For those of you looking at switching to a
Tesla or just want to learn more about how
charging a Tesla works, we first have to start
off by understanding the 3 core levels of
charging.
Level, 1, 2 and 3.
My name is Evan and if you are new here, welcome
to my channel, if not welcome back.
Each level of charging delivers different
electric charging speeds and each tesla model
will have a different maximum charge they
can accept.
Choosing the right method to charge can minimize
hassle, range anxiety, and installation costs.
This will in turn maximize your overall enjoyment
of driving a Tesla.
A big shout-out to today's sponsor Opti-Watt.
Opti-Watt allows you to maximize your charging
efficiency by setting it to automatically
schedule your Tesla to charge during the cheapest
electricity rates all while tracking your
exact spending.
Users save on average 70% when charging their
tesla with Opiwatt.
Set your desired battery target and departure
time and Optiwatt will handle the rest.
Oh and the best part is..
It’s free.
Check out the link below to sign up today.
Let’s get back to it.
First we have to understand that an EV Charger
can be referred to as two different things.
The internal and external charger.
The internal on-board charger is built inside
the tesla and it manages incoming power flow
to safely charge the car's battery.
Second we have the external charger also known
as EVSE which stands for “electric vehicle
supply equipment”.
The EVSE provides power from the grid or tesla's
power wall and solar panels to your tesla’s
internal on-board charger.
Most people in general though just call an
EVSE a charger.
Now that we understand the charging components
of a tesla, the level at which we charge these
vehicles can vary depending on the amount
of amps and volts flowing into the tesla.
This is where level 1, 2 and 3 come into play.
Starting off with level 1 which is typically
rated at 120V that may range from 15-20 amps;
is a very common outlet found in every home
and business across the United states.
Charging your tesla model 3 on level one basis
for example, will get you about 3-6 miles
per hour charge with average owner seeing
about 4.4 miles per hour, equating to roughly
40 miles added range in about 9 hours overnight.
While this may not seem feasible, I want to
point out that most Americans only drive about
29.2 miles per day according to an article
by AAA.
In my opinion, if you are one of these people
that drives under 40 miles per day, relying
solely on the level 1 charge receptacle may
be a viable option for you.
I personally use this option myself because
I typically only drive around 40 miles a day;
however, if you reside in a state that charges
by time-of-use, you may want to consider upgrading
to the next charging level.
I recently started plugging in at my employer
to help offset the electricity costs at home
which brings us onto the next tier of charging,
level 2.
Level 2 charging is the most popular way for
tesla owners to charge their car at home.
Level two charges 4-10x faster than the typical
level 1 charger.
It is the most efficient, and least stressful
way to charge.
Charging at this level will require additional
equipment along with added installation costs.
A 240v receptacle, like your clothes dryer
outlet at home, will need to be installed.
Typically a nema 14-50 plug is the most common,
however, other level 2 receptacles will work
just fine as you can see here tesla offers
plenty of adapters to fit the included mobile
charger that comes standard with all teslas.
Another option is to purchase tesla’s wall
connector which will eliminate the need to
install a nema 14-50 receptacle but rather
just running new wiring through your home.
This will also eliminate the need to use the
mobile connector to charge your car.
One thing I’d like to point out is that
the tesla wall connector will charge slightly
faster at a maximum 48 amps providing an estimated
44 miles per hour charge to the model 3 vs
the mobile connector that charges at a maximum
32 amps providing you an estimated 30 miles
per hour charge for the model 3.
I know I just threw a lot of information to
you at once but you really have to understand
your specific driving habits and how much
you are willing to spend on level 2 wire installation.
Installation costs will range depending on
how far your breaker box is from your tesla.
The further the distance the more it will
cost in labor and wire installation can add
up.
I’ve heard costs can range from as little
as $50 dollars when installing a receptacle
yourself, all the way to $2,000 dollars.
Now I’m going to state the obvious please
note that working with electricity is extremely
dangerous work, do not skip corners to save
yourself money on installation costs.
Please work with a certified electrician if
you are not familiar with electric wiring.
Now that I got that out of the way, another
fee to incorporate is a tesla wall connector
that costs an additional $500 dollars.
If you are wanting that extra 14 miles per
hour charge and the nice looking tesla wall
connector in your garage that's a viable fare
opinion.
However, I would recommend, if you are looking
to upgrade to a level 2 connection, that you
install a nema 14-50 outlet.
You can purchase a 14-50 adapter for 35 dollars
for your tesla mobile connector that comes
with the car and the tesla model 3 will charge
at 32 amps providing you 30 miles per hour
charge which is typically more than enough
to charge the entire car overnight when you're
sleeping.
Now remember I said earlier that different
models of tesla will charge at different rates
even if using the same receptacle outlet.
Looking at the chart here from tesla’s website
we can see when using the mobile connector
with a 14-50 adapter again rated at a maximum
charge of 32 amps a Model X for example, will
only charge at 20 miles per hour rather than
the model 3 at 30 miles per hour.
Now let's look at when using the Tesla wall
connector that is rated again at a maximum
48 amp output.
The model X will now receive 30 miles per
hour charge compared to 20 using the mobile
connector.
We can also see that the model 3 gets an estimated
44 miles per hour charge rather than 30 using
the mobile connector.
After all of this is said regarding level
2 charging at home you have to ask yourself
do I need a wall connector that costs 500
dollars?
Do I need that extra 14 miles per hour charge?
You very well might need it, only you can
answer that question, as you know your driving
habits.
Regardless to which type of level 2 receptacle
you choose, remember to sign up for Opti-Wattt
to help offset the electricity costs at home.
If you live in a state where energy prices
vary depending on the time of day, Optiwatt
has you covered by automatically optimizing
your tesla charging efficiency based on your
utility provider rates and home address.
Charge your tesla the smart way with Opti-Watt,
oh.. and did I mention it's free to use?
Try it today, it takes only seconds to set
up.
You may also ask what are these chargepoint,
EVGo, and blink stations about?
What charge level are they at?
Most of these stations are level 2 chargers
that supply, for the most part; the same amount
of electricity we talked about earlier and
most are free to use.
A lot of these stations also have the popular
J-1772 plug that will not work with your tesla
unless you have the adapter which I highly
recommend getting from tesla’s website.
Many employers and corporations are starting
to add electric vehicle charging stations
at the workplace as benefits and amenities
to attract and retain top talent.
Which is my next question for you… does
your employer or future employer have one
of these level 2 charging stations?
If so, you may want to think twice about adding
a level two charging port in your home at
all.
Remember I said earlier, I do not have a level
2 charger in my garage at home due to the
fact I can plug in at work on a level 2 basis.
I charge the entire car during my 8 hour shift
no problem.
It also helps that I only have to drive 16
miles round trip to and from work daily.
Honestly, in my tesla model 3 mid-range; I
can get by with charging only once a week
at work and the best part is that it’s free.
If you are curious on where to find all these
public and/or private chargers, I recommend
downloading the plugshare app.
Which will show all level 1,2, and 3 chargers
nearest to you.
One final thought I want to talk about with
level 2 chargers is that many states offer
lucrative tax rebates to install one of the
receptacles in your home.
I’ll post a couple links in the description
below with all the states and their rebates.
Regardless if you don't think you need one
installed, see what incentives your state
of residence is offering.
They may end up refunding all, if not most
of the cost to install a level 2 receptacle.
In my opinion this is a home improvement accessory
adding to the resale value of your home just
like solar panels on your roof.
As Electric vehicle sales continue to grow,
more and more consumers are going to be looking
for this added amenity in their future home.
If you still have questions or think I have
missed something about level 2 chargers, please
comment down below and I promise to respond
back to you.
Finally we have the last charging tier.
Level 3.
At this level, we are able to charge the tesla
at rapid speeds.
Which is why the tesla supercharger network
comes in handy, especially when taking long-distance
road trips.
All tesla superchargers are at level 3, adding
roughly 170 miles of range in about 30 minutes.
Charging at level 3 is also known as DC charging
or Direct Current.
When charging at this level the DC power bypasses
the tesla’s on-board charger meaning the
electricity can feed directly to the car's
battery.
Whereas level 1 and 2 are using alternating
current or AC which will flow through the
tesla’s on-board charger as we discussed
earlier.
All DC chargers, like the tesla supercharger,
have built in chargers also known as the convertor.
The tesla supercharger network is one of the
many reasons why tesla has been growing at
a rapid pace.
Their network allows you to drive anywhere
without having to worry about running out
of power.
Most of these level 3 chargers are located
along major highways and are within walking
distance to restaurants, shops, and restrooms.
My girlfriend and I use the supercharger network
occasionally when we take a roadtrip to the
beach here in North Carolina.
The car will intelligently tell you how long
you have to charge to reach your destination.
From my personal experience we had to stay
no longer than 25 mins at a supercharger to
make it back home.
Though depending on where you live, I’ve
seen many tesla owners complaining about extreme
wait times to use a supercharger especially
in the state of California.
Here in the east I have yet to experience
this… knock on wood.
By the time you stretch your legs, use the
restroom, grab a snack, it's already time
to go.
Tesla also started installing new Version
3 superchargers meaning the car will charge
up to speeds of 250KW rather than version
2 charging at 150 Kw.
To put this equation into miles, 250kw equates
to about 1,000 miles per hour charge rather
than 150kw at about 500 miles per hour charge.
According to tesla, V3 superchargers will
add 75 miles of range in only 5 minutes.
With this amount of electricity, the consumer
will see the fastest charging experience at
an unprecedented scale compared to other electric
vehicle manufacturers.
Not all superchargers are version 3 but tesla
continues to expand and upgrade their network
as more and more consumers switch to tesla.
Charging costs at a tesla supercharger can
vary based on city and state.
Typical sessions to charge are between $9-
$20 dollars to fully charge your tesla.
Still beats re-fueling a comparable luxury
car like the audi a4 with premium gasoline
at $40-50 dollars for a full tank.
Just remember that charging at home will always
be the cheapest way to charge your tesla.
Supercharger rates are nearly double the cost
than charging at home.
Unless of course you plug in for free at work,
find a free public charger or have free supercharger
miles from referrals.
If you are looking at purchasing a tesla here
in the future, check out my referral link
below for free supercharger miles for yourself.
With all of this information I have thrown
at you, choosing the right method to charge
your tesla while saving money can be challenging.
Here is a basic tree diagram I have created
to help you find a possible solution.
Again this is just a very generic chart that
I put together that excludes rebates and costs
but rather, helps you find a method to charge
based on your driving habits.
I’ll post a link for this image as well
in the description below.
I hope I answered most of your questions regarding
which charge level works best for you.
Be sure to hit that subscribe button for more
content like this in the future.
Remember if you have any questions on this
complete charging guide, please comment down
below and I’ll be sure to get back to you.
Until the next video guys, stay safe, and
I’ll see you on the next one.
