You'd think buying a home from a Tesla owner would be easier...

[Az_Rael]

What type of outlet for the 60a breaker?

It's currently a twist lock L 6-30 running a 24 amp Level 2 charger. I ran 60 amp wire for a free Juicebox I was supposed to get as part of a pilot program with my electricity company that never materialized. I was going to switch out the plug to NEMA 14-50 when it arrived.

So it has extra headroom in the wiring now and a plug for a welder or plasma cutter currently

 

[mspohr]

So when I looked at this home the agent told me that the previous owner had a Tesla. I looked around the garage and didn't see any 50A outlet and the realtor said "oh, perhaps he bought it after he left this home".

But then during the home inspection I noticed a 50A breaker labeled "Tesla" which got my hopes up. So then I looked around more and found this:

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So first of all... why would somebody leave so little of the wire left like that? Secondly, I'm thinking he must have had a HPWC mounted here, however I guess it was only running at 50A which seems like a waste. Just curious to hear peoples' thoughts on this (I don't have a HPWC now so I don't know much about them).

PS - I do realize a disadvantage of owning an EV and that is moving. Obviously you are somewhat limited when trying to move to an apartment. And when moving to a new house you have to get that electrical outlet installed pretty quickly.

He probably had a hardwired HPWC and just clipped it off.
Install a 14-50 socket and you'll be good to go.

 

[Racerx22b]

The waste isn't running a HPWC at 50A. It's having a HPWC. After 18 months I'm still trying to figure out why people need them other than some nebulous feeling of security knowing they can charge their car overnight at twice the rate they need to.

You should probably qualify your statement as your opinion.

I have a HPWC wired to charge at 40amps. I actually have a 14/50 outlet and wired the HPWC to a range plug and it just stays plugged into the outlet at all times (unless there is a bad storm then I unplug to be safe). I find it incredibly handy and good piece of mind. And when I decide to move I can just unplug take it with me. Plus it looks cool on the wall!

I like having the charger in the car at all times. Especially since it's my wife's car. Just ask yourself what you'd do if your charging cable didn't work. You'd really be in a jam. With my setup, I can charge using the HPWC and if it takes a crap I can just pull out the one that came with the car and use it until the HPWC is repaired/replaced. Feels good to have a backup.

 

[hacer]

The waste isn't running a HPWC at 50A. It's having a HPWC. After 18 months I'm still trying to figure out why people need them other than some nebulous feeling of security knowing they can charge their car overnight at twice the rate they need to.

I did it for two reasons: (1) I can leave my UMC in the car all the time so I always have it with me without having to plug it in and out of the wall socket all the time and open/close the trunk every morning (the NEMA 14-50 isn't designed for thousands of plug/unplug cycles). (2) My state's EVSE grant program made the HPWC price 1/2 off, so it was cheaper than buying a spare UMC.

I used a 60 A breaker and it is simply a bonus that, should I ever need it, I can charge at my car's full 48A capability which isn't possible with a NEMA 14-50 outlet.

 

[liuping]

(1) I can leave my UMC in the car all the time so I always have it with me without having to plug it in and out of the wall socket all the time and open/close the trunk every morning (the NEMA 14-50 isn't designed for thousands of plug/unplug cycles).

This makes sense if you need the UMC to charge at work even day, but in that case you would be plugging and unplugging it there every day and you might want to see about getting a charger set up there permanently.

I only unplug and throw the UMC int he car for long distance travel, and even then I rarely use it.

The UMC and a 14-50 is all most people will ever need. If they really want a back up, buy another UMC (Tesla even have one that only has a 14-50 now, so it's perfect for the "leave at home" charger) or a 1772 EVSE like a Juice Box, which would works as a back up for you or as a guest charger for any non Tesla friends who visit. Either is still cheaper than getting HPWC installed and both go with your easily if you ever move.

 

[hacer]

This makes sense if you need the UMC to charge at work even day, but in that case you would be plugging and unplugging it there every day and you might want to see about getting a charger set up there permanently.

I only unplug and throw the UMC int he car for long distance travel, and even then I rarely use it.

The UMC and a 14-50 is all most people will ever need. If they really want a back up, buy another UMC (Tesla even have one that only has a 14-50 now, so it's perfect for the "leave at home" charger) or a 1772 EVSE like a Juice Box, which would works as a back up for you or as a guest charger for any non Tesla friends who visit. Either is still cheaper than getting HPWC installed and both go with your easily if you ever move.

Another UMC is $550, the same price as the long-cable HPWC. The one that only has a 14-50 costs $520, while a short-cable HPWC is just $500. Neither the UMC nor the 14-50 only cable, qualify as EVSE equipment for my state's grant (it needs stationary installation to qualify), so there would be no 50% cost reduction. That was a no-brainer reason to go with a HPWC, my after-grant cost for the long-cable HPWC was $275.

I agree that you can usually leave your cable at home and this will almost never matter. It's that one time when something happens (e.g. accidentally run AC all day while parked) and you don't have the UMC because you thought you wouldn't need it. Probably will never happen to you, but I know it will never happen to me because my UMC is in the trunk.

 

[wilheldp]

I ran 6/3 Romex to my garage and put a 14-50 outlet near where the charge port will be when my Telsa is parked. I'm thinking of picking up another UMC with only the 14-50 plug on it so that I can always keep a UMC and adapters with my car for emergencies. Since the HPWC with the 8.5' cord costs the same as the 14-50 UMC, I was thinking I might buy a HPWC and just wire it to the 14-50. That way, if I ever moved, I could take the HPWC with me and not leave a mess for the new homeowner. Has anybody wired a HPWC like that before?

 

[mspohr]

I ran 6/3 Romex to my garage and put a 14-50 outlet near where the charge port will be when my Telsa is parked. I'm thinking of picking up another UMC with only the 14-50 plug on it so that I can always keep a UMC and adapters with my car for emergencies. Since the HPWC with the 8.5' cord costs the same as the 14-50 UMC, I was thinking I might buy a HPWC and just wire it to the 14-50. That way, if I ever moved, I could take the HPWC with me and not leave a mess for the new homeowner. Has anybody wired a HPWC like that before?

I attached a 14-50 plug to my HPWC so I can move it to either side of the garage or outside 14-50 sockets I have installed. Set to 40 amps. The HPWC has heavier gauge wire so lower i2r loss.

 

[S4WRXTTCS]

I don't question the 50A circuit unless it was ridiculously easy to get a 100A circuit. In my house I made sure that it was future proof and capable of 80A charging. But, that's largely because it was a trivial amount more.

What I question is why in the world would they leave a mess like that? It's easy to take the HPWC and leave a 14-50 circuit, or to leave the HPWC.

 

[Az_Rael]

The waste isn't running a HPWC at 50A. It's having a HPWC. After 18 months I'm still trying to figure out why people need them other than some nebulous feeling of security knowing they can charge their car overnight at twice the rate they need to.

This was true for the old HWPC and it's very high price. The new one is priced in line with competing third party EVSE's so it makes more sense, although it is less versatile since it won't charge non-Teslas.

 

[mikeash]

Has anybody wired a HPWC like that before?

That's how I installed mine. Cheaper to have an electrician install an outlet, plus I can use that outlet as a backup if the wall connector dies. I only have a 40A charger in the car so there's no limitation from the 50A circuit. Looks nice and it'll be easy to take with me (and leave behind something useful!) if I move.

 

[Hota]

The waste isn't running a HPWC at 50A. It's having a HPWC. After 18 months I'm still trying to figure out why people need them other than some nebulous feeling of security knowing they can charge their car overnight at twice the rate they need to.

I wanted to keep the mobile connector with the car at all times and didn't want the additional hassle or to put excessive wear on the plugs so I needed to buy something additional.

The wall connector is $50 cheaper than the mobile connector and will allow me to manage the charging of a future Model 3 along with my Model S by daisy chaining two wall connectors together.

 

[neroden]

The waste isn't running a HPWC at 50A. It's having a HPWC. After 18 months I'm still trying to figure out why people need them other than some nebulous feeling of security knowing they can charge their car overnight at twice the rate they need to.

Well, the price has changed. They were $1250 when I got my car, which is ridiculous. They're down to $500, less than the mobile adapter, which makes it much more attractive.

 

[liuping]

I was thinking I might buy a HPWC and just wire it to the 14-50. That way, if I ever moved, I could take the HPWC with me and not leave a mess for the new homeowner. Has anybody wired a HPWC like that before?

I've thought about it (with this plug: Amazon.com: Coleman Cable 09044 4-Foot 50-Amp 4-Wire Range Power Cord: Home Improvement) , but have never really could justify the cost of another charger. I've never even come close to a situation where having the UMC in the trunk would have helped. It is almost always better/easier to find a J1772 public charger with Plugshare, than trying to finding a open high power outlet somewhere.

I can see buying a second charger for piece of mind if the UMC fails, but I have a JuiceBox for our Volt/guests that serves that purpose, for me. Plus we'll have another UMC when the Model 3 arrives.

 

[AndreSF]

Quick question for everyone out there.

What is the most versatile charging solution for all EVs? Not just Teslas.

I figured 14-50s would work for Teslas, and other EVs too. Is that the case?

One reason why I was hesitant to install a HPWC was that I wanted a system where non-Teslas could use it too (for future resale). Is that the case?

The most versatile setup IMO is with J1772 EVSE (essentially similar outcome as with wall connector, but universal). NEMA 14-50 would not obviously work for every EVSE out there, but there are plenty EVSEs that would work with NEMA 14-50 outlet.
And BTW not sure why there is so much obsession with charging EVs at the highest possible Amp rating. As long as car is ready in the morning...

 

[brianman]

So when I looked at this home the agent told me that the previous owner had a Tesla. ...

FWIW, not all of us do this.

When I sold my last home, I left a working 80A HPWC installed (intentionally).

 

[kirkbauer]

Agreed. It must be illegal to hand over the house in that state.

Actually I don't think there is anything illegal about it. The inspector did catch it. The seller agreed to pay $10k in closing costs to cover about $20k worth of necessary repairs. I think that's reasonable enough (I prefer to repair things myself so I can make sure it is done right). Anyways in this case I want to park my Tesla on the other side of the garage so I'll just have the electrician use the same breaker to run a brand new 50A outlet and I'll just seal this one off.

 

[kirkbauer]

He probably had a hardwired HPWC and just clipped it off.
Install a 14-50 socket and you'll be good to go.

Yeah, except the whole outlet would have to be lowered since he didn't leave enough wire to re-use the current wall box. But in the end I want to move it to the other side of the garage so no big deal.

 

[Phoenixhawk101]

I was pleasantly surprised that the home I just moved into had a NEMA 5-15 110V outlet next to each parking spot (it's a 3 car garage). I originally thought it was just electirc in the garage but after plugging the car in I found out all three are on their own breaker and separate from the three outlets on the front of the garage. Now 110V isn't optimal but considering I drive only 27 miles a day it will work for quite a while until I get my 220V installed.

I think the previous owner had a Volt/Leaf.

 

[miimura]

I was pleasantly surprised that the home I just moved into had a NEMA 5-15 110V outlet next to each parking spot (it's a 3 car garage). I originally thought it was just electirc in the garage but after plugging the car in I found out all three are on their own breaker and separate from the three outlets on the front of the garage. Now 110V isn't optimal but considering I drive only 27 miles a day it will work for quite a while until I get my 220V installed.

I think the previous owner had a Volt/Leaf.

If they are really dedicated circuits, it's trivial to change the breaker and socket to feed it with 240V and get a 6-15 adapter for your UMC, then charge twice as fast. Of course, a 14-50 is better.