New Owner with Charging Questions

[mspohr]

I'm a new owner and I plugged my cable into a standard 110V outlet in my garage and set my charging start time to 11:00 PM so that I could take advantage of cheaper rates. Just after 11 I went out and looked and it was charging, but very slowly at 2 to 3 miles per hour at 12V. What do I need to do to get faster charging at home?

Also with that timer set, what happens when I go to a super charger station and plug in. Will it charge?

You'll need to get access to 240 volts to get a better charge rate.
Do you have an electric dryer close to the car?
Is your electric service panel or sub panel in the garage?
If you have an electric dryer, the cheapest thing to do would be to plug into that outlet. It will give you 240 volts at 24 amps which will be sufficient for overnight charge. You'll need an adapter (see the references above for where to get an adapter).
Otherwise, next cheapest solution is you can have an electrician (or competent friend) install a NEMA 14-50 socket from your service panel. This will give you up to 40 amps at 240 volts.

Superchargers always start charging immediately regardless of any settings you have.

 

[Half Dollar Bill]

I'm a new owner and I plugged my cable into a standard 110V outlet in my garage and set my charging start time to 11:00 PM so that I could take advantage of cheaper rates. Just after 11 I went out and looked and it was charging, but very slowly at 2 to 3 miles per hour at 12V. What do I need to do to get faster charging at home?

Also with that timer set, what happens when I go to a super charger station and plug in. Will it charge?

Well, I think you need to answer a couple questions first before settling on the 14-50 solution. How many miles are you planning to drive daily, what is your off-peak window, and what type of charger do you have in the car (single, dual or 72amp)?

If you're traveling a couple hundred miles a day and have a small cheap rate charge window, you won't be able to fully charge with a single charger and a 14-50. You'd want to invest in the HPWC.
Otherwise the 14-50 is probably the most economical solution unless length of your UMC cable won't reach your charge port because you have some kind of wonky garage set up for where your outlet would need to be placed in relation to your electric panel and parking space. Some people are good at figuring this out themselves but most of us call electricians. Your service center ought to have a recommendation list or maybe there's a neighbor or friend near-by that you can ask.

Regarding superchargers, the session always starts when you plug in no matter what your home settings are. The only thing you want to watch for is pairing with another owner because then you should get a slower charger rate until the other car is almost done. Look at the numbers on the pedestals and don't use one that's already in use. For example if someone's plugged into 2B don't pick 2A. If all the unique numbers are already chosen, try asking an owner, if one is around, which car has been there the longest and plug into their pedestal pair. Charging speed all depends on battery size, how empty you are and how much you need so there will be variations to my guidance based on these factors. But it's a good general rule of thumb.

I have low off peak rates so regarding home charging, note that you may have to adjust your desired charge amount if you want to stay in the rate window. If you pull in with 20% and have the car set to 90% with a single charger, my delayed session will extend outside my rate window so I adjust the desired end amount down to complete inside the window. Then you need to watch if your next visit is to a supercharger so you don't prematurely end your session because you have a lower desired charge amount. I've done both of these and neither mistake is critical though it may cost you some extra time at a supercharger or extra dollars on your electric bill.

But welcome, good luck and many happy travels.

 

[WARP 10]

I wanted a dedicated charging plug at home so the cable that comes with the car is "always" in the trunk, so there's no getting somewhere needing a charge, and "Uh oh: it's in the garage."

Such wall-mounted charging systems cost around $550 whether it's a generic one (that needs a Tesla adapter) or the Tesla HPWC, so I just went ahead and got the Tesla HPWC. While the electrician was there putting that in, I had him ALSO install at NENA 14-50 for flexibility. Not only can Teslas plug into that, but so can other electric cars. Since my electric panel is in the garage, there was very little large-gauge wire needed (which adds to cost). In my county, no permit is needed, so the total cost, including parts (which in this case meant TWO 240V circuit breakers) was $500. Some electricians gouge Tesla owners ("They must be rich!"), so if the estimate doesn't sound reasonable, check with someone else.

I don't know about anyone else, but I would guess most people don't have a service panel that has enough room to add two 50amp breakers.

 

[supratachophobia]

I'm a new owner and I plugged my cable into a standard 110V outlet in my garage and set my charging start time to 11:00 PM so that I could take advantage of cheaper rates. Just after 11 I went out and looked and it was charging, but very slowly at 2 to 3 miles per hour at 12V. What do I need to do to get faster charging at home?

Also with that timer set, what happens when I go to a super charger station and plug in. Will it charge?

I mean no disrespect to OP here, but is this seriously the amount of education that Tesla is allowing a new owner to leave the sales gallery/service center with? Because if it is, then I can see Model 3 owner backlash just waiting on the horizon.

 

[GoTslaGo]

I mean no disrespect to OP here, but is this seriously the amount of education that Tesla is allowing a new owner to leave the sales gallery/service center with? Because if it is, then I can see Model 3 owner backlash just waiting on the horizon.

I bought my S in 2015. The only reason why I had an electrician install a 14-50 in my (former house) garage was because of my friend who referred me. I think there was a nanosecond spent talking about charging when we picked up our S, but otherwise very little was discussed.

I do agree that with the model 3, there will need to be a greater discussion of charging installations and options, as many will be new to EVs, and likely not referred like we were in the past.

 

[bob_p]

For most Tesla owners, a 14-30 (dryer) or 14-50 outlet is fast enough to fully charge the battery overnight.

While you can use the supplied Universal Mobile Connector at home for charging (with either a 14-30 or 14-50 adapter plug), the UMC should be kept in the car for an emergency and it may be better to have a charging cable always connected at home.

If charging at 50A, while you can connect an HPWC, a better alternative may be to purchase Tesla's dedicated 14-50 cable, along with a cable organizer and hang that next a 14-50 plug. It's less complicated than an HPWC, and is easier to install (or later uninstall), while an HPWC is typically going to require running a power conduit from the breaker box to the HPWC - and requires more work to hang it on the wall, and remove it.

We have an S P85 and an S 100D. The S P85 is connected to a 14-50 outlet, with Tesla's 14-50 connector, with the charging amps set in the car to limit charging to 32A. On the same 100A circuit, we have an HPWC that is used by our S 100D, charging at 48A. And in this configuration, both cars charge at the same time - and be fully charged overnight.

When the S 100D arrived, we considered installing a second HPWC, but couldn't justify the additional expense for having it.

 

[KidDoc]

I know when I bought mine back in 2014 I had two phone calls from Tesla making sure I had charging installed prior to delivery. It seems like they have fallen off on that aspect of pre-delivery education.

 

[mspohr]

I mean no disrespect to OP here, but is this seriously the amount of education that Tesla is allowing a new owner to leave the sales gallery/service center with? Because if it is, then I can see Model 3 owner backlash just waiting on the horizon.

By the time you pick up the car, it's really too late to start thinking about charging.
This should be part of the purchase plan. Tesla's web site covers this thoroughly.

 

[supratachophobia]

Delivery specialist should go over it still. I received a phone plus the documentation on myTesla, in addition to the sales gallery.

 

[JohnnyG]

Speed of charging is directly related to the amount of current. For maximum charging speed at home, you will want to purchase Tesla's wall charger and have it wired to a dedicated 90A breaker. To compare, your 110v wall plug delivers about 1,100 watts to your car. A Tesla wall charger, on the other hand, will deliver about 17x as much power - just over 17,000 watts. I have the previous generation Tesla wall charger that delivers up to 20,000 watts and that would be the only way I would charge at home. Wall plugs, unfortunately, suffer from a lot of wear-and-tear and at high current levels can lead to overheating issues. A Tesla wall charger is fixed to the wall, fixed to your wiring, and is a high quality solution versus any wall plug (including NEMA 14-50).

Timed charging has no effect on Supercharging, your vehicle will charge immediately and to whatever level you set.

Just to add some clarity here (I mean no disrespect, just clarifying for the sake of education), the speed of charging is directly related to the amount of energy that can be delivered, meaning watts, not just current (Watts = Volts x Amps). The HPWC is not the only method to deliver maximum charging speed at home, if the OP's car is a pre-refresh and doesn't have dual chargers. A NEMA 14-50 would provide the exact same rate, at a fraction of the cost. Both the old and new generation HPWC will deliver a maximum of 19,200W. A nominal 120V wall outlet, with the included 120V adapter that's included with our cars, is capable of 1,440W (included adapter is for a standard 120V outlet, which is rated at 15A max, 12A continuous). You would need to purchase the NEMA 5-20 adapter (120V 20A) for the UMC to be able to charge at 16A continuous (1,920W max). The only thing that has changed is the charger(s) in the car. Pre-refresh cars came standard with 40A (9,600W) max, with the ability to upgrade to 80A (19,200W) max with the addition of a second charger. The refresh cars came standard with a 48A (11,520W) max, with the ability to upgrade to 72A (17,280W).
The NEC recommends that the maximum total drop for a combination of branch circuit and feeder should not exceed 5%. So, for a 120V line you should be delivering a minimum of 114V, and for a 240V line you should be delivering a minimum of 228V. So, your voltage may vary, but multiple what's measured by the amperage you are supplying, and that is the wattage you are delivering to your car charger.

 

[ThisIsTrue]

I don't know about anyone else, but I would guess most people don't have a service panel that has enough room to add two 50amp breakers.

Well, we certainly didn't add two 50A breakers! The HPWC is on a 60A breaker, so I can get a full 48A charge rate.

(Yes, really.)