Pro/Cons Home Charging options

[srs5694]

Everyday that I've used it, I press the J-1772 button, pull and out comes the charge handle and in stays the adapter.

See this video for one way to do it:

There are lots of variants, of course. I find that barely tapping the button on my Clipper Creek unit's J1772 will stop charging and unlock the charge port, but won't pull up the latch enough to enable the J1772 handle to separate from the Tesla adapter, so it can be done one-handed. This is a little tricky to master, but using a small padlock to lock the two pieces together helps. Of course, a padlock is useful mostly if you intend to use the J1772 EVSE exclusively for Tesla charging; for sharing with a non-Tesla EV, it'd add a lot of hassle to the overall process.

Also, as I described earlier, the car must be unlocked and awake if you want to unplug an EVSE from the car. In my experience, a Tesla will go to sleep some time after it finishes charging, so if you plug in at 8PM, the car charges until 10PM, and you want to drive off at 8AM, the car will very likely be asleep when you go to unplug and drive off. In this case, you must first wake the car up in some way, such as by opening a door or using the Tesla app, before you'll be able to remove the adapter from the car. The same is true, in my experience, when using a Tesla EVSE, except of course in that case you must wake the car up before unplugging the EVSE's handle, not just an adapter. Unfortunately, pushing the button -- whether using a J1772 EVSE with adapter or a Tesla EVSE -- will not unlock the charge port if the car is asleep.

 

[Rocky_H]

I noticed that this miscommunication was about to happen when someone mentioned "locking" and "unlocking" of the port. There isn't really a case of using a button to "lock" the port. It's more about two different "unlocking" instances:

1. Opening the port when you are about to plug in. The J1772 of course can't send that wireless signal.
2. Interrupt charging and release the charge port latch. The J1772 does this exactly the same as any Tesla connector because it is sending that interrupt signal over the connection pin that is tied into the car while it is plugged in, just like the Tesla connector does.

 

[David29]

Everyday that I've used it, I press the J-1772 button, pull and out comes the charge handle and in stays the adapter.

That happened to me the first day I owned the car, and I panicked! I had a friend with me and it was embarrassing, to say the least. Eventually I found a set of printed instructions in the glove box, specifically on this point! Once I read the printed sheet and realized the trick was to hold them together and pull them both out together, I never had a problem again. (Tesla must have had a lot of calls on that, because that was the only printed instruction on the car!)

 

[bdub85]

I went with the wall connector and got 500 back from Maryland. I like the cleaner look and faster charging, but a 14-50 can do the job as well.

 

[Daffer]

Seems like you don’t need to rush into a decision. With the limited driving, using the 110V trickle charger gives you 5 mph. So you can add/replenish 50-70 miles overnight.

 

[ewoodrick]

And to think that with the Tesla connector I can use one hand to do it all.

 

[brkaus]

If one is looking for a 40a max J1772 EVSE -

https://www.costco.com/juicebox-pro...h-juicenet-24-ft-cable.product.100397573.html

Is on sale for $499 sometime in November. No idea if that is a good deal or not.

 

[Rocky_H]

And to think that with the Tesla connector I can use one hand to do it all.

Yup, it only takes one hand to give away $500 unnecessarily.

 

[davewill]

And to think that with the Tesla connector I can use one hand to do it all.

The point isn't that the Tesla connector isn't easier to use, of course it is. The point is that your initial post was outrageously incorrect about how much more difficult. The fact is that you said the J1772 couldn't unlock the port and it does.

Besides, I have no problem pulling my plug out with one hand. Push the button, release, push to click the J1772 lock back in and pull it out. Works great.

 

[Eno Deb]

Besides, I have no problem pulling my plug out with one hand. Push the button, release, push to click the J1772 lock back in and pull it out. Works great.

Yep, I've yet to encounter a J1772 charger where this doesn't work. Often you don't even have to push the button to re-engage the latch with the adapter (e.g. on Chargepoint chargers). Just push the button once to stop charging, release the button (to re-latch to the adapter) and pull it out. I think the mistake that many are making is to keep the button pressed while pulling out the handle.

 

[Rocky_H]

Yep, I've yet to encounter a J1772 charger where this doesn't work. Often you don't even have to push the button to re-engage the latch with the adapter (e.g. on Chargepoint chargers). Just push the button once to stop charging, release the button (to re-latch to the adapter) and pull it out. I think the mistake that many are making is to keep the button pressed while pulling out the handle.

We've been through this in other threads. It is not a "mistake" to keep the button pressed because in a lot of these situations, if you release the button, the car instantly re-latches onto the adapter, locking it into the port, and you can't pull it out. So holding down the button is the only way to keep the car from grabbing it again, so you need to pull the adapter out with your other hand while keeping the button pressed. Mine has always done that, and I don't know what makes it different with some people's cars where it will let them release the button and not instantly re-latch.

 

[srs5694]

If one is looking for a 40a max J1772 EVSE -

https://www.costco.com/juicebox-pro...h-juicenet-24-ft-cable.product.100397573.html

Is on sale for $499 sometime in November. No idea if that is a good deal or not.

Its list price is $549, according to the manufacturer's product page, so that's a $50 savings. That said, it's the same price as a Tesla Wall Connector. Comparing the two:

Advantages of the Tesla Wall Connector:

• Higher amperage (48A for Model 3 LR; even higher for some Model S and Model X variants). Note that Model 3 SR/SR+/MR owners can charge at just 32A, so either EVSE will be identical for those owners.
  
• Can open a Tesla's charge port via a button-press on the charging handle.
  
• Requires no adapter. (With the JuiceBox, you must either frequently plug/unplug Tesla's J1772 adapter if you want to take it with you or buy a second $95 J1772 adapter to keep with the EVSE.)
• No finger-pointing between companies if there's a technical problem.

Advantages of the JuiceBox Pro 40:

• Network-enabled; can control it remotely, get reports of electricity use, set timers, etc. These features include the ability to coordinate charging times and voltages based on when excess "green" energy is available in some markets (mostly in California, I think). There's a big caveat, though: Scheduling features currently work poorly with Teslas, which ignore the EVSE offering charge after the car has gone to sleep. Energy reporting and some types of remote-control features work fine with Teslas.
  
• NEMA 4 weather rating. (Tesla's Wall Connector has a NEMA 3R rating, which is good enough for most situations but not quite as good as a NEMA 4 rating.)
• Works natively with non-Tesla EVs; if you have both a Tesla and a non-Tesla EV, this will be a big advantage. (Third-party adapters exist to charge a non-Tesla with a Tesla EVSE, but they cost ~$200-$250, and they're bigger and bulkier than Tesla's J1772 adapter.)
• It's easier to get a plug-in variant. (That seems to be the version being advertised at Costco, although Enel X also sells a hard-wired version. It's not clear if you could get the hard-wired version from Costco at the same price.) Tesla has sold a few Wall Connectors with NEMA 14-50 plugs, but they're rare, and usually aren't even listed on the Tesla Web site for sale.

About the same (beyond the obvious):

• Can share a circuit and negotiate amperage between the two (requires same-brand products, not a mix of one and the other).
• As noted by others, unplugging is basically the same, although if you're inexperienced, you're likely to separate the J1772 handle from Tesla's J1772 adapter. There are multiple techniques to avoid doing this, though.

IMHO, the biggest issues relate to the plug -- J1772 vs. Tesla. If you own a Tesla and want to charge only it, then Tesla's Wall Connector is the better product. If you own a non-Tesla EV in addition to your Tesla, and want to share the EVSE, or if you want to offer the EVSE to non-Tesla owners (guests, or if you want to install it in a rental property or something), then the JuiceBox is the better choice. Also, if you want something with a NEMA 14-50 plug, then it'll be easier to get the JuiceBox in that configuration.

I have no problem pulling my plug out with one hand. Push the button, release, push to click the J1772 lock back in and pull it out. Works great.

As I noted earlier, many J1772 plugs support a small padlock. Using this makes it easy to partially depress the button -- enough to stop charging and (if the car is awake) unlock the charge port -- without actually releasing the latch. (A caveat: On my Clipper Creek, depressing the button hard will be enough to release the latch.) Here's a photo of mine (part of the Thingiverse listing of my J1772/Tesla holster adapter):

 

[srs5694]

We've been through this in other threads. It is not a "mistake" to keep the button pressed because in a lot of these situations, if you release the button, the car instantly re-latches onto the adapter, locking it into the port, and you can't pull it out. So holding down the button is the only way to keep the car from grabbing it again, so you need to pull the adapter out with your other hand while keeping the button pressed. Mine has always done that, and I don't know what makes it different with some people's cars where it will let them release the button and not instantly re-latch.

My car will instantly re-latch -- but as I've noted, a light touch on the release button will be enough to stop charging and unlock the charge port but not enough to separate the J1772 handle from Tesla's J1772 adapter. If the two are to be attached for the long term, using a small padlock can make this easier to manage.

That said, the details of how much you need to depress the button likely vary from one J1772 handle to another, so this may be trickier with some EVSEs than with others. Also, some may not support use of a small padlock.

 

[brkaus]

Its list price is $449, according to the manufacturer's product page, so that's a $50 savings. That said, it's the same price as a Tesla Wall Connector. Comparing the two:

Great summary and thanks for the link. I think you mistyped the price. List is $549 not $459.

 

[srs5694]

Great summary and thanks for the link. I think you mistyped the price. List is $549 not $459.

Oops. Yes, thanks. I managed to go back and correct my original post.

 

[DiyEvRepair]

I have a 14-50 outlet with a gen1 mobile charger, which charges up to 40A. Right in between HPWC (48A) and gen2 charger (32A). Gen1 cables can be found used for around $200. This is the most cost effective option, as you will want to keep the cable that came with the car in the trunk anyway, for emergency charging.

 

[Eno Deb]

We've been through this in other threads. It is not a "mistake" to keep the button pressed because in a lot of these situations, if you release the button, the car instantly re-latches onto the adapter, locking it into the port, and you can't pull it out.

I have not once experienced that with my Model 3, and I've used quite a few J1772 chargers.

 

[Rocky_H]

I have not once experienced that with my Model 3, and I've used quite a few J1772 chargers.

I don't think we got enough responses to see what the variables are. It maybe a difference between the S/X versus the 3.

 

[iwannam3]

If you get a Tesla HPWC get the long cable, sometimes you may want to charge your car outside or charge a visitor. Same price.

 

[Kevy Baby]

Went Plugless, set it and forget it. Don't have to touch it. It's plugged into a 14-50 outlet. It looks like a hubcap sitting on the garage floor. Cut a grove in the concrete slab, laid down the conduit between the inductive floor inductive plate and the control box mounted on the wall and sealed back over it to eliminate the cord on the floor.

Wireless charging upgrade now available for Tesla Model S

If you don't mind me asking, how much was that setup, including installation? I couldn't find any pricing on their site.