Wall Charger and Outlet Installation

[sr1nath]

Hi All,

I am new to the forum, please bear with me. I am not comfortable with anything electrical.

My MX 90D is confirmed for 9/23 delivery. I need some inputs regarding the home charging.

I called few electricians including the one listed on Tesla site. They were quoting anywhere between $500 to $1000 for the 240V outlet. I am confused when they gave me options of 50amps or 100apms line. Apart from price, what is the difference and what is recommended?

Also, electrician is going to install just the outlet. The wall charger will come with Tesla at delivery. Is it just plug-and-charge or do I need electrician again to install the charger?

 

[goneskiian]

Here you go. I hope this helps...

FAQ: Home Tesla charging infrastructure Q&A

 

[TexasEV]

You really need to spend some time on the Tesla charging web page.
Tesla Charging | Tesla
and then come back with your specific questions.
Which charger are you getting in the car- 48 or 72A?
Are you buying HPWC or talking about the UMC?

 

[David29]

I agree that the references are good to read, but I will try to give a summary.

It boils down to two questions. The first is: Did you order the option for the 72 amp charger in your car? If not, the 50 amp outlet will most likely be fine. It will allow you to charge at 40 amps. Technically, you could charge your car at 48 amps (20% faster) with the standard charger in your car, but the difference will probably be insignificant so long as you charge every night and do not travel unusually far each day. You can gain about 28 miles of range per hour of charging. So you can get enough charge for about 200-240 miles (more or less) with 8 hours of charging at home while you sleep.

So the second question is: How many miles do you typically drive in a day? If you usually drive less than 200 miles in a day (most people drive less than that), then you should be able to charge enough to meet your needs overnight at a 50-amp outlet.

On the other hand -- most of the electrician's cost is labor. So if the difference between 50 and 100 amps is within your budget, I would spring for the 100 amp circuit. You might need it or want it some day. (Maybe for a second car or if your driving needs change.) For now, the 100 amp circuit can still have just a 50 amp outlet on it, and you'll probably be happy as I said above.

Clarification in terminology: The "wall charger" does not come with the car. What comes with the car is called a "Universal Mobile Connector," or UMC. The UMC consists of a cable with a box built into it. It allows you to plug your car into either a 110 volt outlet (which you most likely will never do) or the 240 V 50 amp outlet the electricians will install at your house. The "box" on the cable allows the car to "talk" to whatever it is plugged into so the car can charge at the right rate. It also provides some safety features. It allows you to charge the car at up to 40 amps.

IF you decide at some point that you want to charge at the full 48 amps, or IF you purchased the option to charge at 72 amps, then you would need the "Wall Connector" to fully utilize the extra capacity. The Wall Connector is sold separately by Tesla. And you would need an electrician to install that.

Just to be clear, if you did buy the 72 amp charger for your car, you can still use the 50-amp outlet with the UMC. You do not have to use a Wall Connector. But you will charge at the 28 miles/hour rate.

I hope that is clear and helpful!

 

[sr1nath]

Thanks David29 for detailed reply. I did some reading to understand as much as can.

I have ordered the X with standard 48 amp charger. A 50 amp outlet installed, with included UMC should be good for now. I would be charging overnight at home, so should fine.

Looking into the future, if there is a need to upgrade, I want to make sure I am doing it right. For that, I have to upgrade the car to 72 amp charger (not sure HW or SW upgrade), get upgraded connector and use 100 amp line.

I am thinking of having 100 amp line installed with 50 amp outlet. I will use UMC for now.

Thanks again for your time.

 

[David29]

Sounds like you got the right idea!
Glad I could help.

 

[goneskiian]

Thanks for taking the time to reply David.