NEMA 14-50 Location

[mazers]

My electrician ran conduit up and around one garage door to put the 14-50 outlet between the doors. No need to go through the attic.

 

[IROAR]

Some ev's have the charge port forward of the driver's door.
If you approach car from the front having it in the rear will allow you to get to the door without walking over the cord
In balance, I'd have it in the $250 location

 

[teknoprep]

Just think what people could do with a little education and experience! Most counties around here do not require an electrician to put in an outlet. Homeowners do this all the time in their own homes. Most counties do not require a permit.

I put in my own outlets when I wired my garage, and two were 50 amp services. Guess what! I have two EVs. I think I paid around $25 for each outlet, plus maybe 15' of #6 wire. Easy peasy, and cheap. For all you folk who plan to live any time longer, you might ought to take a few classes at your local junior college or high school so you could start doing your own wiring and save, what, $500, $1000, $2000?? I also installed a bunch of solar panels (68) and have them plugged into my breaker panel. 'Tain't hard. I'm afraid I don't even know who my local electricians, local plumbers, or local garage guy is (though I don't need those any more, do I?).

Just sayin', do it yourself is pretty easy for a lot of this stuff. Helped me afford a couple REALLY nice cars over time!

While I’ll all for DYI, this is one area where I wouldn’t recommend skimping. You’re dealing with high voltage lines that could easily kill you during install. Or if you do something incorrectly, you could risk a fire destroying your house.

Would much rather pay a couple hundred bucks to have a licensed professional with years of training do it the right way.

 

[Sky-Pilot]

I lucked out, my electrical panel is on the outside of the garage wall at the right rear of the car, so it was easy to install 14-50 outlet and I only need to unreel 10' of cable to charge. I went with the standard 14-50 because the next person to buy my house may own an EV, but not necessarily a Tesla. I also added a secondary 120 outlet for the heck of it.

 

[ReddykwRun]

Sounds like your electrician is very reasonably priced, so it is worth it. I would have the 14-50 outlet placed where it is the most convenient and it will help make the whole EV experience much better. Also, with the outlet closer to the overhead door, you will be able to reach a car that is parked in the driveway. If you have a two car garage, the outlet may also reach over to the other bay in garage if you need to park there or get another EV.

It is a bit more work to have the outlet where you really want it, so it cost a bit more. But I think you will be much happier and in a week you’ll forget about the cost. Put it in the less convenient spot, and you will remember it every day you plug in.

Hey mrau,

I so agree on the convenience factor when in the right place you congratulate yourself on a job well done each day vs. the other direction at charging time. Oh, and hats off to the styling threads on the avatar. You know Reddy's roots started originally at Alabama Power in B'ham, AL and eventually ended up with Northern States Power Company (NSP), based in Minneapolis, Minnesota thru some acquisitions and mergers and is no longer used by them. A power utility still uses the logo in Barbados. I got the Nike running version.
Off topic, are you the sticker guy? Reason I ask, recently purchased a couple of vintage Reddy Kilowattt stickers and they came from MI.

 

[angelman]

I paid about the same for a licensed electrician. Installed the outlet right next to the panel. It's no issue to reach the car, even when I often have to park it further down the drive (my wife insists in parking closer to the house!). If you want to spend the extra for a tiny bit of convenience or the aesthetic look.. that's your decision I guess. No reason not to have it next to your panel, cable is easily long enough to reach wherever you need

 

[anticowboyism]

It is a bit more work to have the outlet where you really want it, so it cost a bit more. But I think you will be much happier and in a week you’ll forget about the cost. Put it in the less convienent spot, and you will remember it every day you plug in.

Exactly. You just bought a $50K car, don't freak out about the extra $250 for have a nicer charging setup.

 

[laxdad]

If you decide to leave the outlet by the front of the car, you could add a cable organizer by the back of the car. Coil the charge cable around the organizer.

Cable Organizer

 

[James88]

I have a very reasonable licensed electrician who has given me 2 quotes for a NEMA 14-50 outlet in my garage. I'm very lucky - breaker box is new, located right next to my car, and requires minimal work. No permit required.

However, the breaker box is housed near the front-left of my car. He said it (obviously) would be much cheaper to install the outlet next to the breaker box:

14-50 Outlet - $30
50-amp Breaker - $20
6-Gauge Wire - $20
Labor - $180
TOTAL - $250

If I want to run it to the rear of my car, it would involve going into the attic and running approx. 50 ft of wire. He estimated 1/2 a days work, and double the price - $500.

For those who have their outlet at the front, is it worth the extra $250 to move it to the rear? My garage is kind of tight, so don't want too much of an inconvenience of unplugging and moving the cable, but would like some recommendations before spending the extra money.

Thanks!

Haven't read anyone elses response. But just park the car reverse or whatnot in the direction that is closer to the plug lol

 

[swamibob]

I agree, practice backing in the garage and just back in and save 250. It's really nice for a fast get-a-way I actually have an object on my wall that I line up with in my left drivers mirror and I drew a black + with a sharpie on the floor that I can see with my backup camera. I align the horizontal line of the + and edge of my rear bumper so I can back to the exact location every time. That way I know my doors will open and not hit stuff and my garage door can close. I'm like the guy who said he normally doesn't back in to places either, but I learned quite quickly and now I do back in a lot more than I used to. Always at home.

 

[mrau]

Off topic, are you the sticker guy? Reason I ask, recently purchased a couple of vintage Reddy Kilowattt stickers and they came from MI.

@ReddykwRun sorry, I am not the sticker guy. My father worked for Consumers Power in Michigan and in the 60s they used Reddy Kilowatt for all their electricity safety campaigns. I saw a lot of Reddy when I was a kid and figured he was a good avatar for an EV forum. Apparently great minds think alike. Your Nike version is neat.

 

[brkaus]

I agree, practice backing in the garage and just back in and save 250. It's really nice for a fast get-a-way I actually have an object on my wall that I line up with in my left drivers mirror and I drew a black + with a sharpie on the floor that I can see with my backup camera. I align the horizontal line of the + and edge of my rear bumper so I can back to the exact location every time. That way I know my doors will open and not hit stuff and my garage door can close. I'm like the guy who said he normally doesn't back in to places either, but I learned quite quickly and now I do back in a lot more than I used to. Always at home.

I used duct tape to put a “T” on the ground. I park with the T lined up with the back tire watching in the mirror. The top part parallel to the tire and the stem of the T marking the center. Sometimes I put a water bottle on the T right next to where the tire goes.

 

[F14Scott]

I have a very reasonable licensed electrician who has given me 2 quotes for a NEMA 14-50 outlet in my garage. I'm very lucky - breaker box is new, located right next to my car, and requires minimal work. No permit required.

However, the breaker box is housed near the front-left of my car. He said it (obviously) would be much cheaper to install the outlet next to the breaker box:

14-50 Outlet - $30
50-amp Breaker - $20
6-Gauge Wire - $20
Labor - $180
TOTAL - $250

If I want to run it to the rear of my car, it would involve going into the attic and running approx. 50 ft of wire. He estimated 1/2 a days work, and double the price - $500.

For those who have their outlet at the front, is it worth the extra $250 to move it to the rear? My garage is kind of tight, so don't want too much of an inconvenience of unplugging and moving the cable, but would like some recommendations before spending the extra money.

Thanks!

If he's only charging you $20 for the 50 amp breaker, then it is likely not a GFCI breaker, which is required by code for EV charging. A GFCI breaker will be around $100.

 

[mswlogo]

$250 bucks? There is no way this dude is liscensed. Also, how do you know you do not need a permit? I wouldn’t take this guys word for it....

The no permit seems odd. The $250 might be completely legit as it might be a finished garage (conduit or fishing wires through walls).

Personally, I’d put a wall connector and have it placed in the optimal location.

 

[mswlogo]

I used duct tape to put a “T” on the ground. I park with the T lined up with the back tire watching in the mirror. The top part parallel to the tire and the stem of the T marking the center. Sometimes I put a water bottle on the T right next to where the tire goes.

Driving into a tight spot and backing out to a wide area is much easier than backing into a tight spot and driving out to wide area.

 

[F14Scott]

Driving into a tight spot and backing out to a wide area is much easier than backing into a tight spot and driving out to wide area.

If that were true, forklifts would steer with their front wheels. They don't, because maneuvering into a tight space with accuracy is better accomplished with rear-wheel steering. By steering with the rear wheels (or the front wheels while backing in, in a car), large corrections can be made out in the open, while the delicate stuff happens in the confined area.

 

[Austindude]

I have a very reasonable licensed electrician who has given me 2 quotes for a NEMA 14-50 outlet in my garage. I'm very lucky - breaker box is new, located right next to my car, and requires minimal work. No permit required.

However, the breaker box is housed near the front-left of my car. He said it (obviously) would be much cheaper to install the outlet next to the breaker box:

14-50 Outlet - $30
50-amp Breaker - $20
6-Gauge Wire - $20
Labor - $180
TOTAL - $250

If I want to run it to the rear of my car, it would involve going into the attic and running approx. 50 ft of wire. He estimated 1/2 a days work, and double the price - $500.

For those who have their outlet at the front, is it worth the extra $250 to move it to the rear? My garage is kind of tight, so don't want too much of an inconvenience of unplugging and moving the cable, but would like some recommendations before spending the extra money.

Thanks!

Might watch the following video of a model 3 charging solution being used in a small tight two car garage without draping the cable on the floor or across the car.

 

[saltsman]

At $30, I'm concerned your 14-50 receptacle is underrated. You'll need one that meets commercial specifications or it may overheat. Here's a excellent guide: Home Charging Wiring Guide | TeslaTap

Tesla recommends:
Hubbell HBL9450A
Cooper 5754N
Leviton 55050
CE CESMPS54HR*

The Bryant 9450-FR is a rebranded Hubbell and wildly recommended. At ~$50, it's the best value: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CTUTMBM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The rest of the spec looks good.

 

[Thp3]

Back into your garage. Eventually Tesla will auto park for you. Use white duct tape to guide your lane. It’s just very easy.

 

[davewill]

I know you guys like backing in and all, but if you read the thread, you'd know that backing in puts the OP's charge port on the WRONG side. It doesn't help.