Seems to vary. I will be in Orlando this week, but probably won't have time to check out the Best Western 80A charger. But if by some miracle I do, I will see if they will let me use it (or *would* let me use it, depending on where my SOC is).
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Yet another reason why the Dual Chargers option is worth having...
- Thread starter ToddRLockwood
- Start date
Seems to vary. I will be in Orlando this week, but probably won't have time to check out the Best Western 80A charger. But if by some miracle I do, I will see if they will let me use it (or *would* let me use it, depending on where my SOC is).
mknox
Well-Known Member
It seems to vary by location. The SCH map will tell you of the locations that are restricted to guests (as long as the station owner provides the correct info).
What's the latest thinking on the value of dual chargers......especially for someone in the Southeast who plans a good bit of long distance driving? Will be ordering a 70D in the next 10 days, and my neighbor who just got a 90D is strongly suggesting dual chargers. I had been thinking Supercharger coverage will be more than sufficient. Will I get 58mph from my home NEMA 14-50?
Sorry for all the basic questions, haven't paid much attention to the subject recently.
Sorry for all the basic questions, haven't paid much attention to the subject recently.
The key question is whether you'd need to have the fast turnaround at home or HPWCs on the road.
14-50 limit is 40A. 240V x 40A = 9.6kW.
If 1/3 kWh/mi (where kWh is from the wall, not the car) then that's 28.8 miles.
Power would vary with your home voltage.
bancroftc
Member
My logic is as follows, but I caveat that I am only getting my Tesla for the first time tomorrow.
-Don't need HPWC at home given my daily driving needs. UMC is fine on 240v so no need for dual chargers there.
-I have sufficient supercharger access for road trips in Texas - no need for dual chargers there.
-Have CHAdeMO adapter on order and plan to use eVgo network in Dallas/Houston as my primary road trip locations - no need for dual chargers there.
You will not get 58mph from your NEMA 14-50. Only a HPWC at 80amps WITH dual chargers.
The only justification to get dual chargers for me is destination charging at full amperage HPWC's, which are fewer in my travel areas than CHAdeMO chargers.
All that said, I may end up getting dual chargers in the future just to have the option!
djp
Model 3 Performance
The Model X comes with the equivalent of dual chargers as standard (a single 72A charger). There's a good chance the Model S will adopt this as standard as well. I expect you'll see more high amp destination chargers pop up in the future as more capable cars hit the roads. In Canada we already have an extensive network of 70A/80A chargers.
Dual chargers can mean the difference between topping up over a 1.5 hour lunch or waiting for three hours over an afternoon. They'll also give you a faster turn around if you arrive at a destination close to empty and want to head out for a drive that evening.
Dual chargers can mean the difference between topping up over a 1.5 hour lunch or waiting for three hours over an afternoon. They'll also give you a faster turn around if you arrive at a destination close to empty and want to head out for a drive that evening.
I agree, at this time in this part of the country there is little benefit to dual chargers. Other than the destination HPWCs, there are only two high-amp level 2 charging stations in Texas that I am aware of-- Fredericksburg and Iraan. You can always have it installed if your travel plans include somewhere that you will need it.
Since there's no savings ordering a second charger and/or HPWC when you order the car vs at some point in the future, unless you know you need dual chargers, I'd wait until you see how you use the car.
There's no point wasting money on a second charger that you never need.
There's no point wasting money on a second charger that you never need.
We're that rare family that benefits from dual chargers at home. A number of times a year we'll use the Tesla locally to run errands (or see clients) most of the day and then come home for a quick turnaround to leave town after dinner. Having the dual chargers and an 80 amp HPWC makes that quick turnaround very convenient. And this past weekend, a short notice side trip into the Texas hill country required a fast charge after we reached our family's house in Austin. Finding a nearby Tesla owner with an 80 amp HPWC was a lifesaver.
I figured it wouldn't take too many such events before the slight cost savings of a single charger wouldn't be worth it. In the past two years there have probably been 10 situations where I was able to take advantage of dual chargers. The additional cost has been worth the convenience.
I figured it wouldn't take too many such events before the slight cost savings of a single charger wouldn't be worth it. In the past two years there have probably been 10 situations where I was able to take advantage of dual chargers. The additional cost has been worth the convenience.
NEMA 14-50 is 40 Amp (single charger) max.
Fact is, you are perfectly fine with a single charger at home. Even a totally dead battery can be charged to 100% in 7-8 hours over night. I drive 120 miles average per day and never needed more than a single charger at home. Dual chargers only help when you have a HPWC or one of the super super rare public stations that offer more than 40 Amp. I have 60k miles on my Model S and drove all over the country and never found one of those. There are tons of CHADeMO chargers out there, so getting the adapter is very helpful.
The only times dual chargers would help would be when your battery is low and you need to charge quick for some reason. It cuts down charge time by half, but it's still pretty slow compared to CHADeMO or Superchargers. Let's say you need 100 miles. It would still take almost 2 hours to charge that with dual chargers. So it's not like a quick boost.
As I said, I have 60k miles on my Model S and did many road trips. Never once would dual chargers have been of any advantage to me. I drive an average of 120 miles a day, sometimes more. Easily handled without charging at all. Next morning, it's full again, even if I come home late and have to leave early again. For road trips, you really need to find something faster than 80 Amp. It' still way too slow. You would have to wait 3-4 hours. When on trips you really want to use Superchargers and if there are none, CHADeMO is the only other bearable alternative.
Bottom line: dual chargers don't really work for road trips and don't give you an advantage at home.
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+1
I have a few CHADeMO stations nearby. If I ever need to recharge quick, I drive there and charge at 45 kW. Overall I still spend less time driving to the CHADeMO station, charge there over having a HPWC and dual chargers at home. If I would come home empty and then decide to take a spontaneous road trip, a dual charger would not make a dent.
mknox
Well-Known Member
I put 2-80 amp J1772 stations in serving 4 parking spots at my office. Part of the logic was if there are eventually several employees needing to charge throughout the day, cars can get in and out faster allowing more cars to charge. Also, visitors can get a more substantial charge in shorter periods of time.
Dual chargers cut your charge time in half compared to RV park charging, so they are fine for road trips. Also most destination chargers are 80 amp, and Sun Country chargers are 70 amp. A lot of this depends on where you travel.
Next time look at charging at one of the 7 eVGo CHAdeMO charging stations in Austin-- it would be even faster.
mknox
Well-Known Member
In my experience, most Tesla destination chargers seem to be wired up for 40 amps or less, although I have seen a few set for higher current. The Sun Country (i.e. Clipper Creek) units are rated at 80 amps now. I installed two of these over a year ago. They call it a "100 amp" charger because they name them after the size of circuit it's connected to, not the power they deliver (somewhat confusingly).
Panoz
Member
If I were a destination charging location, I'd put in two 50-amp chargers rather than one 100-amp. More customers can be serviced and most locations are for overnight charging anyway.
