Are you using a Residential-rated receptacle Then an EV Industrial Rated receptacle to charge?

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The circuit breaker should shut off before the wires begin to melt.
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I don’t think that running both the dryer and EV charger should be use at the same time. Each circuit should be a dedicated line with its own circuit breaker.
 

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Sharing a circuit to charge your EV with your dryer reminds me of the dial-up internet years of 2000. You can’t use the telephone at the same time as using your desktop computer. The wife will not tolerate that kind of charge in a woman’s lifestyle. She definitely will not put up waiting to use the dryer until the car is fully charged up.
 


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Another benefit to using these heavier duty receptacles is that they need an Allen (hex) bit to tighten the lugs, which allows for better torque without slipping. Cheaper ones use Phillips (cross) or flat blade and your screwdriver or bit will slip.

These two industrial duty receptacles are also specifically called out and recommended in Tesla's mobile charge connector manuals.
When there is a problem with the screwdriver bit slipping before maximum torque is reached, it's either because the screwdriver is not being held perpendicular to the screw or the bit is worn or the wrong size. Use good tools and good technique and the kind of screw the outlet comes with is inconsequential. I'm not saying people don't have problems tightening them, I'm saying the problem is of their own making. Get the appropriate tool for the job and use it skillfully. It's not hard, it's just a matter of doing it instead of thinking it doesn't matter.

That said, I always use the highest quality outlets available. They are not overkill and there are a lot of cheap outlets being sold at very low prices (and sometimes not so low of a price). This holds true for the common 15A 120V outlets too. The cheapest ones are marginal at handling the full rated current and they often apply insufficient pressure to the blades of your electrical plug to hold it securely. All to save a few bucks during construction. It's shameful but the trend is driven by consumers and contractors who want the lowest possible price and don't care about quality. If the demand wasn't there, neither would be the cheap outlets.
 

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The circuit breaker should shut off before the wires begin to melt.
That's a common fallacy. A circuit breaker will only protect from the circuit being overloaded. If the circuit is wired with appropriate wire and good connections then, yes, the circuit breaker should trip before a fire can happen. But it's entirely possible for the resistance of a connection to be high enough to create enough heat to start a fire without causing the breaker to trip. Fortunately, the Mobile Connector also has safety features built into it to reduce the chances of fire. If it detects voltage drop, it reduces charging current.

But nothing is foolproof.
 

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It’s not that hard to convert a dryer outlet into a dedicated Wall Connector. The expensive part of the wall connector is the wiring and it’s mostly done.

I ran a dedicated circuit with 60 amps for my Model Y. I’ll probably get a second wall connector when I get the truck. Use the same wiring and set it up to share juice from that 60 amp line.
Sandy and you keep referring to a dryer plug. This is insufficient since dryers are rated for 4400 watts or 4kw. The model 3 mobile charger charges at about 7kw and the old style wall charger can go up to 10kw. To get anywhere near wiring sufficient for these rates you need wiring sufficient for a heavy duty electric range. If you use the old style wall charger dial it back to the mobile charger limits. This is sufficiently fast enough for even an Uber driver to get a good overnight charge.
 

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Sandy and you keep referring to a dryer plug. This is insufficient since dryers are rated for 4400 watts or 4kw. The model 3 mobile charger charges at about 7kw and the old style wall charger can go up to 10kw. To get anywhere near wiring sufficient for these rates you need wiring sufficient for a heavy duty electric range. If you use the old style wall charger dial it back to the mobile charger limits. This is sufficiently fast enough for even an Uber driver to get a good overnight charge.
You can set the Tesla Wall Connector to pull whatever amperage you want. Likewise the mobile charger can be set to pull whatever amperage you want.

If you have a dryer outlet and want to use it to charge your Tesla, you just need to set up your charging hardware based on the wiring you have. Doesn’t take a ton of know how, just awareness of how much amperage the existing circuit & wiring is designed to pull.
 


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Doesn't the mobile connector also know which plug adapter you've slotted into it?

-Crissa
It does, and sets itself to 80% max power. You can further reduce it. But it's easy to fool it if you use adapters, which I once saw and quickly told her to stop it. It was a Tesla 14-50 dongle connected to a generic adapter for a 30A outlet. That was all kinds of bad news.
 

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If in doubt, it is quite easy to lower the amount of power your car/ truck draws through the circuit from the console.

Might end up needing to stop at that Supercharger for 5-10 minutes though
What does Tesla recommend? We have a NEM plug installed for home charging of our 2018 Tesla Model 3 since purchase. No problems.
 

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They recommend you install a new wall connector with dedicated wiring of course!
This is by far the best solution. I see so much bad advice on this topic it makes my head spin!

People are worried about not being able to take their charging solution with them so they use an outlet instead of a superior hard-wired solution. But, if you have to move to a different residence, it's dead simple to bring your hard-wired solution with you. Installing a 50 amp outlet is slightly more involved than hard-wiring a Wall Connector because the Wall Connector requires one less conductor and is surface mount while the outlet will probably be mounted to the side of a stud and might require cutting the wall board. And a brand new Tesla Wall Connector is only $400 so, if you are putting your house on the market, it makes a lot of sense to advertise it with the listing. Most listings don't come with any charging solution so it can distinguish your listing from others. Even if the prospective buyer doesn't have an EV yet, chances are they have been considering getting one. The less barriers to EV adoption, the better.
 
 




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