Tesla will eventually release a wall connector with 14-50 plug. just wait for it
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Wall connector or 14-50 socket
- Thread starter robl45
- Start date
No need to wait for Tesla to release one - just add a 50-amp 14-50 appliance whip to the HPWC. It's same thing they would be doing.
HDX 6 ft. 6/8 4-Wire Range Extension Cord-HD#575-052 - The Home Depot
I would guess that the issue of how best to charge a Tesla at home has been a topic of discussion for as long as wall connectors have existed (ca. 2012), and probably longer.
Here are just a few pertinent threads on this forum website:
- Definitive 14-50 NEMA Outlet Guide
- Home-Charging Rates Table for late-2019 Models X, S, and 3
- Final Decision, 14-50 or Wall Connector?
- Wall Connector or a second Gen 2 Mobile Connector
- NEMA 14-50 or Tesla Wall Connector
- Best Method of Home Charging for SR+?
- Best home charging option?
- Pro/Cons Home Charging options
- Newb Question About Charging At Home
- Wall Connector vs Mobile charger
- Model 3 home charging options
- How Should I Charge My Tesla? – Article625.com
- Tesla Mobile Connector Gen 2 vs Wall Connector – Article625.com
I am sure that there are many other good sources of information on home charging for Tesla and on electric cars in general. Two important priorities when evaluating charging options are of course (1) safety and (2) rate of charge. Others include (3) convenience and (4) cost.
Lasttoy
Active Member
That supposed $100 cost is a bit low and outdated. Now that NEC requires GFCI breakers for EV charging outlets, those by themselves cost about $100. And we have been banging the drum for a few years now to get people to please not use the cheap, crappy, unsafe Leviton receptacles that are more prone to wiring getting loose and causing faults/hotspots, etc. So getting a good solid safer brand of outlet is going to run about another $50+ or so. So that total is now $150, just for the breaker and receptacle, before even paying for any wire or installation costs. So that $100 "all inclusive" number isn't real.
Back in December 2019 I worked up this hypothetical cost breakdown (for a post on the Inside EVs Forum site), comparing NEMA 14-50 versus Tesla Wall Connector installations:
(Note: This already dated analysis assumed a 100-amp Gen 2 wall connector. The Gen 3 wall connector,
I believe, requires a maximum 60 amp circuit, with correspondingly lighter-gauge, less expensive house wire.)
I believe, requires a maximum 60 amp circuit, with correspondingly lighter-gauge, less expensive house wire.)
Some dollar figures are just crude estimates, and we can quibble over precise amounts. (For example, in Setup Number 2, Step 2 perhaps #3 wire could serve for the 100-amp WC circuit, saving $50 or $100? Or for Setup Number 1, Step 4 a "Gen 2 Mobile Connector Bundle" and 14-50 adapter-plug [$275 + $35] could be used instead of the implied "Corded Mobile Connector" [$520], saving $210. And professional installation fees will vary widely from region-to-region and from home-to-home.)
But the point is, if you closely examine all the potential costs associated with the two types of installations, the seemingly much cheaper 14-50 installation can still end up being within about the same order of magnitude, depending on several factors.
Those factors include:
- Whether the homeowner can (safely) perform his/her own house wire and receptacle installation. (Not recommended.)
- Whether a NEMA 14-50 receptacle will be installed outdoors.
- Whether the car operator will rely on only the single mobile connector cable supplied with the car, or whether a second dedicated Tesla charging cable will be purchased (at an additional $300-$500).
- Whether all-new, retail equipment will be used or whether good used, new-old-stock, or surplus supplies can be procured. (For example, having the time I found new, surplus house wire; a new Hubbell receptacle; a new-old-stock GFI circuit breaker; and various new/used Tesla charging accessories on eBay and Craig's List, saving hundreds of dollars. But these searches took time and came with learning curves and false starts--e.g., at first installing a cheap Leviton receptacle). Buying retail and using professional installation may be more expensive; but it may be generally safer, quicker, and more fool-proof.
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Don't mean to rain on this parade, but I have read in more than one place, for example here:
14-50 plugin Wall Connector? | Tesla
that NEC Code requires that a pigtail plug (e.g., to power the WC from a NEPA 14-50 receptacle) must be 12 inches or less in length. Before you modify your expensive Tesla wall connector, you may want to check on this with your electrician or local code office.
Perhaps this issue was cleared up? (Doesn't affect me, so I'm not sure.) There is also a discussion here:
New wall charger option w/ Nema 14-50
Interestingly, the 14-50 wall connector version was not available from Tesla for very long. Was it due to poor sales? Lack of compliance with new Code? What?
Elsewhere I speculated that its limited run was perhaps because it combined unfavorable aspects of both a wall connector (e.g., high cost, more bulky, not portable) and a 14-50 connector cable (e.g., open outlet, less weather-resistance, less secure, 40-amp limit, no multi-car charging, potential receptacle damage) together into one product less well-suited for outdoor installation. Instead we are left, so far, with the 40-amp Tesla "Corded Mobile Connector" which serves the same general purpose while also being conveniently portable (or alternatively the somewhat less powerful two-piece "Gen 2 Mobile Connector" with optional 32-amp NEMA 14-50 plug adapter). (See Post #20 in this Thread.)
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Watts_Up
Well-Known Member
Short answer, the mobile charger would be enough for most users if you can charge during the night,
and you can keep it plugged without a risk to be stolen when you are not using it.
Wall chargers have the capability to share the load if you have more than one car to charge using the same electrical breaker line.
So something to consider, even if you have only one car at the moment.
If you need to keep your mobile charger with you, like for the weekend, it is recommended to get a second charger (mobile or wall charger)
to avoid to disconnect too often the wall outlet plug.
PianoAl
Active Member
I've gotten into the habit of always checking my checklist before leaving on a trip.
DMLou
Member
Given the fact that it seems like all the NEMA 14-50 adapters appear to be out of stock, it seems like one would have no choice but to go with the wall connector at this point (at least until they come back in stock).
I went with the wall connector, partly due to the out of stock issue, and partly because I didn't want to have to worry about forgetting my mobile connector at home.
I went with the wall connector, partly due to the out of stock issue, and partly because I didn't want to have to worry about forgetting my mobile connector at home.
Just a reminder to readers that new and good used versions of all the Tesla charging alternatives--whether temporarily sold out or no longer made--can still be found with some time and effort. And Tesla should restock the missing items soon, (Oh yeah? Define "soon." <--- Self criticism.)
But yes; having NEMA 14-50 accessories "Sold Out" is an annoying inconvenience and probably pushes some consumers towards a WC alternative. With its recent release of a new (3rd) generation WC with some arguably less favorable features (shorter cable; lower power rating, any color as long as it's white), could that be Tesla's (hidden) agenda? (Conspiracy theorists feel free to respond.)
Sound thinking. In general the (Gen 1, Gen 2, or Gen 3) Tesla WCs have several advantages, including a level of "future proofing." Nevertheless, both the WC and NEMA 14-50 receptacle remain viable alternatives, depending on a Tesla owner's budget and needs.
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BTW, was Tesla first to offer a WC alternative? No way. For example, a hasty search revealed to me that Jason France, David Packard, and Mike Rogers (eventual founders of ClipperCreek) got going in the 1990s with their first EVSE company "EVI" (when nascent EVs were [prematurely, as it happened] being produced at General Motors). EVI did not survive the collapse of the GM program ("Who Killed the Electric Car"), but they were primed to to take up the EVSE mantle again in the late 2000s with the arrival of the Tesla Roadster and planned cars from Chevy, Nissan, and others. With its proprietary charging-hardware mindset, Tesla must have decided to get on the bandwagon with its own WC. (Was the first Tesla WC in 2012?)
Charged EVs | Lean and mean: The EV charging pioneers at ClipperCreek
As you probably know, the first electric cars were built in the early 1800s! (Really.) Just a short time later the New Orleans Times-Picayune newspaper published a letter-to-the-editor from a Mr. Rufus T. Firefly entitled, "How Should I Charge My New-Fangled Electric Car Contraption at Home?," kicking off the 200-year-long history of debates about home charging alternatives.
(Just kidding.)
pchanco
Member
I plan on relocating in a few years, would it be safe to add a 14-50 plug to a Gen 3 Wall Connector to unplug and move the unit to a new home or just hardwire
Remember, if you add a whip and 14-50 outlet, the WC must have and be set to a 50a breaker which would give 40a charge rate. Properly hardwired, the Gen3 WC can be put on a 60a breaker and will deliver 48a.
Why? I see people ask this a lot, and I don't see why people think that is necessary. Installing is a big job; removing it really isn't. It's always easier to take something apart than to put it together.
So it will still be very easy to shut off the breaker and disconnect and remove it whenever you are ready to move. And then all of your time using it will be with it installed properly, according to the recommended instructions, and with less loose connection points (safer).
Have used a 14-50 for seven years. Speed isn't that necessary for home charging unless you have a short TOU. The trick with a 14-50 is not not unplug very often because the receptacle will only have about 300 connection cycles before requiring replacement (and it's a pain to unplug the UMC frequently). At ten connection cycles that's around a 30 year life.
The Wall Charger has a longer cable, can be installed outdoors, and can manage two cars. It also requires a higher amp circuit (if you are going to get the high charging rates) and perhaps a higher service than you currently have (depending upon what else is plugged in).
So it really depends on your specific case which way is better. Both have upsides and downsides.
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