Need Approximately 55 Ft Of Cord

[nicedream]

Hi, soon-to-be new Model 3 owner here. The car will have to be parked in the driveway as two other vehicles will be taking up the garage. I’ll need a good 55 ft of cord to make it from the 14-50 outlet I’m going to have installed next to the breaker box to the charging port (that’s with the car backed in). If I pay an electrician the extra $ to have the outlet put in closer to the garage door (20-25ft from breaker box) I could cut down the length of cord needed to 25 ft or so. Either way, the garage door closes fine on a thick cord without exerting much pressure (paver driveway means it’s not flat).

So the question - I’ve seen conflicting info from old threads. Can I use a 14-50 extension cord to give me up to 35 ft extra length?

 

[Big Earl]

Hi, soon-to-be new Model 3 owner here. The car will have to be parked in the driveway as two other vehicles will be taking up the garage. I’ll need a good 55 ft of cord to make it from the 14-50 outlet I’m going to have installed next to the breaker box to the charging port (that’s with the car backed in). If I pay an electrician the extra $ to have the outlet put in closer to the garage door (20-25ft from breaker box) I could cut down the length of cord needed to 25 ft or so. Either way, the garage door closes fine on a thick cord without exerting much pressure (paver driveway means it’s not flat).

So the question - I’ve seen conflicting info from old threads. Can I use a 14-50 extension cord to give me up to 35 ft extra length?

That's a sketchy option for a long-term charging solution. If you mount a hard-wired Wall Connector with a 24 foot cord on the outside of the garage, will it reach your car?

 

[ewoodrick]

55 ft is a LONG way to carry 30A of current. You'll want to probably use a 6-8 gauge extension cord, which is VERY expensive.
Moving the socket closer is definitely recommended.

But the real question is do you need that much charging capability?

 

[TexasEV]

The other vehicles don’t need the garage, unless they’re EVs too. You need to park in the garage.

 

[MaryAnning3]

Not a total expert, but I think for $120 or so you can get a 50ft , 50 amp cord. I am thinking that a 50 amp 220 V cord should be sufficient for 30 amp draw. Not really seeing a huge advantage to reducing that to 25 ft, but not sure?

 

[MaryAnning3]

There are some real experts here on this stuff. Maybe we'll see what they think.

 

[MaryAnning3]

I have a "wall-mounted connector" set up outdoors in CA, next to my driveway. Super convenient and I would highly recommend that if you decide to get an electrician involved. That is a lot more convenient and weatherproof than any NEMA approach.

 

[Big Earl]

Could also have an electrician mount the Wall Connector on a 4x4 post in the grass along the side of the driveway. It's a little more expensive, but a very elegant solution. Might also consider having a 120 volt outlet installed on the post if you ever have a need to vacuum your car or use regular power in your driveway without having to run a long extension cord.

photos/ideas from Clipper Creek

Need ideas for classy & secure outdoor wall charger install

 

[KJD]

Park the new car inside the garage where it belongs. The extension cord is a trip hazard.

 

[FielderJones]

One of the two older cars gets put in the driveway. Electrical safety comes first.

 

[Big Earl]

One of the two older cars gets put in the driveway. Electrical safety comes first.

Maybe the cars in the garage are exotics or otherwise valued higher than the Model 3.

But yes, electrical safety comes first, hence my recommendation to have an electrician install a proper charging solution rather than running a long extension cord and using the mobile connector.

 

[BrokerDon]

50' extension cords aren't cheap ($188 on Amazon)... and may not work for EV charging... but here's a 50' long %0A RV extension cord: https://smile.amazon.com/Cynder-Camper-Electrical-Extension-Handle/dp/B078M7ZFHN

 

[nicedream]

Thanks a lot for the replies.

Yes parking it in the garage would be ideal, but the other vehicles are much more valuable as Earl suggested.

My HOA might have an issue with an outside charger. It would need approval certainly. I also like the flexibility of an indoor charger since it’s possible at some point the Tesla would move inside.

The car will only be driven 8 miles typically Mon-Fri with occasional longer weekend use but no road trips or anything probably. So I could get away with low amp charging I guess?

I’ll see how much more an electrician would charge to put the outlet in by the garage door instead of right at the box, then I’d only need a short extension cord.

 

[Big Earl]

Thanks a lot for the replies.

Yes parking it in the garage would be ideal, but the other vehicles are much more valuable as Earl suggested.

My HOA might have an issue with an outside charger. It would need approval certainly. I also like the flexibility of an indoor charger since it’s possible at some point the Tesla would move inside.

The car will only be driven 8 miles typically Mon-Fri with occasional longer weekend use but no road trips or anything probably. So I could get away with low amp charging I guess?

I’ll see how much more an electrician would charge to put the outlet in by the garage door instead of right at the box, then I’d only need a short extension cord.

Remember the car comes with a 24 foot charging cable. It sounds like a regular 120 volt outlet would be more than adequate for your use case.

 

[Eugr]

Remember the car comes with a 24 foot charging cable. It sounds like a regular 120 volt outlet would be more than adequate for your use case.

It’s 20 feet cable though. 24 feet is for the wall charger...

 

[Big Earl]

It’s 20 feet cable though. 24 feet is for the wall charger...

Could be; I haven’t measured.

If OP backs the car into the driveway instead of pulling in head-first, the charge port will be much closer to the garage.

 

[FielderJones]

The car will only be driven 8 miles typically Mon-Fri with occasional longer weekend use but no road trips or anything probably. So I could get away with low amp charging I guess?

Yes, the 120V NEMA 5-15 should cover your daily usage overnight. I don't use my M3 for a work commute, so low amp charging currently suits my needs. After I retire later this year, I'll probably need 240V service.

 

[MaryAnning3]

Hi, soon-to-be new Model 3 owner here. The car will have to be parked in the driveway as two other vehicles will be taking up the garage. I’ll need a good 55 ft of cord to make it from the 14-50 outlet I’m going to have installed next to the breaker box to the charging port (that’s with the car backed in). If I pay an electrician the extra $ to have the outlet put in closer to the garage door (20-25ft from breaker box) I could cut down the length of cord needed to 25 ft or so. Either way, the garage door closes fine on a thick cord without exerting much pressure (paver driveway means it’s not flat).

So the question - I’ve seen conflicting info from old threads. Can I use a 14-50 extension cord to give me up to 35 ft extra length?

I think with an application like this it is better to use the higher voltage, the 14-50, as you say. You then get twice the power for the same current. You can set the current to a relatively low level (maybe 10 amps) on the screen in the car and it will remember that and use it always until you change it. 10 amps at 240 V charges at about 2.4 kW. I think this is a better option that dropping to 120 V as some suggest. It is both faster, lower current and no more expensive for the extension cord.

I don't see that value added from getting an electrician unless you want to put in a $600 post-mounted "Wall Connector". The install might be about $1000 for that. They are very convenient!

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

Hi, soon-to-be new Model 3 owner here. The car will have to be parked in the driveway as two other vehicles will be taking up the garage. I’ll need a good 55 ft of cord to make it from the 14-50 outlet I’m going to have installed next to the breaker box to the charging port (that’s with the car backed in). If I pay an electrician the extra $ to have the outlet put in closer to the garage door (20-25ft from breaker box) I could cut down the length of cord needed to 25 ft or so. Either way, the garage door closes fine on a thick cord without exerting much pressure (paver driveway means it’s not flat).

So the question - I’ve seen conflicting info from old threads. Can I use a 14-50 extension cord to give me up to 35 ft extra length?

Hard to know exactly what you are asking without knowing the exact car positioning. You need 35 feet in addition to the UMC cord? (As mentioned that is 20 feet already.). Are you planning to back in?

I use one of these in my garage, but not for the Tesla - it’s for a Spark EV, and I really had no other choice but to extend the 14-50 outlet, due to car parking positions. By design, I only pull 2.9kW through it, so it is not really a concern at all for me. But I personally wouldn’t trust it up to the rating, on a routine basis. And I wouldn’t want it outside. I mostly bought it so I could bring it on road trips if I needed it, and I needed to extend the 14-50 outlet. This may not be to code but it is likely safe (it’s on a 20A breaker). It’s fixed in place in the garage, so it has no plug/unplug cycles.

Camco Heavy Duty Outdoor Extension Cord for RV and Auto with Easy PowerGrip Handle- 50 Amp, 6/8-Gauge, Includes Convenient Carrying Strap - 30ft (55195) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0024ECIP0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Z1UdDbDRG0WZM

I guess I don’t really understand how the car could be parked so far from the garage that 35+ feet of cord would be required, but I can see that such situations could exist.

I’d wouldn’t want any extension cord connections routinely exposed to the elements.

But to me it seems like if you want to deal with a heavy (they are very heavy!) extension cord once in a while to charge your car it would be fine (and maybe that would work for your daily needs - just remember the car doesn’t stay charged and ideally should be left plugged in). Personally I wouldn’t want to deal with it - it is heavy and inconvenient and it would always be in the way, and you wouldn’t want to run it over with the other cars.

Putting the 14-50 outlet (or Wall Connector) in the right position long-term for an EV seems like the right call...and then try to make the UMC without extension cord or the Wall Connector cord work for your parking position. Definitely worth doing some thinking about the long-term, prior to having the electrical work done.

 

[nicedream]

Here’s a diagram. The reason for the Tesla being far back from the garage is to leave room for the car in the garage to get in and out. Yes it would be backed in.