Model 3 Preperation

[AlanSqB]

If you are getting quotes higher than $250-300 for a 14-50 within 10 feet of the panel that requires no special prep, you are getting the "nice neighborhood" surcharge. That's the one you get when the electrician shows up and the first thing he says is "nice neighborhood."

Don't tell them it's for a Tesla. Tell them you're getting a used Leaf or something.

 

[diamond.g]

I prefer HPWC because of its convenience. It's there waiting for me all the time. There's no need to look for mobile connector to connect.






Once I placed my (Model S/X) order, all the costs/fees/taxes... were listed.

There were no surprise, no other additional costs after that screen.




None. Reasonable quote from Wawanesa (Canada, Oregon, California only).





None. What I saw on the original screen when I ordered was what I got.


None. What I saw on the original screen when I ordered was what I got.



Read up on an Owner's Manual might be helpful

https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/model_x_owners_manual_north_america_en.pdf

Tell me I wasn't the only one to replace the x with a 3 in hopes of the manual being available by mistake, early....

 

[PRSIST]

Not an expert but...

Using a standard 120v outlet you can get ~4 miles per hour charge, which is 32 miles if you leave it plugged in for 8 hours overnight. This is definitely the most frugal option in terms of installation.

Installing a NEMA 14/50 will get you in the neighborhood of 20 miles per hour charge - we don't yet know the max amperage the M3 can charge at. Older Model S's could charge at 40 or 80 amps (if dual chargers were installed), newer ones can do 48 or 72 depending on if you got the charger upgrade. The speculation is that the M3 will either match the 48A on the MS, or be somewhere in the 30A range. Regardless, with your situation the NEMA 14/50 should provide more than enough charge. The only downside is that you will need to use your mobile charging cable, and either leave it in your garage if you don't plan on needing it on the go, or roll it back up and put it in your trunk each time you're done using it (or buy a second one).

The HPWC (high power wall charger) is the least frugal option but gives you the most flexibility in terms of input amperage and future Tesla purchases, and also means you can keep your mobile charger in your car (you know, for actual mobile charging ).

This Tweet says the M3 can be charged at 48 amps.

Model 3 Owners Club @Model3Owners
Model 3 onboard charger is capable of 48amps. Confirmed by a source #tesla #model3

5:35 AM - 26 Jun 2017

 

[cpa]

If your daily drive is not that far, you could also get by with a 20A plug. You would have to buy the Tesla adapter, but the 20A plug will charge at 16A instead of 12, so a 1/3 increase in rate.

(16)(110) gives 1.76kW, or about six miles of range per hour.

 

[03DSG]

I have an electric stove and dryer. Both only 5 years old and high end. My 100 amp panel has 3 extra slots but can't handle a nema 14-50 due to existing loads. Cheaper to upgrade my service than to replace both appliances with gas to free up room. Upgrading to a 200 amp service/panel so I can run a 60 amp breaker to charge at max 48 amps. Assuming the charger is a 48 amp. Doing the panel now and will have the wiring run when I know the charger specs.
As well in Canada you can only charge at 32 amps on a 40 amp breaker with a nema 14-50 not 40 amps like the US.

 

[Dogwhistle]

Bumping my garage EVSE up from 32A to 75A. That should do it.

 

[Runt8]

As well in Canada you can only charge at 32 amps on a 40 amp breaker with a nema 14-50 not 40 amps like the US.

I believe it’s the same in the US.

 

[gregd]

I believe it’s the same in the US.

No, in the US it's 80% of the breaker value, so 40 amps from a 14-50 on a 50 amp breaker. Unless you have a local code that's different than the NEC.

But, 32 amps can still be very usable, depending on your situation. I charged at 24 amps (30 amp dryer outlet) for two years until I upgraded the panel and installed a 14-50 for the car. The thing that pushed me to doing the upgrade wasn't a need for more charging speed, it was the ending of the tax incentive for EV infrastructure, and the discovery that my panel was a "Zinsco" brand, which is now considered unsafe.

 

[Runt8]

No, in the US it's 80% of the breaker value, so 40 amps from a 14-50 on a 50 amp breaker. Unless you have a local code that's different than the NEC.

But, 32 amps can still be very usable, depending on your situation. I charged at 24 amps (30 amp dryer outlet) for two years until I upgraded the panel and installed a 14-50 for the car. The thing that pushed me to doing the upgrade wasn't a need for more charging speed, it was the ending of the tax incentive for EV infrastructure, and the discovery that my panel was a "Zinsco" brand, which is now considered unsafe.

I must have read his post wrong, I thought he was saying you could charge 40 amps on a 40 amp breaker.

 

[McHoffa]

The installation cost for my HPWC was $910, plus the $550 for the HPWC itself, so $1460 total. This was a 50 ft run away from the panel, outside mounted on a post. I also installed a ClipperCreek for my Leaf, which only cost $430 for installation. We'll be a 3 EV household this time next year, so wanted to make sure I covered my bases and didn't want to deal with adapters.

If I had a garage, I would have just gone with NEMA 14-50, which would have cost me $400 altogether.

I did my installation last year to catch the tax rebate for EVSE installations that ended last year.

Luckily I had just had my HVAC installed, so the electrician had already upgraded my panel about 6 months earlier. That upgrade cost me over $2000, since the meter base and lines coming in also needed upgrading, as did a couple lines going out of the box.

Costs can add up. Just be prepared.

 

[COrich]

1) Is there a garage wall charger recommended or that you prefer?

Installing a NEMA 14-50 connector is all you need (you need a 50A circuit for this). The car will most likely come with a charging cable (UMC) with a NEMA 14-50 plug as an adapter. This is perfectly sufficient for daily charging (overnight) even if you drive up to 200 miles a day as long as you can allow about 9 hours for charging. The 14-50 connector solution will enable 40A 240V charging (10KW) with no problems at all. And, a 14-50 outlet is significantly less expensive than a Tesla wall connector ($500-$550 each on top of the cost to run a circuit from your electrical panel). The only reason for the Tesla wall connector is if you need faster charging (almost 2x the 14-50 rate if you have the high amperage charging option).

You can leave the UMC connected almost all the time. The only time I unplug it is when we go on a trip so that I can use a 14-50 outlet or a 120V standard outlet in a pinch. All commercial charging stations have cables, the only thing you need is a J1772 adapter (comes with the car) or a CHAdeMO adapter for the DC chargers ($450). Tesla Superchargers and destination chargers also have their own cables.

2) What kind of closing costs are involved?
Tax, license, shipping, etc?

All this is available on the Tesla owners website once all the costs are determined. Shipping is a fixed charge that you see up-front when you order.

3) Insurance costs you didn't expect?

You can probably call your insurance company to get an estimate now and get a real quote once a VIN is assigned. I was pleasantly "surprised" that my Model X only costs $50 more a month than my 2008 VW Passat.

4) Vehicle registration costs you didn't expect?

The only thing you might have to handle separately is the local sales taxes and the property tax and other fees. You can get this information (at least a reasonable estimate) by contacting your local department of motor vehicles.

5) Any costs you did not expect?

No

6) Anything else that you think the Model 3 buyers should know to prepare?

As stated above. Get the charging solution installed ahead of time.

 

[AlanSqB]

Garage cleaned and moved my 14-50 outlet and my OpenEVSE to the side of the garage from the front.

Very exciting.