Am I crazy? Model Y without home charger...

[jmd2024]

I am in the market for a new car, and with the tax credits and being a nerd, I have finally begun to consider an EV. Test drove a MY last night and really liked it, but here's the catch.

I live on Staten Island, and my landlord will not be installing a charging option at home. I know there is currently one Supercharger site which is ~10 minutes away from me. The mall has a bunch of public/free chargers, but like 8kWh or some such experience. There is another SC site coming soon which I found out about on the site, and there are some SC sites between my residence and where I work (I have customers between Philadelphia and Long Island).

So here's my ask, since I know of no one around me who owns a Tesla, or any EV.

Am I crazy even considering going EV and relying on the charging infrastructure? Odds are slim I will be anywhere but here in 3 years, and odds are nil that the landlord budges on the charging. I know the prices for SC sites aren't posted, so I am curious if any of my island neighbors can indicate rough costs there, since that's my likely best bet as a frequent fill-up spot. mostly hoping to see that if I did go MY and SC, that my weekly costs would be under the 40ish dollars in gas I am spending currently. If it's 20-30 bucks, and i can do some en route work? No biggie. If it's 30-40 which is basically the cost of gas...then I get to thinking now is not Tesla time still. And, will it be an issue if I am not regularly charging to 100% (like, if its every couple weeks versus every week?)

the other vehicles I was considering are an Ioniq5, which I would be even more limited with on the island for charging, or an ICE Nissan Rogue, which may win out but my company GM is pushing hard for me to get a Y like him lol

thanks in advance!

 

[FatFalcon]

I always found it strange that people are obsessed with installing home chargers. Sure, they're convenient, but I have had no issues living with a simple 120v outlet for weeks at a time and I do 300-400 miles per week (model 3).

Point being if your landlord isn't keen on installing a dedicated charger, maybe you can just find a way to have access to a simple 120v plug? Either at home or work, that is a game changer. Even 20 miles per day added, day after day, adds up and might totally cover your usage.

 

[gx9901]

So, hopefully this clarifies the living situation...we rent an apartment which is a part of a house on the island. we park anywhere we can on the block, almost never in front of the house (that's where the landlord parks). so, no spot for us to put a plug without having him give up his spot, which he has already said he won't do. offered to pay, declined. i see it as us offering to improve the value, but no luck there yet.

miles per week is tough to gauge. right now, mostly i am driving errands, picking up kids and stuff. i work from home, unless i have to visit a client. if i do visit a client, the one is 140miles round trip, the other is 80 and both do have SC along the route (like right off the highway, plus if i am ever overnight, a couple of the hotels). so, doing that would not be a major issue, and those trips are not every day. once a week would be alot, more like 2x monthly.
but, I can drive my BMW for a week and only fill up once, and using that mileage as a guide is why i expect if i did go MYLR, that i'd be OK charging once a week and maybe augmenting with some free public chargers when someone is running errands.

i did a lot of checking the map last night. where i go to take my daughter to school, within a mile there are a couple options, plus where i tend to go for my son's soccer is putting in chargers too. and, a target not 5 minutes from us gets SC this summer, and the wife goes there more often than she wants to admit.

plus, i do still have a gas car remaining. we got a '17 mini for our daughter to drive...which she hasn't yet, but it's kept the miles off of my lease in the meantime.

for now though, the resource i had that swore they were getting me out of my lease? more talk than anything, so it looks like my decision is delayed by a couple months. gives me time to pepper the landlord and maybe convince him...

That actually sounds like a decent enough situation without a home charger. If you can pair supercharging with Target runs, that will save you a lot of time. Seems like you've got a pretty good idea about how it will work, so I would say go for it!

 

[cbdream99]

So, hopefully this clarifies the living situation...we rent an apartment which is a part of a house on the island. we park anywhere we can on the block, almost never in front of the house (that's where the landlord parks). so, no spot for us to put a plug without having him give up his spot, which he has already said he won't do. offered to pay, declined. i see it as us offering to improve the value, but no luck there yet.

I think it should work for you, especially if you still have another vehicle. I bet you will quickly learn when, where and how to keep it charged to fits your needs, just pay attention in extreme weather or cold blizzard conditions, warming and charging takes more time and the battery will be less efficient, last thing you want is a cold low battery, must charge, and running against time situation.

 

[Mike728]

I always found it strange that people are obsessed with installing home chargers. Sure, they're convenient, but I have had no issues living with a simple 120v outlet for weeks at a time and I do 300-400 miles per week (model 3).

Point being if your landlord isn't keen on installing a dedicated charger, maybe you can just find a way to have access to a simple 120v plug? Either at home or work, that is a game changer. Even 20 miles per day added, day after day, adds up and might totally cover your usage.

That's how we started out. It's better than nothing, but that's it. If you're driving 400 miles per week, you would need to charge for ~130 hours. That's assuming perfect conditions, which are rarely met.

 

[E90alex]

I always found it strange that people are obsessed with installing home chargers. Sure, they're convenient, but I have had no issues living with a simple 120v outlet for weeks at a time and I do 300-400 miles per week (model 3).

Point being if your landlord isn't keen on installing a dedicated charger, maybe you can just find a way to have access to a simple 120v plug? Either at home or work, that is a game changer. Even 20 miles per day added, day after day, adds up and might totally cover your usage.

“Home charging” also includes 120V. 240V is better of course, but 120V is much better than nothing and actually would meet a lot of people’s charging needs.

 

[SidetrackedSue]

We bought our car with no confirmed 110V option (we are renters) and only one supercharger in our city, 20 minutes away inside a paid parking lot.

We did get 110v by swapping parking spots with another tenant.

About a year later, a second supercharger location went in, 20 minutes away in a different direction but free parking.

About 2.5 years later the CCS adapter came out.

We were friggin lucky. We didn't know what we were getting into as far as SC went and how cold would affect charging time as well as range.

I would recommend you rent an EV for a week or two and see if you can live with the solutions you've identified.

 

[LoudMusic]

“Home charging” also includes 120V. 240V is better of course, but 120V is much better than nothing and actually would meet a lot of people’s charging needs.

I'd also like to point out that 120V and 240V are only half the discussion. There's also the amperage.

The minimum is 120V 15A (12A usable, 1.4kW), which is a standard 'old school' outlet. They're now more commonly 120V 20A (16A usable, 1.9kW), to get you a smidge more power. And there are standards for additional amperages on both 120V and 240V, and Tesla provides the pigtail for the mobile connector for nearly all of them. https://shop.tesla.com/product/gen-2-nema-adapters

At home I use the common RV/EV outlet NEMA 14-50 on a 50A breaker which gets me 240V 32A (7.7kW) charging.

If/when I get a truck, preferably an R1T, I'll likely install a "wall charger" on 240V 60A circuit/breaker so that I can get 50A continuous to the vehicles and max out their 11.5kW on board chargers. I think that's going to become the more common solution considering vehicles are getting bigger and consuming more energy for the same miles. You just need more charging power to keep up with the vehicle's daily usage. I hope hotels go to 11.5kW chargers as well. The current common public 6kW just doesn't cut it for a vehicle burning >500Wh/mile hoping to top up from the prior day's long drive so they can make a long drive the next day.

Aaaaaallllll thhhaaaaaaattt said, a standard 120V15A wall outlet can put 40 to 50 miles back in your vehicle every night. By my math, my 60 mile round trip commute could easily be handled with that. And I'd catch up the lost ground on the weekend, or hit a supercharger once every couple weeks.

 

[rwjr44]

I just bought a MY and received an updated quote for charger installation. Well, I need a new electrical panel, have to install about 75' of wiring, need to buy a charger (thanks Tesla). Looks like it will cost about $5000.00 to get everything done. I am looking into one of those devices that connect to the same outlet as the dryer (Splitvolt) but...

I supercharge about once a week, so it hasn't been too bad. It takes about 0,5 hours and I either read a book or grade. If I drove a good number of miles everyday, I wouldn't be a happy camper.

 

[phxazcraig]

I'd also like to point out that 120V and 240V are only half the discussion. There's also the amperage.

The minimum is 120V 15A (12A usable, 1.4kW), which is a standard 'old school' outlet. They're now more commonly 120V 20A (16A usable, 1.9kW), to get you a smidge more power. And there are standards for additional amperages on both 120V and 240V, and Tesla provides the pigtail for the mobile connector for nearly all of them. https://shop.tesla.com/product/gen-2-nema-adapters

At home I use the common RV/EV outlet NEMA 14-50 on a 50A breaker which gets me 240V 32A (7.7kW) charging.

If/when I get a truck, preferably an R1T, I'll likely install a "wall charger" on 240V 60A circuit/breaker so that I can get 50A continuous to the vehicles and max out their 11.5kW on board chargers. I think that's going to become the more common solution considering vehicles are getting bigger and consuming more energy for the same miles. You just need more charging power to keep up with the vehicle's daily usage. I hope hotels go to 11.5kW chargers as well. The current common public 6kW just doesn't cut it for a vehicle burning >500Wh/mile hoping to top up from the prior day's long drive so they can make a long drive the next day.

Aaaaaallllll thhhaaaaaaattt said, a standard 120V15A wall outlet can put 40 to 50 miles back in your vehicle every night. By my math, my 60 mile round trip commute could easily be handled with that. And I'd catch up the lost ground on the weekend, or hit a supercharger once every couple weeks.

Your numbers seem off, based on the rule of thumb to take 80% of the maximum amperage of a circuit. Thus a 14-50 50amp outlet should sustain 40 amps, and a 60amp wall charger should maintain 48 amps. (My Telsa wall connector on a 60amp circuit does 48amp.)

 

[rlsd]

I have a home charger but I don't think it saves much. The electricity cost at home is cheaper than at the supercharger. But the problem is the electricity company charges for electrity distribution, about the same the actual electricity cost. I subcribed for EV plan for a cheaper rate and the cheap rate only applies during the periods from 12AM to 6AM or before 2PM on the weekend. Besides, if I use electricity for other things like washing, drying, cooking, AC outside those periods then the cost is very high, much higher than non EV plan.

 

[ucmndd]

Your numbers seem off, based on the rule of thumb to take 80% of the maximum amperage of a circuit.

We actually call that a rule of code, not a rule of thumb.

 

[Mike728]

Your numbers seem off, based on the rule of thumb to take 80% of the maximum amperage of a circuit. Thus a 14-50 50amp outlet should sustain 40 amps, and a 60amp wall charger should maintain 48 amps. (My Telsa wall connector on a 60amp circuit does 48amp.)

The mobile connector is not hardwired, so max current allowed is 32A.

 

[ucmndd]

The mobile connector is not hardwired, so max current allowed is 32A.

Allowed by who? No such rule exists in the US, and there are plenty of non-hardwired EVSEs that will deliver a full 40 amps on a 14-50 circuit (including Tesla’s original Gen 1 mobile connector).

 

[fholbert]

@jmd2024 - If you don’t want to change where you live, maybe change where you work?

I’ve been installing an IT infrastructure in two brand new buildings. They have public use Superchargers on the ground level, but below ground level parking I found about 100 Tesla wall chargers.

 

[Mike728]

Allowed by who? No such rule exists in the US, and there are plenty of non-hardwired EVSEs that will deliver a full 40 amps on a 14-50 circuit (including Tesla’s original Gen 1 mobile connector).

You must be fun at parties.

 

[ucmndd]

Your post says:

The mobile connector is not hardwired, so max current allowed is 32A.

The fact that Tesla’s Gen 2 mobile connector “is not hardwired” has absolutely nothing to do with why it’s limited to 32 amps. That’s just a design choice. “Allowed” implies there’s a rule or other regulation enforcing that limit, and your statement suggests that’s because it’s not hardwired.

No such rule exists.

Party or not, casually passing around bad info and misinforming others is in bad taste. Don’t forget your host gift.

 

[E90alex]

You must be fun at parties.
View attachment 1033664

You’re conflating different things.

A 14-50R on a 50 amp circuit itself is capable of delivering 40amps continuous.

It is true that the Tesla UMC gen 2 specifically maxes out at 32 amps even on a 14-50R 50 amp circuit, but that’s just Teslas own limitation and not a general limitation of all non-hardwired EVSEs.

A 40 amp EVSE does not need to be hardwired. There are many portable and wall mounted EVSE that can charge at 40 amps that plug into a 14-50R.

 

[Iron]

Personally, I wouldn't own one without home charging. Once the novelty wears off, it might get old fast. I agree with the earlier comment about renting one for a week. I really think a hybrid (not a plug in either) would suit me best in that type of situation.

 

[Tiger]

I have a home charger but I don't think it saves much. The electricity cost at home is cheaper than at the supercharger. But the problem is the electricity company charges for electrity distribution, about the same the actual electricity cost. I subcribed for EV plan for a cheaper rate and the cheap rate only applies during the periods from 12AM to 6AM or before 2PM on the weekend. Besides, if I use electricity for other things like washing, drying, cooking, AC outside those periods then the cost is very high, much higher than non EV plan.

Charging, washing (get a washer-dryer), etc. can be scheduled to run 12AM to 6AM.

Cooking is not a significant factor, unless you cook for hours at high or moredare power, in which case you might want to put things in the slow cooker over the night /s

 

[GatorMeat]

I am in the market for a new car, and with the tax credits and being a nerd, I have finally begun to consider an EV. Test drove a MY last night and really liked it, but here's the catch.

I live on Staten Island, and my landlord will not be installing a charging option at home. I know there is currently one Supercharger site which is ~10 minutes away from me. The mall has a bunch of public/free chargers, but like 8kWh or some such experience. There is another SC site coming soon which I found out about on the site, and there are some SC sites between my residence and where I work (I have customers between Philadelphia and Long Island).

So here's my ask, since I know of no one around me who owns a Tesla, or any EV.

Am I crazy even considering going EV and relying on the charging infrastructure? Odds are slim I will be anywhere but here in 3 years, and odds are nil that the landlord budges on the charging. I know the prices for SC sites aren't posted, so I am curious if any of my island neighbors can indicate rough costs there, since that's my likely best bet as a frequent fill-up spot. mostly hoping to see that if I did go MY and SC, that my weekly costs would be under the 40ish dollars in gas I am spending currently. If it's 20-30 bucks, and i can do some en route work? No biggie. If it's 30-40 which is basically the cost of gas...then I get to thinking now is not Tesla time still. And, will it be an issue if I am not regularly charging to 100% (like, if its every couple weeks versus every week?)

the other vehicles I was considering are an Ioniq5, which I would be even more limited with on the island for charging, or an ICE Nissan Rogue, which may win out but my company GM is pushing hard for me to get a Y like him lol

thanks in advance!

If you cannot charge at home (you only need to have a normal 110V outlet within 20' of where you park at home) and you cannot charge at work, and you don't spend several hours a week at the mall, owning an EV may suck. Starting each day with a full battery is key to EV ownership.

On the other hand, an EV is far superior to Gas cars. Comparing gas vs electric costs as a determining factor to go EV is a bad assumption that many make before they own an EV. After you own an EV, you realize EV's are far superior and you wouldn't go back even if gas were cheaper than electric.