i just bought a 2016 Model X capable of the 72Amp charging. What setup do I need at home to take advantage of the high amp charging? I’m assuming I’ll need a 100 amp service installed. What Tesla wall charger do I need? Any have a recommendation of an electrician in the Dallas area for the install?
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New Model X owner...Which Wall charger do I need
- Thread starter Control4reak
- Start date
Silver Wall Connector. Is what you need. Cannot help you with a Dallas installer. I installed mine, myself.
I would recommend thinking about your use case for charging - in 99% of situations 40 amps is more than enough. The only time you'd need 72amps is if you're a significant distance from a supercharger AND you're doing multiple 100+ mile trips in a single day with a 2-3 hour stop at home in between to charge. Most of the time you're not home long enough for the 72 amp charging to add significant range, or you're home long enough that 40 amps can get you a full battery. Also, in the DFW area there are already 6 superchargers with a few more on the way soon. Most likely you'll only be a few minutes driving from one if you need to top up during the day.
It most likely does not make sense to pay extra for faster charging unless installing the 100 amp circuit would cost the same as a 50 amp circuit. There's a reason why Tesla stopped providing the 72 amp charging board - almost no one was utilizing it.
It most likely does not make sense to pay extra for faster charging unless installing the 100 amp circuit would cost the same as a 50 amp circuit. There's a reason why Tesla stopped providing the 72 amp charging board - almost no one was utilizing it.
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gjunky
Trifecta: Solar and both cars are EVs
We have a 2016 model X and have a wall charger in the garage on a 100a circuit. We did this in case we wanted to hook up another charger for our model 3.
First, for 72a, you only need an 80a breaker (80% is then 72a). I am not an electrician so please consult with one. The wall charger is the only one from Tesla that gives you that speed.
The above comment is correct though. Even on the mobile charger, charging at 40a, the car will be fully charged the next morning. That said, with the heat and distance here in Phoenix, we do plug it in during the day at least once a month but that is because my wife is a realtor and drives a lot in one day, in the heat and using pre-conditioning.
It all depends on your use case.
One last note: the wall charger is very easy to use and you can leave the mobile charger in the car...
First, for 72a, you only need an 80a breaker (80% is then 72a). I am not an electrician so please consult with one. The wall charger is the only one from Tesla that gives you that speed.
The above comment is correct though. Even on the mobile charger, charging at 40a, the car will be fully charged the next morning. That said, with the heat and distance here in Phoenix, we do plug it in during the day at least once a month but that is because my wife is a realtor and drives a lot in one day, in the heat and using pre-conditioning.
It all depends on your use case.
One last note: the wall charger is very easy to use and you can leave the mobile charger in the car...
Any hard-wired Wall Connector (aka WC aka HPWC) will allow you to charge at 72 Amps if you have at least a 90 Amp line going to it. You can put in 100 Amps but if you only have one car, it wouldn't be able to use the extra 8 Amps (80 Amps vs. 72 Amps) that would be available. If you end up getting multiple Teslas then you could get a second Wall Connector and they could balance the loads. On a 90 Amp line, each car could get 36 Amps. On a 100 Amp line, each car could get 40 Amps if both were charging simultaneously.
I dislike the black HPWC (which I received as a referral award). The matte glue fascia thing is coming off, leaving the thing all blotchy. The smooth glossy silver HPWC won't have this issue.
Here’s a link to a Tesla referral site for electricians. I started here to get some local contacts and then chose one based on some additional due diligence.
Find an Electrician
As someone else alluded to, you’ll probably find a 50a circuit to be sufficient for real world. I had a NEMA 14-50 outlet installed in the garage as I felt it gave me more flexibility in the event I needed that outlet for any other purpose and/or I have a non-Tesla EV in the future. Good luck and congrats.
It varies greatly depending on where you live and what electrician you have do it. It could be $200 or $2000. Get several estimates!
Welcome to TMC! A few notes:
1. Getting a Tesla Wall Connector installed is going to make charging incredibly convenient, especially if you can position it very near where the charge port is when the car is parked. If you're very certain you will only need the 8.5' cord (single car garage and will never need to charge a car in the driveway, etc), go with that for a clean look without excessive cable loops, but many people choose the 24' cord to span a 2-car garage, etc.
2. If buying a used Wall Connector, then be aware there are v1 and v2 versions. If buying new, you'll be getting the v2. Black vs silver is pure aesthetics (and the Elon Musk signature ones are just cool IMHO).
3. 60-amp circuit install will be less expensive than a 90-amp or 100-amp install, but likely not by that much. Labor costs stay near constant, but wire costs, etc do increase a bit as you go to higher amperage. Stair-step increases in cost happen when you go above 60-amp due to code requiring a cutoff (small step), when you want the wire run inside the wall cavity vs in surface-mounted conduit (large step), when you need more power run from a main panel far from the garage to the garage (larger step), and when you need a new line run from the power company and to upgrade the size of your main panel because the load calculations show you're maxing out your current electrical service (very large step up in price).
4. The advice that "60-amp will be fine for daily charging needs" is correct for most situations and most days, and does save some installation cost. That said, higher amperage allows covering more situations and more of those 'edge case' days. Up to you to know your charging needs, installation cost sensitivity, and thoughts on those edge-case-days. FWIW, I went with a 100-amp install even though 60-amp would've covered the overwhelming majority of my needs, so that those few random scenarios where I *might* have had to go 5 miles out of my way to a SuperCharger or I *might* have had a little 'range anxiety' become complete non-issues. I've been very happy that I installed 100-amps for charging to my garage (limited to 72-amp per vehicle by the on-board charger, of course).
5. As for installer, I ***highly*** recommend Tesla doing the install directly. I had multiple quotes in Phoenix, ranging from small independent electricians to larger, state-wide companies. Many recommended not getting a permit (Phoenix City Code requires a permit...check your locality) or wanted to take other shortcuts. Tesla, on the other hand, insisted on getting a permit, listened to where *I* wanted the charger to be and found a way to route power to there, and even had a subcontractor come in after they'd finished the electrical work to do paint touch-ups. Tesla's pricing wasn't the least expensive, but surprisingly it also wasn't the most expensive. It was also by far the most clear pricing sheet, calling out "$1,000 for standard install, $1,000 for hidden conduit and repainting, $500 to buy the second WC, and $154.80 for tax". I believe these are standard flat-rate pricings, although Tesla does have 'per-foot' pricing if they need to trench up your yard to install underground conduit from the main panel to the garage. End result - by far the most professional AND the most accommodating electric work I've had done (they also did my solar panels as SolarCity), and the city inspector commented about the high quality work he sees on Tesla's inspections.
<My setup, FWIW - Two Wall Connectors with communication wire between them, each on 100-amp breakers but combined capped to 100-amp shared, hidden conduit run in the walls except for one small stretch of visible conduit that couldn't be avoided, all permitted and inspected/approved by the city, and installed by Tesla.>
1. Getting a Tesla Wall Connector installed is going to make charging incredibly convenient, especially if you can position it very near where the charge port is when the car is parked. If you're very certain you will only need the 8.5' cord (single car garage and will never need to charge a car in the driveway, etc), go with that for a clean look without excessive cable loops, but many people choose the 24' cord to span a 2-car garage, etc.
2. If buying a used Wall Connector, then be aware there are v1 and v2 versions. If buying new, you'll be getting the v2. Black vs silver is pure aesthetics (and the Elon Musk signature ones are just cool IMHO).
3. 60-amp circuit install will be less expensive than a 90-amp or 100-amp install, but likely not by that much. Labor costs stay near constant, but wire costs, etc do increase a bit as you go to higher amperage. Stair-step increases in cost happen when you go above 60-amp due to code requiring a cutoff (small step), when you want the wire run inside the wall cavity vs in surface-mounted conduit (large step), when you need more power run from a main panel far from the garage to the garage (larger step), and when you need a new line run from the power company and to upgrade the size of your main panel because the load calculations show you're maxing out your current electrical service (very large step up in price).
4. The advice that "60-amp will be fine for daily charging needs" is correct for most situations and most days, and does save some installation cost. That said, higher amperage allows covering more situations and more of those 'edge case' days. Up to you to know your charging needs, installation cost sensitivity, and thoughts on those edge-case-days. FWIW, I went with a 100-amp install even though 60-amp would've covered the overwhelming majority of my needs, so that those few random scenarios where I *might* have had to go 5 miles out of my way to a SuperCharger or I *might* have had a little 'range anxiety' become complete non-issues. I've been very happy that I installed 100-amps for charging to my garage (limited to 72-amp per vehicle by the on-board charger, of course).
5. As for installer, I ***highly*** recommend Tesla doing the install directly. I had multiple quotes in Phoenix, ranging from small independent electricians to larger, state-wide companies. Many recommended not getting a permit (Phoenix City Code requires a permit...check your locality) or wanted to take other shortcuts. Tesla, on the other hand, insisted on getting a permit, listened to where *I* wanted the charger to be and found a way to route power to there, and even had a subcontractor come in after they'd finished the electrical work to do paint touch-ups. Tesla's pricing wasn't the least expensive, but surprisingly it also wasn't the most expensive. It was also by far the most clear pricing sheet, calling out "$1,000 for standard install, $1,000 for hidden conduit and repainting, $500 to buy the second WC, and $154.80 for tax". I believe these are standard flat-rate pricings, although Tesla does have 'per-foot' pricing if they need to trench up your yard to install underground conduit from the main panel to the garage. End result - by far the most professional AND the most accommodating electric work I've had done (they also did my solar panels as SolarCity), and the city inspector commented about the high quality work he sees on Tesla's inspections.
<My setup, FWIW - Two Wall Connectors with communication wire between them, each on 100-amp breakers but combined capped to 100-amp shared, hidden conduit run in the walls except for one small stretch of visible conduit that couldn't be avoided, all permitted and inspected/approved by the city, and installed by Tesla.>
It depends on your driving needs. It is very possible that a 120V 15A plug may be more then sufficient for you. Or maybe the NEMA 14-50 plug, using the mobile connector (a VERY common choice) works great for you. The NEMA 14-50 should really be all that you need. It will commonly get you charged in 3-4 hours, depending on how low you are and is by far the most cost effective solution.
We originally had two 14-50 outlets installed by another company but had Tesla put in 3 HPWCs and we were 100% satisfied with their work and clear pricing sheet. We definitely recommend getting an estimate from Tesla.
gjunky
Trifecta: Solar and both cars are EVs
BenBethel
Member
BTW, since I see that you're in Phoenix I have a tip for you! If you have APS and you have their energy saver choice or whatever plan, keep in mind that off-peak super saver rates are just $0.03/kwh from 10a-3p November to April - compared to $0.24 for 3p-8p!!! So charge that car up during those hours... also that's when you heat your home and schedule all of your other appliances. I use a Sense home energy monitor as well, which is fun if you're a data nerd. If your home is on airbnb check their program too - they'll often include both the wall charger AND the installation, if you place the charger outside. I got mine for free this way.
BenBethel
Member
I wanted to post this here as well... it was about wall vs mobile chargers - if you don't need the speed keep your mobile charger. Here's what I wrote elsewher...
I turned in my old mid-2016 Model S P90DL (that I was leasing for $695/mo, got incredibly lucky with a pricing error!) and bought a used late 2016 P100DL+ with 19k miles and FSD and every option for $106K in January (great deal at the time, today not so much lol).... I noticed that they wanted the mobile charger returned with the MS, and saw the new MX mobile charger was 'cuter' with a thinner cable so I thought it had just been re-designed. Wrong - it charges *much* slower at 32a vs 40a. Also, the MX charges fewer miles per hour (also due to the dumb, dumb, dumb 22" wheels that do nothing but lose 35-40 miles of range!). So I wish I would have kept that older one, or maybe I can trade with someone out there? I did receive a 'signature series black wall connector' for referring myself (ha!) for free... but I kept the old wall connector up and just changed out the cover plate. I have it connected on a 60a breaker but the dip switches set at 72a (I think that was the next setting, I could be wrong on that) but it reads at 56a when charging at home, and I get 36-40mi/hr of charge at 242-245v at 56a. Oh, BTW, the other wall connector was free as well as I have my place on airbnb and they have/had a program to put those on airbnb listings for a while... included installation as well. I'm sure many things have changed though. I just wish I could get power from the car into my house and use the car as energy storage. In Arizona from November to April our electric rate is $0.03/hr from 10a-3p (peak-peak is $0.24/hr!) so it's a huge difference in cost.
I turned in my old mid-2016 Model S P90DL (that I was leasing for $695/mo, got incredibly lucky with a pricing error!) and bought a used late 2016 P100DL+ with 19k miles and FSD and every option for $106K in January (great deal at the time, today not so much lol).... I noticed that they wanted the mobile charger returned with the MS, and saw the new MX mobile charger was 'cuter' with a thinner cable so I thought it had just been re-designed. Wrong - it charges *much* slower at 32a vs 40a. Also, the MX charges fewer miles per hour (also due to the dumb, dumb, dumb 22" wheels that do nothing but lose 35-40 miles of range!). So I wish I would have kept that older one, or maybe I can trade with someone out there? I did receive a 'signature series black wall connector' for referring myself (ha!) for free... but I kept the old wall connector up and just changed out the cover plate. I have it connected on a 60a breaker but the dip switches set at 72a (I think that was the next setting, I could be wrong on that) but it reads at 56a when charging at home, and I get 36-40mi/hr of charge at 242-245v at 56a. Oh, BTW, the other wall connector was free as well as I have my place on airbnb and they have/had a program to put those on airbnb listings for a while... included installation as well. I'm sure many things have changed though. I just wish I could get power from the car into my house and use the car as energy storage. In Arizona from November to April our electric rate is $0.03/hr from 10a-3p (peak-peak is $0.24/hr!) so it's a huge difference in cost.
Very informative and helpful.
I doubled the size of my solar system including inverter and panels when I bought my model S last year. The work was done by the local solar biz SolarOne who did the original system installed when the house was built.
As part of the upgrade, I asked them to install a Tesla HPWC at the same time. It added only $500 to my bill. They had never done one before but did a great job. I had them add a dedicated 100a circuit, seemed like a good idea because my S has a 72a on-board charger.
I took delivery of a model 3 a week or two ago, so had the same folks come back to install a second HPWC. I have it connected to the same 100a circuit, with signal wires between for automatic master/slave operation and load sharing. Works terrific. New one is on other side of garage, power and signal run up to attic, over and back down to new HPWC.
I didn’t ask for a quote. Took electrician and helper about 2.5 hours. We’ll see when the bill comes.
BTW, @WilliamInPhx, nice meeting you at the Tesla Service Center in Scottsdale today!
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