Using 110V charging only?

[HaulingAss]

Thanks All!

Just to clarify, I have:

- Powershare and wall connector installed from Tesla.
- 32A Mobile connector with 110V adapter came with the CT.
- 40A Mobile connector from Amazon.

So with either Wall connector (48A) or Mobile connector 14-50 (32A) is too much for my daily working week. I believe 110V adapter is enough for me weekdays. But I don't like plug-in every night: worn out quicker with plug/unplug on both ends (I've re-wired my house few years ago).

So which way is better:

1. I'm charging 48A with wall connector (32A Mobile connector while still waiting for Powershare installation) on Fridays only.

2. Or 48A charging when pop-up on screen about % of the capacity that I think ~40 ish %.

The 40A from Amz is used only at my sisters' houses when visiting.

If the wiring is good, there is no downside to charging at the highest level available and it will be considerably more efficient. I see you live in a warm climate S. California (which, combined with your low daily mileage) is the only reason a 120V outlet would even work). But, depending upon where you live in S CA it can still get cold enough to get a large benefit from having at least 30A @240 volts. The climate control system/Battery Management System can totally overwhelm a 120v 15A outlet. You want enough power that if the BMS requests heat, it can get it from the wall, not your HV battery.

An even better reason to install a 240V solution is because it allows you to keep your SOC comfortably at a lower state of charge. With only 120V and 15A, those miles are hard fought so there is the tendency to charge higher than necessary incase an unexpected trip comes up. With 240V 48A you can just leave it on 50% SOC.

Even in a warm climate 240V charging is considerably more efficient than 120V charging. Tesla just accommodated 120V charging for emergencies.

As to Wall Connectors drawing electricity when not in use, they do have a green LED on, but the draw is nil. I have a Span electrical panel that reports the current draw of every circuit (including three Gen 3 Wall Connectors). A circuit with only three smoke detectors wired to it reports 3W power draw. The circuit with only a washer/dryer plugged in reports 5W power draw. The circuit with only a range/microwave plugged in reports 15W power draw. This is with the appliances not in use. The three circuits with just a Wall Connector on them all report 0W power draw. It's insignificant.

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[Gigahorse]

Dude, I think Elon is using your truck to mine $DOGE

I lose 1-2% per week sitting in the driveway (no low-power mode, but no Sentry either)

Sentry mode in the CT might be code for Elon's remote mining machine, think you might be onto something.
Sentry mode in the MY eats 1-2% a day,CT with WAY bigger battery chugs electrons

 

[cbertgo]

Just a heads up: Constant use of the 120v outlet could pose a fire risk.
First of all, if you want you insist on doing it, figure out the breaker's limit: usually 10-15 amps. Then, manually adjust the amps in your vehicle's / app's to 80% of the rated value. So 10 amps at 8 amps, 15 amps at 12 amps. This will ensure safe practice and won't overload either the breakers or the house wiring.
Second, if you have access to any form of level 2 charging, it's always preferred.

The Tesla Mobile Connector, when plugged into the wall but idle, typically uses ~0.7W to ~4W depending on voltage (120V/240V) and model.

Hope this helps.

I’m going out of the country for 18 days. Should I charge to 100% or have someone come over and charge it when I’m gone. I hope my app tells me what the SOC is daily?

 

[MyFirstElectricTesla]

If the wiring is good, there is no downside to charging at the highest level available and it will be considerably more efficient. I see you live in a warm climate S. California (which, combined with your low daily mileage) is the only reason a 120V outlet would even work). But, depending upon where you live in S CA it can still get cold enough to get a large benefit from having at least 30A @240 volts. The climate control system/Battery Management System can totally overwhelm a 120v 15A outlet. You want enough power that if the BMS requests heat, it can get it from the wall, not your HV battery.

An even better reason to install a 240V solution is because it allows you to keep your SOC comfortably at a lower state of charge. With only 120V and 15A, those miles are hard fought so there is the tendency to charge higher than necessary incase an unexpected trip comes up. With 240V 48A you can just leave it on 50% SOC.

Even in a warm climate 240V charging is considerably more efficient than 120V charging. Tesla just accommodated 120V charging for emergencies.

As to Wall Connectors drawing electricity when not in use, they do have a green LED on, but the draw is nil. I have a Span electrical panel that reports the current draw of every circuit (including three Gen 3 Wall Connectors). A circuit with only three smoke detectors wired to it reports 3W power draw. The circuit with only a washer/dryer plugged in reports 5W power draw. The circuit with only a range/microwave plugged in reports 15W power draw. This is with the appliances not in use. The three circuits with just a Wall Connector on them all report 0W power draw. It's insignificant.

So the best way is using wall connector from Tesla Powershare but my question remains, I'll put it in a different way:

Plug-in every night will wear out the plug and the truck seven times faster? Or even 14 times faster if I only need to charge every other week.

Q: How does Tesla respond to NEMA 14-50 questions?

A: While an existing NEMA 14-50 outlet will work to charge the car, you would need to purchase the $35 adapter from Tesla to make it work, they are not provided with the vehicle.

CT included mobile connector with 14-50 and an adapter to use 110V.

First off, the electrical code has changed to require all new NEMA 14-50 outlets be installed on GFCI breakers. The Tesla already has one on-board to protect itself, and if you have two GFCIs on the same circuit, they tend to trip each other, making for a very unreliable charging setup. Not all building departments are enforcing this code requirement, though, so you’ll have to check with your electrician if you might be able to get away with a standard breaker on a new NEMA 14-50 outlet.

Second, the maximum charge rate for a Model S on a NEMA 14-50 outlet is 23 miles of charge per hour. The Wall Connector on a 60amp circuit will give you 34 miles of charge per hour, so 50% faster charging.

Third, the reliability of charging on a NEMA 14-50 outlet is limited by design and quality of the outlet your electrician buys. There is a $15 (Leviton brand) residential grade NEMA 14-50 outlet sold at Home Depot that is not sufficient to support daily vehicle charging. The Leviton outlet has fiberglass insulators that tend to melt out after a few months of vehicle charging. The outlets are not designed specifically for EV charging; they are designed for plugging in RVs and range ovens. Ranges will pull max power once in a while when we roast a turkey, but EV charging will be pulling maximum amperage for hours on end every night. For this heavy use, we recommend an industrial grade NEMA 14-50 outlet, by one of these three brands: Hubbell, Bryant, or Cooper. These use glass or ceramic insulators and should last 3-5 years before they, too, eventually need to be replaced. At $50 – $100, they are not cheap.

I use NEMA 14-50 only when visiting my sisters' houses. They've been charging their Mercedes and M3 for few years now with no problem about the outlet.

Fourth, installing a Tesla Wall Connector lets you keep the mobile connector that comes with the car in the car. If you are using the cord that comes with the car to charge at your home every night, you will need to unplug it and take it with you every time you travel, which is time consuming and will wear out your plug faster. Most owners in this situation end up purchasing a second Mobile Connector Bundle to keep in the car as a backup, which is ~$300. Many folks expect to save some money by installing the NEMA 14-50 outlet instead of the Wall Connector, but that usually doesn’t end up being the case in the long run.

So for faster charging, a more reliable charging setup, a future-proofed design (the Gen3 Wall Connector gets OTA firmware updates), and a better looking unit, the Tesla Wall Connector is our only recommendation. I have attached the Gen3 Wall Connector installation guide as a reference.

Yes, I keep Tesla Wall Connector in the truck.

I use 40A Mobile Connector from Amazon when not charging at my home.

I spent ~$7,000 to upgrade and install Powershare from a Tesla approved electric shop, "Trout" is the only name back then.

 

[jeniferkey]

I charge at 240V/20A. It’s my option in the garage. I leave the mobile connector plugged in. I think unplugging every time from the wall would wear out the outlet much faster.

 

[Outdoors]

The cells prefer a shallow Depth of Discharge (DoD). Frequent, short charges are better than one long charge. The manual advises to charge daily.

That said, while "better" means slightly less degradation, it's not critical.

Many drivers are used to the fuel(gas) concept of keeping the tank full. Then refilling at let's say a 1/4 or 1/8th levels to full or close to it. That must suck right now. I just filled up a 36 gallon 2500 Suburban. Had to go in to say need some more on the pump limit.

Moving into EV's kind of something different. Different doesn't mean hard.

If one doesn't need the whole pack 50% is a great spot to sit at.

I use 50-20% for my daily use. Enough for an emergency, but not leaving the battery at a high state of charge that I will not need so often.

Yet really charge however it works for you as long as it is safe.

 

[CyberGus]

Plug-in every night will wear out the plug and the truck seven times faster? Or even 14 times faster if I only need to charge every other week.

The NACS connector is rated for at least 10,000 cycles. That’s daily for decades.

The charge cable is easily replaced, the charge port less so. But when you lose some range, it is gone forever.

 

[CyberGus]

I’m going out of the country for 18 days. Should I charge to 100% or have someone come over and charge it when I’m gone. I hope my app tells me what the SOC is daily?

I’ve traveled for 2+ weeks and left the truck below 50%. It lost maybe 2-3% per week, checked daily. Sentry was off.

I left it plugged in just in case, but never needed to start charging.

That said, some have reported very high standby usage, but that is an abnormal condition.

 

[cbertgo]

I’ve traveled for 2+ weeks and left the truck below 50%. It lost maybe 2-3% per week, checked daily. Sentry was off.

I left it plugged in just in case, but never needed to start charging.

That said, some have reported very high standby usage, but that is an abnormal condition.

Thanks, I have a Juniper MY also so I’m going to charge them both to 100% and leave the CT on charge and turn off sentry mode. I have a son on standby to keep an eye on both SOC.

 

[HaulingAss]

Thanks, I have a Juniper MY also so I’m going to charge them both to 100% and leave the CT on charge and turn off sentry mode. I have a son on standby to keep an eye on both SOC.

I can't imagine you're being serious here. If you are, what gave you the idea that it would be good to charge to 100% simply because you were leaving town for 18 days? I just left my Model 3 for around three months. I parked it with 58% SOC and three months later it had only lost 18%. 18 days is nothing.

 

[Jacob]

I used to charge with 110v until I got an extension cord (very heavy 50A) to charge with 220v. Something to consider, however, is that you can set your truck to charge only during "super off peak" hours for a better rate. With 110v charging I could never keep the entire charge time within that window where with 220v charging I can.

 

[TruckDaddy]

I’m going out of the country for 18 days. Should I charge to 100% or have someone come over and charge it when I’m gone. I hope my app tells me what the SOC is daily?

Never leave the battery in a high state of charge for long periods of time. Ideally, 50%.

 

[cbertgo]

I can't imagine you're being serious here. If you are, what gave you the idea that it would be good to charge to 100% simply because you were leaving town for 18 days? I just left my Model 3 for around three months. I parked it with 58% SOC and three months later it had only lost 18%. 18 days is nothing.

Thanks for the advice, just being safe and aware.

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