charging options and quotes

[Burrito]

so things are happening fast since i didnt expect to order a car yesterday and pick it up saturday. that said i need charging options for my house and reached out to a few electricians in the area

for a long range model 3 what is my best/most practical option.

should i use the charging cable supplied with the car and have the electrician install a 6-50 outlet, prices are ranging about 500-550 for this

or

install the telsa wall charger with the added cost of about 500 for the charger and about another 50-100 more for the "work"

my understanding of the charge rates is the mobile plug maxes out at 30 miles per hour charging and the wall charger can get 44 miles per hour. what i dont understand yet is many people here recommend charging to 80% or various amps settings and what not.

is it not as simple as a full charge on the mobile takes ~10 hours vs ~ 7 on the wall charger? what should i do? not having to spend another 500 would be nice

 

[Burrito]

this is the space it will be installed for reference

 

[hcdavis3]

so things are happening fast since i didnt expect to order a car yesterday and pick it up saturday. that said i need charging options for my house and reached out to a few electricians in the area

for a long range model 3 what is my best/most practical option.

should i use the charging cable supplied with the car and have the electrician install a 6-50 outlet, prices are ranging about 500-550 for this

or

install the telsa wall charger with the added cost of about 500 for the charger and about another 50-100 more for the "work"

my understanding of the charge rates is the mobile plug maxes out at 30 miles per hour charging and the wall charger can get 44 miles per hour. what i dont understand yet is many people here recommend charging to 80% or various amps settings and what not.

is it not as simple as a full charge on the mobile takes ~10 hours vs ~ 7 on the wall charger? what should i do? not having to spend another 500 would be nice

The mobile connector will give you 32 amps max and around 30 MPH of charge on a NEMA 14-50 outlet. I bought a second Mobile connector gen 2 off eBay and leave that one in the car. The high powered wall connector was overkill for me. My car only takes 3 hours max to charge if I’ve driven a lot (for me) during the day. I don’t know enough about the 6-50 outlet but I’m sure others will chime in. Is your service 200 amps? Looks like 150 with a with a sub panel at 100 amps. Congrats on your car!!

 

[lskarp]

Running a NEMA 14-50 is pretty easy to do in this situation. If it is a short run which this should be, you are pretty similar with the 4 wire 14-50 or the 3 wire 6-50 (no neutral). IMO the charging performance should be similar and your car likely comes with the 14-50 adapter, however the 6-50 only costs like $35-40 I believe.

 

[jjrandorin]

Since you are getting a LR model, your car will charge at the 44 MHP speed if you get the tesla wall connector. If you use the mobile connector, it will max out at 32 I believe.

For almost anyone, the wall connector is a "nice to have" or "convenience" thing. I say that as someone who bought one and had it installed (vs just using the mobile connector). Very few people "need" the faster speed at home. If you have a time of use plan that only has the cheapest rates between 1am and 5am (for example), you might need to get the fastest charger you can to squeeze your charging into that window, if your daily commute uses enough to need that full charge time.

That fits very few people.

With that said, I am extremely happy with the wall connector. I would do it again. I just fully acknowledge that I didnt or dont "need" it, and the mobile connector would have been fine.

One thing to think about is, the wall connector is fairly inexpensive for what it offers (quality wall connectors from other brands cost more), but putting a tesla wall connector in your home will probably make it more likely your next EV after this car is a tesla. If you put in a 14-50, you would be able to charge any brand EV easily.

once you start driving an EV car, its highly likely that you will have at least one EV in your car stable going forward. Having bought one in december (and still having my wifes car be an ICE car) I simply can not imagine not having at least 1 EV now going forward. Its that transformative.

"cheapest / most efficient" is simply having an electrician put in a 14-50 and using the mobile connector. That doesnt mean I think thats what everyone should do, however. Like I said, I am fully happy with my choice to put in the wall connector and would do it again. Cost me about $600 in electrical labor / permit charges + the 500 wall connector. Definitely would have been cheaper to just put in the outlet, but I still love the wall connector.

 

[Eno Deb]

should i use the charging cable supplied with the car and have the electrician install a 6-50 outlet, prices are ranging about 500-550 for this

or

install the telsa wall charger with the added cost of about 500 for the charger and about another 50-100 more for the "work"

If you actually find an electrician who offers to install the Wall Charger for just $50-100, then take it. It's unlikely though. The installation cost should be similar to that of an outlet.

But yes, these are pretty much your options (although you should probably use a 14-50 outlet assuming it's still included when you get your car). If you have a 240V dryer outlet in the garage, you may be able to use that.

my understanding of the charge rates is the mobile plug maxes out at 30 miles per hour charging and the wall charger can get 44 miles per hour. what i dont understand yet is many people here recommend charging to 80% or various amps settings and what not.

is it not as simple as a full charge on the mobile takes ~10 hours vs ~ 7 on the wall charger? what should i do? not having to spend another 500 would be nice

The thing is that you will rarely have to do a full charge unless you drive extremely much. Most people drive less than 100 miles on most days, and that can be easily recovered overnight with any 240 charging solution.

 

[Big Earl]

I don’t think you have room for another 50 amp circuit. You have 150 amps coming in, 100 going out to another sub panel, 50 amps for HVAC (there’s your 150 already) and a multitude of existing 15 and 20 amp circuits.

Looks to me like you need to do a load calculation and/or test to see what you’re actually using and what is available for car charging.

 

[Burrito]

If you actually find an electrician who offers to install the Wall Charger for just $50-100, then take it. It's unlikely though. The installation cost should be similar to that of an outlet.

But yes, these are pretty much your options (although you should probably use a 14-50 outlet assuming it's still included when you get your car). If you have a 240V dryer outlet in the garage, you may be able to use that.
The thing is that you will rarely have to do a full charge unless you drive extremely much. Most people drive less than 100 miles on most days, and that can be easily recovered overnight with any 240 charging solution.

i should have been more clear, the extra cost on top of the ~$500 for getting a 220 plug in general is 50-100 more for the added labor of attaching and hardwiring the wall charger. so like 500 for a plug or 600 for the wall charger (+500 more for the charger)

I don’t think you have room for another 50 amp circuit. You have 150 amps coming in, 100 going out to another sub panel, 50 amps for HVAC (there’s your 150 already) and a multitude of existing 15 and 20 amp circuits.

Looks to me like you need to do a load calculation and/or test to see what you’re actually using and what is available for car charging.

i had 2 tesla certified electricians look at the panel and sub panel already (facetime is a wonderful thing), the 100 amp going to my basement subpanel has almost nothing on it, the previous owners had a lot of stuff in the basement, we do not. and the a/c 50 amp breaker is overkill


my tesla dealer said my car might come with the 14-50 adapter but wasnt sure. does the 14-50 vs 6-50 make much a difference, assuming i have to buy/install one?

 

[Eno Deb]

i should have been more clear, the extra cost on top of the ~$500 for getting a 220 plug in general is 50-100 more for the added labor of attaching and hardwiring the wall charger. so like 500 for a plug or 600 for the wall charger (+500 more for the charger)

Got it.

my tesla dealer said my car might come with the 14-50 adapter but wasnt sure. does the 14-50 vs 6-50 make much a difference, assuming i have to buy/install one?

No, they will both provide the same charging speed. The 14-50 has an additional Neutral wire, but it's not used when charging at 240V. All else being equal the 14-50 adapter is probably more versatile for EV drivers since it can be found e.g. at RV parks, so if you have to buy one you may prefer 14-50.

 

[hoang51]

my tesla dealer said my car might come with the 14-50 adapter but wasnt sure. does the 14-50 vs 6-50 make much a difference, assuming i have to buy/install one?

Here's your "might" answer why: NEMA 14-50 UMC Adapter No Longer Included With New Purchases

 

[BrokerDon]

Consider buying a brand new still in box Tesla Wall Connector off Craigslist or TMC. I found a brand new Signature Tesla Wall Connector for our son's Model 3 LR for $375 in about 2 hours in early March on Craigslist from another Tesla owner only 10 minutes away who'd won it as a referral award. There were at least 15 available locally in SoCal... as low as $350.

 

[ewoodrick]

so things are happening fast since i didnt expect to order a car yesterday and pick it up saturday. that said i need charging options for my house and reached out to a few electricians in the area

for a long range model 3 what is my best/most practical option.

should i use the charging cable supplied with the car and have the electrician install a 6-50 outlet, prices are ranging about 500-550 for this

or

install the telsa wall charger with the added cost of about 500 for the charger and about another 50-100 more for the "work"

my understanding of the charge rates is the mobile plug maxes out at 30 miles per hour charging and the wall charger can get 44 miles per hour. what i dont understand yet is many people here recommend charging to 80% or various amps settings and what not.

is it not as simple as a full charge on the mobile takes ~10 hours vs ~ 7 on the wall charger? what should i do? not having to spend another 500 would be nice

The first question that anyone should have posted is "What is your daily commute?" and "Do you have charging options at work?"

All of the answer so far aren't answering your needs.

A 120V 15A or 20A may be suitable and even exceed your needs. I know that it exceeds my wife's needs, as she charges on 120V 15A and only does it once or twice a week. You don't have to have 32A or higher charging.

Taking a step up is the NEMA 14-50 plug, which is extremely versatile. It can be used for just about any EV as well as motorhomes and about anything else that you can think of. It is also a non-descript plug and doesn't yell "I'm for a Tesla, charge me more" as some seem to have found out. You can then use the UMC that comes with the car (the 14-50 adapter may or may not now be included, if not beg delivery center for one, they are relatively cheap).
But go ahead and order another UMC that can stay in the car so you don't have to plug and unplug.

The Tesla wall plug has the high capabilities and if two are used, can share the circuit. But these are really overkill in all but the highest commute situations.

A NEMA 14-50 can go from essentially 0 to 100% in about 10 hours (but you will never need to charge that much) and generally will charge in about 4 hours.

If your commute is low or you can charge at work, just use a 120V plug at home for now. Even if you only plug in at home and really don't get full all the time, is there a Supercharger that you can top off at once a week.

It is so much better to get in and see what your driving is going to be and have some time to think about what the options are without rushing into it. You can then better determine your needs and make a more informed decision. Also you need to calm your range anxiety with some time and experience.

There are a lot of Superchargers and J-1772 charge locations in New Jersey (check plugshare.com) So you should have a lot of options even if you don't install anything right now. Supercharging isn't expensive, maybe $5 for 150 miles, so it won't break the bank to begin with. If you are lucky, you may find some other owners at a Supercharger site that love to talk about the car with you.

 

[Burrito]

I will have the electrician just add a 14-50 plug between my 2 garage door bays.

I drive about 50 miles a day round trip for my commute workplace has about 50-100 electric charging stations. I haven’t counted them all but it’s alot. I think they even might be free.

 

[BrokerDon]

I will have the electrician just add a 14-50 plug between my 2 garage door bays.

I drive about 50 miles a day round trip for my commute workplace has about 50-100 electric charging stations. I haven’t counted them all but it’s a lot. I think they even might be free.

Hmmm.... If you have FREE 50-100 electric charging stations at your workplace and lots of Superchargers nearby why not use those to see if you really need home charging at all?

 

[Burrito]

I don’t like going into work. Lol. WFH when I can. But yea. Hoping they are free. I guess I’ll find out, never had a need to look into it.

 

[ewoodrick]

If you've got charging at work but don't need to go in, then your commute is really small. And if your commute is really small, then 120V 15A may be a lot more than needed.

Of course, you may want to go into work for the next few weeks just to show off the car. (and charge while you are at it)

I don't commute, except for going to the airport, maybe once a week. My wife and I could share a 120V 15A plug and be happy and still leave the plug empty a good portion of the time.

Yes I have a NEMA 14-50 with a UMC, yes, I do plug into it, maybe once a week. And yes, I did plug in late Sunday night after coming off of a 700 mile trip. But I forgot to set the max to 80% and its Wednesday and I still have limited regen dots showing after unplugging Monday morning. (no, the limited regen doesn't bother me or do anything bad, just used as a frame of reference, aka just going under 300 miles of range)

So, my recommendation, don't worry about installing a charger right now. Don't overwhelm the process. Get the car, enjoy the car, drop by a Supercharger and charge if you need to (as well as experiencing a Supercharger).

 

[TexasEV]

If you've got charging at work but don't need to go in, then your commute is really small. And if your commute is really small, then 120V 15A may be a lot more than needed.

Of course, you may want to go into work for the next few weeks just to show off the car. (and charge while you are at it)

I don't commute, except for going to the airport, maybe once a week. My wife and I could share a 120V 15A plug and be happy and still leave the plug empty a good portion of the time.

Yes I have a NEMA 14-50 with a UMC, yes, I do plug into it, maybe once a week. And yes, I did plug in late Sunday night after coming off of a 700 mile trip. But I forgot to set the max to 80% and its Wednesday and I still have limited regen dots showing after unplugging Monday morning. (no, the limited regen doesn't bother me or do anything bad, just used as a frame of reference, aka just going under 300 miles of range)

So, my recommendation, don't worry about installing a charger right now. Don't overwhelm the process. Get the car, enjoy the car, drop by a Supercharger and charge if you need to (as well as experiencing a Supercharger).

We shouldn’t be encouraging people to use local superchargers who have the ability to install 240V charging at home.

 

[ewoodrick]

We shouldn’t be encouraging people to use local superchargers who have the ability to install 240V charging at home.

I didn't. I recommended it as a temporary option while getting a better idea at what his charging requirements really are. Too many people keep recommending expensive solutions when there is no knowledge of the requirements. There are a large variety of options, and yes 240V charging is a possible one, but not the only one. And in this case, a little investigation yielded charging at work and therefore the gentleman's urgency to get a charger installed, possibly not optimizing his solution isn't required.
He'll probably end up there in the long run, but getting there with a lot more knowledge and forethought than "just install this plug"

 

[Burrito]

i looked into the work chargers, they are .1c / minute, 240v chargepoint stations

 

[Ejl80]

i looked into the work chargers, they are .1c / minute, 240v chargepoint stations

.1c? or 10 cents. or 1 cent?