Would greatly appreciate electric guidance!

[bigdsaver]

Hello fellow M3 owners!!

I'm wondering if there are more creative solutions for accommodating a 14-50 NEMA charger? A couple of electricians took one look and immediately opted for upgrading my panel for $4-$6K, which is not what I want to spend. I understand that there is no room for additional breakers, but was wondering if our brilliant community had any suggestions for cheaper alternatives? Thanks in advance, have a great day y'all! I have a 100 amp panel.

 

[Petrlol]

Where's your actual panel and what other high amperage items do you have?

 

[David99]

That's just the main disconnect from the grid. Find the actually breaker panel.

See if there is room for a 50 Amp breaker. If not, it might be possible to eliminate some that are rarely used and make room.

 

[MrMassTransit]

I have a 100 amp panel and the electrician did a load calculation and determined I could accommodate a 30 amp breaker. If I wanted to do more than that I’d have to get a device that manages energy to the charging circuit based on the overall panel demand. Do you have any 220v outlets near your garage? I’ve seen switches that can allow you to switch between a dryer and charging so you don’t need to install another breaker if panel space is really an issue.

 

[22522]

Change to LED lights...

 

[COrocket]

A 50 amp 14-50 outlet may not be feasable on a 100 amp panel depending on how many other appliances are hooked up to the panel. If not, I would ask about getting a 20 or 30 amp outlet installed instead. Even a 20 amp outlet will replenish close to 200 miles of range per night. This is usually sufficient for most EV owners.

 

[ivan801]

I've been using 20A 240V connection for about 4 months now. Works great for me. My daily commute is 60 miles, with a lot of extra driving.

 

[Magnets!]

I have 100A panel and had no room, but electrician was able to make room and install a 50A breaker for Tesla wall connector. Depends how much load you have. If you have central AC and electric range 50A might not be doable. I have gas range and all my lights are LED.

 

[Sophias_dad]

As others have stated... unless you drive a lot every day, you really don't need that much charging. 20 or maybe 30 amps is all the general community needs, IMHO. You'll see 19(or 26) miles of charge added per hour at those two current levels, so 12 hours of overnight parking is 228 or 312 of charge. You aren't in a cold environment, so you shouldn't need to worry about that penalty for use or charging. If you are getting a less-than-long-range, the onboard charger is limited to 32 amps anyway.

In many panels, you can put in tandem circuit breakers to double some/all slots. You or your electrician should be doing a real load calculation(not measurement) to determine what you can reasonably add.

Switching to a gas range/oven/dryer will save 30 amps right there, if that's an option.

 

[ewoodrick]

Move to a new house?

Upgraded service is always going to be expensive.
Look for lower power charging alternative. For many people a 120V 15A or even better 20A plug works well.

 

[bigdsaver]

Where's your actual panel and what other high amperage items do you have?

Great question - actual panel is in the house where a backyard separates the house and detached garage. There's a dryer, 2 fridges, and dyson air purifier taking up the most amperage.

 

[bigdsaver]

I have a 100 amp panel and the electrician did a load calculation and determined I could accommodate a 30 amp breaker. If I wanted to do more than that I’d have to get a device that manages energy to the charging circuit based on the overall panel demand. Do you have any 220v outlets near your garage? I’ve seen switches that can allow you to switch between a dryer and charging so you don’t need to install another breaker if panel space is really an issue.

I wish - the nearest 220v is in the house (i have a detached garage, then a backyard, then the actual main house). the distance is 100ft but the wire will be exposed to the elements unless I drill something underground (too expensive so no thanks)

 

[SoundDaTrumpet]

I wish - the nearest 220v is in the house (i have a detached garage, then a backyard, then the actual main house). the distance is 100ft but the wire will be exposed to the elements unless I drill something underground (too expensive so no thanks)

Are you saying that your detached garage has no power? I find this hard to believe considering you have a meter on the panel shown. Please elaborate.

Switching bulbs to LED does not help the NEC load calculation. Lighting loads are based on square footage of residence.

It's all about the NEC load calc. Generally speaking square footage is a small knob compared to other major appliances (e.g. 100% A/C, 40% electric range, 40% dryer/over (big to small) Method 2). EV charging is the full 100%. To keep charging loads lows, I would recommend installing a NEMA 6-20. A NEMA 6-20 is more than twice the charge rate as the built in 5-15 that come with the car. It is a 220V outlet and will be more efficient power conversion (saves $), and will evenly load both legs of the house. NEMA 6-15 is an option too. I am planning to do so for backup power charging.

As for the upgrade, is this just to retrofit panel with distribution, or is it to upgrade to 200A? Is your service overhead or underground?

 

[woodisgood]

Is your main panel perchance a Federal Pacific? That would be one reason (aside from upselling) that several electricians want to do the whole shebang.

 

[SMAlset]

What is that panel to the garage powering? Can't tell what breakers you have there from the photo.

 

[eladts]

Switching to a gas range/oven/dryer will save 30 amps right there, if that's an option.

Switching from ICE to EV and then switching from electric to gas-powered appliances is a bit counter-productive, don't you think?

 

[bigdsaver]

Are you saying that your detached garage has no power? I find this hard to believe considering you have a meter on the panel shown. Please elaborate.

Switching bulbs to LED does not help the NEC load calculation. Lighting loads are based on square footage of residence.

It's all about the NEC load calc. Generally speaking square footage is a small knob compared to other major appliances (e.g. 100% A/C, 40% electric range, 40% dryer/over (big to small) Method 2). EV charging is the full 100%. To keep charging loads lows, I would recommend installing a NEMA 6-20. A NEMA 6-20 is more than twice the charge rate as the built in 5-15 that come with the car. It is a 220V outlet and will be more efficient power conversion (saves $), and will evenly load both legs of the house. NEMA 6-15 is an option too. I am planning to do so for backup power charging.

As for the upgrade, is this just to retrofit panel with distribution, or is it to upgrade to 200A? Is your service overhead or underground?

The garage has 3 110V outlets but no 220V outlets, as that is in the house.

 

[bigdsaver]

The garage has 3 110V outlets but no 220V outlets, as that is in the house.

The upgrade is to retrofit panel to accomodate more breakers. Service is underground as well. Thanks for your input!!

 

[bigdsaver]

What is that panel to the garage powering? Can't tell what breakers you have there from the photo.

That panel is powering the entire house, where there is an additional panel inside the house but is far away from the detached garage.

 

[SoundDaTrumpet]

The garage has 3 110V outlets but no 220V outlets, as that is in the house.

Are the breakers for the garage 110V in the house panel? You may have buried conduit existing and possibly . The 1" or 1-1/4" conduit to the house looks full and perhaps filled with #3 or #2 wire.

The upgrade is to retrofit panel to accommodate more breakers. Service is underground as well. Thanks for your input!!

From a PG&E standpoint, this is not a service upgrade. The cheapest thing to do is add a subpanel to get distribution into the garage. You could install a compact main lug only subpanel and feed the house with a 100A branch breaker. Your home loads could be at the breaking point, so don't be disappointed if you can't get a 50A circuit for the Model 3. Tesla sells lower amperage adapters if you are intent on using the Mobile Connector. The only unknown is if are are able to tie into the 100' wire run without needing to pull new wire. Your service conduit looks to support 200A service, so if the quote includes new service to 200A, that's a deal.