Planning for home charging

- by Mark Gabryjelski
June 19, 2021

I’ve been doing this with quite a few people recently.
Wanted to capture it, so it will be easy to send a to-do list for people getting ready for a new Tesla car (or for any EV car).

Prep Your House for Charging

Introduction to charging….

Found this article, which covers some of the basic EV connection types, and costs….
This is a good background on the how much it costs to charge a Tesla (or any EV) at home, versus at a Supercharger / Public Charging station.
There are pictures which show the different types of connectors you will see out in the world.
Also added this link to Wikipedia to cover the different NEMA plug types (which get referenced below).

After that brief read, you can see the advice I have in the next sections about planning YOUR at home charging solution.
I've covered it for indoor and outdoor charging.
I've covered it for Tesla only households, as well as anyone wanting to plan for Tesla AND other EVs....
You will notice links (these are direct links to the products, and no...TONE doesn't get anything for you clicking on these links).

My recommendations are focused on ease of use, having a charging solution in the car at all times, making it as easy as possible to change your chargers later on, and not spending money needlessly.

Tesla - in garage charging

Have an electrician to run a 50-AMP circuit where you want to have a NEMA 14-50 plug for your charger.
Here's a Tesla Provided cheat sheet you can hand to your electrician (yes, it calls out Model S & X, but is the same for 3 & Y).

Remember to take into account how cars could connect with the cable length you choose.

Items to purchase:

• Tesla Gen-2 Mobile Connector Bundle - 1 comes with the car, but this one would stay plugged in and in the garage.
  No one wants a situation where you need a charge, and forgot your mobile connector at home.
• Tesla Gen-2 NEMA Adapters - Get 2 of these, one to use in the garage, one to add to your mobile connector bundle in your car.
  There are quite a few types available, but the NEMA 14-50 (recommended above) is a common electric oven/stove connector type.
• Tesla Cable Organizer - not required, but helps organize the cable from the mobile connector....and there are other organizers from other vendors out there, not just Tesla....

Tesla - Outdoor charging

Have an electrician to run a 50-AMP circuit where you want to have a NEMA 14-50 plug for your charger
….hardwiring it might be a good option (and probably required) with an outdoor installation though.
Here's a Tesla Provided cheat sheet you can hand to your electrician (yes, it calls out Model S & X, but is the same for 3 & Y).
Remember to take into account how cars could connect with the cable length you choose.

Items to purchase:  

• Tesla Wall Connector - You will see these at Destination Chargers a lot too.  These are rated for outdoor installations.
  I find them too expensive and unnecessary to be installed inside the garage.
• Tesla Wall Connector Pedestal - If you can't, or don't plan to mount to a wall, this is one way to do it.
• Tesla Gen-2 NEMA Adapters - get one of these, to add to your mobile connector bundle in your car.
  There are quite a few types available, but the NEMA 14-50 (recommended above) is a common electric oven/stove connector type.

Tesla and/or other EV - in garage charging

With the goal of only having 1 x charging station for both types of cars….

Have an electrician to run a 50-AMP circuit where you want to have a NEMA 14-50 plug for your charger.
Here's a Tesla Provided cheat sheet you can hand to your electrician (yes, it calls out Model S & X, but is the same for 3 & Y).

Remember to take into account how cars could connect with the cable length you choose.

Items to purchase:  

• ChargePoint Home Flex - station that can charge any EV
• Tesla SAE-j1772 Charging Adapter - 1 comes with the car, but this additional one would stay near the charger setup.  This makes sure 1 is always in the car with you, and the additional one you purchase sits in the garage, to use with the ChargePoint Home Flex.
• Tesla Gen-2 NEMA Adapters - get one of these, to add to your mobile connector bundle in your car.
  There are quite a few types available, but the NEMA 14-50 (recommended above) is a common electric oven/stove connector type.

Tesla and/or other EV - Outdoor charging

With the goal of only having 1 x charging station for both types of cars….

Have an electrician to run a 50-AMP circuit where you want to have a NEMA 14-50 plug for your charger
….hardwiring it might be a good option (and probably required) with an outdoor installation though.
Here's a Tesla Provided cheat sheet you can hand to your electrician (yes, it calls out Model S & X, but is the same for 3 & Y).

Remember to take into account how cars could connect with the cable length you choose.

Items to purchase:  

• ChargePoint Home Flex - station that can charge any EV
• Tesla SAE-j1772 Charging Adapter - 1 comes with the car, but this additional one would stay near the charger setup.  This makes sure 1 is always in the car with you, and the additional one you purchase sits in the garage, to use with the ChargePoint Home Flex.
  
• Tesla Gen-2 NEMA Adapters - get one of these, to add to your mobile connector bundle in your car.
  There are quite a few types available, but the NEMA 14-50 (recommended above) is a common electric oven/stove connector type.

Wrapping up this section.....

Why did I recommend ordering duplicates of certain things?
The reason why.....user experience.
Having the right things in your car to charge on the road will give you peace of mind.
Not having to “remember”, on that day you take a long trip, to pack up your garage and take all those things with you is, well, just great.

I always have the Tesla Mobile Connector, 14-50 adapter, and my j1772 Adapter in the car at all times.
Tesla has the SuperCharger network, which rocks.
But if you have to go to where there are no Tesla Superchargers (think the boonies of Maine), charging could be a concern.

That j1772 comes in play ONLY when using OTHER charging networks other than Tesla (I have a bias towards ChargePoint).
The goal is to NOT have you worry too much about charging up your Tesla.

Other things to Purchase

I’m not recommending things like screen protectors, floor mats, roof rails, tow bar, or the like.
You already know if you want those or not.
I personally did all weather floor mats everywhere, and I chose not to use a screen protector.

….just don’t forget the adapters and connectors I mentioned above…..

That said, never hurts to get a few things that are low cost, in case you need it.

• Extra Tesla Key Cards - your car comes with 2 cards (keys).  Your phone will be another key.
  Get an extra pair to have JUST IN CASE.
  When you get them, make sure to add them as authorized cards to your Tesla.
  Don’t forget….one card can be paired to multiple Tesla cars.
  …and remember to always keep 1 card with you, even if you think you just need your phone…..what happens when your phone battery is dead?
• Tesla Tire Repair Kit - OK, so you don’t need this SPECIFIC make/model, but remember,… your car does not come with a spare tire.
  Yes mobile service can help you out, but don’t you want to help yourself out rather than waiting 1+ hours for help?....and what if there is no cellular service?  how you gonna call Mobile Service then?
• Wheel Locks - In my opinion, these should be standard, but they aren’t.
  
• HomeLink kit for Model 3 & Model Y - luxury item, but I added it, and totally worth it.
  It works with the NAV and Geolocation, and will automatically send the signal to your garage door / gates.
  MUST be installed by Tesla Mobile Service (or Service Center), but a good way to use Tesla Mobile Service for the first time.
• Modern Spare - I picked up one of these for the Model Y, for those trips into remote areas.
  Few options, from just the tire, to the whole kit (tire + lift + small crowbar).
  If you never end up in remote places, this is probably not for you.

Plan on experiencing Charging on the road

Experience Tesla Supercharging, and all other EV charging options.

Find a Tesla Supercharger close to your home (my closest one is 30 miles away).
Not because you will use it all the time, as you will primarily charge at home.
No, the reason why.....you need to understand WHY Tesla is a better experience.

First, general charging info....
Think about it like your cell phone....
from 20% up to 80% charge might take, let’s say, 20 minutes.
Charging from 80% to 100% might take, let’s say, ANOTHER 20 minutes.
Think of 10% charge as about 30 miles.
Very fast to get to 80%, but then to get 100%....well, not an efficient use of time, but you CAN do it.

Your First Supercharger Experience 

Make it a point to try this out.  It is amazing!

Plan on using a Tesla Supercharger (be sure to set it as your destination in the NAV, even if you know how to get there, as it “prepares” the car’s battery for efficient charging.
Take your car down to about 20% charge when you arrive at a Tesla Supercharger
Plan on spending 20 minutes there (watch Netflix or get lunch).
Watch your charge go way up in short duration of time.
Notice how you don't have to worry about swiping a credit card or anything else?
You just pull up, plug in, and it starts charging (don't worry you'll get a bill via the email you used to register on the Tesla site).

Your First Other EV Charging Experience

Now TRY to do this at one of the other charging network stations.
You’ll need an app like ChargePoint, EvGo, or others that are available (I used ChargePoint when I tried this).
Download an App to your phone, and get your account all set up before you head out to use these chargers.

Just remember to not DEPEND on this part of the experiment for power...you might not be able to get any charge.
I did this, and the first 4 stations I went to were not yet built, or were broken.
The 5th one I went to was working, but they had a weird connector that wouldn’t work with my j1772 adapter, so I was out of luck.
The 6th one I went to, no issue....but I was only getting 20 Miles per Hour of charge!
They are making improvements, and my experience was during July 2020, & there was no DC Fast Charging for the other EVs available then.

Tesla has superior charging infrastructure, which you will soon enjoy.

That’s the only thing I feel bad about, for all the other electric car owners...charging on the road.
No one wants to drive 300 miles (about 5 hours drive time), pull up to a charger, and wait 10 hours for enough charge to keep going for another 5 hours/300 miles to their destination.
Once they solve that problem for all the other EVs, I think things will be looking up for them.
Even so, all those other charging stations have a greatly varied user experience, depending on who owns them.

Wrapping up

I hope this helps someone get started.
Thanks for reading THIS far .... and enjoy your new ride!