Planning to only use 110 outlet

[StellarRat]

I got by for five years with only a 120v plug in my Leaf. If your average miles per day driving is under 50 you can get along just fine provided you can charge for at least 9-10 hours a night. With the Tesla this is even more so because you can keep it at 90% and have a huge reserve on those days when you do need to travel further than normal then you can restore the "reserve" gradually on "normal" days.

 

[F14Scott]

I’m reading some of these homeowners fixes and I’m concerned about the bad idea of changing breakers from 15 to 20:amps with no idea of the wire capacity. Anyone considering swapping out a 15/1 breaker for a 20/1 breaker had better consider the consequences, call your insurance agent and ask: am I paid up to date on my fire insurance coverage, and then if he thinks it’s a good idea...

Most of the time, it's as easy as seeing white Romex (15a) or yellow Romex (20a). If you know enough to swap a breaker, you probably already know that. Hopefully, anyway. ;D

 

[F14Scott]

Ya, but there’s a dryer plugged into it, so you need a splitter, a Dryer Buddy, or to unplug/replug all the time

And some of us have the dryer on the 3rd floor while the garage is on the 1st anyways

The 6-15 option is interesting to me for the cost of a new receptacle and changes only at the breaker. I have an unused dedicated outlet I can swap out from a 5-15 using this idea. It’s in a bit of a crummy location, but still WAY closer than the dryer plug ... I might need a 6-15 extension cord to make it work.

Also, that dedicated 5-15 outlet might actually be attached to yellow 12 guage 20a wire. It's not uncommon for the little plugs to be on the big wire, especially in kitchens and garages. So, have your electrician check to see if you are automagically ready for 20a at 240V.

Even if you're not, the 11 MRPH you get at 15a and 240V means you add 132 miles every 12 hours, enough for arriving home at night at any SOC and having enough juice to drive two+ hours the next day.

 

[darth_vad3r]

Completely agree with those that say don't stay with your 11ov outlet. It does no damage, but the time you wait for a charge will drive you bananas after a short while. You will get 3-4miles/hour compared to a NEMA at about 30 or a tesla charger at about 40/hr. Also the mileage you get from your car greatly varies on driving style and other factors, so I always say I spend about 1.25-1.5 miles of charge for every mile driven (I drive aggressively an drive over a mountain a few times a week).

You’re not “waiting” while you are asleep at night. There are lots of people for whom L1 charging is perfectly fine. OP’s 160 miles of commuting per week would seem to me to fall safely in to the “L1 is totally fine” camp.

I get closer to 4.5-5mi/hr on L1 at home.

 

[darth_vad3r]

Also, that dedicated 5-15 outlet might actually be attached to yellow 12 guage 20a wire. It's not uncommon for the little plugs to be on the big wire, especially in kitchens and garages. So, have your electrician check to see if you are automagically ready for 20a at 240V.

Even if you're not, the 11 MRPH you get at 15a and 240V means you add 132 miles every 12 hours, enough for arriving home at night at any SOC and having enough juice to drive two+ hours the next day.

Ya, I’ll have to check. Thanks.

It was for a built in vacuum that doesn’t actually exist. I know the breaker is 15A, will have to check the wiring.

 

[darth_vad3r]

Example of OP’s commute and available buffer miles on a 240 mile SR+ charged to 90% max (216mi) and never going below 20% (48mi).

Assuming a 4-day Mon-Thu work week, 40mi round trip, let’s call it 60 rated miles used.

Sunday (night): 176mi range, charge 10hrs overnight, add 40 miles, stop charge at 216mi.
Mon: round trip arrive home at 156mi (60mi used). 108mi buffer to 20% (48mi).
Charge 10 hours overnight, add 40 miles, stop charge at 196mi.
Tue: 196 - 60 round trip = 136mi. 88mi buffer to 20% (48mi).
Charge 10 hours overnight, 136 + 40 = 176 mi.
Wed: 176 - 60 = 116. 68mi buffer to 48.
Charge 10 hours overnight, 116 + 40 = 156 mi.
Thu: 156 - 60 = 96. 48mi buffer to 48.
Charge 12 hours overnight (sleep in on day off), 96 + 48 = 152mi.

Fri, Sat, Sun ... if going on a trip you can supercharge. If staying around town you can probably charge 30 hours over those 3 days even if you aren’t home much, overnight is at least 24. Plus Sun-Wed was only 10 hours/nt, some of those are likely longer. Anyways 30 @ 4mph adds 120 which brings your 152 up to 272 (above 100%, it’s spread out over weekend use) minus 96 miles of weekend driving = 176 goal for Sunday night before starting the cycle again.

So, if you commute 160/wk using 240 rated miles, and drive 100 miles on the weekend around home, you seem to be just fine charging only at home and never have to go to a close by supercharger to ‘save’ you. A couple 12-hr nights of charging instead of 10-hr nights adds enough miles for other usage like shopping, detours, etc.

You are never dipping down to extremely “low”. 96mi (40%) is the lowest.

Cycling around a lower state of charge is also healthier for the battery in the long run vs keeping it near 90% more often.

If your driving pattern allows it, home L1 charging exclusively can work just fine.
I think there are more people that can use only L1 than not actually.

 

[Rich A.]

I don't know where you got the idea that charging at 110V would cause damage. Does it say so in the User Manual? Did a friend tell you that? 110V is still the default home charging voltage for nearly all EVs, and 110V isn't a "trickle", it's legitimate charging, albeit slowly. Many more people use 110V than you might think. NO DAMAGE. But you may not always get as many as 50 miles of added range each night, causing your battery charge level to gradually decline over the course of a commute week. But since you can recharge weekly at any Supercharger, your plan will still work. Keep in mind that, on many occasions, you will want to use your Tesla for purposes other than just your daily commute, and that environmental circumstances (outside temperature, driving style, driving speed, elevation changes) can significantly affect how much energy each commute cycle consumes. If it is at all possible -- meaning your home even has a 220V feed -- I can highly, highly recommend having an electrician install an inexpensive 220V outlet near your parking area. You can use the included portable charger at 220V without having to install an expensive wall charger.

 

[Rocky_H]

It does no damage, but the time you wait for a charge will drive you bananas after a short while. You will get 3-4miles/hour compared to a NEMA at about 30

You know what drives me bananas? People thinking that the word "NEMA" refers to one specific type of outlet. ALL outlets are NEMA outlets, because that is the name for the entire categorized naming system created by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association. (See it?) It's like asking how many "metrics" of water are in this container or how many "metrics" it is from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Metric is the entire system of units; it's not a specific unit for measuring.

 

[Saguarojoe]

Hi everyone! New owner here. Picked up Model 3 on 6/8 and plan to only use my existing 110 outlet in my garage to charge my car. Since I have a total commute of 40 miles 4 days a week I figure I can get about 50 charging miles each night. If I decide to take a long trip there are a number of local Superchargers available get up to 100% before I leave. My question: will I be doing any “damage” to my car’s battery by trickling in a charge for long hours at a low rate? Thanks.

To reiterate what someone else said, try to avoid 100% charging if you can make it to the next SC on less. My daily mileage average is less than yours and I use 110v. Sometimes I can't get back to 80% overnight but I almost always catch up by the following Monday morning. It will be interesting to see how it works out for you. I haven't read anything to indicate that 110v is detrimental to battery life. BTW we have a SC literally across the street. I almost never use it.

 

[F14Scott]

Ya, I’ll have to check. Thanks.

It was for a built in vacuum that doesn’t actually exist. I know the breaker is 15A, will have to check the wiring.

The breaker must trip to save the weakest link in the circuit, so if the outlet is a 5-15, the breaker must be 15a. So, that is not a definitive clue.

A quick online search found several common central vacs rated between 12 and 16.4 amps, so the answer remains... maybe!

 

[ReddykwRun]

Hi everyone! New owner here. Picked up Model 3 on 6/8 and plan to only use my existing 110 outlet in my garage to charge my car. Since I have a total commute of 40 miles 4 days a week I figure I can get about 50 charging miles each night. If I decide to take a long trip there are a number of local Superchargers available get up to 100% before I leave. My question: will I be doing any “damage” to my car’s battery by trickling in a charge for long hours at a low rate? Thanks.

I never thought so many posters on the internet live in the Caribbean and Central America where 110v is the norm (personal experience). So read up if you live in the United States of America where we use 120v / 240v @ 60 mhz, at least it was yesterday when I put a VOM to a live circuit.

My theory is that if enough people repeat the same information over and over again that after awhile they accept it as the truth without even attempting to verify the facts. Read on my friends for a little clarification by Kent Aldershof. Enjoy.


Why is electricity in the USA 120v when the rest of world uses 230v?

Kent Aldershof, Some academic credentials, and lots of stripes from The School of Hard Knocks.
Mar 22 2016 ·

Tradition. Over a hundred years ago, 110 volts was established as the standard voltage in the US -- which was, of course, the first country in the world that became wired for electricity.

To a large extent, that was because in those days the insulation materials available were not very good. To insulate a wire running to an appliance or a lamp, the insulation would have had to be very thick, to prevent damage or shocks, if a higher voltage was used. Within an appliance, very much thicker washers or insulating plates would have to be used, to prevent breakdown under higher voltages. They could use higher voltages in the distribution system, because the wires were strung high off the ground, and the transformers were mounted high atop poles so they could afford to be rather bulky. No one worried about insulation thickness up high.

Materials science improved rapidly, so by the time that most foreign nations got around to becoming electrified, higher voltages could be handled safely. And higher voltages meant lower currents, for doing an equivalent amount of work, so there was less heating effect and thinner wires could be used -- making equipment less costly.

But there was never a point at which it made sense to shift the standard household voltage in the US to a higher level. The cost of changing all of the distribution transformers, for example, would have been horrendously high. And all the US consumers would have had to discard their toasters and mixers and washing machines and light bulbs and all the rest, to accommodate a voltage shift. So they kept on using 110 (gradually increased to 120) volt household electricity, just because that was the way it had always been done. Tradition.

Of course, there are great advantages to using 220 to 240 volt electricity for heavy-duty appliances, such as clothes dryers and electric stoves and ovens and central air conditioning systems. So, generally since World War II, new homes have been supplied with 120/240 volt electricity, and older homes have mostly been rewired with higher voltage service as well.

But people still have lots of 110 volt lights and waffle irons and window air conditioners and power tools and so on. The 110 volt corded power tools are slowly being phased out, in favor of battery-powered tools, but there are plenty of the older ones still in use, and plenty of 110 volt appliances and lights as well.

And, typically, the replacement refrigerators and freezers and washing machines and irons and the like, are still made for 110 volt operation. That is because even though a house may have 240 service brought to the breaker box, it is usually very expensive to put in a 240 volt outlet for every appliance. People are rarely interested in rewiring their electric service just because they are replacing an appliance.

There is a growing market for 220-240 volt appliances, in newer and more upscale homes, but less so for higher voltage lighting. Over time, as older homes are demolished or renovated, the mix will slowly shift toward higher voltage appliances and lighting. Eventually, 110-120 volt will be phased out, just as gas lighting was phased out during the first third of the 20th century. However, don't count on that happening during your lifetime.

 

[edigest]

<yawn>

Why choose this article when there are far more socially relevant questions from Ken Aldershof, like this.

 

[ReddykwRun]

<yawn>

Why choose this article when there are far more socially relevant questions from Ken Aldershof, like this.

Good idea.

 

[Dmagyar]

I never thought so many posters on the internet live in the Caribbean and Central America where 110v is the norm (personal experience). So read up if you live in the United States of America where we use 120v / 240v @ 60 mhz, at least it was yesterday when I put a VOM to a live circuit.

My theory is that if enough people repeat the same information over and over again that after awhile they accept it as the truth without even attempting to verify the facts. Read on my friends for a little clarification by Kent Aldershof. Enjoy.


Why is electricity in the USA 120v when the rest of world uses 230v?

Kent Aldershof, Some academic credentials, and lots of stripes from The School of Hard Knocks.
Mar 22 2016 ·

Tradition. Over a hundred years ago, 110 volts was established as the standard voltage in the US -- which was, of course, the first country in the world that became wired for electricity.

To a large extent, that was because in those days the insulation materials available were not very good. To insulate a wire running to an appliance or a lamp, the insulation would have had to be very thick, to prevent damage or shocks, if a higher voltage was used. Within an appliance, very much thicker washers or insulating plates would have to be used, to prevent breakdown under higher voltages. They could use higher voltages in the distribution system, because the wires were strung high off the ground, and the transformers were mounted high atop poles so they could afford to be rather bulky. No one worried about insulation thickness up high.

Materials science improved rapidly, so by the time that most foreign nations got around to becoming electrified, higher voltages could be handled safely. And higher voltages meant lower currents, for doing an equivalent amount of work, so there was less heating effect and thinner wires could be used -- making equipment less costly.

But there was never a point at which it made sense to shift the standard household voltage in the US to a higher level. The cost of changing all of the distribution transformers, for example, would have been horrendously high. And all the US consumers would have had to discard their toasters and mixers and washing machines and light bulbs and all the rest, to accommodate a voltage shift. So they kept on using 110 (gradually increased to 120) volt household electricity, just because that was the way it had always been done. Tradition.

Of course, there are great advantages to using 220 to 240 volt electricity for heavy-duty appliances, such as clothes dryers and electric stoves and ovens and central air conditioning systems. So, generally since World War II, new homes have been supplied with 120/240 volt electricity, and older homes have mostly been rewired with higher voltage service as well.

But people still have lots of 110 volt lights and waffle irons and window air conditioners and power tools and so on. The 110 volt corded power tools are slowly being phased out, in favor of battery-powered tools, but there are plenty of the older ones still in use, and plenty of 110 volt appliances and lights as well.

And, typically, the replacement refrigerators and freezers and washing machines and irons and the like, are still made for 110 volt operation. That is because even though a house may have 240 service brought to the breaker box, it is usually very expensive to put in a 240 volt outlet for every appliance. People are rarely interested in rewiring their electric service just because they are replacing an appliance.

There is a growing market for 220-240 volt appliances, in newer and more upscale homes, but less so for higher voltage lighting. Over time, as older homes are demolished or renovated, the mix will slowly shift toward higher voltage appliances and lighting. Eventually, 110-120 volt will be phased out, just as gas lighting was phased out during the first third of the 20th century. However, don't count on that happening during your lifetime.

This may have been correct back in 1920, but no longer. We in (the US) utilizes for residential a three wire 120/240 volt distribution system, where we have two phases (hot) and one neutral wire. We derive 120 volts from each respective hot or phase conductor to the neutral and have the ability to connect loads across both of the hot or phase conductors providing 240 volts for larger loads.

 

[darth_vad3r]

I never thought so many posters on the internet live in the Caribbean and Central America where 110v is the norm (personal experience). So read up if you live in the United States of America where we use 120v / 240v @ 60 mhz, at least it was yesterday when I put a VOM to a live circuit.

*snip*

Whew! Thanks for giving me permission to skip that (the rest of you suckers in the U S of A have got some reading to do!)

110, 120, L1, whatever. You might catch me also saying “gas pedal” here too. Do I need to add more disclaimers to my sig?

Curious if your meter read 120.0V or something else?

 

[darth_vad3r]

I hate it when people call them 2x4’s when they are actually 1.5”x3.5”.

Can people in Canada please also start calling them 38x89’s please (that’s in mm).

Thanks “eh”!

ps. “Mains power is sometimes spoken of as 110 V; however, 120 V is the nominal voltage.”

So some glossary terms ...
“110V” = L1 supply to your house (nominally 120V for most ppl in NA)
“Gas pedal” = “Accelerator pedal”
“Glove box” = box you keep a manual and your J1772 adapter in (aka “manual box” or “adapter box”, funnily enough, it’s not a ‘box’ either)
“2x4” = a piece of wood that’s actually 1.5” x 3.5”
...

pps. Whatever you do, don’t press and hold the call button lest the text change to match the old-timey phone depicted in the icon!

 

[usafakid09]

I have been using a 120v outlet since I picked my Model 3 up last month. In that time, we have had a snow storm and I still have not had any issues w/ cold weather operation/charging. I did lobby my apartment building to install a NEMA 14-50 in may garage and they agreed to do it at no cost, but they have been taking their time. Can't really complain though as they pay for the electricity in the garage and they will for the install.

 

[rdskill]

I never thought so many posters on the internet live in the Caribbean and Central America where 110v is the norm (personal experience). So read up if you live in the United States of America where we use 120v / 240v @ 60 mhz, at least it was yesterday when I put a VOM to a live circuit.

In Fort Lauderdale, FL this is what TesliFi pulls from my M3's data when I charge with "120v" on a 20amp circuit....

Avg Voltage - 106.2V Max Voltage - 112V
Avg Amps - 15.79A Max Amps - 16A​

I guess we must still be at 110v. ;-)

 

[Dmagyar]

In Fort Lauderdale, FL this is what TesliFi pulls from my M3's data when I charge with "120v" on a 20amp circuit....

Avg Voltage - 106.2V Max Voltage - 112V
Avg Amps - 15.79A Max Amps - 16A​

I guess we must still be at 110v. ;-)

High voltage drop, or baring that, incorrect information...but even a broken clock is correct twice a day, so...

 

[ReddykwRun]

High voltage drop, or baring that, incorrect information...but even a broken clock is correct twice a day, so...