[drj3]

You have never said how far your commute was. If you drive in a lot of traffic and the 1 hour round trip commute each day is relatively short you will have no problem using the normal 15 amp plug. If you do 80 MPH for most of the 1 hour round trip it is a different story. I have a short round trip commute and never came close to having any problems. The only times I wished for faster charging was after a longer trip when I would get home with the battery fairly low. In your case, I suspect that if the 15 amp charging meets your typical charging needs, and you have an adapter and plug for the dryer outlet for the occasional times when you need faster charging you will be just fine.

 

[Kevin-rf]

TexasIronman, yes. That outlet can provided up to 24amp/22miles an hour. You would have to get a heavy duty extension cord and leave a door or window cracked to use it. Tripping over it might get old fast.

Don't forget the mobil connector cable is 20' long, depending on where this outlet is, you might be able to reach it by backing into the garage without an extension cord.

If you have to, get as short and fat an extension cord as possible. Make sure it's rated for 30amps. Also do not coil it while charging, heat builds up and can melt the cord. I had a kiddo do that with a space heater, then give me that what did I do wrong look (you mean besides almost burning the house down?).

Also, no one says you have to charge at the full 24amps. You can crank the rate down a bit. 15amps should give you about 150 miles a night and might be safer with older wiring.