What kind of home charger to get?

[Borgholio]

I plan on reserving a Model 3 on April 1st and I've started thinking about all the secondary stuff I need to take care of when I finally switch from an ICE to an EV. The big question for me right now is what kind of home charger to get? I know I have four options:

1. Plug into a 120v outlet (useless for day to day charging)
2. Plug into a 240v outlet (less expensive install than a wall-charger, but incompatible with most other EVs out there since not all of them support 240v charging)
3. Get a Tesla wall charger (looks slick and can go up to 80 amps, but incompatible with any other brand of EV, and costs $750 on top of the wiring work)
4. Get a 3rd party EV charger and use the J1772 adapter for the Tesla (would be compatible all around but may not be as good looking or reliable as the Tesla charger)


So, question to you all (especially those who have already paid for wiring), which option would be the best for me if I potentially may need to charge other EVs besides the Model 3 in the future? Or should I just go for the most cost-effective option for my Model 3 and cross the other bridges only if I come to them? Thanks!

 

[Twiglett]

I plan on reserving a Model 3 on April 1st and I've started thinking about all the secondary stuff I need to take care of when I finally switch from an ICE to an EV. The big question for me right now is what kind of home charger to get? I know I have four options:

1. Plug into a 120v outlet (useless for day to day charging)
2. Plug into a 240v outlet (less expensive install than a wall-charger, but incompatible with most other EVs out there since not all of them support 240v charging)
3. Get a Tesla wall charger (looks slick and can go up to 80 amps, but incompatible with any other brand of EV, and costs $750 on top of the wiring work)
4. Get a 3rd party EV charger and use the J1772 adapter for the Tesla (would be compatible all around but may not be as good looking or reliable as the Tesla charger)


So, question to you all (especially those who have already paid for wiring), which option would be the best for me if I potentially may need to charge other EVs besides the Model 3 in the future? Or should I just go for the most cost-effective option for my Model 3 and cross the other bridges only if I come to them? Thanks!

The most expensive part is getting the 240v at 40 amp or better run into your garage. Most third party EVSE's have an option to plug into something like an L6-50.
I'd wait to see what Model 3 comes with

 

[rnelsonee]

Tesla says for Model S, the 14-50 NEMA is about 29 miles of range per hour, and the Tesla wall connector is anywhere from 6-53 miles of range per hour. For me, I'm planning on getting an electrician to put a 14-50 NEMA outlet by my driveway, as 29 MOR/hr should be plenty, and if we ever get another EV we can figure that out then (should be easy just to step down the voltage anyway).

So the 240V solution requires a bit more upfront work (I'll probably have to rewire some parts of the house). But it will work well for all overnight charging, and I don't think most of us will ever drive 200 miles in one day and then really need to drive 100 more in the next hour, unless we're on the road and then supercharging is available.

 

[TexasEV]

How about waiting until the Model 3 details are announced and see what Tesla recommends for this car? There's plenty of time to install whatever you would need for charging.

 

[gocken2]

I got a 14-50 NEMA plug put on both sides of my garage. Almost all home J1772 chargers can be installed using the 14-15 NEMA plug. Just make sure the panel or sub-panel is big enough to handle the continuous loads of the option you choose.

 

[Doug4650]

One thing to think about. For my taxes for 2015, I didn't get the tax break for installing the charger. But I think that if the Model S and the charger were in different tax years I would have gotten both. My 240 volt / 30 amp outlet (limited by the current service to the house) cost about $1,100 and the tax break would have been about a third of that.

 

[ecarfan]

I am certain that the Model 3 will charge the same way as the S or X in terms of the adapters that come with the car.
If you don't need a charging speed of over 30mph I recommend installing a 14-50 plug that can deliver 240V/40A.

 

[Mad Hungarian]

Funny this came up tonight, I was just surfing around not an hour ago trying to figure out whether my current panel will support adding anything beefier than a NEMA 14-50. I'd love to get the Tesla wall connector but I don't see the point of spending that kind of money unless I can use the higher charge rates it can supply.. I have a 200 amp entry on a modest size home (2000 sq.ft.) that runs an 18kW heat pump and the usual stuff, washer, dryer, stove, water heater. No other big draws. Anybody know if I can add an 80 amp 240V breaker to that? If so would there be any room left to still add a 14-50 in case the wife decides to get a Volt? (Anxious type, won't go pure EV. Yet :smile:,)

 

[Brad_SC]

My intention is to have a NEMA 14-50 installed with the wiring for a Tesla Wall Connector. That way I can get decent home charging speed up front, and then after my income tax return comes in I'll remove the NEMA 14-50 and install the Tesla Wall Connector in its place.

 

[GKwey]

I just finished installing NEMA 14-50 outlet in garage today for MS, but for M3 this is the one you need too. From electric panel on the back of the house, through attic and across the garage ceiling to the receptor on the other side of wall is ~75' of wires in metal conduit, all for $1,200. If you are in Los Angeles area and can't find cheaper electrician I can provide his contact information. He did excellent job and worked very efficiently--the whole job by him alone only took 6 hours. Now I can charge ~30 miles per hour at home. Life can't be better.

 

[S'toon]

This would be my solution. It plugs into a NEMA 14-50 plug (or other plug types), and can be used for pretty much all EVs.
https://www.evseadapters.com/evseupgrade/evse-charger

 

[tga]

2. Plug into a 240v outlet (less expensive install than a wall-charger, but incompatible with most other EVs out there since not all of them support 240v charging)

All L2 chargers are (by definition) 240V. What EV doesn't support 240V charging?

 

[Sp4rky]

I ended up getting a GE Wattstation for the ol' Chevy Volt. After having to wait 12 hours for a charge on the standard outlet, I realized I could use near zero gas with a level two charger. I'm not super electric savvy, but it cost $599 and the install cost was only like $180. And I was able to claim it on my taxes, so it may not be a Tesla charger, but "My garage is ready." It is a bit loud though, but I don't spend much time in my garage.

 

[Twiglett]

A few years ago I got a hardwired J1772 EVSE installed. At the time it felt like the right thing to do, but now its too restrictive.
The costs of the units are dropping while the features are increasing. At least with a plugged unit you can switch it out yourself with to costly electrician involvement.

The other upside to installing a 14-50 is that you can avoid the "price loading" that some companies add for doing EV work.
If you ask for a quote for an RV outlet some folks have reported getting lower prices.

 

[Borgholio]

All L2 chargers are (by definition) 240V. What EV doesn't support 240V charging?

I read that some cars like the Volt / Bolt and the Leaf don't support 240v with their standard mobile charger cable that comes with the car, only Tesla actually does that. So if you want to plug into an outlet, it has to be 120v or nothing.

 

[Az_Rael]

I like ClipperCreek's products if you are going to go J1772, they are inexpensive and reliable. I have a 20 amp L6-30 (twist lock) plug in model for my Volt currently.

I think the key for maintaining versatility is to run the wires for the highest amperage you can, even if your current EV can't take advantage of it. My Volt can only charge at a low amperage, but I had them run a 60-amp capable wire and fuse setup when I had them install it. So when I get my Model 3, I can just swap out the EVSE and/or change the wall plug style to something the Tesla supports and I will be able to hopefully charge at a decent rate.

- - - Updated - - -

I read that some cars like the Volt / Bolt and the Leaf don't support 240v with their standard mobile charger cable that comes with the car, only Tesla actually does that. So if you want to plug into an outlet, it has to be 120v or nothing.

This is correct. The Volt and Leaf come standard with 120V EVSEs. You can add a 240V one to the Leaf, but you have to buy third party for the Volt. Should be interesting to see what Chevy includes with the Bolt at the end of this year.

I doubt that the Model 3 will only come with a Level 1 capable EVSE just because of the battery size. A Volt can get away with it because you can get a full charge overnight on Level 1.

 

[McRat]

I read that some cars like the Volt / Bolt and the Leaf don't support 240v with their standard mobile charger cable that comes with the car, only Tesla actually does that. So if you want to plug into an outlet, it has to be 120v or nothing.

The 2016/2017 Volt strangely has a 120/240 Clipper Creek board inside. If you supply the hot and the neutral with 240v nominal (or 208), it charges at L2. So an adapter will make it plug into 240 outlets. The adapter is simple to build, you buy a foot of cable, a 120 female, then the 240 male of your choice. Then you can use either 120 or 240/208. Hidden feature, my guess is for easier Euro compatibility.

 

[Trev Page]

I'm going to order a HPWC to be hard-wired outside as we only have a single space garage in our townhouse. The Tesla will live outdoors and my wife can keep her precious never-driven VW inside

 

[McRat]

I'm still puzzled why oh why did EVERYBODY in the EV industry forget that in the USA, 277vac 1ph is a very common source in commercial buildings and parking lot lights.

It would have taken virtually NOTHING to make L2 accept 277vac. It's already rated at 265. Lack of foresight, and engineers who did not know about non-residential wiring.

The on-board chargers would have weighed and cost the same, but when hooked to 277vac they would charge 10% faster.

 

[Borgholio]

So it sounds like the best idea would be to get the 240v outlet installed. It will work natively with the mobile charger on the Tesla, and if we ever had another brand of EV we could get a L2 charger that just plugs into the 240v outlet.