Third party charger vs nema outlet

[dc644561]

Hi All,

I have the nema 14-50 outlet in my garage and am considering buying chargepoint/tesla charger etc but I'm also struggling to understand why I would need one of these vs just buying the $35 nema 14-50 accessory from Tesla and connecting my included tesla charging wire directly to the outlet?

I understand there is a little convenience factor if you want to keep the tesla charging cable accessory in the car when traveling vs leaving in your garage but is there any other reason?

 

[zannman]

Hi All,

I have the nema 14-50 outlet in my garage and am considering buying chargepoint/tesla charger etc but I'm also struggling to understand why I would need one of these vs just buying the $35 nema 14-50 accessory from Tesla and connecting my included tesla charging wire directly to the outlet?

I understand there is a little convenience factor if you want to keep the tesla charging cable accessory in the car when traveling vs leaving in your garage but is there any other reason?

The mobile connector will be limited to 32A. If you choose any other J1772 EVSE as a secondary, it will also be limited to that. Only the wall connector can charge at 48A on a 60A circuit.

Some may also mention an additional failure point in the 14-50 plug/outlet that you have to monitor for heat issues developing. Other than those issues, no real reason.

I personally have a 30A J1772 EVSE connected via NEMA 6-50 that I've been using for several years and cars. Convenience to leave the mobile connector in the car is nice, and I can live with slightly slower charging at home.

 

[jcanoe]

Hi All,

I have the nema 14-50 outlet in my garage and am considering buying chargepoint/tesla charger etc but I'm also struggling to understand why I would need one of these vs just buying the $35 nema 14-50 accessory from Tesla and connecting my included tesla charging wire directly to the outlet?

I understand there is a little convenience factor if you want to keep the tesla charging cable accessory in the car when traveling vs leaving in your garage but is there any other reason?

The Tesla Mobile Connector w/NEMA 14-50 plug adapter may be all you need. I found that the 18ft length of the charging cord provided with the Tesla Mobile Connector is too short. In my garage, to reach the charging port on my Model Y I need at least a 24ft charging cord. If you decide to use the Mobile Connector be sure to purchased a wall bracket for the Mobile Connector, don't let the Mobile Connector hang supported by the power plug. Tesla sells a charging cable hanger kit that includes a separate wall mount bracket for the Mobile Connector.

 

[NJEV-Don]

The mobile connector will be limited to 32A. If you choose any other J1772 EVSE as a secondary, it will also be limited to that. Only the wall connector can charge at 48A on a 60A circuit.

Some may also mention an additional failure point in the 14-50 plug/outlet that you have to monitor for heat issues developing. Other than those issues, no real reason.

I personally have a 30A J1772 EVSE connected via NEMA 6-50 that I've been using for several years and cars. Convenience to leave the mobile connector in the car is nice, and I can live with slightly slower charging at home.

i have a ChargePoint Home Flex with a NEMA 14-50 outlet that charges at 40 amps. Not limited to 32 amps.

 

[P3dStealth]

I too have a chargepoint and with a 14-50 outlet I charge at 40amps. Hardwired it can do 48.

Personally I have it because my electric utility gave me $550 to buy it and they use it as a meter to give me 5 cents back per kw of charging.

If that was not the case I would just be using the mobile connector and a 14-50 outlet at 32amps.

 

[meh_]

I was in the same boat as you. In a perfect world I would love the tesla wall charger but I don't drive enough that I need the extra MPH that the wall charger gives over the 14-50.

My install bill was already high since my panel is so far from my garage that I chose to save the $500 and just use the mobile connector. I got the little wall hanger and cable organizer (I bought the tesla one but it looks like I could have saved 90% on amazon) and just use the mobile connector as a permanent charging solution.

 

[Puma2020]

I have just the 14-50 outlet and use the mobile charger.
it's worked fine for 6 months now.
When I got the 14-50 installed, I placed it near where the Y would be parked.
Yes it is limited to 32A but that is more than enough to fill it up before I go on another long trip.

 

[Enadler]

I've used the Mobile Charger with a NEMA 14-50 outlet for almost 8 years and have been perfectly happy with the results. As you noted the only issue is that I need to remember to take the charger with me if I am doing a road trip.

 

[M3BlueGeorgia]

Hi All,

I have the nema 14-50 outlet in my garage and am considering buying chargepoint/tesla charger etc but I'm also struggling to understand why I would need one of these vs just buying the $35 nema 14-50 accessory from Tesla and connecting my included tesla charging wire directly to the outlet?

I understand there is a little convenience factor if you want to keep the tesla charging cable accessory in the car when traveling vs leaving in your garage but is there any other reason?

You only need to take the mobile charger with you when on a road trip.

Most of the time it'll stay plugged-in to the wall outlet.

 

[SSedan]

I like to advocate a backup charging solution, might be a neighbors house, workplace charger, public, or what I did was install a wall connector and made my UMC the backup, a second UMC could be a good backup too.

 

[patnshan]

I have the 32 AMP Axfast charger from costco. Bought it because of the almost 25 ft cable and the ability to keep my mobile charger in my car at all times. It charged at 31 miles per hour in my garage that is 32 degrees. Plenty fast for me.

 

[spdracer888]

...but is there any other reason?

It seems there are really two reasons to hardwire instead of a NEMO:

1. plug is too far away for the charger to reach.
2. you want to charge at 48 amps - max rate for home charging for the car.

 

[jcanoe]

It seems there are really two reasons to hardwire instead of a NEMO:

1. plug is too far away for the charger to reach.
2. you want to charge at 48 amps - max rate for home charging for the car.

3. When you install the Tesla Wall Connector, hardwired as intended, then it becomes weatherproof. The Wall Connector can be installed for use outdoors without concern for rain etc. A power plug is never going to be fully weather rated; the Tesla Mobile Connector is not designed for prolonged exposure to water.

 

[jsight]

I'm not sure if its been mentioned, but third party chargers often come with energy monitoring. I think the new Tesla Wall Connector might add this, but AFAIK it isn't currently enabled.

But you definitely do not "need" one. I currently just use the included mobile connector.

 

[2101Guy]

i installed my own 14-50 outlets in my garage. One directly under my garage breaker box and since I have access to my garage attic, was able to run the 6/3 electrical cable up the wall above the breaker box/across the attic floor/down the other wall to an outlet. Using the mobile chargers for both our Y and our S. Per Teslas guidance, we simply plug in each night. Both are set to 85% limit. 100amp circuit for the garage so plenty of electrical capacity, but I still stagger the charging throughout the night using the scheduled timers. I also set the amps down from 32 to about 25amps simply because I dont need the speed and less heat on the wall connector/outlet is a good thing. For our requirements, we have zero need for the $500 wall connector option.

I might start to take one along on road trips, but for our usual road destinations, there are multiple SC's along our routes and I've never taken the mobile charger off the wall to go with us. But what the heck, I might do that next trip just for extra caution.

 

[spokey]

I bought the Tesla holster and hook. I plugged the mobile connector in and haven't unplugged it yet. If I start taking so many trips that unhooking it and putting it in the car becomes burden (I highly doubt it), I'll buy a second mobile as the cheaper alternative. As far as 32 vs 48A, of course your needs will vary, but you can go from pretty empty to full overnight.

 

[threeputts]

Summarizing possible reasons and adding one:

1. Longer Cord.
2. Faster charging rate.
3. Weatherproof.
4. Can leave UMC in car for trips.
5. If you have more than one Tesla multiple wall connectors can load share.

For me none of those reasons justify a wall unit over the adapter, ymmv.