What is your alternative to spending $1500+ on the Wall Connector and a dedicated 240v line?

[JSergeant]

I had a NEMA 14-50 outlet installed when I first got a Model S back in 2013 - I think it cost about $400 for installation, which was probably a rip-off since it is right next to the breaker panel in the garage. I charge the S using that, set to 30 amp, because I don't need to charge at max speed and the cable stays cooler that way. My wife got a Model 3 in January and we just charge that on a 115 V outlet, which has been perfectly adequate for the amount of driving she does. Her UMC stays plugged into the 115 V outlet.

I used to carry the UMC with me on long road trips in the first couple of years when Superchargers were few and far between, and actually used it a few times, in 115 V outlets or at an RV park. The last couple of years I usually haven't bothered carrying it on road trips unless I am aware of a specific need - like last year I drove from Binghampton, NY to Erie, PA before the Erwin, NY SpC opened. We were staying overnight at a hotel in Alfred, NY. I needed to add some range to be able to make it to Erie, and as it turned out, the hotel had a 115 V outlet near the kitchen entrance which they let me use. If that hadn't worked out, there were some Level 2 chargers in various towns on the way (which wouldn't have needed the UMC, just the J1772 adapter.)

Otherwise, I never carry the UMC, it just stays plugged into the NEMA 14-50. The idea of unplugging it every day and carrying it back and forward sounds unappealing.

I've driven about 127,500 Model S miles, a large part of that on road trips around the US & Canada.

 

[brkaus]

My home cost is 25c/kWh. I am not worried about the cost per kWh, but I am trying to figure out if the additional investment in charging hardware is needed. I am not worried about paying 25c/kWh at home, I am concerned that my time at home will be sufficient to charge up at low current. It probably will, but the wife equates any plugged wire with a fire hazard, and the projected outlet being under the kiddos bedroom, I will never hear the end of it if the car sits plugged in 15 hours a day.

I don't feel like it is any different than any other item in the house. Much less dangerous than a tank of gas (we had a car catch on fire in the garage when I was a kid, luckily we pushed it out and the drive sloped down so it went away from the house).

But I can also appreciate that it may not be possible to change spouse opinion.

Plugging at a restaurant being theft. You misunderstood. I mean destination charging when a restaurant, mall, coffee shop, big box store installs an L2 charger in order to attract my business.

Got it.

I do think about starting out at 120v for the first few weeks. We'll see.

If there is adequate other charging, I would try this. Also, if you have 20a circuits buy the 5-20 adaptor. Or, as I mentioned above, see if there are any dedicated garage circuits that can be converted to 240v.

I have a new, and no less interesting problem now. The charge port is on the left. The outlet (either existing 120v or new NEMA 1450) will be on the right garage wall. Will I hate dragging the UMC around the or over the top of the car?

I have the wall connector. I back into the garage (Model S) - driveway shape makes it difficult to pull in forward. The wall connector is on the wall by the front passenger headlamp. The WC cord will reach all the way around the front of the car to the back charge port. Not ideal, but I only charge every 3rd night so it isn't that much trouble.

Before I put in the wall connector, the temp 14-50 was in the same spot. I used Heavy-duty NEMA 14-50R extension cord for Tesla, 20 ft. to reach around the back of the car and left the EVSE cord on a box by the charge port. That combo was a bit longer so I could go around the back easily.

I've been considering suspending the cord from ropes from the ceiling. Haven't messed with it yet. I would not let the cord touch the paint due to scratch danger.

 

[FlyinLow]

I use 120V charging at home for daily driving. At most my commute is 40 miles round trip, so charging 14 hours at 3 mph covers it. I leave the charge cord at home plugged in.
Line loss is more than if I had 240V, but the 14-50 install was going to be $1500 with a 45’ run between my breaker box and garage. I might be moving in less than a year, so the installation of 50A (40A usable) wasn’t worth it to me.
I charge to 70% which is plenty of reserve if I have to run errands. My car is typically plugged in at home for more than 14 hours most days so I can catch up over a few days if needed. Also, there’s a Super Charger about 20 miles from my house near where I shop, so if necessary I can stop by for 20 min to catch up while shopping.
If I wasn’t moving or my panel was much closer to my garage I would bite the bullet and put in an HPWC to save wear and tear on my portable charge cord. Convenience and the ability to charge for a trip from home overnight would be nice.

I’ve carried my charge cord on trips over 100 miles, but in 2000 miles this year of cross country driving I’ve not used it once. The super charger network is fantastic. Tesla 30A destination chargers at hotels are nice too in a pinch. Just ask the front desk.

Some tips I’ve read when researching charging specifics:
1. Try to keep your average state of charge (SOC) around 50% for a given day. 60-40, 70-30, etc. (TEDx)
2. Charge so your battery reaches the desired SOC shortly before driving for best performance. This helps even more in cold climates. (Manual)
3. Avoid 100% and 0% if possible for longest battery life.
4. Charging to above 94% every six months will help keep cells balanced. (TMC)

Enjoy your new car. Read the owners manual, research these topics for yourself, relax and drive. Grab PlugShare, ChargeHub and EV Trip Planner info before long drives for piece of mind.

 

[Shock-On-T]

Where are you getting 10 cents? On a separate EV meter maybe, but he is on the same meter. His generous household usage without the car puts him in the highest price tier at 45 cents if he were to charge the car at home.

He should shop around. I'm in Sydney Australia and 2 minutes googling got me 12c night rates with Edison Southern California. Shame my extension cord won't reach...
Time-Of-Use Residential Rate Plans | Rates | Your Home | Home - SCE

 

[hacer]

I bought the HPWC months ago; a bargain off e-bay for an essentially brand new unit. Got many quotes for an installation all ranging around $2k. Significant Other hemmed and hawed over the expenditure. Car arrived and now I charge the poor thing with a 120v/15a circuit. A massive 4m/hr charge rate. It's plugged in charging anytime it's parked at home.

I mean, I guess I shouldn't complain. I got the car of my dreams, and the charge rate is net positive at the end of the day. So this is my alternative until the situation changes sometime in the future.

Were you trying to get 100A service to the HPWC? It can be connected to 240V with as little as 15A service; If it is a really long wire run, your electrician might be able to just sacrifice an existing 120V outlet's wiring for the HPWC by re-wiring that as a 240V 15A service at the panel so long as it's not daisy chained. That will slightly more than double your charging rate (more because the efficiency of the charger is better with 240V). Many people try to max out the HPWC current for no good reason. Even if you need to run new wire, it might be significantly cheaper to get a lower current run.

 

[RyanDe]

Just went through this. My plan was to get the NEMA plug and use the charger but after seeing what it looks like (ugly) and the fact that it would be out in the rain/snow all year I decided to get the wall charger. My decision was made easier when I found out my electric company offers 50% rebate on parts/install so the charger is $250 and I'll install it myself. It's getting installed about 5' from the breaker so that's easy too.

 

[DriveMe]

When shopping for an electrician, I found two things:
1. Electricians who are “Tesla trained”, tend to charge higher rates, than those who are equally qualified, but not specifically trained by Tesla.
2. Fixed-price quotes are often overpriced.

I was lucky enough to find an electrician from Tesla recommended list, who bills on a time and materials basis. And since my install was relatively straightforward, the total cost was around $500 (at $69/hour + $59 service call + materials). Another $500 for the HPWC, so the total cost was around $1000 + tax.

I could only do a 50 amp circuit at my house. Still, I opted for HPWC for convenience and for the safer and more reliable (hardwired) connection. I am happy with my choice. I keep my UMC in the car at all times just for the peace of mind, though I never use it.

 

[jaguar36]

I'm also in the 14-50 outlet with a the UMC semi-permantly installed. I never take it with me unless I have some specific use in mind. Don't need it for J1772 public chargers.

I have a new, and no less interesting problem now. The charge port is on the left. The outlet (either existing 120v or new NEMA 1450) will be on the right garage wall. Will I hate dragging the UMC around the or over the top of the car?

I have two Tesla's sharing one outlet, so I'm usually dragging the cord to the other side of the car, its not a big deal. You could always put the cord on a boom like one guy did .

Unless you're only going to be in your house for a year or two its not worth trying to deal with the hassle of 120V/15amp charging. Just install a 14-50 and enjoy the car!

 

[Webeevdrivers]

Destination charging does not use the UMC.

Why not?

 

[docherf]

Why not?

Destination chargers already have the Tesla cable. You just plug it into your car. Similar to HPWC.

 

[jbcarioca]

People tend to have overkill for home charging, so it seems to me.
I put an extra breaker in the swimming pool board in my condominium building. That gave me 30amps 208 volts. Then I used a Tesla connector ($200 from Tesla, but not on their website IIRC) to eliminate adapters for my car. Using 208/30 I never have an issue with inability to charge overnight because I always am in teh garage at least 10 hours between significant trips.

Unless your daily two-way-commute exceeds your useful range anything 208/30 or above will do the job easily.
As @FlyinLow points out, for most uses 120v works quite well. I had only 110v for the first six months I owned my S. I was panicked, but could not immediately install more. frankly that was quite adequate. I changed primarily because I could and wanted the Tesla connector.

It is most useful to keep your car connected always when you can. Any connection at all, even in deep winter, will keep the phantom at bay. In warmer conditions 110 can yield 3-4 mph range.

Of course always remember that:
- some is good: 110v
-more is better: HPWC with 100amps/240v
-only too much is enough: (Tesla does sell private Superchargers from time to time)

 

[Webeevdrivers]

Destination chargers already have the Tesla cable. You just plug it into your car. Similar to HPWC.

Ok. I think I am looking more at the definition of destination chargers rather than a “Tesla destination charger”. So around here there are commonly public receptacles (usually 20 or 30 amp) with clearly marked “EV charging only” signs that provide destination charging to whatever EV needs them...as long as you have your EVSE with you. Within 50 km of me I can think of 2 hospitals, a college campus and a university campus that have EV charging available using this low cost approach. Works well. All are free.

 

[arcus]

UMC connected to 14-30 in the garage. I keep J1772 adapter in the car IF I ever need to top it up (haven't found a reason yet, other than checking out the new ChargePoint at the outlet mall).

When my signature HPWC arrives I will consider to run a dedicated circuit for it.

 

[ponzu]

He should shop around. I'm in Sydney Australia and 2 minutes googling got me 12c night rates with Edison Southern California. Shame my extension cord won't reach...
Time-Of-Use Residential Rate Plans | Rates | Your Home | Home - SCE

Thank you for trying to be helpful. We have all looked into these rates. 12c night charging will come at a price of 48c for day use. As I mentioned, his household energy use is already excessive even with the EV out of the equation. He will be going from bad to worse if he switched to Time-Of-Use plan. He could save in the long run by installing a second meter, but the payoff time is about 3 years. Sounds to me like he solved his charging needs. I hope he does not kick himself too hard for installing HPWC he does not use.

 

[DarthPierce]

Ok. I think I am looking more at the definition of destination chargers rather than a “Tesla destination charger”. So around here there are commonly public receptacles (usually 20 or 30 amp) with clearly marked “EV charging only” signs that provide destination charging to whatever EV needs them...as long as you have your EVSE with you. Within 50 km of me I can think of 2 hospitals, a college campus and a university campus that have EV charging available using this low cost approach. Works well. All are free.

Dedicated EV spots that aren't Tesla aren't going to use the UMC/EVSE either. All you need is the J1772 adapter that comes with the car (it's basically like 3 inches of plastic to move where the pins are). The UMC aka EVSE is used when plugging into an outlet somewhere.

 

[TexasEV]

Dedicated EV spots that aren't Tesla aren't going to use the UMC/EVSE either. All you need is the J1772 adapter that comes with the car (it's basically like 3 inches of plastic to move where the pins are). The UMC aka EVSE is used when plugging into an outlet somewhere.

You’re missing what @Webeevdrivers said entirely. He was referring to 20A and 30A electrical outlets (receptacles) to plug an EVSE into, not J1772 charging stations. This must be a Canadian thing— I’ve never seen a bank of electrical outlets for EV charging as he described.

 

[Webeevdrivers]

You’re missing what @Webeevdrivers said entirely. He was referring to 20A and 30A electrical outlets (receptacles) to plug an EVSE into, not J1772 charging stations. This must be a Canadian thing— I’ve never seen a bank of electrical outlets for EV charging as he described.

Yah. I’m not sure if I would call it common but some places have made facility for EV charging just by putting in 20 amp 120 volt dedicated plugs, protected from weather, clearly marked as EV charging only. It is a nice gesture on their part although at only 120 volt 20 amp obviously limited. I haven’t paid attention outside of our area much but if you look at plug share and include wall plug in your search you may find other locations that have done this. Like I said, within 50 Km of us there are 4 such location. One of them actually has a 240 plug as well. Breakers co-located. Kinda cool. We have used this type of set up a few times, but we always have an EVSE with us...and a 15 foot 12 gauge extension cord.

 

[ReddyLeaf]

I guess I wanted to hear that it's possible to get by with just a 115v outlet at home, but so far I am not hearing that.

That's exactly what I've been doing for 3 years now. I leave the UMC plugged into the wall 24/7 and only put it in the car when taking a vacation trip and going off the SC network. Since I drive much less than 50 mi/day, and our electricity is $0.07/KWh with no TOU, adding a station seemed like overkill. I also have a Leaf, charging on a separate 120 V circuit, for my in-town needs. Finally, my electric panel is in the basement, 100 ft away and through two concrete walls so I didn't even bother getting a quote.

 

[abasile]

One way of taking advantage of $0.12/kWh overnight in SCE territory, without having to pay $0.48/kWh during peak hours, is to install a Powerwall or two. For most people, though, it'll only make sense financially if you have another reason to want a Powerwall system, which in our case is to back up all circuits in our home in the event of an outage.

Thank you for trying to be helpful. We have all looked into these rates. 12c night charging will come at a price of 48c for day use. As I mentioned, his household energy use is already excessive even with the EV out of the equation. He will be going from bad to worse if he switched to Time-Of-Use plan. He could save in the long run by installing a second meter, but the payoff time is about 3 years. Sounds to me like he solved his charging needs. I hope he does not kick himself too hard for installing HPWC he does not use.

 

[ReddyLeaf]

I have a new, and no less interesting problem now. The charge port is on the left. The outlet (either existing 120v or new NEMA 1450) will be on the right garage wall. Will I hate dragging the UMC around the or over the top of the car?

Unfortunately, that's my exact situation as well. I pull in (steep driveway so I cannot back in) and the plug is on the wall next to the front passenger bumper, pretty much the worst place possible. I rigged up a hook and a bungee cord to hang the cord diagonally over the car. It works perfectly, but does look a bit goofy. I "could" swap the positions of the two cars, but I use the Leaf daily so it's a better fit next to the kitchen door. The Tesla only gets pulled out for longer drives, typically out-of-town.