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dual charger thoughts

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David99

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Jan 31, 2014
5,506
9,330
Nomad (mostly US)
Just a few thoughts on single charger vs dual charger. I was pretty confident about all the other options and never really questioned my choices, except the dual charger option. I decided against it when I ordered, then called to have it added and the Tesla rep explained why it was really not worth it. I ended up not adding it. In the first few days I was a little torn. Adding it later is so much more expensive.

After 10k miles I can say I never missed the dual charger a single time. There has never been a moment where charging at 60 miles/h would have made any difference compared to 30 miles/h. There was one station that had a Tesla HPWC but I stopped there only to check out the place. Nowhere else could I find a charger capable of more than 10 kW. Every time I use a public charger at a mall or store or park or Disneyland or similar I'm not in a rush to drive anywhere so charge speed is not an issue at all anyways. Again none of them support more than 7 kW anyways.

When I'm on road trips I use Superchargers. Nothing else cuts it. Even at 20 kW it takes way too long to charge when your goal is to keep moving.

Overnight charging, which is the most common way to charge is well covered with a single charger. Worst case scenario would be coming home with a totally empty battery and then needing a range charge for the next day. It takes about 9 hours to do that on a single charger. No problem. My daily drive is a little over 100 miles so in my case I'm more than fine with the single charger in any case. I need about 3 hours to be covered.

Yes, one can always come up with a scenario where a single charger wouldn't cut it. Just as much as one can come up with a scenario where a dual charger wouldn't be enough. My point is that even in heavy use like I do with 100 miles of daily driving, the 10 kW single charger is more than fast enough. For road trips the dual charger is way too slow, that's why there are Superchargers. The moments where the extra 10 kW are available and make a significant difference are not common. I'm not missing it at all. I will gladly spend the money on a CHADeMo adapter. I think that will help me out more as it will allow me to add a significant amount of charge quickly and those quickchargers are way more common than 80 amp capable L2 chargers. So the likelihood if being able to make use the CHaDeMo adapter vs dual charger are much higher.

JM2C
 
Thank you for your post. When we ordered our Model S last week, the dual charger was the one option we were unsure about. Both the product specialist at the gallery and the owner advisor we talked to when we ordered said based on our driving habits, the dual was not necessary. Your post helps confirm that for us.

BTW, where are the public chargers at Disneyland and what kind are they? We are frequent visitors.
 
That works in So. Cal. but having twin chargers cut four hours off of my last trip. Superchargers are few and far between and ChaDeMo chargers are just not available except in large cities throughout most of the country. I don't regret getting them.
 
I have not regretted not buying the dual charger. I will purchase the CHADeMO adapt. Driving from NC to Nashville or Chattanooga, TN is apiece of cake, with all the CHADeMO's at Cracker Barrel's.



West Wilkes EV students filling up at Burlington, NC.

IMG_1673.JPG
 
Dual chargers is the one thing I removed from my initial order, thanks to TMC advice. I was also torn about the cost of adding it later, but it didn't take me long to understand how unnecessary it is and to feel comfortable with my decision. Chances are, the only time I would need to charge away from home is if I'm taking a trip, in which case I should have no problem planning a route with sufficient DC chargers.
 
I have the Dual Chargers, and they will be very useful for my trip from Pittsburgh to Syracuse in July, which has not a single SuperCharger on the entire route (yet). But I am staying at the Best Western in Syracuse, with its Suncountry C90 charger, and am thankful for my dual chargers!
 
I have the Dual Chargers, and they will be very useful for my trip from Pittsburgh to Syracuse in July, which has not a single SuperCharger on the entire route (yet). But I am staying at the Best Western in Syracuse, with its Suncountry C90 charger, and am thankful for my dual chargers!

Since you are staying overnight, wouldn't a single charger be enough then? Unless you only sleep for 4 hours, overnight should be plenty of time to charge up.
 
Meh. The $1500 cost to add dual chargers up front seemed very nominal compared to the overall price of the car, especially when you compare that to the cost of 21" wheels or the air suspension. I figured with the low cost that even if I only needed them 1-2 times a year, I would be thankful that I went for the the dual chargers.
 
I've used my second charger about 6-8 times in the year I've owned the car, mainly on road trips...If you're okay with AC Level 2 charging of no more than 40 amps, then you probably don't need to get the second charger option...But for those of us who are always trying to push the charging envelope, I'm glad I ordered it...
 
The Sigs came with dual chargers. It was 18 months after I took delivery before I had occasion to use my second charger, during a mid-day stop at the home of another S owner with an HPWC. That's when I discovered my second charger was defunct; being limited to 40A put a real crimp in my travel plans.
 
The Sigs came with dual chargers. It was 18 months after I took delivery before I had occasion to use my second charger, during a mid-day stop at the home of another S owner with an HPWC. That's when I discovered my second charger was defunct; being limited to 40A put a real crimp in my travel plans.

That is horrible, Stevezzz. I was just imagining what trouble I could be in if we arrived at my destination, and my J1772 adapter somehow failed.
 
I have dual chargers and for me it was well forth the $1500 from the factory. I use it almost every day at home. The ultra low rate from my utility is only 4 hours long. Without 80A charging I can't fully charge the battery in that window (assuming the battery is at low SOC). I've also used it a few times midday when my travel plans changed, and with public HPWCs.

Another way to look at it- Assuming my time is worth $300/hour, it pays for itself if I have to wait 5 cumulative additional hours to charge over the life of the car.

A
 
Another way to look at it- Assuming my time is worth $300/hour, it pays for itself if I have to wait 5 cumulative additional hours to charge over the life of the car.
Looking at it that way, it would be around 38 hours for me. Much more questionable, especially since DC chargers would probably be everywhere long before I hit that. I think if you aren't stretching to afford Model S, go for it even if you might not use it, otherwise it should be carefully considered.
 
Like the OP, I've never missed having dual chargers and figured I'd never care, so that's why I skipped them. I either need an SC or I'm good with 40 amp. There are obviously folks that would benefit either due to their lifestyle or location, but I think it's a very low return on investment for most people. I know there are older threads that have debated this topic heavily.

Assuming my time is worth $300/hour, it pays for itself if I have to wait 5 cumulative additional hours to charge over the life of the car.
Daaaamnnn! I wish I was worth $300/hour. But, if your time is worth that much, dual chargers makes sense. Though if your time is worth that much and it's that critical to you, seems like you'd hire a limo driver and work while you are transported.
 
I think it all depends on where you live and what car you have. When I ordered my 60, I went back and forth on this option and decided not to get it. However, the more I thought about it, a 60 with dual chargers and SC is quite the road warrior. In Pacific NW, there are lots of haL2 charging stations that are placed on routes that do not have SC capability. I tried to add it before delivery but it was too late :(. However, if the CHaDeMo adapter is ever released, that will provide much more flexibility than the dual chargers.
 
It really depends on where you live. I've taken a day trip where that wouldn't have been possible with single charger. A donated 70A J1772 station was very helpful. You are right though 90+% of time if doesn't make a difference. All depends on how often you'll encounter them. Of course if CHAdeMO adapter comes then that might make the need for dual charging even less for some.
 
The opposite is true in Canada where we have no Superchargers, but 70/80 amp L2 stations are everywhere. Most Canadian owners get the dual chargers.

Yep. I'll never have more than a 50 amp outlet at home, but just about every public station I use is at least a 90 amp (72 amps continuous). We're installing 2 - 100 amp units right now in our employee/visitor lot.