Do I need to upgrade my garage to NEMA 14-50?

[mikeash]

I'd strongly recommend the 240V outlet. It sounds like 120V will be fine for you, but it's nice to be able to get home late at night from a trip with 20 miles rated range left, plug in, and know that you'll be back to 90% (or whatever you decide to keep it at) by the time you wake up.

You're spending $BIG on the car, a few hundred bucks on an outlet won't hurt much, and should greatly enhance the value of the car for you. Worth it!

As the others say, be careful with the quotes. I first tried a Tesla-recommended electrician. "I want a 240V outlet for my Tesla." They came back with an $800 quote. Then I tried somebody else I found. "I want a NEMA 14-50 outlet installed." $400 quote. I can't be sure that the word "Tesla" cost $400 extra, but it was pretty suspicious.

 

[Cottonwood]

I have a new hangar where the total service is 240 Volts at 50 Amps. 5 hangars share one 200A/240V service with a 50A/240V breaker to each hangar and a load center in each hangar.

I could upgrade the service, but because the hangar is only 25 rated miles from my house and I tend to fly the airplane on multi-day trips, 120V/12A charging on a 5-15 would probably work. OTOH, I like POWER. As a an easy, will fit on the 50A service, I am strongly considering putting in a 6-20 240V/20A outlet, making a 6-20 to 5-20 adapter (labeling it 10 ways to Saturday that it is only for Tesla charging; wrapping it in RED electrical tape), and using the Tesla 5-20 UMC adapter to get 240V/16A charging. That should give me about 12 mph charging.

6-15 or 6-20 outlets, used with appropriately labeled adapters to 5-15 or 5-20, are an interesting compromise for service limited locations.

 

[KJD]

I have a new hangar where the total service is 240 Volts at 50 Amps. 5 hangars share one 200A/240V service with a 50A/240V breaker to each hangar and a load center in each hangar.

I could upgrade the service, but because the hangar is only 25 rated miles from my house and I tend to fly the airplane on multi-day trips, 120V/12A charging on a 5-15 would probably work. OTOH, I like POWER. As a an easy, will fit on the 50A service, I am strongly considering putting in a 6-20 240V/20A outlet, making a 6-20 to 5-20 adapter (labeling it 10 ways to Saturday that it is only for Tesla charging; wrapping it in RED electrical tape), and using the Tesla 5-20 UMC adapter to get 240V/16A charging. That should give me about 12 mph charging.

6-15 or 6-20 outlets, used with appropriately labeled adapters to 5-15 or 5-20, are an interesting compromise for service limited locations.

Why not just use the Tesla adapter for that ?
Tesla NEMA 6-15

 

[Oba]

Certainly, for those constrained by rental situations, it's nearly painless to bump a 120 volt solo outlet (DEDICATED... not on a string with other outlets) to 240 volts.

You just need to replace the single pole breaker with a dual pole breaker, and change the outlet to a 6-15. Easy, and no "wiring" involved. All completely reversible in minutes.

Charge twice as fast.

 

[Electricfan]

Assuming the Tesla is a success in your case, you will eventually install the 14-50 outlet. Maybe you'll enjoy looking forward to the higher charging capacity and give it to yourself as a birthday present someday - if you enjoy anticipation and earning your rewards. But you will definitely want one, almost as soon as you experience charging the slow method for a week. There will come a day when you'll drive 150 miles unexpectedly, and then your overnight charge won't give you the cushion you'll want the next day. And you'll get tired of hooking up at work, where you have to drag the cord out of the trunk, plug it in at the outlet and then plug in your car, then repeat the procedure in reverse every evening when you go home. It will get tedious.

The only scenario where it might turn out to be a smart move not to install the 14-50 outlet is if you end up hating the Tesla. If that happens, please report back on the forum when you sell it. I think it will be the first post of its kind here.

 

[TexasEV]

I have a new hangar where the total service is 240 Volts at 50 Amps. 5 hangars share one 200A/240V service with a 50A/240V breaker to each hangar and a load center in each hangar.

I could upgrade the service, but because the hangar is only 25 rated miles from my house and I tend to fly the airplane on multi-day trips, 120V/12A charging on a 5-15 would probably work. OTOH, I like POWER. As a an easy, will fit on the 50A service, I am strongly considering putting in a 6-20 240V/20A outlet, making a 6-20 to 5-20 adapter (labeling it 10 ways to Saturday that it is only for Tesla charging; wrapping it in RED electrical tape), and using the Tesla 5-20 UMC adapter to get 240V/16A charging. That should give me about 12 mph charging.

6-15 or 6-20 outlets, used with appropriately labeled adapters to 5-15 or 5-20, are an interesting compromise for service limited locations.

You (or others reading this who don't want to go the homemade route) don't have to make a 6-20 to 5-20 adapter, EVSEadapters has made this for use with the UMC 5-20, at my suggestion.

- - - Updated - - -

Why not just use the Tesla adapter for that ?
Tesla NEMA 6-15

Because 20 A will charge faster than 15A.

 

[CHG-ON]

Said many times on this post, but yes. It is certainly worth the money and effort. I never worry at all.

 

[Canuck]

I'd recommend putting in an 14-50 outlet too. But if you do decide to just go with the regular outlet, and that works for you most of the time, but sometimes you need a faster charge at home, if your dryer outlet is not too far from your garage you could make a lightweight extension cord for when you need a faster charge using these parts:

6 3 SOOW So Cord 30 ft HD USA Portable Outdoor Indoor 600 V Flexible Wire Cable | eBay

Camco 55353 50 Amp Female Replacement Receptacle New Free Shipping | eBay

Camco Power Cord Plug 50 Amp Electric Male Connector RV camper Travel Trailer | eBay

But mark it "Tesla Only" since it should never be used for RV's or damage will result! Also, Tesla recommends no extension cords so this is for information only, although I used this extension cord at my cabin for over a year until I put in a HPWC.

More here:

How to build a lightweight 50A extension cord

 

[paulkva]

Might the existing branch circuit be fed with Romex 12-2 that can support a 5-20 receptacle thus giving you approx. 125 miles of range overnight (12 hrs) with the proper $45 Tesla UMC 5-20 adapter?

First, a minor correction here: a 5-20 receptacle at 120V will provide ~60 miles of range in 12 hours, not 125 miles.

I'm all in favor of 120V charging when needed, and it has helped me immensely on numerous trips. If you go with 120V and the circuit supports it, I also recommend the 5-20 adapter. It's certainly reasonable to start with 120V and see how things go, but I also agree with many other posters here that 240V is the way to go for maximum flexibility. Another argument against 120V is it's apparently less efficient than 240V -- a higher percentage of losses between your panel and the Tesla's battery. But that's minor for your case since it's expected to be a relatively small fraction of your overall charging needs. A couple relevant threads with technical details if you're interested:
110 vs 240 charging
Charging rates, current draw, and efficiency data for 120V charging

One other question to clarify your situation -- you say you have a "free, dedicated EV charging station" at work -- is it dedicated for you personally or for EVs in general? If it's for EVs in general, I'd recommend getting the 240V outlet sooner rather than later; you might find yourself surprised one day when another EV owner beats you to it, or it gets ICEd.

Regardless of what you decide, congrats on the upcoming new car and welcome to TMC!

 

[Cottonwood]

Why not just use the Tesla adapter for that ?
Tesla NEMA 6-15

Thanks for the reminder. I had forgotten that Tesla offered a 6-15 adapter.

Because 20 A will charge faster than 15A.

Exactly!


[rant] Of course, it would great if Tesla also made 6-20, 6-30, 6-50, 10-30, 14-30, 10-50, and TT-30 adapters for the UMC. Would that really be so hard? [/rant]

 

[ecarfan]

I strongly recommend you install a 40A 14-50 outlet in your garage. It's cheap to do. (Permit? Why) You are going to live your car and will find excuses to drive it everywhere.
In my garage I have an 80A HPWC and a 40A 14-50 "just because". Plus a 70A HPC for my Roadster.

 

[Cottonwood]

I strongly recommend you install a 40A 14-50 outlet in your garage. It's cheap to do. (Permit? Why) You are going to live your car and will find excuses to drive it everywhere.
In my garage I have an 80A HPWC and a 40A 14-50 "just because". Plus a 70A HPC for my Roadster.

If you have the capacity in your service entrance, I completely agree with the above.

In my Boulder house, I have the same setup as ecarfan. In my Pagosa house, I have an 80A HPWC and two 40A 14-50's, but then again, I have 600A service to both houses. As I said, I like POWER.

In my new hangar, it's a different situation; there I only have 50A service. Even with that tiny service capacity, I plan to put in a 16A 6-20 outlet that will at least give me 12 mph charging.

 

[Soolim]

Just before Christmas I ordered a 70D for delivery in late Feb, and would appreciate advice on charging options. Here's my situation. I live in Southern CT, and my car will be housed in my garage. While it does get very cold in the winter, typically the garage stays above freezing or warmer. I drive about 40 miles one way to/from work, and have a free, dedicated EV charging station available to me at work where I intend to principally (exclusively?) charge my car during work days.
On weekends, I'm planning to plug my MS into a NEMA 5-15 standard outlet for charging when I get home on Friday nights. My thoughts are that I will either not drive more than 100 miles or so per weekend and therefore not need any additional charging (assuming I charge to full before leaving work on Friday evenings). If I do need to drive more, I can use EV charging at businesses near me (e.g., nearest mall and supermarket have EV charging stations, etc.). If i travel farther, I have access to superchargers about 20 miles south of me (a common direction for us to travel). In addition to my MS, my wife and teenage daughter have cars available on weekends if necessary.

Put simply, I would charge exclusively at work during weekdays, and on Fridays plug in to the standard outlet when I arrive at home. The car would remain plugged in most of the weekend, save for errands, joyrides, going to see friends, etc.

My thoughts are to try this and see how it goes before investing the cash in getting a permit and having an electrician install the NEMA 14-50 outlet. Am I crazy? Appreciate any and all advice.

Welcome to TMC. Yes. After spending money on a 70D, don't skimp on the NEMA 14-50. You will find that you want to drive more in the weekend:wink:. BTW, the supercharger 20 miles away is not intended for your convenient home charging.:tongue:

 

[Jaff]

To the OP, will you be retiring soon? Is there a possibility that you may switch employers in the future?

If so, I would definitely put the NEMA 14-50 in the garage. I think the idea of the separate 100 amp sub panel in the garage is an excellent idea for when you get your second EV...:wink:

 

[TexasEV]

I don't understand people who pay in the high five figures for a Model S or X, if not $100,000 or more, yet want to skimp on the few hundred dollars it takes to install an outlet at home that would allow them to drive wherever/whenever without thinking about how much range they have and if they have to take their other car.

 

[linkster]

First, a minor correction here: a 5-20 receptacle at 120V will provide ~60 miles of range in 12 hours, not 125 miles.

Doo...5 X 12 = 60 Thanks for correcting me.

 

[Rocky_H]

I don't understand people who pay in the high five figures for a Model S or X, if not $100,000 or more, yet want to skimp on the few hundred dollars it takes to install an outlet at home that would allow them to drive wherever/whenever without thinking about how much range they have and if they have to take their other car.

I do understand it. Some people who have saved and been careful with their money to have enough to buy a nice car like this know the value of a dollar, and they got where they are by not blowing money on things they don’t need. That is obviously not everyone.

 

[Max*]

I charged on 120V for a few months. My daily commute is 30 miles roundtrip, so I could have easily re-charged overnight. I also have a [paid] charger at work that I used occasionally. It did the job, but I would occasionally have "charge anxiety", and after coming home from a roadtrip, I knew that I couldn't come home empty as I would barely have enough juice to make it to work->home the next day.

I was planning on using the 120V longer, but apparently whomever wired my house, but the outdoor plug on the same circuit breaker as the microwave, so when I'd turn on the microwave and forget to stop charging, the breaker would trip, heh.

After a few months, and a lot of quotes (even considered doing it myself, it was a simple 50' run), I had a 14-50 installed, don't regret it at all.

Shop around for quotes, I got quotes from <$400 to >$1,500.

 

[dsm363]

I charged on 120V for a few months. My daily commute is 30 miles roundtrip, so I could have easily re-charged overnight. I also have a [paid] charger at work that I used occasionally. It did the job, but I would occasionally have "charge anxiety", and after coming home from a roadtrip, I knew that I couldn't come home empty as I would barely have enough juice to make it to work->home the next day.

I was planning on using the 120V longer, but apparently whomever wired my house, but the outdoor plug on the same circuit breaker as the microwave, so when I'd turn on the microwave and forget to stop charging, the breaker would trip, heh.

After a few months, and a lot of quotes (even considered doing it myself, it was a simple 50' run), I had a 14-50 installed, don't regret it at all.

Shop around for quotes, I got quotes from <$400 to >$1,500.

I did the same thing for two weeks but in the winter. I would steadily lose about 10% a day even charging overnight with 30-40 miles of driving a day because it couldn't charge quickly enough. 240V is definitely worth it. If the install is a few thousand dollars for some reason and you don't really need it that's one thing. If it's a few hundred bucks it's worth it.

 

[Oba]

I don't understand people who pay in the high five figures for a Model S or X, if not $100,000 or more, yet want to skimp on the few hundred dollars it takes to install an outlet at home that would allow them to drive wherever/whenever without thinking about how much range they have and if they have to take their other car.

I would guess the truly thrifty EV shoppers are buying the LEAF, or a Mitsubishi iMiev. Saving the cost of a tire or two for the inconvenience to themselves with low efficiency and pathetically slow charging, and inconvenience to others by hogging local Superchargers to "save" a few bucks personally.