Pretty hard to grab these home chargers. Got an email at lunch today telling me they were back in stock...sold out 2 hours later...seems like an important accessory to have available, especially since most of us are supposed to charge at home...so says Elon, so say we all.
Are you following the link in the e-mail that you received? In the past, many people have said these point you to a different inventory than what is available if you just connect directly to the Tesla web site and search for the desired item. I haven't decided if this is a false correlation like the claim that pressing the Advanced button "125 times" will immediately get you to the latest software release.
You don't have to use a wall connector, so that's only if you like the look of it or want a very small increase in charging speed. I've been using the mobile charge cord that comes with the car as my permanent home charging for over 6 and a half years. It hangs on a hook on the wall in my garage.
There is some added safety in having a hardwired installation. But if you aren't plugging/unplugging from the outlet a lot, this likely wouldn't matter much.
Well, I've seen some people coming to an electric car for the first time who think they need to buy this extra expensive external charging station, because that is how most other electric cars have been for a really long time. They do come with a charging cord, but it's this dinky pathetic thing that can only plug into regular 120V outlets and is nearly useless. A lot of people just don't know that Teslas comes with a really great charging cable that is capable of some really solid decent charging speed. So I have seen this several times on the forums that people are thinking it's required that they get a wall connector before they get the car and have not considered using the mobile charge cable. I just wanted to make sure people knew that was a possibility.
People are always surprised when they ask me about "expensive charging stations" and I explain that I've had Tesla high-power wall connectors for years that remain in the box because I never had them installed since I never needed them. I explain my $39 14-50 setup and the standard 120v 15A outlet and how that has worked for all of our Teslas just fine for years now. I could easily install the HPWC if it wasn't and I haven't felt the need. I tell people that if their daily commute is anything like my wife's they can easily recover all of the miles they use each day overnight on a standard 120v 15A outlet. Even better if they have 20A outlets in their garage. There's also a couple hundred mile buffer if they have one day of higher use and need a few nights to recover. It's like having a gas station in your garage and it takes a second to plug in and unplug each night just like your cell phone on your nightstand. Never having to go to a gas station again is freeing. Once I explain it this way they start to listen even more to the answers to the remainder of the questions they have. Because we own them we know how convenient it is but Tesla owners often forget that not only is this not common knowledge but the powers that be actively push this campaign of the experience being nightmarish and Tesla does nothing to combat this via marketing budget. The only way someone is going to hear something opposite this (and based on reality) is if they happen to encounter someone like us and ask the right questions. Sure if you are a heavy user you may need something more elaborate but if you're that high-end you're spending hundreds of dollars per week on gas anyway so what's a HPWC in the grand scheme of things? That's the minority of owners though and, much like the range/road trip thing, people are basing their purchase on a less-than 1% use case rather than the 99% daily commute which is what they should be doing. The same person doesn't go out and buy a 1-ton dually for the less-than 1% of the time they need to haul home a bunch of lumber but that's basically how they compare EVs for whatever reason. It makes zero sense to me but it's the world we live in where Tesla does nothing to combat this inability to think logically when it comes to EVs.
Actually, yes, yes they do. The number of SUVs and trucks sold that have single or 2 people in them is staggering. I understand your point but in many states that person DOES buy either that Dually, or, alternatively, An Escalade / Suburban, X7 etc, because "my wife and I have a baby and are about to have another, I need a 7 seater vehicle to carry all this stuff!"
I wanted to get a wall connector with the 8½-foot cable. Went to Tesla website and found it listed for $500 but it’s sold out. I went to look on eBay and found the majority for sale there are 18-foot versions, but there were a few with the shorter cable. Most of them seem to be going around $800–$850. I had a similar experience when I wanted the NEMA 14-50 adapter. They were usually not available from Tesla, but they were always available on eBay at scalper’s prices. I agree that these are luxury/convenience items that most people don’t need, but that is sort of a digression that doesn’t let Tesla off the hook. This is not how buying accessories should work.
I plan to install a HPWConnector for these reasons-- - They are fully rebated from my electric company, and I can install it myself as the raw drop hookup is already there from a previous owner who had a leaf. It's a no brainer from that alone. - It is cool and looks cool - I can keep the 110v adapter in my car for when i'm on the road. - I have no existing 240v plug - As for just using the 110v plug, I'm sure someone will correct my terms here, but I understand charging at 240v (using a Wall Connector or otherwise) will be cheaper energy wise as less will be "lost"/Wasted due to charging AC vs DC conversion loss over time. A 110v plug, while it would definitely fill me up overnight 90% of the time, may cost me more due to the conversion losses. Of course, i could install a $40 240v plug to work around this, especially since I have the drop already, but it's still a thing. But it's certainly good to tell EV newbies that they don't really need it since it's one more reason they may balk at EVs.