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

[kirkbauer]

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:

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.

 

[BigAirHarper]

I would wire a 50amp outlet there to replace the one he had. Then look into running a separate feed for a dedicated HPWC. I ran a new sub panel and did a HPWC circuit and a 50A circuit.

 

[GoTslaGo]

No judgement on previous owner. I left my 14-50 intact. Moved to a house with a 14-30 included.

I plan on always leaving some electric vehicle charging capability from now on in whatever house I own/will own. I see it as "real" property that should stay with the house. But that's just me.

Ultimately I want to encourage more people to get and use EVs. I hope leaving charging stations in the garage will promote it.

 

[TexasEV]

Nothing unusual about wiring a HPWC at 50A at home. Probably his Model S had a single charger, or he would have needed an electrical upgrade to accommodate a 100A circuit, or both. 40A charging at home is perfectly adequate for most people as it fully charges the car overnight.

 

[Zroiron]

I am surprised that a homeowner selling his property would leave such a mess!! This is what people do when they lose their home to foreclosure!!

 

[brkaus]

I'm only going to put in 50A (40A charging) for my HPWC...

 

[liuping]

Since it was spotted during inspection and open wires are a code violation, I would request a proper 14-50 outlet be properly installed by an electrician. The realtor will often cover the costs of minor items found during inspection.

 

[SteveLa]

I am surprised that a homeowner selling his property would leave such a mess!! This is what people do when they lose their home to foreclosure!!

I made an offer to buy a short-sale home and the current owner, who was a contractor himself, told me he will remove all the shelves in the garage, the exhaust fan in the attic, four large palm trees in the backyard, and other "stuff"! I told him to keep them and walked away!

 

[Johan]

Since it was spotted during inspection and open wires are a code violation, I would request a proper 14-50 outlet be properly installed by an electrician. The realtor will often cover the costs of minor items found during inspection.

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

 

[Az_Rael]

Sigh, that is too bad. At least you have the breaker and the wiring run, I suppose. My thoughts are if its hard wired in, it's part of the house. It should have been left. But I know people take crap all the time anyway. I would totally go after them for the costs to restore it to code if you are still in the process.

I bought a EVSE with a plug vs hard wiring on purpose so I could take it with me. I have 60amp wiring ran to an outlet then my Level 2 clipper creek is plugged into the outlet. When I leave, I take the clipper creek, but the next owner has a perfectly serviceable outlet for their EV, welder, or whatever they want.

 

[brkaus]

Sigh, that is too bad. At least you have the breaker and the wiring run, I suppose. My thoughts are if its hard wired in, it's part of the house. It should have been left. But I know people take crap all the time anyway. I would totally go after them for the costs to restore it to code if you are still in the process.

I bought a EVSE with a plug vs hard wiring on purpose so I could take it with me. I have 60amp wiring ran to an outlet then my Level 2 clipper creek is plugged into the outlet. When I leave, I take the clipper creek, but the next owner has a perfectly serviceable outlet for their EV, welder, or whatever they want.

What type of outlet for the 60a breaker?

 

[Chopr147]

He probably took that out on the way out the door so inspection earlier would not have caught it

 

[eye.surgeon]

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.

 

[Zroiron]

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.

When you have only one vehicle it makes perfect sense to me. I cannot wait to recharge overnight when I need the car in a couple of hours!

 

[GoTslaGo]

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?

 

[StaceyS]

When you have only one vehicle it makes perfect sense to me. I cannot wait to recharge overnight when I need the car in a couple of hours!

I think the point is that regardless of your car's battery size and state of charge, if you plug it in overnight, it will be fully charged in the morning plugged into a 50 amp circuit. Unless you drive 200 miles before lunch and need another 200 miles before dinner, the 80 amp HPWC isn't really any more useful than the 50 amp UMC.

 

[Doug_G]

50A circuit is plenty for overnight charging.

 

[hybridbear]

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?

A 14-50 outlet/circuit that can be used with any J1772 EVSE or the Tesla UMC.

 

[GoTslaGo]

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?

So did a little research. Here's an interesting article about setting up a first charging station. They actually recommend installing a 14-50. Most other EVSE can build from that.

Buying Your First Home EV Charger

Quote:

If it’s possible, don’t permanently install your EVSE. In other words, have an electrician install a NEMA 14-50 outlet or something similar (types of outlets used for things like clothes dryers). Then put a matching plug on a pigtail mounted to your EVSE. You can then mount your EVSE right next to the outlet, and simply plug it in. If the time comes when you move, or decide to relocate your EVSE, simply unplug it—and plug it back into another NEMA 14-50 outlet

Unquote.

Obviously HPWC amps is much higher. However, I recall from other posts someone had mentioned that having the plug installed allows you to more easily upgrade to higher Amp systems.

 

[GoTslaGo]

A 14-50 outlet/circuit that can be used with any J1772 EVSE or the Tesla UMC.

Thanks! Thought that might be the case.