Regarding Portable Charging Options...

[eprosenx]

I don't think it's a good idea to advocate something like this. In most cases it's not easily possible for a layman to verify the installation. Seems like a big risk for a small reward, given that charging from a 5-20 is still just a trickle.

I bet in many cases the cabling and outlets in older houses even have trouble safely sustaining a constant 12A load (I know that was the case in my house, where a 120V outlet in the garage got pretty warm when used to charge the car) ...

Yeah, I struggle with what to recommend. Many of the things we discuss on this forum are not code compliant, or at least not UL compliant, or perhaps are just a really big grey area.

I throw it out there since when on a "trickle" charging source, another 33-50% charging speed might mean the difference between your car charging sufficiently overnight vs. having to let the car dictate your schedule (which is never a place I want to be).

But you are completely correct. Charging a Tesla on really any 120v circuit should really just be reserved for the situations where there is no other option. There is a reason 2017 NEC says any circuit installed for EV charging can only have one receptacle on it. EV's are high amperage devices that max pretty much whatever circuit they plug into, they run for many hours, and often operate at night when a house fire would be most dangerous.

The big risk on 120v random circuits you might plug into is that they are "daisy chained" from one receptacle to another and often times you might find a loose connection somewhere. You don't want to be the one to find a latent defect in someones home electrical system that causes their house to burn down (even if you don't "cause" the issue).

In using an adapter like the one I mentioned, we are defeating several safely mechanisims:

• The UMC is not supposed to draw more amps than the receptacle you are plugging into is rated for - it knows what the allowable amperage is due to a resistor of a specific value in the adapter.
• By using any kind of 3rd party adapter or extension cord you loose some of the value of having a temperature probe in the end of the adapter which can detect overheating in the receptacle.
• You are drawing more than 15a (12a continuous) through a receptacle itself that is only rated for 15/12a even though the wire and branch circuit is rated to 20/16a.

There are still other safety mechanisms however, most notably the voltage drop detection that the Tesla does. This seems to be extremely effective based on what others have reported in the forums.

So everyone needs to make their own decisions and to understand that this is not professional advice. Anything that you do carries risk.

I have used this adapter in two situations so far:

• One was in a residence where there was a receptacle right next to a panel that was modern construction and I verified it was the only pair of receptacles (quadplex) on the circuit and the wire was 12 gauge. Nothing else was on it. The only issue was the receptacle type was 5-15 not 5-20. I have seen teardowns of 5-15 receptacles from at least one vendor that have shown that internally 5-15's and 5-20's are literally identical. Only the plastic moulding that determines what prong types are accepted were different. In this use case I checked the receptacle and adapter frequently for any signs of heating for the first hour, but it ran totally cool so I stopped worrying about it.
• The other time was at a hotel where again, the receptacle was directly below the panel on a 20a circuit, but only a 15a receptacle. I knew there were some other lights on the circuit as well, so even though I used the adapter, I chickened out and set the charge rate to 12a since I did not need it to be faster. I wanted the option of cranking it up to 16a, but I set it low to reduce the chances of blowing the breaker.

 

[wws]

With a commercial grade receptacle, there really isn’t much difference between a 5-15 and a 5-20. However what one needs to watch out for are those el cheapo $0.39 ‘residential’ grade 5-15 receptacles. They may not even do well at 12 amps.

 

[EValuatED]

With a commercial grade receptacle, there really isn’t much difference between a 5-15 and a 5-20. However what one needs to watch out for are those el cheapo $0.39 ‘residential’ grade 5-15 receptacles. They may not even do well at 12 amps.

Agree. I’ve witnessed one start to go with a 12A of load running. Fortunately I smelled something, hunted it down, shut off the load and replaced the receptacle.

 

[Camera-Cruiser]

I’m long past any range anxiety after 3 years of ownership, but still appreciate these threads helping out new owners. Plus, it’s made realize that even a standard 15 amp home circuit is better than nothing. I often forget about it when renting vacation homes, so I’m inadvertently freaking out home managers and owners asking about their dryer circuit, and where it is. Since I often go places where the car sits for days, I’m not going to worry about that as much.

Then there is still the wonder of electricity itself. If the turbines/generators aren’t spinning somewhere or the sun isn’t out, then nothing is coming out of any of the billions of various sized receptacles on the planet. It’s magic.

 

[wws]

I’m long past any range anxiety after 3 years of ownership, but still appreciate these threads helping out new owners. Plus, it’s made realize that even a standard 15 amp home circuit is better than nothing. I often forget about it when renting vacation homes, so I’m inadvertently freaking out home managers and owners asking about their dryer circuit, and where it is. Since I often go places where the car sits for days, I’m not going to worry about that as much.

In the trip we took last week, I had originally thought we'd make a stop at a Supercharger on the way back. However two nights of charging at 120v/12a, and a couple hours at a destination charger at a winery we visited (Castello di Amorosa near Calistoga), we had a full charge for our return trip. One of my pure ICE cars would have cost $40-80 in gas for the same trip. The Volt would have been quite a less - like $8 or so.

Then there is still the wonder of electricity itself. If the turbines/generators aren’t spinning somewhere or the sun isn’t out, then nothing is coming out of any of the billions of various sized receptacles on the planet. It’s magic.

It is a wonder. In some cases wireless too.

 

[Rocky_H]

I'll throw in a couple of basic thoughts. Yes, if you are staying with your relatives, charging overnight there should always be done, even if it's just a regular outlet. It's just simple and painless, so might as well.

But for more energy, here's a decent thing about destination or other local charging resources. Where hotels say "for patrons", that doesn't have to mean "overnight" in all cases. The vast majority of time, they are totally OK with considering you a "patron" if you eat in their restaurant. So call them up and ask if they would be OK with that. Or even some of them will be OK with you charging there for a fee of $10 or $20 or something. And you do have the advantage that you are visiting relatives that have a car there, so you could hook up your car somewhere in the city to charge and have them pick you up to go out to eat or something and bring you back to the car later. Or if you find a parking garage with charging that can do overnight, then you could charge there overnight and have the drop-off and pick-up thing.

 

[Tezzy#1]

Hello! I have an update. To answer a couple of questions, the supercharger in Baton Rouge is unfortunately well out of the way and it's in the wrong direction. I don't go as far as New Orleans, but that's the direction I am going in and there isn't much as far as charging options (except for the RV parks) between Lake Charles and New Orleans. I am surprised that there are not more options in town in Lafayette.

So, I ended up taking a quick trip this past weekend (many of my trips are quick due to work schedules, etc. - one of my main concerns about charging time) in my gasoline vehicle (a BMW 3 series) that I will be getting rid of at the end of this month. I used the PlugShare app and found a BMW dealership in Lafayette that has two J1772 chargers as stated on PlugShare that are open to the public. The only problem is that two non-EV, non-BMW vehicles were parked in the spots! It looked like the dealership was already closed, so I called and left a message for them to call me back. I still have not heard back.

This would be a great option for me when I make the long trip again in my Tesla; however, I am concerned that I would have a big issue if these inconsiderate people are the norm at that dealership. Most of the trip there this weekend was full of miserable weather and lack of visibility, and I didn't think at the time to see how long those charging cords are. Any idea if you have to park in one of those spots to be able to charge a Model 3, or is the charging cord long enough to reach the car if you park perpendicular to the vehicles in those parking spots?

On a positive note, it turns out that where I will be staying that they do have a 10-30 outlet that is accessible. So, I won't have to worry about moving the dryer. I now just need to order that adapter; however, I did see a thread on this forum that the adapter may be discontinued. I really hope that is not the case!

Wish me luck!

 

[eprosenx]

Hello! I have an update. To answer a couple of questions, the supercharger in Baton Rouge is unfortunately well out of the way and it's in the wrong direction. I don't go as far as New Orleans, but that's the direction I am going in and there isn't much as far as charging options (except for the RV parks) between Lake Charles and New Orleans. I am surprised that there are not more options in town in Lafayette.

So, I ended up taking a quick trip this past weekend (many of my trips are quick due to work schedules, etc. - one of my main concerns about charging time) in my gasoline vehicle (a BMW 3 series) that I will be getting rid of at the end of this month. I used the PlugShare app and found a BMW dealership in Lafayette that has two J1772 chargers as stated on PlugShare that are open to the public. The only problem is that two non-EV, non-BMW vehicles were parked in the spots! It looked like the dealership was already closed, so I called and left a message for them to call me back. I still have not heard back.

This would be a great option for me when I make the long trip again in my Tesla; however, I am concerned that I would have a big issue if these inconsiderate people are the norm at that dealership. Most of the trip there this weekend was full of miserable weather and lack of visibility, and I didn't think at the time to see how long those charging cords are. Any idea if you have to park in one of those spots to be able to charge a Model 3, or is the charging cord long enough to reach the car if you park perpendicular to the vehicles in those parking spots?

On a positive note, it turns out that where I will be staying that they do have a 10-30 outlet that is accessible. So, I won't have to worry about moving the dryer. I now just need to order that adapter; however, I did see a thread on this forum that the adapter may be discontinued. I really hope that is not the case!

Wish me luck!

I personally would never want to rely on public charger availability for a trip like that if I could avoid it. Charging at the home you are staying at is a much safer and easier solution if you ask me.

Tesla has not discontinued that adapter, they just ran out of stock temporarily from what I later read.

There is someone that makes a J1772 extension cord for precisely the problem you describe. It allows you to park behind the inconsiderate folks and charge. But then you are probably blocking an aisle or fire lane, so not something that is likely to be a good idea unattended.

 

[jgblair]

I had to use my J1772 extension cord once at a motel when I could not park close enough to the charger. Worked great. I always carry it and a bunch of adapters when I travel long distances.

 

[brkaus]

@Tezzy#1 thanks for the update! That’s good news on the 10-30 outlet that you can use!

I pretty much only count on supercharging or family or Tesla destination chargers. All others I have a backup in mind.

This weekend I couldn’t get to the my family’s plug when visiting. A tree fell in a storm and blocked the drive. Never expected that one!

Been burned by ChargePoint not working a few times. I had a backup that worked.

 

[mike123abc]

Quick 220 Systems: Model A220-20D plus 2 adapter cords, 2 extension cords

If you really want to be prepared for a random house visit.... It is expensive, but has 2 heavy duty extension cords included...

 

[the_lorax]

I'm stuck with an old bungalow, and only have 100amp on panel ...

Does anyone know someone SELLING a lightly loved QUICK220?

I'd be intered in getting contact info .. please DM

 

[the_lorax]

I'm stuck with an old bungalow, and only have 100amp on panel ...

Does anyone know someone SELLING a lightly loved QUICK220?

I'd be intered in getting contact info .. please DM

PS. I'm located in Toronto, Canada

 

[eprosenx]

PS. I'm located in Toronto, Canada

Even if stuck with just a 100a panel I would wire in a dedicated 240v circuit even if it was only 20a or 30a...

Something like the quick 220 is really only for temp use.

Can you post pictures of the panel and of where you want to charge the car in relation to it? I would spend my money on an electrician before I did on the quick 220.

 

[mike123abc]

I agree the quick 220 is what I keep in my frunk to visit friends and relatives without EV hookups or dryers near the garage. Between outside plugs and garage plugs I usually have been able to find 2 circuits on different power legs and make 220 without running plugs into the house. Even with 15 amp circuits, 11MPH charging rate is good (12 amp limit) overnight.

But, for my home use I would definitely want a dedicated real plug or the HPWC if possible.

 

[Dameon]

Baton Rouge is unfortunately well out of the way and it's in the wrong direction. I don't go as far as New Orleans, but that's the direction I am going in and there isn't much as far as charging options (except for the RV parks) between Lake Charles and New Orleans.

Where is this weird mystery town? From Houston it isn't as far as New Orleans and Baton Rouge is out of the way, but Lafayette isn't.

I am surprised that there are not more options in town in Lafayette.

They are building a Supercharger in Scott (Lafayette Parish), but it won't be completed until 1st quarter 2019. It is attached to the new library construction project.

You're more than welcome to stop by my house (about 8 miles North of I-10 on I-49) and use my HPWC.

 

[Tezzy#1]

Hi, Everyone! Thank you, Everyone, again for all of this good information! Dameon, I am thrilled that a new Supercharger will be installed soon; this will definitely help people on their long road trips. Thank you for the offer!!
I have an update as well: the NEMA 10-30 adapter is available for purchase in the Tesla store. I just purchased one to add to my collection and this will help out greatly when traveling to Louisiana. I would get one as soon as possible if you are interested in case it sells out again!