Would it be dumb to NOT install a charger at my house? (Dallas)

[Nguyenning]

I paid $200

Really? My circuit breaker is in my laundry room... and garage is detached up the driveway from there about 50 feet I'd say. Sounds like it'd be an expensive job, but I really have no idea. My garage has power to the garage door opener... but honestly don't think any outlet plug in there works.

 

[rjcbox]

It's great to just pull into the garage and plug into the HPWC each day, have a full charge (80 or 90% if you choose) in the a.m. - one of the greatest things about going electric. You'll get sick of having to pull out the Mobile charger each day as well. And you shouldn't leave the Mobile charger in the garage as a solution to this, as it should always be with the car

 

[PhaseWhite]

It doesn't make sense to spend $50k on a Model 3 only to skip out on the $500 for getting a high power charger. That's literally 1% of the purchase price of the car. Surely you can spare that for the added convenience of not having to sweat about charging the car?

 

[Got-EMF]

A standard 120v wall outlet will most likely be more than adequate for your usual commute. Many people enjoy their new car so much that they look for excuses to go drive it. This of course requires more charging time and also means that you are away from charging while driving more. It takes a long time for the new to wear off! I don't know what the Supercharger rate is, but I can't imagine that it would be that much more expensive to use it once or twice a month if needed. If you're mostly a homebody on the weekend, you can catch up on charging then if needed. It's not the destination, but the journey. Welcome to the Tesla family and enjoy the ride!

 

[Maximilien]

I agree that if the commute is very short and will move in the near future, 120V outlet is all needed.
While installing the charging system would raise the price of home, some buyer may not care at all if they are not into EVs.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

Also you used to be able to write off the install of the charging station labor and supplies.. Not sure they have extended this to 2018 yet, the credit for all property placed in service at your main home is generally the smaller of 30% of the property’s cost or $1,000.


US retroactively extends tax credits for charger installations, electric motorcycles and fuel cell vehicles through end of 2017 (Updated)

Form 8911, Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit | Internal Revenue Service

 

[dgpcolorado]

...You'll get sick of having to pull out the Mobile charger each day as well. And you shouldn't leave the Mobile charger in the garage as a solution to this, as it should always be with the car

I disagree. Many Tesla owners do fine with a 14-50 outlet and UMC for home charging and some do ok with 120 volt charging, as mentioned by others above. No need to unplug the UMC and carry it in the car unless going on a long trip (to charge at RV parks, if needed).

With Supercharger Stations and J1772 charge stations (plugshare.com) available in most places, carrying the UMC in the car is a holdover from the days of "range anxiety." Leave the UMC plugged-in at home unless going on a road trip.

 

[TexasEV]

It's great to just pull into the garage and plug into the HPWC each day, have a full charge (80 or 90% if you choose) in the a.m. - one of the greatest things about going electric. You'll get sick of having to pull out the Mobile charger each day as well. And you shouldn't leave the Mobile charger in the garage as a solution to this, as it should always be with the car

No it shouldn’t. The M (Mobile) in UMC is a capability, not a requirement. Mine have been plugged in and hanging on a hook in the garage for more than five years, except when I’m going on an out of town trip. Same with most of the tens of thousands of Tesla owners who charge this way. There is no possible “emergency” that would require the use of a UMC in daily driving. For those who make up a scenario about having to take a long trip suddenly, aren’t you going to stop home first?

I do agree one of the greatest things about going elrectric is having a full (usually 90%) charge every morning, but that’s just as easily accomplished with a NEMA 14-50 outlet and UMC as it is with the HPWC (Wall Connector).

 

[SageBrush]

Really? My circuit breaker is in my laundry room... and garage is detached up the driveway from there about 50 feet I'd say. Sounds like it'd be an expensive job, but I really have no idea. My garage has power to the garage door opener... but honestly don't think any outlet plug in there works.

As I said earlier, you can keep the cost down by cutting the trench yourself.

 

[SpiceWare]

My garage has power to the garage door opener... but honestly don't think any outlet plug in there works.

The ceiling outlet for my garage door opener has an unused socket.

Its likely that one of your garage outlets has GFCI test & reset buttons. Find which one and hit reset, that should return power to all of them.

 

[MuleTrainBill]

I have a new M3 and charge just fine with a 20 AMP outlet. Read about a Model S that has been in rental service for over 3 years and always charged L3 Superchargers. This caused the battery to fail and is now on its 3 new battery. Tesla now recommends not to use Superchargers exclusively for charging for better battery life.
.

 

[SageBrush]

This caused the battery to fail and is now on its 3 new battery.

That is only one small part of the story:

• It is a very high mileage car used as a commercial taxi between Los Angeles and Las Vegas
• Charged up to 100% twice daily

I agree that frequent Supercharger use did not aid the battery, but it is hard to tease out the Supercharger contribution from the rest of the context. I'll also point out that even that type of car use still ended up with about 200k miles per battery.

 

[TexasEV]

I have a new M3 and charge just fine with a 20 AMP outlet. Read about a Model S that has been in rental service for over 3 years and always charged L3 Superchargers. This caused the battery to fail and is now on its 3 new battery. Tesla now recommends not to use Superchargers exclusively for charging for better battery life.
.

Tesloop experience (a long-distance limo service, not a rental) just isn't relevant to private owners. Those cars are driven almost 24/7, supercharging to or near 100% several times per day, every day for years. The car on its third battery has passed 400,000 miles. Any other passenger car would have been junked long before that mileage.

 

[Camera-Cruiser]

I’d just call an electrician and get an estimate. That or invite us all over for a barbecue and we can all stand in your garage and drink beer. The electrician will be cheaper.