Surviving on a regular 110v trickle charging

[xdms]

I got my "new to me" CPO Tesla Model S 85 November 2, 2018. I have been surviving the last 2 weeks on trickle charging on a regular outlet in my garage while waiting for my electrician (a.k.a. my dad) to come visit and install (and test drive the S )

At first I had range anxiety just like some new Tesla/EV driver. But in two weeks, I have only had to use the supercharger 2 times. I used it not because I needed it, but because I wanted to (a) try it for the first time and (b) see it in action. I charge to about 80ish percent (218 miles) and usually go down to 150-180 miles left on a given day.

The longest trip I had was a Saturday spent surfing in El Porto beach in the morning then rock climbing in Hollywood in the afternoon then doing some errands around town before going back home few miles east of DTLA. Even then, I still had 90+ miles of range left.

Charging on the regular outlet gives me about 4miles/hour. Parking the car around 2000 and leaving around 0830 the next day, gives me enough charge to go ahead and drive worry free the next day.

I am still planning to install a NEMA 14-50 in the garage, but at this point, I am in no rush.

Anyone else surviving on charging on a regular outlet?

 

[kavyboy]

Yes, but I work from home, in a flat area, where it doesn't normally get very cold. The 4miles/hour has been fine over the past year. I was thinking I would have to install a 14-50 here, but put it off since I'm just renting. I glad I didn't waste my money.

 

[BlueRocket]

Two years and counting. I'm a little embarrassed because I'm just lazy about getting a 50 amp line installed. I have a signature wall charger still in the box

I don't have a regular commute anymore but if I had my previous 60 mile per day commute, it would not be a problem plus my previous employer now offers free charging at work. There was only one time where I had to stop at a SC starting out because I couldn't charge enough overnight.

I have a 90kWh pack which supposedly is prone to faster degradation... I've lost maybe 1% (2-3 miles) in 2 years and 19k miles. My charge level is usually between 50-90% and I supercharge about 20-25 times a year. Just sayin' ...

 

[SSedan]

It will work in warm climates with short drives. That said the chargers have a certain often quoted as 400watts of "overhead" so 120volt 15amp charging is very inefficient with the time it keeps the chargers operating, so you will save electricity with a higher capacity outlet.

 

[kavyboy]

It will work in warm climates with short drives. That said the chargers have a certain often quoted as 400watts of "overhead" so 120volt 15amp charging is very inefficient with the time it keeps the chargers operating, so you will save electricity with a higher capacity outlet.

This is all true. However, I found it interesting when somebody here calculated the cost of that inefficiency versus the cost of the install. Of course all the numbers vary a huge amount, but I remember thinking that the time required to recoup the install expense (versus higher utility bills) was longer than most people stay at one address.

 

[glide]

I made it with 110V charging...until winter came.

Now I am realizing that the NEMA 14-50 install was well worth the extra $300

 

[SSedan]

This is all true. However, I found it interesting when somebody here calculated the cost of that inefficiency versus the cost of the install. Of course all the numbers vary a huge amount, but I remember thinking that the time required to recoup the install expense (versus higher utility bills) was longer than most people stay at one address.

True but I wasn't saying it saves money.

I made it with 110V charging...until winter came.

Now I am realizing that the NEMA 14-50 install was well worth the extra $300

I had a 10-30 outlet last winter near Green Bay and "got by" but I would consider 14-50 necessary for single digits and below.

 

[Derek Kessler]

I lived with off 110 for the first six months with my Model S. It's doable, so long as you remember to plug in every time you come home.

 

[nwdiver]

If you're interested in a 'quick fix' and your 110v outlet is independent it's not hard to upgrade it to a 240v NEMA 6-20. Same wire. Just a new breaker and a new outlet. <$50 for ~2x the charging speed and ~10% increase in efficiency.

 

[kavyboy]

True but I wasn't saying it saves money.

Oh, I know. I just mentioned it because it was an interesting (to me) way of looking at it. I'm pretty much a penny pincher, but I hadn't thought it through. I ended up installing two 14-50s, including one for the model 3 that we never bought. I'm sure the current owners of that house aren't using either.

 

[xdms]

Yes, but I work from home, in a flat area, where it doesn't normally get very cold. The 4miles/hour has been fine over the past year. I was thinking I would have to install a 14-50 here, but put it off since I'm just renting. I glad I didn't waste my money.

Good to know! Winter is coming, but where I live it is usually is between 50-70 degrees during winter so hopefully it's not too bad!

 

[xdms]

I lived with off 110 for the first six months with my Model S. It's doable, so long as you remember to plug in every time you come home.

Yep! I've been plugging in every night. Been reading everywhere to keep it plugged in when it's at rest (from forums and tesla manual - yes, I am one of those people who read manuals )

 

[xdms]

If you're interested in a 'quick fix' and your 110v outlet is independent it's not hard to upgrade it to a 240v NEMA 6-20. Same wire. Just a new breaker and a new outlet. <$50 for ~2x the charging speed and ~10% increase in efficiency.

Thanks for the tip. Will bring it up when we are close to installing.

 

[Eevee]

We will be doing this at first. Not sure how long it will take to get the electrician out here but I figure we will be OK for a few weeks when we first take delivery. Will post more after the fact.

 

[gnuarm]

It will work in warm climates with short drives. That said the chargers have a certain often quoted as 400watts of "overhead" so 120volt 15amp charging is very inefficient with the time it keeps the chargers operating, so you will save electricity with a higher capacity outlet.

I would love to see the original reference to this. I'm not saying it is wrong, but it sounds rather excessive to me for an idle current on a charger. I plug my car into a 120 volt outlet through a 15 amp rated remote control switch which also measures current. When not charging the car seems to draw a mere 2 watts. I will say I have never seen my model X charging at 4 mph on a 120 volt outlet. I get 2 or 3 depending.... on what I don't know. I figured the wattage must come to 2.5 mph and it varies a bit making it 2 or 3 mph. But doing a quick calculation shows if all the power were going into the battery it would be 4.14 mph at 115 volts (which I commonly see). Hmmm... 400 watts lost would pretty much put the charging rate around 3 mph.

Still, I'm surprised. I'm an electrical engineer, but high voltage and power switching regulator design is not my area of expertise.

 

[Kuhz]

Hey if it works for you, why not? Just make sure the plug doesn’t get hot and is in tip top shape.

 

[gnuarm]

To respond to the actual topic of this thread

If you're interested in a 'quick fix' and your 110v outlet is independent it's not hard to upgrade it to a 240v NEMA 6-20. Same wire. Just a new breaker and a new outlet. <$50 for ~2x the charging speed and ~10% increase in efficiency.

Does Tesla have an adapter for that connector? My car came with a 120 V NEMA 5-15P adapter and a NEMA 14-50P adapter. When I looked on the web site the only other adapter I recall seeing (at least that I might be interested in) was the Chademo for $500. A friend has a NEMA TT-30 120 volt outlet in her barn intended for her horse trailer. While it would only double my charging rate (but maybe a bit more given the 400 watt PSU loss) I coudn't find an adapter. So no way to plug in and get the higher current.

 

[Doc Savage]

For the first several months that we owned our car, we just used the 110v. outlet. For overnight charging, it was never a problem for us.

Bob

Anyone else surviving on charging on a regular outlet?

 

[nwdiver]

To respond to the actual topic of this thread


Does Tesla have an adapter for that connector? My car came with a 120 V NEMA 5-15P adapter and a NEMA 14-50P adapter. When I looked on the web site the only other adapter I recall seeing (at least that I might be interested in) was the Chademo for $500. A friend has a NEMA TT-30 120 volt outlet in her barn intended for her horse trailer. While it would only double my charging rate (but maybe a bit more given the 400 watt PSU loss) I coudn't find an adapter. So no way to plug in and get the higher current.

Yep; NEMA 6-20

 

[TexasEV]

To respond to the actual topic of this thread


Does Tesla have an adapter for that connector? My car came with a 120 V NEMA 5-15P adapter and a NEMA 14-50P adapter. When I looked on the web site the only other adapter I recall seeing (at least that I might be interested in) was the Chademo for $500. A friend has a NEMA TT-30 120 volt outlet in her barn intended for her horse trailer. While it would only double my charging rate (but maybe a bit more given the 400 watt PSU loss) I coudn't find an adapter. So no way to plug in and get the higher current.

There’s no TT-30 adapter, but Tesla has almost everything else. You missed this on the web site:
Model S/X/3 Gen 2 NEMA Adapters