Quality at home charging, are charge ports really needed to be installed at home?

[STS-134]

So what's with the 14-50 plug? From what I have been reading, everyone hates on the 14-50 plug. Then I buy a 6-50 plug and get told I bought the wrong plug. Im not an expert in electrical sockets so trying to keep up here is daunting.

Due to the 80% rule for continuous loads, a 14-50 receptacle can only supply 40A. Teslas can charge at 48A, which requires wiring capable of 60A. Since 14-60 receptacles and plugs aren't allowed in some areas, the only solution is hardwiring your EVSE (which is better anyway because it reduces number of connection points where things can overheat and therefore, reduces the risk of fire).

 

[Proppilot]

So what's with the 14-50 plug? From what I have been reading, everyone hates on the 14-50 plug. Then I buy a 6-50 plug and get told I bought the wrong plug. Im not an expert in electrical sockets so trying to keep up here is daunting.

Sir. Make an operational decision on how you want to charge and then hire a professional Electrician to implement it for you. Choose the way you want to charge IE wall, mobile, non-Tesla and a pro will safely install it for you.

 

[CLOONEY003@GMA]

Sir. Make an operational decision on how you want to charge and then hire a professional Electrician to implement it for you. Choose the way you want to charge IE wall, mobile, non-Tesla and a pro will safely install it for you.

You are asking a guy who has never owned an EV (nor understands electrical connections other then they can catch fire or kill you) how he wants to charge his used Tesla.

I don't how to properly charge and this thread went everywhere!! (guys dont like 14-50 or they do, 6-50 is an option or it isnt, EVSE, Tesla Wall Connector or mobile connector..which is it??) Honestly it looks like personal preference so now I am back to square one. My "Licensed" Electrician is waiting for me to make up my mind on what I want and I sound like an idiot saying "Oh 6-50 this or GFCI breaker that".

His explanation was, "The breaker needs to be made by the same company as who made the electrical panel or I can run a 14-50 connector thru the wall to your panel or you could get yourself one of them there new fangled wall chargers I just installed down yonder"

 

[Proppilot]

You are asking a guy who has never owned an EV (nor understands electrical connections other then they can catch fire or kill you) how he wants to charge his used Tesla.

I don't how to properly charge and this thread went everywhere!! (guys dont like 14-50 or they do, 6-50 is an option or it isnt, EVSE, Tesla Wall Connector or mobile connector..which is it??) Honestly it looks like personal preference so now I am back to square one. My "Licensed" Electrician is waiting for me to make up my mind on what I want and I sound like an idiot saying "Oh 6-50 this or GFCI breaker that".

His explanation was, "The breaker needs to be made by the same company as who made the electrical panel or I can run a 14-50 connector thru the wall to your panel or you could get yourself one of them there new fangled wall chargers I just installed down yonder"

No no. I meant by what means. A fixed wired in wall charger or something portable you can plug in/out IE the mobile charger that comes with the car. It is just a personal preference. Dedicated or portable. Forget all of the technical discussion about the HOW as an electrician will install what you decide properly. Mine is my first EV and my original plan was the 14-50 plug and plan to use the mobile charger. I changed my mind when I rationalized that I wanted to keep the mobile charger in the car to prevent the day I left it at home and needed it from happening. Ask yourself

- fixed install or portable and if fixed

- Tesla dedicated (with Tesla plug) or other using a J1772 adapter so you are future ready for any EV or non Tesla visitors

It is that easy and then a professional Electrician will install what you need to be safe and to code.

You have to take the forums as inputs and opinions and cross reference what you read with your own professionals if it is not your domain of expertise.

There are lots of opinions about which way to go but either if done properly is safe so in tue end…..my point about deciding.

You will love the car and going electric !

 

[ai4px]

My wife’s favorite part is telling other women (I’m not a biologist but I know what women are) that she doesn’t have to stand in the cold pumping gas because the car is full every day.

 

[ucmndd]

You are asking a guy who has never owned an EV (nor understands electrical connections other then they can catch fire or kill you) how he wants to charge his used Tesla.

As much as I’ve been arguing against the invented catastrophes and vastly overstated “dangers” of using 14-50 outlets in this thread, the right solution these days really is the wall connector. Spend the extra couple hundred bucks. It’s a no-brainer.

 

[SoCal Buzz]

9 years, same 14-50 plug properly wired, 3 Teslas, no problems. Oh except my first Tesla mobile charger failed after 4 years and they replaced at no charge (so to speak).

 

[beatle]

You are asking a guy who has never owned an EV (nor understands electrical connections other then they can catch fire or kill you) how he wants to charge his used Tesla.

I don't how to properly charge and this thread went everywhere!! (guys dont like 14-50 or they do, 6-50 is an option or it isnt, EVSE, Tesla Wall Connector or mobile connector..which is it??) Honestly it looks like personal preference so now I am back to square one. My "Licensed" Electrician is waiting for me to make up my mind on what I want and I sound like an idiot saying "Oh 6-50 this or GFCI breaker that".

His explanation was, "The breaker needs to be made by the same company as who made the electrical panel or I can run a 14-50 connector thru the wall to your panel or you could get yourself one of them there new fangled wall chargers I just installed down yonder"

You'll be fine with either the 6-50 or the wall connector. Just weigh the benefits of each and figure out which is most important. That said, a wall connector will cost a bit more and will only charge a Tesla (unless the other car has an adapter). It will also let you keep the UMC for travel. In your case I think this is your best option especially since you don't have to worry about having your UMC stolen since the outlet will be outside.

Most people here have been in your position trying to figure out what to buy to gas up their Tesla at home. A month from now you'll be adding to threads like this telling people how awesome it is.

 

[OrbiterTI4]

If anyone is going to go the route of a NEMA 14-50 receptacle, do yourself a favor and buy a Hubbell or a Bryant branded socket and not the $10 Leviton one that is sold at the big box stores. It can be difficult to get good wire connections on the Leviton and they can melt. Plenty of folks have posted on TMC that have had that experience. But the Hubbell or the Bryant (now owned by Hubbell and cheaper) receptacles are the way to go for a solid connection...Don't forget, this connection can be one of the highest-powered appliance-type connections in your home, so you want to do it right...

Finally went to go see what was used by my electrician for our 2016 install...for the 14-50s, he used Cooper. But the 6-50? Leviton. So hopefully Leviton is only junk for the 14-50...

 

[ai4px]

The issue is plug cycles. A normal duty wall plug might be tested for say, 100 plug in cycles. The j1772 and tesla plugs are good for 10,000 plug in cycles. If you leave the umc plugged in all the time you are fine. But if you unplug it every day or a couple times a week youlll soon have problems.

 

[STS-134]

As much as I’ve been arguing against the invented catastrophes and vastly overstated “dangers” of using 14-50 outlets in this thread, the right solution these days really is the wall connector. Spend the extra couple hundred bucks. It’s a no-brainer.

So the first 3 weeks after getting the Tesla, I hadn't done the electrical service upgrade yet, and didn't have the WC installed. I found it kind of a chore to drag the charging cable across the garage from the other stall, have to mess with the J1772 adapter, etc. My wife wanted to charge it once every 3-5 days to avoid having to do this every single day, although I wanted to keep the average depth of discharge and charge limit low to reduce battery degradation, so we did this every day for about 3 weeks but neither of us really liked doing it. But since getting the WC installed less than 3' from where the charge port is, we just park the car and connect it without even thinking about it because it's so easy to do.

 

[RandyS]

Finally went to go see what was used by my electrician for our 2016 install...for the 14-50s, he used Cooper. But the 6-50? Leviton. So hopefully Leviton is only junk for the 14-50...

Check out this thread...Lots of good information...

Master Thread: Definitive 14-50 NEMA Outlet Guide

Comparing the 2 outlets recommended by Tesla with the sub $10 big box model as well as the one I think you should buy 1. Hubbell 9450a 2. Bryant 9450fr 3. Cooper 5754n 4. Leviton 279-S00 The Hubbell and Bryant are far and away the superior product here and since Hubbell owns Bryant and these...

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[dbldwn02]

14-50 or 6-50 FTW! Been charging, plugging, unplugging for 5 years straight. Zero issues.

Anything can melt. Hell, the 50 amp breaker I had installed, melted internally. GE breaker, less than 2 year old. Never pulled more than 40 amps on it. Wall connector won't save you there. I'll eventually upgrade to wall connector but I'm in no rush.

Also had two 15 amp outlets in my brand new home melt. One with a hair dryer. One with an air fryer. Loose wires...Wired by a "professional".

Just make sure those connections are tight!

 

[Snerruc]

14-50 or 6-50 FTW! Been charging, plugging, unplugging for 5 years straight. Zero issues.

Anything can melt. Hell, the 50 amp breaker I had installed, melted internally. GE breaker, less than 2 year old. Never pulled more than 40 amps on it. Wall connector won't save you there. I'll eventually upgrade to wall connector but I'm in no rush.

Also had two 15 amp outlets in my brand new home melt. One with a hair dryer. One with an air fryer. Loose wires...Wired by a "professional".

Just make sure those connections are tight!

50 amp breakers rated for continuous duty are much sturdier than regular ones- and more expensive, but might save your box in a worse case situation. My personal experience is that Teslas recommendation is highly unreliable. I currently use a man who used to. Work for a commercial contractor. He is almost paranoid about getting the connections right- down to using a torque wrench on final tightening. I didn’t know those specs even existed!

 

[nvilletele]

Wall connectors can be installed outside.

One the weakest links in charging is the infamous 14-50 outlet (that Tesla no longer supplies with your new car).

Depending on distance it may be a bit more costly than an outlet next to the fuse box. But a Wall Connector is WAY safer and more robust. Safest setup is short cords and hard wiring. Make it effortless to plug in.

If you can install the the wall connector just out of direct weather, like under and overhang I think that is better but not required.

A lot people will spend $100k and insist it’s worth saving a few $100 using an antiquated Oven/Camping outlet because the plug came with their car and therefore the best solution. And how much money they saved doing themselves with the wrong gauge wire, wrong outlet, wrong breaker. They will claim their house has not burned down for years or electrocuted anyone and therefore it’s good.

14-50 made sense 8 years ago. Not today.

Many electricians don’t know better either.

There is a reason why they call it a “mobile connector” and why they dropped including the 14-50 adapter.

I haven’t been keeping up with new developments in this area, owing a 2013 P85+ with around 41,000 miles on it.
I don’t drive much, and usually use a supercharger when I am shopping, maybe 2 or 3 times per month.

When I charge at home, I use a 10-30 adaptor with the old dryer plug that is otherwise no longer in use. It is slow, at 17 mph, but does the trick for my needs.

Can you explain what is the problem with 14-50, and I assume by extension, with the 10-30?

I get the wall connector is faster, but at $495 plus electricians charge, it does add some cost. Doable, but still.

Other than the slow speed, are there any serious issues with using the 14-50 or 10-30?

 

[SoCal Buzz]

I haven’t been keeping up with new developments in this area, owing a 2013 P85+ with around 41,000 miles on it.
I don’t drive much, and usually use a supercharger when I am shopping, maybe 2 or 3 times per month.

When I charge at home, I use a 10-30 adaptor with the old dryer plug that is otherwise no longer in use. It is slow, at 17 mph, but does the trick for my needs.

Can you explain what is the problem with 14-50, and I assume by extension, with the 10-30?

I get the wall connector is faster, but at $495 plus electricians charge, it does add some cost. Doable, but still.

Other than the slow speed, are there any serious issues with using the 14-50 or 10-30?

There is no problem at all with 14-50 / 10-30 so long as they are properly installed (circuit breaker, wire gauge, outlet and wires firmly attached). I've been using the same Leviton 14-50 since 2013 and have not experienced any issues. Some have pointed out that repetitive plugging / unplugging can cause internal wear on the outlet itself and may lead to shorts (I assume from weight of mobile charger and when plugs no longer hold firmly in place). Anyway, I leave mine plugged in all the time and only take it with me about 4 times per year.

 

[nvilletele]

There is no problem at all with 14-50 / 10-30 so long as they are properly installed (circuit breaker, wire gauge, outlet and wires firmly attached). I've been using the same Leviton 14-50 since 2013 and have not experienced any issues. Some have pointed out that repetitive plugging / unplugging can cause internal wear on the outlet itself and may lead to shorts (I assume from weight of mobile charger and when plugs no longer hold firmly in place). Anyway, I leave mine plugged in all the time and only take it with me about 4 times per year.

Thanks. I keep mine plugged in all the time too, as I have two charging cables and sets of adaptors. One stays in the car, though it gets little use, but will finally see action when I take my first road trip soon.

 

[dbldwn02]

Well...guess Tesla made it easy for everyone. No more mobile connectors included with cars, because no-one uses them, I guess.

 

[ai4px]

Well...guess Tesla made it easy for everyone. No more mobile connectors included with cars, because no-one uses them, I guess.

Say what????? no UMC with new cars?

On a side note, Kia is not including a charger with their EV6. You have to the car for 45 days and then apply for the "free gift" of a charger. A co-worker was looking at buying one and walked out based on that one simple thing. The salesman never told him he could buy one from another source. From my coworker's perspective... why would he buy a car he can't recharge and drive for hte next month and a half?

 

[nilesborg]

Wall connectors can be installed outside.

One the weakest links in charging is the infamous 14-50 outlet (that Tesla no longer supplies with your new car).

Depending on distance it may be a bit more costly than an outlet next to the fuse box. But a Wall Connector is WAY safer and more robust. Safest setup is short cords and hard wiring. Make it effortless to plug in.

If you can install the the wall connector just out of direct weather, like under and overhang I think that is better but not required.

A lot people will spend $100k and insist it’s worth saving a few $100 using an antiquated Oven/Camping outlet because the plug came with their car and therefore the best solution. And how much money they saved doing themselves with the wrong gauge wire, wrong outlet, wrong breaker. They will claim their house has not burned down for years or electrocuted anyone and therefore it’s good.

14-50 made sense 8 years ago. Not today.

Many electricians don’t know better either.

There is a reason why they call it a “mobile connector” and why they dropped including the 14-50 adapter.

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