Pretty excited with this HPWC install...

disillusioned · Dec 17, 2015

So at a certain point in buying this car, you just throw up your hands and don't think about the money. So with that came the decision to do the HPWC install, even though I didn't spring for dual chargers. (Just don't need that much charging speed.) (Electrician was $2800, but he had to trench, do a subpanel, and we had him rerun my garage electrical and remove some other conduit.)

Wanted the convenience and sleek look, and I'm really happy with how it turned out:

msnow · Dec 17, 2015

Looks great! Very, very nice job.

brianman · Dec 17, 2015

disillusioned said:
Wanted the convenience and sleek look, and I'm really happy with how it turned out

Happy enough to change your forum handle?

Seriously though, glad you like the results. It looks good to my eye as well.

BertL · Dec 17, 2015

Very nice. Love that clean install and paneling in your finished garage.

I agree with you. A clean and convenient HPWC installation is a pretty awesome addition. Besides, I've had at least two neighbors ask me what's going on sometimes after midnight when there is a "pulsating glowing green light" coming out of my garage door windows. It tell them it's my Tesla beaming up.

CHG-ON · Dec 17, 2015

I'v gotten comments when I do a SW upgrade along the lines of "what the hell is going on in your garage in the middle of the night!?!"

I tell them that my car is communicating with aliens from another galaxy.

green1 · Dec 17, 2015

BertL said:
Very nice. Love that clean install and paneling in your finished garage.

I agree with you. A clean and convenient HPWC installation is a pretty awesome addition. Besides, I've had at least two neighbors ask me what's going on sometimes after midnight when there is a "pulsating glowing green light" coming out of my garage door windows. It tell them it's my Tesla beaming up.
View attachment 104677

If I had a garage like that I'd have a HPWC too! unfortunately my garage is tiny, dark, cramped, dirty, and messy, so I'm fine with saving my money and using the UMC to a NEMA 14-50

msnow · Dec 17, 2015

BertL said:
Very nice. Love that clean install and paneling in your finished garage.

I agree with you. A clean and convenient HPWC installation is a pretty awesome addition. Besides, I've had at least two neighbors ask me what's going on sometimes after midnight when there is a "pulsating glowing green light" coming out of my garage door windows. It tell them it's my Tesla beaming up.
View attachment 104677

Wow Bert, that's a nice garage. Are there drains in the floor?

disillusioned · Dec 17, 2015

brianman said:
Happy enough to change your forum handle?

Seriously though, glad you like the results. It looks good to my eye as well.

Haha, that's a long-standing name from my jr high days that's just followed me around for ages online.

BertL · Dec 18, 2015

msnow said:
Wow Bert, that's a nice garage. Are there drains in the floor?

Thanks. The floor floats over a poorly-applied epoxy coating a previous owner put down years before I moved in and remodeled. The floor is from Race Deck. When I designed the layout for my 3 bays, I put black tiles with slots through them in strategic places under the wheel wells so most water I track in drips underneath and dries -- in theory it would flow out the garage under the doors but I've never put it to that test. ...and yes, I am a bit of a neat/organizational freak as you can see in these couple of shots I took after finishing my "Tesla Wall" a few days before selling my former Lexus and taking delivery of my MS. The garage is pretty empty these days, having consolidated down to my MS -- especially as I keep most of my storage up out of the way, except garden stuff and my all-important auto detailing supplies on half the right wall.

Rocky_H · Dec 18, 2015

I do think it's funny seeing these cars with their side mirrors folded in to clear the 4 foot gap to the edge of their garage doors.

msnow · Dec 18, 2015

Mine auto close.

Mark Z · Dec 18, 2015

disillusioned said:
...Wanted the convenience and sleek look, and I'm really happy with how it turned out...

Looks fantastic, and money can be saved by using the circuit breaker panel as the cutoff switch.

Here is a photo of my install between the single and dual garage door. The required cutoff switch does add expense. This is one reason I assume Tesla Motors encourages the 40 or 48 amp charger at purchase time, to keep EVSE installation costs down. IMHO, the Model S and X deserve the highest 80 or 72 amp charge capability in the car. Wall Connector owners only need to wire the EVSE with what they need now, but should consider optimizing the install if they might need to charge faster at home in the future.

I placed a color tape around the wire where it is at the upper left of the cutoff switch. I can grasp the charge handle and wire at the color tape position in one grasp with two hands. It's easy to remove and position the cable on the garage floor behind the rear of the vehicle parked at the larger door on the right. Returning the cable to the wall is quick, the color tape shows where to grab and place the wire, no winding at any time. It's all in a single loop. The coil at the bottom is extra cable that I do not use each day. Fast placement and repeatable. Done in a few seconds.

Not sure why the switch is off, I normally leave it on. Every install is different, so enjoy your own time-saving positioning of the wire from the wall to the car and back again. You will be much happier than having to wind the cable each time into a small coil.

BertL · Dec 18, 2015

Rocky_H said:
I do think it's funny seeing these cars with their side mirrors folded in to clear the 4 foot gap to the edge of their garage doors.

Ah yes. I agree it looks funny on my 2-car side ...but even more so than my former Lexus or MBZ parked on the far single-bay side, I have less than 2" clearance on each side if I pulled my super-wide MS into that slot with the mirrors out. That's not enough for me to comfortably pull in and out without being very focused what I'm doing each and every time. Given that mirrors are not (presently) GPS aware, or could probably even consistently distinguish the difference with that short of a difference in distance, for me it's best to let my mirrors always retract, providing a visual indicator my MS has locked as I walk away, hopefully reducing problems with the sometimes-crazy-people opening their doors without care in parking lots for what lies on the other side, and I never have to think twice before pulling in or out of any position of my garage.

garwood · Dec 19, 2015

I was fortunate that my 200 amp panel was on the same side as my car. I have done previous electrical work in my house and decided to DIY. My instal cost $43 from home depot and included the 50 amp breaker the plug and 4 feet of wire. Not bragging but it is satisfying when you can do it yourself.

disillusioned · Dec 19, 2015

garwood said:
I was fortunate that my 200 amp panel was on the same side as my car. I have done previous electrical work in my house and decided to DIY. My instal cost $43 from home depot and included the 50 amp breaker the plug and 4 feet of wire. Not bragging but it is satisfying when you can do it yourself.

Ooh, yeah that was a decided impossibility for me. Trenching, sub panels, moving circuits, permitting, all beyond my pay grade.

MrJones390 · Dec 19, 2015

disillusioned said:
View attachment 104675

You didn't get a quick disconnect (ON/OFF lever)?? LADWP required it for me to get the $750 rebate.

green1 · Dec 19, 2015

MrJones390 said:
You didn't get a quick disconnect (ON/OFF lever)?? LADWP required it for me to get the $750 rebate.

What do you think that box beside the HPWC is? it's a very good on/off switch!

MrJones390 · Dec 19, 2015

green1 said:
What do you think that box beside the HPWC is? it's a very good on/off switch!

Wouldn't pass LADWP regulations from the looks of it. The other pictures in this thread show clear disconnects that would pass.

green1 · Dec 19, 2015

MrJones390 said:
Wouldn't pass LADWP regulations from the looks of it. The other pictures in this thread show clear disconnects that would pass.

You have got to be kidding, the breaker itself is less than a foot from the HPWC, I can't imagine how that wouldn't qualify as a disconnect!

Cosmacelf · Dec 19, 2015

My understanding is that a breaker box can indeed be used instead of a disconnect switch if it is in line of sight to the HPWC. Ymmv.

Pretty excited with this HPWC install...

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