Howdy Teslarati and fans!
Okay, I have an unusual issue here with my charging setup as I plan my purchase of a Model 3 Long Range before March of 2020.
I'm in a townhome which I co-own with my girlfriend, and the townhome was built in 1990 with obviously no plan in mind for EV charging. I've had electricians out to assess the place for upgrades, but it's looking bleak. Maybe one of you townhome/condo-dwelling Tesla owners has some ideas for workarounds. Maybe some of you are qualified electricians!
1. I have what is technically an 'attached' garage, but there's a patio between my place and the garage. So, you exit the patio, open a small lockable door and the garage is there (a nice and deep two-car garage). All 120 volt or standard outlets inside.
2. My unit has a pathetic 60a panel box with no headroom for a dedicated garage line, or that's what I've been told by some of the techs who checked out my place. Worse, the panel box is in the downstairs bathroom. So, even running cable from the box involves channeling it through the ceiling and then trenching around the patio cement and in to the garage. The builder of these units did not make things easy.
3. My dryer is gas, so I can't either plug in there (of course it's upstairs), nor can I convert the dryer to gas to free up amperage because it's already gas.
4. By all accounts, it looks like everything is maxed out with no future-proofing. This more than anything makes me want to upgrade to a single-family home, but that's another story.
5. I know there's hardware which can switch power as it's available to an EVSE, such as the DCC Miser Switch;
DCC Electric – Simplifying Electric Vehicle Charging In Condos
Trouble is, I need HOA permission to even think about this. I've broached the subject with this but apparently I'm the *first* EV owner to approach them about charging issues or adjusting the infrastructure to facilitate garage charging. OF COURSE I AM. Naturally, they are slow and unmotivated, and probably all driving around in ICE vehicles, but they seem to understand that this trend isn't going anywhere and that the incidence of EV ownership is rising.
6. Brute Force approach; I could just pay a pro to route some wiring to the garage and install a switch so that the L2 EVSE locks out the dryer in some fashion, or maybe I can lock out the dryer with a manual switch. Just spitballin' here. This wouldn't exactly be a permitted install, I'm guessing. It's not like I use the dryer all the time, but I know that this isn't really considered a workaround, unless there's hardware I can use without getting the HOA involved?
7. I could just rely on Supercharging every time, which I don't mind doing, but how bad is this for the battery range and life? Does anyone out there currently do this with their Tesla? Certainly, not every Tesla owner has an amazing house with copious and accessible amperage, right? Some of you have to live in Townhomes, Condos, and Apartments. How do you charge your lovely Teslas?
Any other ideas?
Thanks!
Okay, I have an unusual issue here with my charging setup as I plan my purchase of a Model 3 Long Range before March of 2020.
I'm in a townhome which I co-own with my girlfriend, and the townhome was built in 1990 with obviously no plan in mind for EV charging. I've had electricians out to assess the place for upgrades, but it's looking bleak. Maybe one of you townhome/condo-dwelling Tesla owners has some ideas for workarounds. Maybe some of you are qualified electricians!
1. I have what is technically an 'attached' garage, but there's a patio between my place and the garage. So, you exit the patio, open a small lockable door and the garage is there (a nice and deep two-car garage). All 120 volt or standard outlets inside.
2. My unit has a pathetic 60a panel box with no headroom for a dedicated garage line, or that's what I've been told by some of the techs who checked out my place. Worse, the panel box is in the downstairs bathroom. So, even running cable from the box involves channeling it through the ceiling and then trenching around the patio cement and in to the garage. The builder of these units did not make things easy.
3. My dryer is gas, so I can't either plug in there (of course it's upstairs), nor can I convert the dryer to gas to free up amperage because it's already gas.
4. By all accounts, it looks like everything is maxed out with no future-proofing. This more than anything makes me want to upgrade to a single-family home, but that's another story.
5. I know there's hardware which can switch power as it's available to an EVSE, such as the DCC Miser Switch;
DCC Electric – Simplifying Electric Vehicle Charging In Condos
Trouble is, I need HOA permission to even think about this. I've broached the subject with this but apparently I'm the *first* EV owner to approach them about charging issues or adjusting the infrastructure to facilitate garage charging. OF COURSE I AM. Naturally, they are slow and unmotivated, and probably all driving around in ICE vehicles, but they seem to understand that this trend isn't going anywhere and that the incidence of EV ownership is rising.
6. Brute Force approach; I could just pay a pro to route some wiring to the garage and install a switch so that the L2 EVSE locks out the dryer in some fashion, or maybe I can lock out the dryer with a manual switch. Just spitballin' here. This wouldn't exactly be a permitted install, I'm guessing. It's not like I use the dryer all the time, but I know that this isn't really considered a workaround, unless there's hardware I can use without getting the HOA involved?
7. I could just rely on Supercharging every time, which I don't mind doing, but how bad is this for the battery range and life? Does anyone out there currently do this with their Tesla? Certainly, not every Tesla owner has an amazing house with copious and accessible amperage, right? Some of you have to live in Townhomes, Condos, and Apartments. How do you charge your lovely Teslas?
Any other ideas?
Thanks!
Last edited: