New to Tesla, Need Home Charger

[P3dStealth]

"cheap" electricity in california is between 16 cents and 22 cents a kWh, while expensive electricity is between 39 to 50+ cents a kWh (no thats not a typo, yes I mean up to 50 cents a kWh during peak).

After fees ours is really about 22 cents a kwh but that's all day. We don't have a peak rate. At 50 cents a kwh I'd prob sell my Tesla.

California is a mess. We are not far behind now though.

 

[garth_angst]

I am on Long Island. Our electric bills are a scam. It's around half off of the electric cost but we pay a bunch of fees. Our electric company likes to claim we have lower electric rates than others but after all our fees we pay significantly more.

I don't like the Y either it's not an suv it's a model 3 hatchback. They raised the roof and put the seats on stands. Literally they are on risers.

There are some companies coming out with SUV's soon. GM looks promising.

Energy Charge: (per kWh)
First 250 kWh: Standard $0.0827 $0.0827
Excess 250 kWh $0.1045 $0.0827

Yup, with the delivery charge and other per kWh charges, it's about 20 cents per kWh. It is very high, only to be outdone by MA, HI and CA I think.

 

[Rocky_H]

B) the J1772 chargers don't have the release button in the handle like Tesla chargers do. This means you'll have to use your App to release the cable from the charge port (or go inside the car and press the release button on the touchscreen). This will be annoying if you have to do this every time you leave the house.

That would be, if you had to do that. But you don't.

Pressing the release latch of a J1772 charging handle sends an interrupt/unlock signal into an electric car that it is plugged into, so that does exactly the same thing as a genuine Tesla (TM) handle does when the button is pressed. So that does unlock everything from the port, but then you don't want to just pull the J1772 handle out by itself, because then the adapter would still be in, and the port might latch onto that again. So, while the button is still being pressed, use your other hand to grab hold of the adapter, and then pull them out together as one piece. Here's a video, showing how this is done:

 

[Gasaraki]

I should have clarified that we have 240v in the garage. At the moment it's just a junction box, not an outlet. My wife will likely get an EV next year, though probably not a Tesla. Is there a reason to wire her side of the garage at the same time as mine?

If that's the case you might want to get a third party wall connector like ChargePoint or Grizzly.

 

[andy92782]

That would be, if you had to do that. But you don't.

Pressing the release latch of a J1772 charging handle sends an interrupt/unlock signal into an electric car that it is plugged into, so that does exactly the same thing as a genuine Tesla (TM) handle does when the button is pressed. So that does unlock everything from the port, but then you don't want to just pull the J1772 handle out by itself, because then the adapter would still be in, and the port might latch onto that again. So, while the button is still being pressed, use your other hand to grab hold of the adapter, and then pull them out together as one piece. Here's a video, showing how this is done:

I'd like to see this demonstrated on a Model 3.... you know, for science.

 

[P3dStealth]

I'd like to see this demonstrated on a Model 3.... you know, for science.

You don't need to use two hands like the video. I just push the button and release it. The handle comes out with the adapter still on if you do that.

 

[Rocky_H]

You don't need to use two hands like the video. I just push the button and release it. The handle comes out with the adapter still on if you do that.

Apparently that works for you and your car. For me and my car, and for MANY other people, that never works.
If I push and release, the car IMMEDIATELY re-engages the port lock and grabs hold of the adapter again, with no chance to pull it out. So the method you are recommending only works sometimes for some people, where the car delays re-locking for a few seconds. What I was recommending is foolproof and will work for everyone.

So I don't want to recommend some method, and then people try it, and it doesn't work, and they are back here asking why it doesn't work and why I gave them unhelpful advice.

 

[P3dStealth]

Apparently that works for you and your car. For me and my car, and for MANY other people, that never works.
If I push and release, the car IMMEDIATELY re-engages the port lock and grabs hold of the adapter again, with no chance to pull it out. So the method you are recommending only works sometimes for some people, where the car delays re-locking for a few seconds. What I was recommending is foolproof and will work for everyone.

So I don't want to recommend some method, and then people try it, and it doesn't work, and they are back here asking why it doesn't work and why I gave them unhelpful advice.

Sorry, I wasn't aware that's even a thing. My car takes two seconds to lock again. Doesn't matter what charger I am using. Even if I push the button on the Tesla charger and leave it in it will unlock for two seconds.

 

[anitaguo27]

Brand new wall charger connector (18' Cable). I moved to new house and found the garage came with 240v outlet, and for me to install the wall connected, I have to upgrade my electric panel. Due to the moving, I have passed 60 days full refund date. I made few contact to Tesla shop via email, receive no response. Anyone want it, brand new in the box, unopen.

(moderator note: moved "for sale" part of this post as otherwise I would have needed to move it to the for sale section and out of this thread. If you want to sell this wall connector, please post that in the section of TMC dedicated to that: Tesla Parts for Sale)

 

[Rocky_H]

I moved to new house and found the garage came with 240v outlet, and for me to install the wall connected, I have to upgrade my electric panel.

Wait, why are you assuming that? That's not true.
Maybe you aren't aware of this, but the Tesla wall connectors are variable power devices. They do not require having a 60A circuit. You can install and configure them on lower levels of circuits, down to I think 15A. So whatever you have for that 240V wired circuit in your garage, you could install your wall connector right there on it, without any need for a panel upgrade.

Still fine to sell it if you don't want it, but I didn't want you doing that just because you thought you couldn't use it. Just making sure you know your options.

 

[anitaguo27]

Wait, why are you assuming that? That's not true.
Maybe you aren't aware of this, but the Tesla wall connectors are variable power devices. They do not require having a 60A circuit. You can install and configure them on lower levels of circuits, down to I think 15A. So whatever you have for that 240V wired circuit in your garage, you could install your wall connector right there on it, without any need for a panel upgrade.

Still fine to sell it if you don't want it, but I didn't want you doing that just because you thought you couldn't use it. Just making sure you know your options.

Thank you for letting me know. I called out an electric technician for wall charge installation, and he told me that I need to upgrade the panel. I was at a point trying to install myself, but I am afraid that I will fire up my house. To avoid any hassle, just want to sell it. I appreciated your advice. Thank you.

 

[Rocky_H]

Thank you for letting me know. I called out an electric technician for wall charge installation, and he told me that I need to upgrade the panel.

He was lying. He apparently wanted to make it into a bigger, more expensive job that was more worth his time. If you have a dedicated 20A outlet, or if you remove that outlet and replace it with a 20A wall connector, there is no difference to your supply or any need for any upgrades.

That's one of the things that should be nice about houses being built with a supply line running to the garages for EV charging connections. They usually don't have anything attached but just end in capped wires inside a box, but that leaves the homeowner the option put whatever they want on that end. Could be an outlet or wall connector, or whatever works best for them. But then you run into electricians like this wanting to sell panel upgrade jobs, and that kind of messes it up.

 

[freeAgent]

I should have clarified that we have 240v in the garage. At the moment it's just a junction box, not an outlet. My wife will likely get an EV next year, though probably not a Tesla. Is there a reason to wire her side of the garage at the same time as mine?

If your wife is going to get a non-Tesla EV or PHEV, I would go with a non-Tesla charger that offers a J1772 connector. That charger will support whatever vehicle your wife gets and also work on your Tesla with the (included) J1772 to Tesla adapter. This is the reason why I got the Chargepoint Home Flex for my house.

 

[andy92782]

He was lying. He apparently wanted to make it into a bigger, more expensive job that was more worth his time. If you have a dedicated 20A outlet, or if you remove that outlet and replace it with a 20A wall connector, there is no difference to your supply or any need for any upgrades.

How do you know the electrician was lying? Have you been on-site to inspect the panel? Have you performed a load calculation on the existing panel and circuits in the home?

 

[ai4px]

New to Tesla, Model 3 due in a few weeks and I need a home charger. I've been searching for threads on this topic. Do I go with the Tesla Wall Connector or look at other options? Is there a reason to buy a different brand?

Thank you,
Robert

I'm a little late to the thread.... the UMC (portable charger) that comes with your car will work great. Install a 14-50 plug on the wall i nyour garage and buy the adapter from Tesla for it. If you plan to have more than one EV in the future you might consider the "wall charger". Gen 2 wall chargers allowed for sharing of a circuit. Gen 3 should have that feature any day now. We never expected to have more than one EV and I ran a 50amp line to our garage but with two of the Gen 2 HPWC (wall charger) it works perfectly.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

Another option would be to go with one or two Tesla wall connectors. You could the use an adapter on the future non-Tesla EV so that it could be charged with the wall connector (or mobile connector).

The Jdapter goes for $240 but you can find the Lectron adapter for $140. We use this when a friend charges his non-Tesla EV at our house.

Our Tesla wall connectors are automatically load-balanced and with the Lectron adapter, even non-Teslas charging can be load-balanced. (Currently only gen 2 wall connectors support load balancing but gen 3 will probably get that functionality one of these years.)

 

[jjrandorin]

How do you know the electrician was lying? Have you been on-site to inspect the panel? Have you performed a load calculation on the existing panel and circuits in the home?

If there is an existing 240 in the garage already, its virtually impossible that a wall connector could not be installed, since it supports various charge rates. Now, installed and set to 60 amps? maybe not. But "need to upgrade the service panel to install a tesla wall connector, when there is already a 240 line in the garage". THAT we can be pretty sure is a lie with the information that was provided.

 

[andy92782]

If there is an existing 240 in the garage already, its virtually impossible that a wall connector could not be installed, since it supports various charge rates. Now, installed and set to 60 amps? maybe not. But "need to upgrade the service panel to install a tesla wall connector, when there is already a 240 line in the garage". THAT we can be pretty sure is a lie with the information that was provided.

If it's a 100A panel and the panel already has circuit breakers for an electric stove (50A), HVAC (30-50A), electric clothes dryer (i.e., the socket in the garage, 30A), plus all the usual 120V stuff (lights/switches, garage door opener, furnace, etc) then the electrician is correct. There's no juice left to squeeze and a panel upgrade is necessary. The point is, unless you were there and you inspected the existing setup with your own eyes, you can't say the electrician was lying.

 

[Uncle Paul]

You might also want to check with your utility to see if they are offering rebates for installing charging stations.

To answer your original question. I would have a couple electricians come put and bit the job for installing two charging points. They will evaluate your current household load and recommend if both cars could be plugged in at the same time. They will give you costs of one plug vs 2.

Using 14/50 plugs will be the most cost effective, but I believe the wall connectors from Tesla are the best bargain right now and are well made. They will charge a little faster than the 14-50 but not usually a big deal. They also look pretty cool.

 

[jjrandorin]

If it's a 100A panel and the panel already has circuit breakers for an electric stove (50A), HVAC (30-50A), electric clothes dryer (i.e., the socket in the garage, 30A), plus all the usual 120V stuff (lights/switches, garage door opener, furnace, etc) then the electrician is correct. There's no juice left to squeeze and a panel upgrade is necessary. The point is, unless you were there and you inspected the existing setup with your own eyes, you can't say the electrician was lying.

Then there shouldnt be a 240 socket already in the garage. Those are run back to a breaker in the panel, and whatever that breaker is set to, the wall connector could be set to.

Kind of like someone asking an electrician to use an existing dryer connection in the garage, and the electrician saying "you need a panel upgrade". You might, if the request was "I want to install this wall connector and run it at full power" and wouldnt if the request was "I want to install this wall connector".

not everyone would know the difference though, so an electrician could look at the dryer plug, and the wall connector and say "you need a panel upgrade" and conveniently leave out that it could be installed at a lower setting.

If the plug already exists, it should be able to be safely used, at whatever current amp rating the is dictated by the breaker. Your statements would be correct if the 240 didnt exist already, and the request was to install a new one, but thats not what was said.