Just wanted to chime in my experience since I found all the charging options a little overwhelming when I first got my M3 a few weeks ago.
I was originally going to slum it like a peasant with my 240v 16A outlet (that used to be used for a wall AC), but got tired of running an extension cord out my window in the winter; and while 16A isn't the slowest, it also wasn't super fast (16-17mi/hour), especially when the battery heater has to run in cold weather. Apparently the battery heater only seems to run off of the charger power and not internally when it preconditions for a charge, and that meant it was only able to use 4KW (I assume this is so you don't actually lose mileage while plugged in for a charge). I remember one charge last week that seemed to take an hour before it would even show added mi/hr despite showing full 245V and 16A.
I had Smart Charge America (who were great BTW) install my Wall Connector today and just hooked up with <50% charge. I was expecting to get 44mi/hr after the batter warmed up. The pleasant surprise is that:
Here's the summary of stuff that led me to make this choice vs. a cheaper 30A NEMA outlet:
Obviously, the mi/hr may vary for you depending on your local utility and how much voltage they send your house. Hopefully this info is helpful.
I was originally going to slum it like a peasant with my 240v 16A outlet (that used to be used for a wall AC), but got tired of running an extension cord out my window in the winter; and while 16A isn't the slowest, it also wasn't super fast (16-17mi/hour), especially when the battery heater has to run in cold weather. Apparently the battery heater only seems to run off of the charger power and not internally when it preconditions for a charge, and that meant it was only able to use 4KW (I assume this is so you don't actually lose mileage while plugged in for a charge). I remember one charge last week that seemed to take an hour before it would even show added mi/hr despite showing full 245V and 16A.
I had Smart Charge America (who were great BTW) install my Wall Connector today and just hooked up with <50% charge. I was expecting to get 44mi/hr after the batter warmed up. The pleasant surprise is that:
- The battery heated itself WAY quicker despite the cold weather, and quickly started showing a charge rate
- I'm now getting 51 mi/hr, which is a bit more than the rated 44mi/hour on their spec sheet.
Here's the summary of stuff that led me to make this choice vs. a cheaper 30A NEMA outlet:
- Tax rebate, which basically made the Wall Connector free
- I don't have a garage and have to charge outdoors, and the Wall Connector is more secure; don't have to worry about someone running off with an adapter or my UMC if the charge port unlocks in the cold
- Speed
- SmartCharge America's deal let's you have them uninstall the Wall Connector for free if you ever decide to move, which is a nice extra
Obviously, the mi/hr may vary for you depending on your local utility and how much voltage they send your house. Hopefully this info is helpful.