Model S - HPWC (High Power Wall Connector)

[Doanster1]

Out of nowhere, I get a shipment email today and the HPWC should arrive on Thursday.
Mind you, I sent multiple emails in between and got zero responses. It’s like online part orders are farmed out to a third party because even when I called main Customer Service, I was told they cannot even contact the Online Ordering dept directly. They have to use the same email address as us. I pressed VERY hard, saying I’m about to take delivery, but she wasn’t budging, so I believe it’s just a piss poor system/outfit at the moment.
Either way, I can at least book the electrician now and only need to slow charge for a few days.

 

[brkaus]

Out of nowhere, I get a shipment email today and the HPWC should arrive on Thursday.
Mind you, I sent multiple emails in between and got zero responses. It’s like online part orders are farmed out to a third party because even when I called main Customer Service, I was told they cannot even contact the Online Ordering dept directly. They have to use the same email address as us. I pressed VERY hard, saying I’m about to take delivery, but she wasn’t budging, so I believe it’s just a piss poor system/outfit at the moment.
Either way, I can at least book the electrician now and only need to slow charge for a few days.

Had the same problem with a floor mat order. Radio silence.

 

[mrElbe]

Had the same problem with a floor mat order. Radio silence.

Have you tried re booting the screen? ( LOL )

 

[papadonutman]

 

[nevrenuf]

I'll be installing my HPWC this week. Reading how folks struggle with #6 wire, I wonder how much fun it will be with #3 ? I'm putting in a 90 amp breaker and pulling #3 wire so I can get max output from the HPWC. Anyone installed with #3 yet? How did it go? Any recommendations?

 

[mrElbe]

I used #3 and it was a stiff job.

 

[phaphaphooey]

I just got done with an install of #3 on a 90 amp breaker. It was much worse than I expected. I got it done with a lot of shoving on that wire (which is about as thick as my waist) and even more prayer.

 

[hcsharp]

I'll be installing my HPWC this week. Reading how folks struggle with #6 wire, I wonder how much fun it will be with #3 ? I'm putting in a 90 amp breaker and pulling #3 wire so I can get max output from the HPWC. Anyone installed with #3 yet? How did it go? Any recommendations?

I installed one with #3 and one with #2. I didn't think it was that hard. A couple pairs of pliers to manipulate the wires and you'll be fine.

 

[Bluewater]

Trying to decide whether to move to my utility's off-peak plan. I know many owners connect their HPWC to a utility's time-of-use system, where the power is always on to the HPWC but where the user pays a higher or lower rate for electricity depending on time of day.

Where I live my utility does not offer time-of-use, but does offer "off-peak". My utility's off-peak plan would shut-off electricity to the Wall Connector from 7am to 11pm. Meaning that the wall connector would lose electricity every day at 7am, then cycle back-on every day at 11pm. Is this common elsewhere? My question is whether I may be damaging the wall connector or car by moving to such an off-peak plan. Is the HPWC engineered to cycle on and off every day when power is shut off and then back on? Also, I know the car calls for shore power to warm the battery during extreme cold ... and may do so for other reasons. Am I damaging anything in the car if it calls for shore power but finds no power available at any price? Thank you.

 

[brkaus]

Trying to decide whether to move to my utility's off-peak plan. I know many owners connect their HPWC to a utility's time-of-use system, where the power is always on to the HPWC but where the user pays a higher or lower rate for electricity depending on time of day.

Where I live my utility does not offer time-of-use, but does offer "off-peak". My utility's off-peak plan would shut-off electricity to the Wall Connector from 7am to 11pm. Meaning that the wall connector would lose electricity every day at 7am, then cycle back-on every day at 11pm. Is this common elsewhere? My question is whether I may be damaging the wall connector or car by moving to such an off-peak plan. Is the HPWC engineered to cycle on and off every day when power is shut off and then back on? Also, I know the car calls for shore power to warm the battery during extreme cold ... and may do so for other reasons. Am I damaging anything in the car if it calls for shore power but finds no power available at any price? Thank you.

Are they cutting the power? Or signaling the HPWC to not provide energy?

I think it would be hard on their equipment. If they cut the power when it is charging via a switch in their equipment, it will arc inside their power control.

I wouldn’t worry about being disconnected for the day. EVs are left parked outside in lots during th day all the time.

 

[HankLloydRight]

Where's the switch located that cuts service just to the HPWC?

Seems very strange to add local equipment to switch off just one circuit. Offering TOU rates would be much easier and all in "software".

I wouldn't worry about the power to the HPWC cycling everyday. Just make sure you can remove the charging wand from the car when there's no power to the charger in order to press the release button (I assume you can, but never tried it).

 

[davewill]

It's one thing to voluntarily not charge during peak times, I do that all the time. My EVSE has a timer feature that restricts charging during peak hours. However, it's another to be UNABLE to charge during peak hours. About once a month, I do an early morning trip, and want to charge up in the daytime for a planned evening use.

I personally wouldn't do it unless I had a backup way to charge in the daytime if I absolutely needed to.

 

[Bluewater]

Yes, I am served by a small rural co-op. They don't currently have the capability to offer me TOU service. My utility has an existing off-peak electric water-heater program that's similar ... so I think they are adapting that program for this purpose. My panel is located on interior of garage wall. Utility is telling me that I would pay an electrician to install a sub-meter provided by the utility on the exterior-side of the same garage wall where the panel is installed. The sub-meter is radio controlled, and would literally shut off the power to the HPWC (similar to how they shut off power to water heater). So HPWC would go dark at 7am and cycle back on at 11pm. When I installed my HPWC about a year ago, I also had the electrician install a NEMA 14-50 in addition, so I'd have a back-up if HPWC failed. So I think I could hook up either the HPWC or the NEMA 14-50 to the sub-meter ... That would allow me to use one for 11pm-7am most of the time, but could use the other if I needed a charge between 7am-11pm. Just wondering if it is a bad idea to hook up HWPC and subject it to this specific cycling or if it otherwise would be bad for the car/battery. Thanks for your comments ...

 

[brkaus]

@Bluewater - interesting approach by the power company. I would not expect any ill effects to the car. Only downside is you would have to use the screen (or I think there is a magic key fob click) to unlock the charge port if the HPWC was powered off.

 

[HankLloydRight]

. That would allow me to use one for 11pm-7am most of the time, but could use the other if I needed a charge between 7am-11pm.

Wouldn't that defeat the purpose/intent of putting the HPWC on the switched meter?

 

[Bluewater]

My idea is that I would use the HPWC on the sub-meter with the low 11pm-7am off-peak rate almost all the time, but in case I ever needed an emergency charge during daytime hours, I still have 24/7 access to a live NEMA 14-50 at regular rates. If the community feels that I am putting the HPWC at risk by causing it to power off at 7am and power on at 11pm ever day, then I would likely skip doing the current off-peak program and wait until they offer TOU. Another option is to hook the NEMA 14-50 to the sub-meter and use that most of the time during off-peak, but that relegates the HPWC to little use. I just wanted to reach out to see if anyone else with an HPWC was on an off-peak program like this where the unit literally powers off at 7am and back on at 11pm. I think I am comfortable that there would be no ill-effects to the car ... just wondering about ill-effects to the HPWC ... thank you

 

[Rocky_H]

The sub-meter is radio controlled, and would literally shut off the power to the HPWC (similar to how they shut off power to water heater). So HPWC would go dark at 7am and cycle back on at 11pm.

Ah, OK. I'm familiar with that technology for what our utility calls the "A/C Cool Credit" system. I would hesitate to call it a meter, but they install an inline control device onto the circuit of our air conditioners, which can be radio controlled if you choose to opt in to the program, and they give a little discount on your bill. It allows them to cut off people's air conditioners in 15 minute increments on a rotating basis throughout the neighborhoods to reduce overall summer demand peaks. That off-peak charging thing is an interesting use of that technology.

If it's a pretty discounted rate, and you do have some kind of backup, that sounds OK. The car shouldn't have any problem with it. I would wonder how the wall connector would like having its power cut and having to go through its power on self test every day. I've got kind of a little nervous feeling about that.

 

[HankLloydRight]

My idea is that I would use the HPWC on the sub-meter with the low 11pm-7am off-peak rate almost all the time, but in case I ever needed an emergency charge during daytime hours, I still have 24/7 access to a live NEMA 14-50 at regular rates. If the community feels that I am putting the HPWC at risk by causing it to power off at 7am and power on at 11pm ever day, then I would likely skip doing the current off-peak program and wait until they offer TOU. Another option is to hook the NEMA 14-50 to the sub-meter and use that most of the time during off-peak, but that relegates the HPWC to little use. I just wanted to reach out to see if anyone else with an HPWC was on an off-peak program like this where the unit literally powers off at 7am and back on at 11pm. I think I am comfortable that there would be no ill-effects to the car ... just wondering about ill-effects to the HPWC ... thank you

Ok, I see, that makes sense. You won't harm the HPWC or the car with the automatic shut off/on.

 

[brkaus]

@Bluewater how discounted is the rate?

 

[tga]

Where's the switch located that cuts service just to the HPWC?

Seems very strange to add local equipment to switch off just one circuit. Offering TOU rates would be much easier and all in "software".

They need to update their billing software, select (and qualify/test) a meter that supports multiple TOU periods, and figure out how to collect multiple pieces of data from a meter (coupled with billing s/w updates). Conceptually easy, yes, but having been involved with a couple of utility projects, it's never that easy...

I wouldn't worry about the power to the HPWC cycling everyday. Just make sure you can remove the charging wand from the car when there's no power to the charger in order to press the release button (I assume you can, but never tried it).

@Bluewater - interesting approach by the power company. I would not expect any ill effects to the car. Only downside is you would have to use the screen (or I think there is a magic key fob click) to unlock the charge port if the HPWC was powered off.

I just tested - pressing the button on the charge handle, with the HPWC powered off, does release the charge handle (if the car is unlocked). As @brkaus mentioned, you can also unlock it by press-and-hold the fob's rear trunk button or from the charging screen.

Yes, I am served by a small rural co-op. They don't currently have the capability to offer me TOU service. My utility has an existing off-peak electric water-heater program that's similar ... so I think they are adapting that program for this purpose. My panel is located on interior of garage wall. Utility is telling me that I would pay an electrician to install a sub-meter provided by the utility on the exterior-side of the same garage wall where the panel is installed. The sub-meter is radio controlled, and would literally shut off the power to the HPWC (similar to how they shut off power to water heater). So HPWC would go dark at 7am and cycle back on at 11pm. When I installed my HPWC about a year ago, I also had the electrician install a NEMA 14-50 in addition, so I'd have a back-up if HPWC failed. So I think I could hook up either the HPWC or the NEMA 14-50 to the sub-meter ... That would allow me to use one for 11pm-7am most of the time, but could use the other if I needed a charge between 7am-11pm. Just wondering if it is a bad idea to hook up HWPC and subject it to this specific cycling or if it otherwise would be bad for the car/battery. Thanks for your comments ...

Are you planning to install the HPWC on a circuit greater than 50A? If so, I'd consider putting the 14-50 on the sub-meter. 32 (or 40) amps for 8 hours should be enough to fully charge overnight. That would reserve the higher-amperage HPWC for quickest possible emergency on-peak charging.

Before signing up, I'd verify that the savings would offset any additional fixed monthly charges, and check with Tesla about daily power cycling of the HPWC or UMC (whichever it is). You'll need to get an answer from someone at the mother ship. People at the local store most likely won't have any idea (but the more I think about it, the less I'd worry about it).