Planning to only use 110 outlet

[pdx_m3s]

Tesla store:
Corded Mobile Connector
(Out of stock today, but so are lots of things. It was in stock before)

That is just the Gen 1 UMC. I would pass. The Gen 2 has more safety features built in. And for that kind of money ($500+) why wouldn't you just do a Wall Connector?

 

[darth_vad3r]

That is just the Gen 1 UMC. I would pass. The Gen 2 has more safety features built in. And for that kind of money ($500+) why wouldn't you just do a Wall Connector?

It’s not a UMC, it’s not Universal. It’s Corded with a 14-50 plug.

Why would you do that over a wall connector? If you already have a 14-50 plug. If you want to be able to take it with you to other locations. If you only have room on your panel for a 50A breaker/40A draw anyways and the corded connector costs less than the wall connector [EDIT: it’s $20 USD more, not cheaper]. Probably other reasons too.

 

[pdx_m3s]

It’s not a UMC, it’s not Universal. It’s Corded with a 14-50 plug.

Why would you do that over a wall connector? If you already have a 14-50 plug. If you want to be able to take it with you to other locations. If you only have room on your panel for a 50A breaker/40A draw anyways and the corded connector costs less than the wall connector [EDIT: it’s $20 USD more, not cheaper]. Probably other reasons too.

You're right. It's not the Gen 1 UMC. Althought, it still seems like a hard sell over the cheaper Wall Connector. Unless you absolutely need to destination-charge at 40 amps while traveling, you can keep the Gen 2 MC in the car and use the Wall Connector at home. And adapting a Wall Connector to an existing 14-50 outlet (or any 240v outlet for that matter) is very easy. All of the hard work has already been done (wiring from panel to wall).

 

[ReddykwRun]

I so agree. I thought it was so hilariously funny when I heard a fellow on YouTube talking about working on a breaker panel and interposing 240 volts and 110 volts back and forth and did not even catch his error. Must be that "New Math" I've hear is being taught in schools now. I see it here and formats as well, from what I observe some folks are still living in the 1920's with their 110 volts. For myself I like all the trons I can get my wires on. Do people not even take the time to even check the line voltage before they spout it as gospel. I operated in the Caribbean for several years with work and made side trips to Honduras and they still use 110 volts at 50 mhz.

Unrelated and off topic - For a minute your screen name reminded me of Miss Dagmar, a "healthy" Hollywood actress years ago but my work connection came from a nickname we had for a part on the jet engine we worked on and aircraft we flew in. By the way, the term is derived from the notable physical attributes of Dagmar, a buxom early 1950s television personality known for low-cut gowns and conical bra cups. Sorry, just wandering. Carry on.

Edit: one funny typo - should of been hz NOT mhz, that would be ugly.

 

[ReddykwRun]

50mhz huh? I'd love to see that! haha

So true, thanks for the catch. My fumble fingers meant to say "hz" not mhz, that would of been ugly.

 

[KenMast3rs]

Sorry if this was posted somewhere stating if 110 outlet costs more to charge than using 240. Someone told me that charging the M3 with just 110 outlet costs more than using 240 outlet. Can someone confirm this? Thanks

 

[brkaus]

Sorry if this was posted somewhere stating if 110 outlet costs more to charge than using 240. Someone told me that charging the M3 with just 110 outlet costs more than using 240 outlet. Can someone confirm this? Thanks

Yes. Did you read this thread?

you could start with post 34.

 

[pdx_m3s]

Sorry if this was posted somewhere stating if 110 outlet costs more to charge than using 240. Someone told me that charging the M3 with just 110 outlet costs more than using 240 outlet. Can someone confirm this? Thanks

Yes it will. Not by much, but it will. There is fixed overhead while charging regardless of charge power. The longer it takes to charge, the more electrons spent on overhead.

 

[SigNC]

Yes it will. Not by much, but it will. There is fixed overhead while charging regardless of charge power. The longer it takes to charge, the more electrons spent on overhead.

It can be quite a bit more but more is relative. Let's just say the car uses 300w to be on, you are losing 20% off top just in overhead. Even going to a 20amp 120 reduces your overhead to 15% and gives you almost a 50% increase in charging speed. Using a 48 amp wall charger drops that 300w overhead down to 2%. that being said, 300w overhead no matter how you slice it, even if you are charging 24 hours a day on a 120 15 amp isn't going to break the bank.

 

[jerry33]

It can be quite a bit more but more is relative. Let's just say the car uses 300w to be on, you are losing 20% off top just in overhead. Even going to a 20amp 120 reduces your overhead to 15% and gives you almost a 50% increase in charging speed. Using a 48 amp wall charger drops that 300w overhead down to 2%. that being said, 300w overhead no matter how you slice it, even if you are charging 24 hours a day on a 120 15 amp isn't going to break the bank.

Unless it's cold, in which case the car will never charge because all the power is going to heat the battery so that it can charge. (Not relevant in warm climates).

 

[SigNC]

Unless it's cold, in which case the car will never charge because all the power is going to heat the battery so that it can charge. (Not relevant in warm climates).

valid point.

 

[Rocky_H]

Unless it's cold, in which case the car will never charge because all the power is going to heat the battery so that it can charge. (Not relevant in warm climates).

People have different ideas of what "cold" means. Some people think they are at the South Pole if the temperature is in the 30's. The car will still charge below freezing point. It will run that battery heater sometimes for an hour or two to build up enough heat before it will begin charging, but it will get there. I think it's more like single digits or below 0 that it gets to the point where it's losing heat to the outside air faster than it can heat up from a 1.4kW input supply.

 

[vickh]

People have different ideas of what "cold" means. Some people think they are at the South Pole if the temperature is in the 30's. The car will still charge below freezing point. It will run that battery heater sometimes for an hour or two to build up enough heat before it will begin charging, but it will get there. I think it's more like single digits or below 0 that it gets to the point where it's losing heat to the outside air faster than it can heat up from a 1.4kW input supply.

Agreed people think it's cold here in 50's (briefly overnight). I might start using the 110 more (have to back in for the 14-30 dryer) vs 110's are all over the garage.

 

[doghousePVD]

Agreed people think it's cold here in 50's (briefly overnight). I might start using the 110 more (have to back in for the 14-30 dryer) vs 110's are all over the garage.

Why not get/make a 14-30 extension cord?

(We won't see 50s here for about six months...)

 

[vickh]

Why not get/make a 14-30 extension cord?

(We won't see 50s here for about six months...)

Good point. I really need a splitter too to avoid plugging/unplugging vs 110 is ready to go. i don't need the speed since it's top off only with my commute. My only concern was wasted overhead but if 50's overnight is ok,

So at what temp range does the battery heater kick in?

 

[Rocky_H]

So at what temp range does the battery heater kick in?

I don't think there's just one answer to that, because it's a continuous curve of how many amps a battery can take versus the temperature. So if you are trying to charge fast, like Supercharger levels, it seems to still want to warm the battery up to about 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit. But if you're charging on a low level, like 2kW, it can do that without being all that warm, so it could probably still do that at 40-50 degrees without needing to heat. So I think there's a sliding scale in there.

 

[vickh]

I don't think there's just one answer to that, because it's a continuous curve of how many amps a battery can take versus the temperature. So if you are trying to charge fast, like Supercharger levels, it seems to still want to warm the battery up to about 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit. But if you're charging on a low level, like 2kW, it can do that without being all that warm, so it could probably still do that at 40-50 degrees without needing to heat. So I think there's a sliding scale in there.

yeah my Q is re: 110 specifically.

 

[Rocky_H]

yeah my Q is re: 110 specifically.

I don't know of published specifications on that, so I would be guessing about as well as someone else, but a regular 120V 12A supply is 1.4kW. That's almost as slow as it gets. What I have read is basically the batteries needing to be approximately above freezing point (32) to be able to charge. I think somewhere around upper 30's to 40's is all it needs for that 1.4kW level of charging.(?) I'm not sure why it matters that much, though, it's going to use some of the energy to heat if it needs to for a while, but charging will go on.

 

[jerry33]

I don't know of published specifications on that, so I would be guessing about as well as someone else, but a regular 120V 12A supply is 1.4kW. That's almost as slow as it gets. What I have read is basically the batteries needing to be approximately above freezing point (32) to be able to charge. I think somewhere around upper 30's to 40's is all it needs for that 1.4kW level of charging.(?) I'm not sure why it matters that much, though, it's going to use some of the energy to heat if it needs to for a while, but charging will go on.

There are TMC posts where no charging took place in sub-freezing weather when plugged into a 120V circuit. The issue is that the aluminum is a great heat conductor so it takes a lot to warm the battery to above freezing. Obviously, the further it is below 0 C, the more energy will be required to heat the battery enough to charge.

 

[Rocky_H]

There are TMC posts where no charging took place in sub-freezing weather when plugged into a 120V circuit. The issue is that the aluminum is a great heat conductor so it takes a lot to warm the battery to above freezing. Obviously, the further it is below 0 C, the more energy will be required to heat the battery enough to charge.

Yeah, I've been here a lot of years, and I clarified/defined that. Please stop scaring people with this idea that 30 degrees is going to cause this. The "no charging at all" phenomenon does not happen until it's down in about the single digits or very close to 0 degrees Fahrenheit.