What charging options do I have?

[dtrance]

New to the tesla family. I just picked up my model 3 performance after waiting 7 weeks.

Without having to upgrade service or the panel, what options do I have? Attached is a picture of my panel with 100A service. Ideally I'd want to install a wall connector but I am thinking this will require major upgrades. A 6-15 up to 14-50 would suffice as my requirements are miniscule with a .8 mile commute to work. I ride my bike on nice days. Nevertheless I want the optimal charging capacity my panel would support. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[JCD300G]

Disclaimer - I am not a licensed electrician and knowing your overall load and balance in the panel is important. That being said adding a circuit breaker is not a big deal. I have 200 amps and I didn't have enough space. I got some duplex Eaton 15 amp breakers that would work in my ITE panel and made 4 circuit breaker spots turn into 2 spots and freed up a space for a 60 amp 240 volt breaker - same type as the ones in the bottom of your panel, I just got the 60 amp breaker for max charging. Obviously I shut off the Main Breaker and double checked everything with a voltage meter. I then connected the Tesla wall mounted charger to that with some #6AWG romex that was properly secured with fittings and run through stud.. I will only be charging at night, so though I've added 60 amps of demand, it will only be used at night and the only things on would be the furnace, water heater, refrigerator and a few small items - but even these aren't on all the time. No more than 80 amps of night time draw for these items. I did it for about $100 worth of parts. You can charge with from your dryer outlet with an adapter, but it will just take longer. Having said all of that, I don't even have my Model 3 yet - it arrives next week but I wanted to be ahead of the game. I'm sure there will be some that take issue with this approach as you could cause a breaker to pop if someone turns on something unexpected. Not sure that helps but there you go. I'm still learning as well...

 

[Runt8]

If your panel is able to use tandem breakers you will be able to double up some of the current breakers and make room physically for another 240 breaker. So then question is one of load. In general you'd want to hire an electrician to do a load calculation to determine how large of a circuit you can add. 100 amp service doesn't provide much overhead, especially since you already have a few 240 loads in place.

 

[MrMassTransit]

You will need to do a load calculation to determine what your panel can support.

The being said, if you want to maximize capacity with 100A service, something like a DCC-10 is an option.

 

[Sophias_dad]

I doubt that panel can take much more load, given the 30/30/40 amp duplex breakers...and every breaker being unlabeled means we'd just be guessing at what they are(oven/dryer/AC ?) and where they belong in the load calculations.

But that's only a guess, maybe you can get 15-20A at 240 volts, you won't know until you or your electrician does the load calculations.

 

[jnichols959]

maybe you can get 15-20A at 240 volts, you won't know until you or your electrician does the load calculations.

I'm in a similar situation to you: 100A panel that's pretty full. Like everyone else said, it's about the specifics of your panel and your capacity, which we don't know. I was able to use tandem breakers to move four smaller circuits (15A) from four slots to two. Then I added a 30A breaker and wired a 14-30 outlet to my driveway. I bought the 14-30 adapter from the Tesla shop and use the mobile connector that came with the car. I doubt you need the larger 50A circuit given what you've shared of your planned driving/charging. Even a 30A circuit gets 22 miles per hour for a Model 3. Gen 2 NEMA Adapters

 

[woodguyatl]

New to the tesla family. I just picked up my model 3 performance after waiting 7 weeks.

Without having to upgrade service or the panel, what options do I have? Attached is a picture of my panel with 100A service. Ideally I'd want to install a wall connector but I am thinking this will require major upgrades. A 6-15 up to 14-50 would suffice as my requirements are miniscule with a .8 mile commute to work. I ride my bike on nice days. Nevertheless I want the optimal charging capacity my panel would support. Any advice is appreciated.

The a Wall Connector does not require any upgrades that a 14-50 would not require and comes with some added convenience and features.

 

[focher]

A .8 mile commute? Why even buy a car? Just kidding. I have no idea on your personal needs.

The Wall Connector can be adjusted down to fit whatever your panel will provide. But I'd even just stick with the 110V for such minimal usage. If you really have a need for period faster charging, just installed the 14-50 and buy the adapter for the Mobile Connector.

 

[tps5352]

Any advice is appreciated.

Welcome. Some questions, the answers of which may help people advise you:

1. Can you share with readers what general uses are associated with each existing numbered breaker (especially the big ones). (E.g., Breaker occupying Spaces 1 & 3 is for the dryer, 2 & 4 the electric range, 5 & 7 the electric furnace, etc.)?
   
   
2. Are any of the breakers not being used? (For example, in my modest 100-amp total home I have a 240-volt circuit (breaker, wires, and kitchen receptacle) that is no longer used, since I switched from an (240-volt) electric to a (120-volt) gas range.) (If so, you can switch that breaker off, or even remove/substitute it.)
   
   
3. Where will you charge the car (garage?) and where is your breaker panel located (also garage?)? How close will the breaker panel be to the charging connector device (wall connector or plug-in receptacle)?
   
   
4. Do you have any fast charging facilities (e.g., Supercharger, CHAdeMO) nearby?
   
   
5. Do you have any other charging opportunities (e.g., at work).
   
   
6. How many drivers will be using the car?
   
   
7. Are you a do-it-yourselfer or would you hire an electrician to perform all work?
   
   
8. You implied that the car will be for short commutes and, I assume, normal around-town errands. Will you occasionally want to drive longer distances?
   
   
9. Do you have prior experience owning/driving electric vehicles? Are you coming to the Model 3 directly from driving an ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicle?
   
   
10. Will this be your only car, or will you also have an ICE vehicle in the family?

Finally, you mentioned having only modest driving needs. I would not under-estimate that. I predict that you will love the Model 3, and once fully familiar with its features and performance will actually want to use it more than other cars. (Plus, your friends will all want rides.) And, there can be emergencies (as we are all finding out). Having a fully-charged car at home as often as possible is, I think, important.

Hope you enjoy the experience.

 

[user212_nr]

A 6-15 up to 14-50 would suffice as my requirements are miniscule with a .8 mile commute to work. I ride my bike on nice days. Nevertheless I want the optimal charging capacity my panel would support.

If you do simple math, with a 100A panel, a 14-50 outlet leaves you 50A for the rest of your house. That is equal to 6 electrical outlets all run at full power at the same time.

For a very small home, 50A will suffice, but since you do not need the power it is actually smarter and more forward-looking to install the smaller 6-15 outlet. Or get the 200A upgrade.

Remember, the car charges while you sleep. If it finishes before you wake up, there is no great advantage (you will save a few pennies in efficiency).