Wall connector and nema 14-50. Overkill?

[psquare]

I know this question had been beaten to death and I know the difference of using nema 14-50 vs wall changer but my question was more if I install both the nema 14-50 inside my garage for use in winter when I put the car in the garage and the wall charger outside for use well when the car is outside the rest of the months. The reason I am considering installing both is the government gives us a grant of 600$ on chargers.


Originally I was going with only the wall charger inside and when the car would be outside I would pass the wire under the garage door but not sure if that’s good for the wire plus I would have to open the garage door every time. However, since the difference is not much I was just thinking of going with setup has mention before.


What do you folks think?


Thanks for any suggestion

 

[MY-Y]

I just put in both. I had to cut a couple of holes in my drywall to route the wires anyway, so I figured why not add a connection for possible additional EV while we were in there. I used 4/3 just in case I ever needed the neutral. In hindsight, I would use 4/2 for both and put in a 6-50 instead of a 14-50; 4/3 is a bear to work with.

You can use 6/3 for the 14-50 or 6/2 for a 6-50 to save a little and make it easier to run. I used 4 gauge just in case I wanted the option of replacing the outlet with a Tesla HPWC in the future (and use the full 48 amp capacity - 60 amp breaker). Make sure you keep extra wire above and in the box if you want this option. (You only need ~6" of wire in a box for a 14-50 vs ~10"+ for the HPWC.

 

[Janus]

When visiting the in-laws (which is usually a week+ affair), I plug the mobile connector inside their garage, and run the cord under the door. Never seemed too tight a fit. Then I had something outside to rest the connector on. That way, when I unplug, I have somewhere to rest the connector on (that's not the ground).

 

[user212_nr]

my question was more if I install both the nema 14-50 inside my garage for use in winter when I put the car in the garage and the wall charger outside for use well when the car is outside the rest of the months.

I think that you have it backwards. Install the wall connector on the OUTSIDE of the house. Reason is that the wall connector is officially a water/weather resistant enclosure. The mobile connector also works fine outside, it is just more likely to break.

You do have a slight contradiction between wanting the wall connector in one case, and a 14-50 in the other case, I understand that is just a budget thing. Obviously it looks nicer inside of the garage, but installing both 14-50 inside and out, or both wall connectors makes a lot more sense to me.

You also have the option of using the garage in the summer.

 

[jerry33]

Having both is a good plan because the Wall Chargers have been known to fail (not very often, but redundancy is something a belt and suspenders man would do). Also you may get another Tesla or have someone visit that needs a charger. 14-50 on the inside and Wall Charger on the outside makes sense because the Wall Charger is outdoor rated. (I'd still want a covering to keep the worst of the rain off. Outdoor rating does not mean perfect in a torrential downpour.)

 

[psquare]

Perfect I was just curious to see what current Tesla owners would think of this setup so this confirms it. I will install a NEMA 14-50 plug inside and wall charger on the outside (I already had plans to try to put some kinda little roof over to protect it from snow and rain)


Thank you all for the feedback

 

[RoBoRaT]

Having both is a good plan because the Wall Chargers have been known to fail (not very often, but redundancy is something a belt and suspenders man would do). Also you may get another Tesla or have someone visit that needs a charger. 14-50 on the inside and Wall Charger on the outside makes sense because the Wall Charger is outdoor rated. (I'd still want a covering to keep the worst of the rain off. Outdoor rating does not mean perfect in a torrential downpour.)

This exactly. NEMA 14-50 is my back up should the HPWC fail - since I charge daily for my 160 mile commute. Plus one time install for future proofing for #2 EV which exactly my set up now. I plug both cars and schedule to charge one after the other - wake up in AM both ready to go.



PS: mind the orientation of the NEMA 1450 outlet - some electrician install them sideways or any kind of way. Also, I should have put the outlet to where I have enough clearance to stow the length of cord.

 

[psquare]

This exactly. NEMA 14-50 is my back up should the HPWC fail - since I charge daily for my 160 mile commute. Plus one time install for future proofing for #2 EV which exactly my set up now. I plug both cars and schedule to charge one after the other - wake up in AM both ready to go.

View attachment 556580

PS: mind the orientation of the NEMA 1450 outlet - some electrician install them sideways or any kind of way. Also, I should have put the outlet to where I have enough clearance to stow the length of cord.

View attachment 556581

So to future proof it all what amperage did you put on the nema plug? I know it’s rated at 50 amps but I was thinking of putting 60 amps in case one day I want to switch it to a HPWC. So I would add two 60 amp breaker one for HPWC and other for nema. You think it’s good? Should I go higher?

 

[UncleCreepy]

You can use a wire for 60 A or more, but if you install a NEMA 14-50 outlet the maximum breaker size is 50 A. If you ever replace the outlet with a wall charger, you can then replace the breaker with whatever is appropriate for the WC and wiring.

 

[psquare]

You can use a wire for 60 A or more, but if you install a NEMA 14-50 outlet the maximum breaker size is 50 A. If you ever replace the outlet with a wall charger, you can then replace the breaker with whatever is appropriate for the WC and wiring.

Okay so I would use wires for 60 amp but use a breaker for 50 to in regulation. Is 60 good?

 

[RoBoRaT]

I was actually was on future proof overkill at the time. My neighbor licensed electrician was nice enough to run cable wire gauge rated for 80A for the HPWC and 60A for NEMA and not charge me extra for cost and difficulty working the thicker wires.

Only to have both breakers put down to 60A and 50A to meet my House Load cap when I installed Solar Panels and Battery Storage. Still they are future proofed. So, choose wisely. GL.

 

[UncleCreepy]

Okay so I would use wires for 60 amp but use a breaker for 50 to in regulation. Is 60 good?

60 A should be good since this is the maximum for the gen3 HPWC. Obviously I can't predict what future battery and onboard charger sizes will be. It might be good to have, but I don't think it's really necessary. I have the gen3 HPWC and I'm getting about 71 km/h which is plenty. I could easily recharge the battery from 0-100% overnight, but I doubt that will ever happen.

 

[P3dStealth]

I have my charging cable going under my garage door right now. It doesn't do any damage. I randomly decide not to pull the car in sometimes for whatever reason.

Can't really see the point of the wall connectors but if you have money to waste why not I guess.

 

[psquare]

I have my charging cable going under my garage door right now. It doesn't do any damage. I randomly decide not to pull the car in sometimes for whatever reason.

Can't really see the point of the wall connectors but if you have money to waste why not I guess.

it’s not money to waste has I said in my initial post I get a 600$ government grant for a HPWC

 

[P3dStealth]

it’s not money to waste has I said in my initial post I get a 600$ government grant for a HPWC

From where? I get a rebate from my power company but Tesla is not included in the program because it doesn't allow them to sync and read it.

I think the federal rebate applied to the outlet in the garage even which would mean you could cover installation costs instead of just the wallcharger

 

[psquare]

From where? I get a rebate from my power company but Tesla is not included in the program because it doesn't allow them to sync and read it.

I think the federal rebate applied to the outlet in the garage even which would mean you could cover installation costs instead of just the wallcharger

Quebec. It used to be for the installation but now it’s for the chargers itself.

 

[P3dStealth]

Quebec. It used to be for the installation but now it’s for the chargers itself.

Yea they should change that because our chargers are actually built into the car. The wall charger isn't really a charger at all like it is for other cars.

 

[MY-Y]

My HPWC + backup 14-50 was handy today. My new MY was ramping up to 17 amps then back to zero over and over for some reason. I figured there might be an issue with the HPWC. I was able to plug in to the 14-50 and saw it did the same thing, so the car was the issue.

Fortunately, a reboot of the car fixed it. I probably should have done a fresh boot after taking delivery anyway.

 

[jerry33]

Yea they should change that because our chargers are actually built into the car. The wall charger isn't really a charger at all like it is for other cars.

As far as I know, all J1772 connections rely on the car's inboard charger regardless of car brand. L2 is A/C charging, so the car has to convert it to DC.

 

[P3dStealth]

As far as I know, all J1772 connections rely on the car's inboard charger regardless of car brand. L2 is A/C charging, so the car has to convert it to DC.

Yea you are right I should change delete that post before people read it and my bad info spreads lol.

Our car comes with a charger in the trunk though you could say you already bought the Tesla mobile connector with the car