Tesla Model 3 Home Charging Guide Login
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Tesla Model 3 Home Charging Guide Login Username or Email From our guest columnist Coastal Cruiser, July-2018 Overview Password Determining the Best Charging Solution Charging Speed Calculator Mobile Connector and Outlets Tesla Wall Connector Remember me Considering the Future J1772 Connection Login Safety Recommendations Lost your password? FAQs Don't have an account? Sign up Useful Links at Tesla Additional Useful Links Site Search Search Overview Charging your Model 3 at home is different from charging on the road. On road trips your time is limited, and you want the Highlights fastest charge possible. Since a personal home Supercharger costs more than the car, you can take advantage of the fact that charging at home can be done at a more leisurely speed… often overnight while you sleep. Tesla Model S Book As a reference, a Supercharger can charge a Model 3 at more than 200 miles per half-hour. Destination Chargers at hotels can charge a Model 3 with the long-range battery at up to 44 miles of range per hour, while a Model 3 with the standard-range Free USB Music battery can charge at up to 30 miles of range per hour. At home you have the flexibility to charge your car at Destination Organizer Charger speeds as well, or you can typically charge as slow as 5 miles of range per hour from a standard 120-volt electrical outlet… or somewhere in between utilizing various types of outlets. VIN Decoder Determining the Best Charging Solution 2018 Dashcam We’ll help you choose the best charging solution based on: Guide Free Tesla S/X Number of miles per day the car is typically driven Supercharging! Existing electrical infrastructure where car is parked and costs to upgrade to a higher amperage circuit if needed Future proofing: Consider the need to charge additional Tesla vehicles or non-Tesla EVs Desired Feature Categories Number of miles per day the car is typically driven This is the primary consideration. What goes out must go back in. There is an easy calculation that determines the outlet Applications required, or if you would benefit from a dedicated charging device such as a Tesla Wall Connector, which is capable of higher Auto-Pilot charge rates. To calculate the charging speed required, simply make note of the highest number of miles you might drive your Model 3 in a given day. Then you just divide that number by the number of hours available to charge the car. For example, if Battery and Charging your commute is 50 miles, and the car is parked at home for 12 hours, divide 50 by 12. The result is 4.2. That means your Drivetrain and Motor charging solution should add at least 4.2 miles of range per hour to the car. Simple. Naturally that is a minimum. You are free to Exterior Design install a charging solution of any capacity above that to act as a buffer, or for those times you drive extra distances. GPS and Maps There is one consideration that may affect the number of hours available to charge the car. If your utility company offers discounted rates for EV charging you may wish to charge only during the lowest cost rate period. EV rates and schedules vary Handling among utilities, but let’s take the same example above and assume your utility allows for EV charging at discount rates between Interior Design Midnight and 6AM. That’s a six-hour window, so divide 6 into 50. That equates to a required charging rate of 8.3 miles of range Music/Audio System per hour. Your charging solution now must provide twice the current to fully charge the car at the preferable rates. The calculator below helps you find your ideal charging speed. Software Features Cold Weather Adjustments Throughout this article, we assume the car is not charging in freezing weather. The battery pack does not charge if its internal temperature is too low and may require heating the battery. The process is automatic if needed. This heating reduces the charging rate by 2-4 miles range per hour. If you expect to charge in freezing weather, take this into consideration. In extreme cold, charging at 120V may only keep the battery heated and may not add any additional miles of range! Charging Speed Calculator Typical daily Charging Charging end Charging speed Minimum NEMA miles driven start time time (miles of range per hour) Outlet 50 Midnight 6 am 8.3 6-15 Existing electrical infrastructure and costs to upgrade to a higher amperage circuit if needed. Now that you have determined the number of miles of range per hour you wish to put back into your car each day, you need to determine the electrical service required to plug the car into. Keep in mind that the charge cord that comes with the Model 3 (the Mobile Connector Gen 2) is 20’ long. Ideally the outlet should be close enough to the charge port on the car (left rear) to use the Mobile Connector. The optional Tesla Wall Connector can be ordered with a 24’ cable. All but the lowest charging rates are going to require a 240V circuit. A standard 120V can be used to charge the car, but as you can see in the below chart, charging is limited at best to around 7 miles of range per hour (a.k.a. trickle charging). Many charging solutions take the form of using the included Mobile Connector plugged into some type of wall outlet, but if you wish to charge the Model 3 with the Long-Range battery at the fastest speed that the car’s onboard charger can handle, a hard- wired Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) is required. An EVSE is simply the connection between the car and the power source, such as the Mobile Connector, but a hard-wired EVSE is usually connected directly to an electrical panel and can provide more current that any outlet is capable of. In the case where the maximum charge rate for the LR Model 3 is desired, the ideal solution is the optional $500 Tesla Wall Connector (the SR Model 3 can charge at full speed from a 6-50 or 14-50 outlet). Third-party hard-wired EVSE devices are available, but few compete with the Tesla Wall Connector on price, nor are most capable of charging the LR battery at maximum speed (a 60-amp capable EVSE is required). After consulting the chart below consider how far your electrical service is from where you park your car. Check if there room for an additional 240V breaker (usually 2 slots). Is it necessary to run wiring from the main panel to where the car is parked? Is the total service at the main panel adequate? Older homes often have 100-amp service, which may require upgrading for higher power outlets. The costs to upgrade the electrical infrastructure can run from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars and may be a determining factor in how fast you can charge your Model 3. If an upgrade requires running a significant length of wire to reach the car then see the below FAQ for a money saving tip. Mobile Connector and Outlets Model 3 Mobile Connector, Gen 2, with NEMA 14-50 adapter Note the following as you examine the below chart that breaks down the various outlets for charging your car at the desired speed: 1. Most of the outlets shown in the chart are for you to match to existing service in your home. If you have an existing outlet (like an unused dryer outlet in the garage) that matches an outlet listed here, check the miles of range per hour on the far left of the entry. If that number equals or exceeds the figure you came up from the prior step for calculating your charging needs, you’re good to go! If the Mobile Connector reaches from the car to the outlet you have an existing charging solution. Good job (just make note of the safety recommendations). The outlets in the chart are labeled NEMA x-xx. NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association) is an industry-based group in North America that determines standards for electrical delivery equipment. The first number in a NEMA label is the series or category of the device in question, such as a voltage category. The second number is the current rating in amps. For example, a standard 120V 15-amp household outlet is classified by NEMA as a 5-15. Don’t worry about remembering this. 2. If you need new service to accommodate the number you came up with from the prior step, the choices are very straightforward, so you usually don’t need to pore through the chart. A 50-amp NEMA 14-50 or 6-50 outlet (see FAQ for differences) charges either the standard-range battery or the long-range battery at a speed of 32 amps or 30 miles of range per hour (mrph). This is the maximum charging rate for the standard-range battery, but the long-range battery can be charged at up to 48 amps or 44 mrph if connected to a higher amperage source such as the Tesla Wall Connector (there is a 32-amp limit on the Gen 2 Mobile Connector). Charging Speeds for Common Electrical Outlets using Mobile Connector (slowest to fastest) Miles of Actual Tesla range per Charging The NEMA outlet required Adapter Voltage Circuit breaker hour Amps needed NEMA 5-15 3-5 mrph 12A 5-15* 120V 15 Amp Standard Household outlet NEMA 5-20 4-7 mrph 16A 5-20** 120V 20 Amp 20A outlet seen in newer construction in garages and bathrooms NEMA 6-15 11 mrph 12A 6-15** 240V 15 Amp Garage: Arc welder, compressor, etc.