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Thunderstorms and Texas electricity plans

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Hi Everyone

I am waiting for the delivery of MS in October and meanwhile I decided to see if my electricity plan is comparable to others:


Questions:

1. Question to everyone who owns Tesla: I read few old threads in the forum and I am aware that it is relatively safe to charge MS when there is thunderstorm and lightning but are there any caveats?

2. Question to people who own Tesla in Texas:

My electricity provider is Reliant and when I informed them that I will be charging my MS at home I was told to contact Oncor with whom I have placed service request: They will come to my home next week to check and what needs to be done:

Does anybody have cheaper plan than Reliant? Reliant recommends installing a new meter.

Does anybody in DFW Metroplex use third party chargers like nr eV go? Some charging stations require membership

Here are few intercepts from Reliant :

I bought an electric car want to charge it
XX: so wanted to know about the off peak hours in my plan
Jesus: Your current plan does not have any off-peak hours. It is charged at 5.0 cents for the first 1,000 kWh and 8.5 cents for anything over 1,001 kWh regardless of time of day you use it at.
XX: can you email me this info
XX: how about if it exceeds 2000kWh
Jesus: It will be charged at 8.5 cents per KWh. Says for example you use 2,100 kWh for the month. The first 1,000 kWh will be charged at 5.0 cents per kWh and the remaining 1,100 kWh will be charged at 8.5 cents per kWh. Anything you use over 1,000 kWh will be charged at 8.5 cents per kWh.


In average I use about 600 kWh per month. Not sure how much I will be using when I charge my MS. I plan to drive about 90 miles each day round trip.

Thanks
 
I'm in an electric cooperative, so I'm not the best one to give the ultimate answers, but:

I have Blink & Chargepoint cards, but I use them infrequently -- manly to confirm plugshare.com data is correct.

If I could choose utilities, I'd probably go with Green Mountain because of their renewable energy plans, but given your question, I would look at TXU's free nights plans. If you're not home during the day, it seems like you could fuel the car for free. Free Electricity All Night | TXU Energy Free Nights

Don't forget about the http://www.powertochoose.org site. It lets you compare rates from all of the deregulated providers.
 
I read few old threads in the forum and I am aware that it is relatively safe to charge MS when there is thunderstorm and lightning but are there any caveats?

It's always possible to get unlucky. That's what insurance is for.

My electricity provider is Reliant and when I informed them that I will be charging my MS at home I was told to contact Oncor with whom I have placed service request: They will come to my home next week to check and what needs to be done:

Most folks just get their electrician to wire for either a UMC (NEMA 14-50 and 50 amp circuit), HPWC (100 amp circuit), or both if you are a belt and suspenders person. The reason to get the electric company involved is if you believe the electricity in your neighbourhood or to your home is sub-par. They are just checking the local transformer and the circuit run to your house. The reason to get one of the other EVSEs is because you have another EV that can't use the Tesla HPWC.

Does anybody have cheaper plan than Reliant? Reliant recommends installing a new meter.

There is no difference in the electricity used by an EV as compared to anything else. They have been replacing old meters with smart meters for some time now, but an EV isn't a primary reason to do so other than you can get detailed readings more easily, or you want to go on a TOU plan that some providers offer.

To get the current rates from electric providers in your area see Power to Choose.

Does anybody in DFW Metroplex use third party chargers like nr eV go?

The charger(s) are in your car. eVgo is just an EVSE (fancy plug with ground fault). No reason to use one of these unless you also have a non-Tesla EV. Either go with a NEMA 14-50, HPWC, or both (going with both shouldn't add much to the installation cost). Either will fill your car up overnight regardless of the number of miles you drive during the day.

In average I use about 600 kWh per month

What you don't say is the size of your panel. If you have anything larger than a 150 amp panel, you'll be fine based on your average electricity use. Charging the Tesla is not that energy intensive over the course of a month. Driving 3000 miles in a month (90 miles * 31 days * 300 Wh/mile, rounded up) will use about 900 kWh and at 9.7 cents per kWh will be about $105 (there is about a 15% charging overhead from the number displayed on the dash).
 
It's always possible to get unlucky. That's what insurance is for.

You mean home insurance or auto insurance? Does home insurance cover any damages if something goes wrong during charging in a thunderstorm?



Most folks just get their electrician to wire for either a UMC (NEMA 14-50 and 50 amp circuit), HPWC (100 amp circuit), or both if you are a belt and suspenders person.


I am planning to get both installed if I get a good quote.



The charger(s) are in your car. eVgo is just an EVSE (fancy plug with ground fault). No reason to use one of these unless you also have a non-Tesla EV. Either go with a NEMA 14-50, HPWC, or both (going with both shouldn't add much to the installation cost). Either will fill your car up overnight regardless of the number of miles you drive during the day.

Yeah my mistake ....I understand chargers are in my car....I was wondering if I took a trip to Houston or somewhere if I had to use third party charging stations like eVgo and most of them are requiring some membership plans..
 
1. Question to everyone who owns Tesla: I read few old threads in the forum and I am aware that it is relatively safe to charge MS when there is thunderstorm and lightning but are there any caveats?

Unless you really need to leave it plugged in, why risk it? I always unplug my cars when there's lightning about as it's just not worth the hassles and inconvenience, even with insurance cover.
 
What you don't say is the size of your panel. If you have anything larger than a 150 amp panel, you'll be fine based on your average electricity use. Charging the Tesla is not that energy intensive over the course of a month. Driving 3000 miles in a month (90 miles * 31 days * 300 Wh/mile, rounded up) will use about 900 kWh and at 9.7 cents per kWh will be about $105 (there is about a 15% charging overhead from the number displayed on the dash).

Hi Jerry33

Sorry not an electrical person

I have scanned the home inspection report that was done almost 3 years ago... let me know what you think:

The electric panel is less than 5 feet away from near by outlet:
 

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I'm in an electric cooperative, so I'm not the best one to give the ultimate answers, but:

I have Blink & Chargepoint cards, but I use them infrequently -- manly to confirm plugshare.com data is correct.

If I could choose utilities, I'd probably go with Green Mountain because of their renewable energy plans, but given your question, I would look at TXU's free nights plans. If you're not home during the day, it seems like you could fuel the car for free. Free Electricity All Night | TXU Energy Free Nights

Don't forget about the http://www.powertochoose.org site. It lets you compare rates from all of the deregulated providers.

^ what he said, I shop around for a new power provider each time my agreement expires (normally every 6 months, but it varies), the PowerToChoose site makes that very easy. No risk, changing provider is very simple. For me the cost of the TXU plan still didn't net out, the daytime rate was quite a bit higher than others, so even if I switched some heavy loads to the nighttime (dryer, pool, car etc) it still didn't net out for me. My current plan is 6.8c, and 7.3c for anything over 2000 kwh.
 
Hi Jerry33

Sorry not an electrical person

I have scanned the home inspection report that was done almost 3 years ago... let me know what you think:

The electric panel is less than 5 feet away from near by outlet:
With a 200 amp main, you shouldn't have any problem adding a NEMA 14-50, but a there might not be enough head room for a 100 amp HPWC circuit. And it looks like you only have room for one more double-pole breaker in that box. You'll probably need to redo the wiring, or install an additional meter and breaker box to support a HPWC.
 
I have scanned the home inspection report that was done almost 3 years ago... let me know what you think:

You have a 200 amp service so, as Supersnoop said, there's no problem with a NEMA 14-50. The HPWC would also work if you set it for a lower amperage (this is done when the electrician installs it--there are dip switches). In other words, you won't be able to get the full 80 amp charging without changes to the electrical service. However, the only time you need the full 80 amps is if you drive over 200 miles a day and have to go somewhere in the evening on a regular basis. There are few people that do that amount of driving--although there are some.

The reasons why you might want the HPWC are:

1. The cable is longer.
2. The cable is heavier.
3. It's hardwired so there is no plug to wear out or come lose.

Right now I just have the NEMA 14-50 but sometime in the not too far future, I'll add the HPWC.
 
The reasons why you might want the HPWC are:

1. The cable is longer.
2. The cable is heavier.
3. It's hardwired so there is no plug to wear out or come lose.

Right now I just have the NEMA 14-50 but sometime in the not too far future, I'll add the HPWC.

If you don't have twin chargers but want some of the advantages of the HPWC - how about a Clipper Creek HCS-60? 25' cord, hard wired, cheaper than a Tesla HPWC, even if you buy an extra J1772-Model S adapter to leave plugged into it. I'm seriously considering going that route.
 
Interesting ...one question though...if something goes wrong ... Will TESLA say that somebody used unauthorized Clipper Creek instead of HPWC so will not cover battery warranty?

You can charge your car any way you like, from 120V 15A all the time up to superchargers all the time, or anything in between. Charging from a J1772 charging station is one of those in betweens. I don't know why someone would want to, but that's up to the owner.
 
If you don't have twin chargers but want some of the advantages of the HPWC - how about a Clipper Creek HCS-60? 25' cord, hard wired, cheaper than a Tesla HPWC, even if you buy an extra J1772-Model S adapter to leave plugged into it. I'm seriously considering going that route.


Can I get away with my current electric panel configuration if I buy Clipper Creek HCS-60 or does it need same configuration like HPWC?