Wanted, 40A 14-50 home charger @ reasonable price

[IraB]

I recently get a 14-50 outlet installed on a 50A line in my garage and I have been using it with the Tesla mobile charger. I get about 29 MPH with it which is fine. However, I am planning some road trips this summer and I would like to bring the mobile charger with me on those trips. This led me to think about a more permanent home charging solution to minimize plug / unplug cycles on the 14-50 socket. In addition, I know I can get a 40A charger which will give me a 25% boost in charge speed.

Based on this, a quick search reveals that Tesla sells a 40A charger for $520 (out of stock, but likely back someday). The JuiceBox Pro is $549, and Clipper Creek has a charger for $600+.

By contrast, there are several "no name" or at least "names I don't recognize" models offered in the $350 price range. Are there any of the no name models that have good track records with Teslas?

TIA

 

[Eno Deb]

Remember that you'll probably want an additional J1772 adapter ($95) if you want to use a non-Tesla EVSE.

If you're happy with the speed of the UMC and it's only about the convience of having a UMC in the car without un-/plugging, I'd actually recommend getting a second one. The price recently dropped to $275 (probably because it doesn't include a 14-50 adapter anymore), which is pretty much unbeatable.

 

[ewoodrick]

Just buy an extra UMC and leave it plugged in at home. Much cheaper ($275) and performs quite well.
On the road, you'll be using Superchargers. And you'll be using J-1772, NEMA 14-50 and finally 15A or 20A 120V plugs at hotels or other destinations.

 

[TexasEV]

No reason to be concerned about plugging/unplugging for a few road trips per year. That’s what everyone using a UMC at home for the past 5 or 6 years has done.

 

[eprosenx]

Just buy an extra UMC and leave it plugged in at home. Much cheaper ($275) and performs quite well.
On the road, you'll be using Superchargers. And you'll be using J-1772, NEMA 14-50 and finally 15A or 20A 120V plugs at hotels or other destinations.

Tesla should make a J1772 version of the UMC just to spite all the other vehicle manufacturers and sell it for $275. Then all the Chevy Bolts and other EV's would be running around with Tesla UMC's since it is so versatile and cost effective. ;-)

Of course the J1772 handle end may be more expensive to produce than the Tesla handle end (not really sure), but there is the licensing cost issue do deal with on J1772. I wonder how much of the cost that represents?

Naturally they won't do this since they have their hands full with everything else, but I think it would be hilarious. I don't understand why EVSE's are so expensive. They are not exactly complex to make (though maybe the GFCI circuitry is the most expensive along with the contactor/relay).

 

[nwdiver]

By contrast, there are several "no name" or at least "names I don't recognize" models offered in the $350 price range. Are there any of the no name models that have good track records with Teslas?

TIA

A friend with a Model 3 got a 'Mustart' off amazon for ~$350. He likes it so far but rarely uses it. He bought it to get a 8A boost vs the 32A UMC when he's traveling and needs to use a 14-50. In my experience I rarely get the extra 8A since most of the 14-50s I've encountered are wired such that the car won't let me pull the full 40A AND regular 40A pulls off mobile EVSEs seem to shorten their life. Might be better off sticking with 32A or buying something larger for home like a 40A clipper or Juice Box with a 14-50 pigtail. OR you could add a pigtail to a HPWC.

 

[hcdavis3]

No reason to be concerned about plugging/unplugging for a few road trips per year. That’s what everyone using a UMC at home for the past 5 or 6 years has done.

I found a UMC that came with 14-50 adapter on eBay. It now stays in the trunk, and the UMC and and adapter that came with the car stay plugged in at home.

 

[Federico]

Which Tesla Model 3 do you have? the SR/SR+/MR wont' charge more than 32A, now if you have the LR, then you can charge up to 48A.
There are other brands like ChargePoints which have good reviews.

 

[CWFLY]

I have a 2018 M3 long range (310-ish miles).

50A breaker allows 40A load, so I could potentially charge at 36 MPH.
But UMC is limited to 32A, so I could potentially charge at 29 MPH.
But my condo is wired at 208V 3-phase (not 240 volts) so I actually charge at 24 MPH.

I'm trying to do all my charging when the rates are lowest (12am-6am) but often I need a bit more than 6 hours to replenish.

And as long as I'm buying a new charger... are there any that can recognize what car is attached (like the superchargers do) so that other people cannot steal my electricity when I'm gone.

 

[TexasEV]

Paying a few cents more per kWh for a few kWh once in a while will cost you much less than any charging station you might install.

 

[cbutters]

I have a Juicebox Pro I would sell you for 350. PM me.

 

[IraB]

In the spirit of pioneering adventure, I decided to try an Openevse kit. I'll report back on my results.

 

[fr100]

Sounds like buying a second UMC is the best decision.

 

[CWFLY]

Paying a few cents more per kWh for a few kWh once in a while will cost you much less than any charging station you might install.

It's a good point and very true for most cities. But I live in San Diego.

SAN Diego:
9 cents / kWh --> Midnight - 6am
28 cents / kWh --> 6am-4pm, 9pm-Midnight
52 cents / kWh --> 4pm-9pm <--- I know... hard to believe!!!

I need to put almost 290 miles back on my car. That's 12 hours @ 24 MPH. But the low rates (9 cents) only last 6 hours. So another 6 hours are at higher rates (28 cents / kWh).

So roughly 6 hours (35 kWh) are needed at the 28 cents / kWh. That's $ 0.28/kWh * 35 kWh = $10 per night.
If I do this once a week (50 times per year), it can cost me $500/year. (I don't do it that often, so for me perhaps only $150/year)

So yeah, not exactly pennies in Southern California. In any other state (Texas, Arizona, Washington, Florida, .... etc.) as you say, the difference is pennies.

 

[Federico]

I have a 2018 M3 long range (310-ish miles).

And as long as I'm buying a new charger... are there any that can recognize what car is attached (like the superchargers do) so that other people cannot steal my electricity when I'm gone.

I saw an EV charger (AeroVironment TurboDock) at Miami International Airport (valet parking) that use TurboDock, you need the app and a pin code in order to work, but AFAIK is the commercial version, so the cost will be around $1,200. The ChargePoint you can setup which time you will enable the charger, that way it will be only available from 9pm to 9am or something like that (you can control that trough the app/website).

 

[P-Lo801]

50A breaker allows 40A load, so I could potentially charge at 36 MPH.
But UMC is limited to 32A, so I could potentially charge at 29 MPH.

To clarify, the Gen1 UMC goes up to 40A, correct? So other than the HPWC, the fastest a LR 3 can charge at would be 36-37mph with a UMC?

 

[YellyYeti]

What is the difference between the Gen 2 Mobile Connector Bundle at $275, and the Corded Mobile Connector at $520? Certainly the inclusion of the 14-50 adapter does not make up the price difference? Has anyone actually bought the $275 version?

 

[MrMassTransit]

What is the difference between the Gen 2 Mobile Connector Bundle at $275, and the Corded Mobile Connector at $520? Certainly the inclusion of the 14-50 adapter does not make up the price difference? Has anyone actually bought the $275 version?

The Corded Mobile Connector charges at 40 amps (80% of 50 amps) as I understand it. The Gen 2 bundle is the same connector included with the car and charges at a max of 32 amps. Essentially the corded mobile connector is a solution for those who want faster charging than a UMC but want to keep their 14-50 instead of going to an HPWC.

 

[Bill Foster]

Had good luck with the Open Source EVSE

 

[IraB]

And of course the corded mobile has a fixed 14-50 plug rather than the interchangeable plugs of the Gen 2 mobile.