New Owner - Charger/Install Help

[alapd]

Hi all,

After a very long wait, I am finally ready to join the club with the delivery of my MS on Monday. I am beyond excited, and can't wait for the car to be here!

In preparation, I have some questions about the electrical setup for my electrical.

I have a 100amp breaker, and can only do 30amps to my mobile connector. However, with the recent discontinuation of the 14-30 adapter, I don't have that option. Also, I am living in a temporary house, maybe 1-2 years max, so I do not want to invest too much into this, just enough to keep it working. Daily commute is about 100-125 miles a day.

With that said, what are my options? If I could find a 14-30 adapter somewhere I think that would be best, but finding that difficult. I know the wall connector is a choice, but that is an additional $550 as well, on top of the install.

Your thoughts and expertise would be greatly appreciated!

Also on a side note if anyone has a great installer in North NJ, would love the info!

 

[MikeC]

Hi all,

After a very long wait, I am finally ready to join the club with the delivery of my MS on Monday. I am beyond excited, and can't wait for the car to be here!

In preparation, I have some questions about the electrical setup for my electrical.

I have a 100amp breaker, and can only do 30amps to my mobile connector. However, with the recent discontinuation of the 14-30 adapter, I don't have that option. Also, I am living in a temporary house, maybe 1-2 years max, so I do not want to invest too much into this, just enough to keep it working. Daily commute is about 100-125 miles a day.

With that said, what are my options? If I could find a 14-30 adapter somewhere I think that would be best, but finding that difficult. I know the wall connector is a choice, but that is an additional $550 as well, on top of the install.

Your thoughts and expertise would be greatly appreciated!

Also on a side note if anyone has a great installer in North NJ, would love the info!

Can you get a NEMA14-50 and just limit the amps using the car software to 30?

 

[alapd]

Can you get a NEMA14-50 and just limit the amps using the car software to 30?

I am unable to get 50 amps to the outlet, max I can do is 30. I am not sure if I can still use a 14-50 and then limit it.

 

[jleonar1]

I agree use NEMA 14-50 and set your car to 30 amp charge.

 

[Rocky_H]

I agree use NEMA 14-50 and set your car to 30 amp charge.

But he just said he can't install a 14-50 because he does not have 50 amps to spare in his electrical service. It took me a second to realize what it meant when he said "I have a 100 amp breaker." He means I think that is the level of the main service for his whole house, and he can only spare 30 amps for charging. NEC will not allow you to put a 14-50 outlet on a 30 amp breaker.

I have a couple of thoughts. I know the wall connector is a little bit spendy, but you can unhook it and take it with you when you move, and then it could probably be put on a higher amp circuit at your new place. It's very useful, and as wall units go in the general marketplace, it's a steal. A Clipper Creek unit that runs on a 30 amp circuit and can't handle higher than that costs $565. That's about the same price as the Tesla unit, which can handle much more power.

Other option I might suggest is deal with it and get by with 120V charging on either a 5-15 or 5-20 outlet for a couple of months while Tesla is doing the recall of the 14-30 adapters, and then they should be back in stock in the store.

 

[gregd]

In another thread (Newbie- Model S need set up advise for charging), the solution was to get a "Dryer Buddy" (Dryer Buddy Plus #4 Custom 30A 2-way switcher, 5.5' 10-30 plug cable (before 1996) to one 10-30 and one 14-50 outlets with optional kWh/Watt/Volt/Amp meter). If you get the model with a 14-50 outlet, in order to match what you have for charging plugs from the car, be sure to lower your charge current to 24 amps, or you'll have trouble.

 

[Wshowell]

Fyi. The 30% EV charging station tax credit was extended to 12/31/16. Almost 1/3 off might help you with your decision. Gotta' hurry though, I doubt the new administration will be as willing to sign off on an extension into 2017. Here's some info from Clipper Creek's website for your own research.
30% Federal Tax Credit for ClipperCreek EVSE

 

[OCRyan]

So as not to make assumptions here, you do know that the total of all your breakers can exceed your service capacity, right? You have 100A service, but your breakers can add up to more than that. Why do you think you can only go 30A?

 

[AndreSF]

Do the wall connector IMO, save yourself some headache. Yes, it's $500/$550, but you can take it with you when you move, and installation of just the NEMA 14-30 or 14-50 outlet will still cost you, so the cost of wall connector install is not all net new. You can also have electrician wire wall connector to an 14-30 plug to help facilitate the disconnect when you move.

Good luck!

 

[alapd]

Thanks all for the replies. I have decided to get the wall connector and wire it to an outlet. At least then I can take it with me to my new place. Appreciate all the help! Can't wait for my new car!

 

[tga]

Make sure the amperage is set correctly on the wall connector - for a 30 circuit, don't charge at >24A.

You really don't want to use a charging solution that relies on manually dialing down the current if you can help it. The car can reset the current to the default in certain circumstances (following software upgrades, for example), and now you have a fire risk.

 

[krazineurons]

Newbie here getting my X delivered next week, same situation as the OP, probably worse since the electrician said that my 100A service line is full and max he can do is convert a Single Pole 15A breaker to double pole 20A, his worry is the peak load and ability to pass inspection if we went with 30A.

My original plan was to get a NEMA adapter however now that they are hard to find am considering the Tesla Wall connector, so few questions:

1) Isn't the connector hardwired or it can be plugged into a socket?

2) I plan to use the dial on the connector to limit to 16A (if 20A) or to 24A (if 30A), on what breaker the connector will have to be installed in these scenarios.

3) How are peak load calculations done by electricians? What needs to be considered and is a permit provided for such a work when we are trying to tread along the limits of amperage?

 

[AndreSF]

Wall connector is a hardwired device, but it can be equipped with the plug, which is what OP needed, as he was looking to easily move the WC in the future.
I think you answered your own question #2. 16Amp continues load would be on a 20Amp circuit, 24Amp on 30Amp one.
Don't have an answer to your #3, but most owners charge at night, so have you mentioned that to your electrician? BTW it's unlikely that 15 amp single pole circuit was wired with cable capable of handling 30Amp circuit, so 20Amp might be all you can do without wiring a new run, even if load calculations play in your favor.
Regardless, depending on your commute needs, you can still gain around 88 miles of range with 16Amp charging in 8 hours. Can certainly be done IMO in over 90% of the EV use cases, unless you have some faster charging needs.

Good luck!

 

[randvegeta]

But he just said he can't install a 14-50 because he does not have 50 amps to spare in his electrical service. It took me a second to realize what it meant when he said "I have a 100 amp breaker." He means I think that is the level of the main service for his whole house, and he can only spare 30 amps for charging. NEC will not allow you to put a 14-50 outlet on a 30 amp breaker.

Kind of moot since the OP already said he's going for the wall charger... It may not be 'allowed' but nothing really preventing him from doing this.. TECHNICALLY.

I only have access to a 3-phase (Red European) 32amp power outlet at my home in Lithuania. My UMC has the NEMA 14-50 plug for which I fashioned an adapter for, so I can draw power from the 32amp outlet, rather than the 10-12amps I get from a regular wall socket. Stepping it down to 26-32 amps WITHIN the car itself keeps it from tripping the fuse.

Not ideal, granted, but it's a pretty good solution! In my case, I cannot install any larger circuits since I don't own the garage and have no right to do any installations there.

 

[gregd]

Newbie here getting my X delivered next week, same situation as the OP, probably worse since the electrician said that my 100A service line is full and max he can do is convert a Single Pole 15A breaker to double pole 20A, his worry is the peak load and ability to pass inspection if we went with 30A.

My original plan was to get a NEMA adapter however now that they are hard to find am considering the Tesla Wall connector, so few questions:

1) Isn't the connector hardwired or it can be plugged into a socket?

2) I plan to use the dial on the connector to limit to 16A (if 20A) or to 24A (if 30A), on what breaker the connector will have to be installed in these scenarios.

3) How are peak load calculations done by electricians? What needs to be considered and is a permit provided for such a work when we are trying to tread along the limits of amperage?

For what it's worth, I've been charging my Roadster from a 30 amp (24 net) circuit for several years by using the circuit I already have for my clothes dryer. I never had a problem recharging the car in time for the next day's travels. If you have such a circuit already, and it's within reach of the car, you might consider getting a "dryer buddy" so that the car and dryer won't both try to run at the same time, which would be too much load.

In theory, you add up all the breakers, per phase, and it should be below the limit of the panel. Mine exceeded this by a bit, so it's apparently not a strict rule, at least not here, and I never had a problem. Lacking the dryer plug, I'd opt for whatever you can squeeze out of the panel. 30 amps (24 net) has served me quite well for years. If all you can get is 20, go for that.

Down the road, if this proves insufficient, you can try to upgrade the service panel, but it can be an expensive proposition. My 125A service was similarly limited (all slots full, etc.), and I was going to leave things as they were until I found out that the make of panel that I had was discontinued some years ago because they tend to fail (as in, catch fire). So given that I was pushing things already I decided to upgrade, and now have a 200A Service and a new 50A circuit (14-50 plug) for the car. Every situation is different, but this set me back about $2,200. Besides sleeping better at night, I can now charge at a higher rate, but the car seems to like 24 amps just fine, and it's a lower stress on the (also tends to fail) Mobile Connector that I am using, so will stay with 24A unless I need more.

 

[tga]

In theory, you add up all the breakers, per phase, and it should be below the limit of the panel.

No. A load calculation involves square footage, determining lighting and appliance loads, etc. The process is documented in the NEC. It's not a simple matter of summing up the breakers and having the main be more - there's nothing that says the main breaker has to be larger than the total of the branch breakers. In newer homes which are wired with more circuits and fewer loads/circuit, it's often the case that the total of the branch breakers is much more than the main. My last home had a 200A main in a (full) 42 slot panel.

 

[gregd]

No. A load calculation involves square footage, determining lighting and appliance loads, etc. The process is documented in the NEC. It's not a simple matter of summing up the breakers and having the main be more - there's nothing that says the main breaker has to be larger than the total of the branch breakers. In newer homes which are wired with more circuits and fewer loads/circuit, it's often the case that the total of the branch breakers is much more than the main. My last home had a 200A main in a (full) 42 slot panel.

Ha, interesting. Given the really bad job the original electrician did on the house (it should have burned down several times because of wiring issues - buy me a beer for details), I wasn't surprised at the panel situation. Thanks for the post; I learned something new today.

 

[krazineurons]

I'd opt for whatever you can squeeze out of the panel. 30 amps (24 net) has served me quite well for years. If all you can get is 20, go for that.

Yup, it seems 20A is all I can squeeze, am going to push to get 24A so that I can get constant 20A instead of 16A, 13 MpH charging would be helpful for me, 10 is also not so bad.

The process is documented in the NEC.

thanks for the education, is there any online calculator available which helps with this estimate?

Question to all, assuming the max I can get is a 240V 20A breaker, do I have to hook it to a tesla wall charger? Can I use any NEMA outlet and adapter combo for charging with the UMC?

 

[AndreSF]

Technically it's possible to utilize NEMA 5-20 tesla UMC adapter with a custom 5-20R to 6-20P adapter and an 6-20R outlet. If you search the forum, you can find some more details, including parts folks used to build their custom solution.

IMO, while wall connector is more expensive, it's a lot more elegant and straight forward solution.

 

[AndreSF]

Here is a post with actual parts to create your own pigtail for connecting UMC with 5-20 adapter to 6-20 outlet.

Charging from NEMA 6-20 using NEMA 5-20 Adapter