Tesla car charger. what do i need to know?

vash · vash's Garage

put it near the fuse box? need 60amp circuit. what else?

my electrical skills ends at plugging in things to a wall socket, so i am calling rodney my electrician. is Rodney getting a permit?

it just screws to a wall stud? is there a wheel to roll the cord up? what?s up?

Bob Kontak · Bob Kontak's Garage

My brother has this for his 3.

https://store.clippercreek.com/hcs-50-hcs-50P-40-amp-ev-charging-station?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0u6ivejd8QIVwj2tBh00ZgBZ EAQYASABEgK9hPD_BwE

MysticLlama · 07-12-2021, 08:39 AM

The actual wire itself @ 60amp can get pretty expensive, so that's a consideration on how far away from the box to put it.

I just have a 14-50 plug and use a mobile charger from an S/X (40amp instead of 32) and loop it up and hang it on a hook. I think with the chargers that the long and short cord versions are the same cost, so I'd go for the long one and just hang it where it's easy to grab the right length and have the rest leftover if you need to reach the driveway or something.

Also, it does have a selector for the amperage of the circuit, but if you're putting it in fresh anyway, might as well go as big as you can for sure.

Evans, Marv · 07-12-2021, 08:54 AM

You can charge it on a 110V circuit. It will just take a loooong time to charge, but maybe not a big deal if you're doing it over night. I had a 220V, 30A curcuit in the garage for a possible compressor that I never used. My wife's Tesla came with a plugin charger. I asked at Tesla when we picked the car up if I needed to buy a wall unit. The guy there said just to use the unit that comes with the car and install a plugin receptical to lmatch the wall plug on it. The charging kit comes with a few different plugins and an adaptor to use at non Tesla charging stations. It has an 18' cord. So I bought a NEMA 6-30 receptical and installed it. It has worked out very well for charging her car, which we plug in after she gets home. 100 miles takes about three hours of charging to recharge to 90%, which is when the car stops accepting charge. The car pretty much senses the size of your receptical and amperage of your circuit and will charge up to that capacity. I used a 6-50 (50A) receptical on mine (30S breaker) for a while. It charged faster but tripped the circuit breaker a couple of times, so I changed over to the 6-30. With the 6-30 receptical, it charges at around 24A. With the 6-50, it charged right at the 30A load limit of the circuit - sometimes hitting 32A+ and tripping the breaker.

vash · vash's Garage

thanks you all.

my fusebox is right there in the best place to put the charger anyways. i had the electrician over to rewire the garage when i bought my home. i know we asked him to prepare for a future EV, and i vaguely remember him leaving an available circuit or something. i wasnt paying very close attention, since my wife was spearheading the program.

i just wanted updated lighting in the garage. my wife texted him last night. thanks.

911boost · 911boost's Garage

Are you getting an EV?

vash · vash's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by 911boost

Are you getting an EV?

yea. wife wants one to replace her gas guzzling, 91 octane burning, 2005 subaru turbo forester.

creaturecat · 10:19 AM

easy peasy - if close to the fusebox, and two open circuit breaker "locations", in the correct orientation (ie. the 220 breaker has to straddle two "bars").
how many amps is your service?

Steve Carlton · 07-12-2021, 01:43 PM

Did you get a Model 3? I don’t know if you need 60A or not. I would just put a matching plug near your box that matches your charging cable. Did you get some free charging with the car (requires a referral)? You can get an EV rate plan from PG&E.

vash · vash's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

Did you get a Model 3? I don’t know if you need 60A or not. I would just put a matching plug near your box that matches your charging cable. Did you get some free charging with the car (requires a referral)? You can get an EV rate plan from PG&E.

im intrigued. to be honest, this is my wife's project. she is spearheading this. (me, i would be buying a big half ton truck.) she was reading the specs and quoted the 60A requirement.

i did watch her click on the option for the Tesla charger, and it wasnt free, not that i noticed.

i'll help her when she needs it. she will let me know. i will suggest she search for the PG&E EV rate plan. thanks for that thought!! yes, it is the Model 3

fxeditor · fxeditor's Garage

Vash I'm not sure about the Model 3/Y but our Model S did come with a "mobile" charger that can accept either 110 or 220v power and has a bunch of adapters. We opted to get their "home" charger. With the rebate from the power company, it was almost free. We had an electrician install it along with a 60-amp breaker and was charged $300. Well worth the cost!

If you wanted to, you could go with another companies' charger (they're actually called EVSEs. they just regulate power from the wall to the actual charger in the car). I considered getting a Juice Box rather than the Tesla for a little while. The biggest advantage to the Tesla EVSE is that you don't need to use an adapter (included in the car) to use it. The downside is any other brand of EV will.

Hope this helps!

Scott R · Scott R's Garage

You need a separate disconnect for the charger itself, to be up to most codes. I have two 60 amp breakers going to the disconnect, then over to the charger. That passed inspection in my city and was needed for my homeowners insurance.

The other important thing is your incoming service, what is that rated at? Do you have other things like AC or a hot tub? Can you pull the required 50 AMPS for charging without starting a fire?

E Sully · E Sully's Garage

I'm putting in an outlet for my brother, going with the 6-50 adapter. That's all he needs for faster home charging. 2 pole 50 breaker using 6/2 with ground. Saves about $60 over 6/3 the 14-50 uses for the 50' needed for his garage. He has no power needs for the 14-50.

mattdavis11 · 07-12-2021, 04:10 PM

1 day late Cliff. My brother, who is a master electrician for Tesla on the solar side, was here yesterday and would know. I'll ask him.

mattdavis11 · 07-12-2021, 06:54 PM

All you need is 200amp service, 60 amp breaker, no need for a separate shut off box. #6 if you run THHN, #4 if romex.

Scott R · Scott R's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattdavis11

All you need is 200amp service, 60 amp breaker, no need for a separate shut off box. #6 if you run THHN, #4 if romex.

150 is fine too.

Steve Carlton · 07-12-2021, 07:18 PM

40A or 60A circuit, depending on which Model 3:

https://www.tesla.com/support/home-charging-installation/onboard-charger

I have one of these wood kits, still in the box if you want it for half price:

https://www.rpmtesla.com/collections/model-3-center-console-wraps/products/model-3-y-open-pore-wood-veneer-center-console-overlay-229

I've got one of these Jeda Model Y and Model 3 2020 hubs unopened. Don't know what's different about the 2021:

https://getjeda.com/tesla-modely-usb-hub/

911boost · 911boost's Garage

I bet you can get some $ for the turbo Forester, they seem to a popular car.

PorscheGAL · PorscheGAL's Garage

Not much to add that hasn't been covered but I will say your wife will love the model 3. My husband just bought one a month ago. It took one long drive (2 Hrs) for me to be envious. So... I have ordered a new Model S to be delivered in Oct. We are in the process of wiring for a second Tesla charger.

vash · vash's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by 911boost

I bet you can get some $ for the turbo Forester, they seem to a popular car.

i think she wants to give it to her brother.

me, i want to drop an STI suspension kit on the thing with some new tires and wheels. my money is on the brother.