New Owner needing advice on charging setup

[SMAlset]

I like the idea you have here -- one big problem seems to be everything is out of stock at the Tesla store (not sure how a new owner is supposed to deal with that lol)

Well guess you are buying a very desirable car! Do you have the car now or coming soon? Sometimes a local Service Center will have a few in stock so worth a call. The online store gets these in quite often in short order so keep checking back if you don’t get lucky locally. In the meantime there are 120v, Level 2 J-1772 or Superchargers you might be able to use.

 

[Kevin-rf]

All you need is an exercise bike hooked up to a generator...

 

[Iain]

I just hooked up a Tesla Gen 3 in my garage because the car is coming next week. I honestly felt like it was best just to get it set up the way I wanted while I was spending $$, another 1K ($500 charger $500 electrician), while I'm still in the Tesla honeymoon stage, seemed to make sense for me.

 

[DaveRZ]

Hi Jason -

Congrats on the new car!

As you've already seen by the responses here, "most cost effective" is a very relative term. It all depends on how much you drive, when you drive, when you want to charge, how fast you need that charge to be, which battery you have, etc...

In general, home charging of a Model 3 goes from 3 miles-per-hour, all the way up to 44 miles-per-hour. How fast do you need your charging to be? If you don't drive very far, on a typical day, then slower charging may be all you need. If you have "off peak" electricity rates you want to take advantage of, then perhaps faster charging in the middle of the night is what you need. If you want the best of all worlds, then you want to be able to charge as fast as possible.

You'll find all kinds of helpful advice here. But everyone will have a different opinion on what is best. One person will tell you to just use the included connector (its not a charger) because that's the cheapest route. Another person will tell you should at least get a 240v outlet so you can charge faster. Another person will say you're already paying an electrician to put in that outlet, might as well spend a few more $$ and get the wall connector (and a potential 30% back on taxes).

Electrician rates vary wildly, as does the work needed for your specific dwelling's layout.

Once you figure out how fast you want to be able to charge, then you can decide what to get. The included connector will charge your car at a maximum of 29-30 MPH if plugged into the appropriate outlet (240v, 40Amp). A wall connector will charge at a maximum of 44 MPH if you have long range battery (max of 30MPH for standard range battery).

 

[jrweiss98020]

I like the idea you have here -- one big problem seems to be everything is out of stock at the Tesla store (not sure how a new owner is supposed to deal with that lol)

Use the link to be notified when the item is back in stock. Several items (Wall Chargers, 14-50 adapters, tire chains...) are chronically out of stock, but re-appear in a day or 3 (happened with me for tire chains). If you don't request notification, you will likely miss the window when new stock comes in and is sold out again.

 

[talononeguy]

Thanks - I would definitely get a licensed electrician to do this (I am not an electrician) -- you also mentioned that I couldn't run the dryer and charge the car at the same time -- that could be an issue.....

That's only an issue if you're using the same outlet for the dryer and charger (with a splitter). You can run your dryer and charge the car at the same time as long as they are on separate outlets with separate circuit breakers (provided your home has 200 Amp service--most do).

Personally, I installed a ChargePoint Home Flex so that I could charge other EVs that use the J1772 standard. I just use my adapter with it. Not as sexy as the Tesla solutions, and not even as cost effective, but more flexible for me. As for your requirements, I'd install a 14-50 outlet in the garage and use the UMC with the separately purchased adapter. That will meet all your requirements, and you'll be happy with the charge rate.

 

[iwannam3]

Thanks - I would definitely get a licensed electrician to do this (I am not an electrician) -- you also mentioned that I couldn't run the dryer and charge the car at the same time -- that could be an issue.....

Do you dry all night? You can tell the car to be at the charge point you want, 1/2 hour before you leave for work. If you leave at 7, it will start charging at 4 or 5 whatever it takes to hit the target at 6:30. Automagically.

 

[CK123]

I'm ready and waiting

 

[bedoig]

If you don't know how to pull a electrical permit and pass an inspection DON"T do it yourself. You are dealing with a lot of energy. I have seen a HPWC fried because one (or more) terminals were not securely tightened. If a fire starts from a non-permitted non-inspected installation your insurance company could reject your claim. When you sell the house in many states you will have to sign a disclosure statement that all work was permitted and inspected. A bank may not loan on a house with non approved wiring. If you lie, you are liable in perpetuity. There is a switch box that you plug into the dryer outlet and then plug the dryer and charger cable into the box. It will let only supply power to 1 device at a time. And you don't want an extension cord!

Maybe I missed it, but I don't think anybody ever mentioned piggybacking on a dryer circuit. OP also hasn't yet mentioned any amp limit concerns on the main panel. At this point everyone is just making stuff up. Since the OP doesn't know, the only applicable advice (as already stated), is just "ask an electrician."

 

[SMAlset]

OP already said he would be hiring an electrician, who is going to ask him what he wants. He’s asked what is the most cost effective choice of charging (which will vary depending on his exact budget, lifestyle driving and other factors) and I thing he got a lot of good info.

 

[datoda]

However you proceed, remember that you can claim 30% of the installation cost and charging hardware against taxes now.

Are you sure that the 30% tax credit is available for individuals? From what I read, only businesses qualify for that tax credit. Any tax expert here mind commenting?