# Wiring a Not Yet Built Garage for a Tesla



## Curt Renz (May 22, 2017)

Expert advice would be much appreciated.

I soon will be buying a brand new home, for which construction has not yet begun.

1) For a Tesla car, how should I tell the builder to electrically wire the garage?

2) What type of electrical outlet should they install?

3) For how many amps should they set the circuit breaker?

4) Anything else I may have overlooked?

Great thanks in advance.


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## shareef777 (Mar 10, 2019)

Wire a NEMA14-50 outlet/breaker with 60A capacity wiring.

I should add, this will give you the max charging rate for the mobile connector, and the larger 60A wiring will allow a simple upgrade of the breaker to connect the wall connector in the future if you so choose to.


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## JasonF (Oct 26, 2018)

Curt Renz said:


> 1) For a Tesla car, how should I tell the builder to electrically wire the garage?


Since it's new construction, a pair of 14-50 outlets in the garage to accomodate the dawn of the EV age. Use wire capable of carrying 60 amps, but attach them to circuit breakers that are 40 amps. This will allow for future expansion (charging two vehicles at once), and not fail your electrical inspection for being able to draw more amps than the mains can supply (that's usually 200 amps in most places).

If the main circuit breaker isn't in the garage, see if you can get a subpanel installed so the charging outlets can be disconnected independently. That way you can upgrade them yourself if you can. Also, I'm betting someday garage based EV charging outlets will _require_ an independent shutoff in the same room in case of an electrical or battery fire. Then you'll be ready for anything.


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## Curt Renz (May 22, 2017)

Thank you for your helpful replies, Sharee & Jason.


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## Feathermerchant (Sep 17, 2018)

Umm I think the code requires a 50A breaker and at least #6 wire to a 50A outlet like the NEMA 14-50. So 50 Amp breakers and #4 wire to the 14-50 is OK code wise and allows you to replace the 14-50 with something capable of carrying more power and then perhaps the 50 Amp breaker with 60 Amp.
FWIW I have added two 50A outlets to my garage and they are more than enough to charge our Model 3 and Y. There is a Supercharger nearby if I need it but we've not needed it in the past 2+ years.


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## GDN (Oct 30, 2017)

Use your builder for code, but you need a 50 amp circuit and a NEMA 14-50 plug to use the UMC, or you can have them wire a 60 amp circuit to a box which you would then use to mount a Wall Charger if you opt to purchase that from Tesla. Those are basically the two options from Tesla today. 

While everything cost money, it is still likely cheaper to get your options wired in now vs adding them later. So think about where you will park and do you pull in or back in. Will you have more than one EV? Do you need two plugs? Even if you do and you place the outlet in the correct location you can likely share a charger, or if you drive 2 cars many miles every day, you may truly need two. So the location and count will be based on your needs. However, what you need is straight forward.


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## JasonF (Oct 26, 2018)

Feathermerchant said:


> Umm I think the code requires a 50A breaker and at least #6 wire to a 50A outlet like the NEMA 14-50. So 50 Amp breakers and #4 wire to the 14-50 is OK code wise and allows you to replace the 14-50 with something capable of carrying more power and then perhaps the 50 Amp breaker with 60 Amp.


I'm not a licensed electrician, but when I had my outlet installed, I was told either 40 or 50 amp is ok with a 14-50 outlet, though 50 amp is preferred. You definitely shouldn't _exceed_ 50 amps, because if someone installs a cheap no-name outlet at the other end, it could melt and catch fire. The reason I specified the _wiring_ to handle 60 amps is in case a hard-wired charge point like a Wall Connector is installed.

What a lot of inspectors _will_ do, however, in a new electrical installation, is check your electrical system budget. Either they'll do a load test (which is difficult in an empty house) or add up all of the circuit breakers and apply a percentage to it that's supposed to estimate how close you'll get to the mains limit. If you get too close, they fail your inspection until you upgrade the mains. If you put in a lot of very large circuit breakers, you could fail that test unnecessarily, and need to upgrade the mains capacity to pass inspection.


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

shareef777 said:


> Wire a NEMA14-50 outlet/breaker with 60A capacity wiring.


Yes, do this. Have a separate line for each parking space. If you have a two-car garage, run two lines to the garage. If there's a spot to park outside, have them run another 60 amp line to a wall adjacent to that parking spot.
You don't even have to install an outlet at each location if you don't need it yet - that part is easy to do later. Just have them run the lines to a location/box, and leave some slack. In some cases (such as outside), you'll want to directly wire a charging station instead of an outlet.


JasonF said:


> Use wire capable of carrying 60 amps, but attach them to circuit breakers that are 40 amps.


There's no reason to do this.
The breaker is there to protect the *wiring* from overheating and starting a fire. If the wiring can support 60 amps, then install a 60 amp breaker.
Even if you connect a 50-amp outlet to the wiring (like a NEMA 14-50), then anything you plug into it has been designed to pull no more than 50 amps, so you won't overheat the wiring, outlet or the equipment.


Curt Renz said:


> 4) Anything else I may have overlooked?


Most new homes today have a 200-amp panel. In a future with electric cars, this is going to be inadequate.
Ask about getting 300- or 400-amp service to the home.


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## JasonF (Oct 26, 2018)

garsh said:


> There's no reason to do this.
> The breaker is there to protect the *wiring* from overheating and starting a fire. If the wiring can support 60 amps, then install a 60 amp breaker.
> Even if you connect a 50-amp outlet to the wiring (like a NEMA 14-50), then anything you plug into it has been designed to pull no more than 50 amps, so you won't overheat the wiring, outlet or the equipment.


It's too early in the morning for you to be replying! You missed that I said the only reason why is so your total circuit breaker amperage allowance doesn't cause you to fail the inspection. Adding 3 60-amp circuit breakers for a total of 120 amps on a 200 amp main might get you an "upgrade mains and re-inspect". Buut....



garsh said:


> Most new homes today have a 200-amp panel. In a future with electric cars, this is going to be inadequate.
> Ask about getting 300- or 400-amp service to the home.


If that happens, a trio of 60 amp breakers wouldn't cause any inspection issues anyway.


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

JasonF said:


> It's too early in the morning for you to be replying! You missed that I said the only reason why is so your total circuit breaker amperage allowance doesn't cause you to fail the inspection.


Yeah, I try to quickly skim through all new posts in the morning. Sometimes I skim _too_ quickly.


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## Quicksilver (Dec 29, 2016)

Surprised no one mentioned that for Teslas, the charge port is on the back by the driver side tail light. To make plugging-in-to-charge easier, have the outlet installed on the left wall of the garage if you park head in. I know that the UMC comes with a 20 or 25 ft cord but I would rather not drag the cord across the floor to get from the wall to the charge port. I really wished that there were charge ports on both sides of the car like I think Porsche and Audi electric cars have. Overhead installation with a retractable charge cord would be great if possible.


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## Needsdecaf (Dec 27, 2018)

garsh said:


> Yes, do this. Have a separate line for each parking space. If you have a two-car garage, run two lines to the garage. If there's a spot to park outside, have them run another 60 amp line to a wall adjacent to that parking spot.
> You don't even have to install an outlet at each location if you don't need it yet - that part is easy to do later. Just have them run the lines to a location/box, and leave some slack. In some cases (such as outside), you'll want to directly wire a charging station instead of an outlet.
> There's no reason to do this.
> The breaker is there to protect the *wiring* from overheating and starting a fire. If the wiring can support 60 amps, then install a 60 amp breaker.
> ...


Former residential builder here. Still in building now, just commercial.

I would go with what Garsh said, although I would request at least an 80 amp breaker. Have them install the wiring either with a Nema 14-50 or just a blank "j-box". Have one installed on each side of the garage. I would put it on the outside front corner, maybe 8' back from the front of the garage. That way you can reach the back left corner of the car or the front right corner of the car. The reason for at least an 80 amp breaker is that you'll be able to share loads for two cars charging at once, if you want to ever do that. Right now it's cheap and easy to run. Oversize now, you won't regret it. The extra cost is negligible.

As was said, pay now to upgrade your service to 300 A if your home is on the larger side, and if you'll ever put in a pool, etc. I'm not sure size of your home, gas vs. electric dryer and oven, how many and what size AC's, etc. My home is large with two 5 ton AC's, pool, and the car charging circuit. I have an electric oven but a gas dryer, otherwise I could not have done the car charger.

Also, if you haven't finished your plans yet, make your garage bigger! Most builders skimp on garage size and it becomes cumbersome to have your car in there and store it. Ideally you'll want it 22 x 26 or 24 x 26 for a two car if not larger.

Feel free to PM me with any questions / tips regarding other parts of your build. I'm always happy to help people build their dream, even if it's not with me!


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

Needsdecaf said:


> Also, if you haven't finished your plans yet, make your garage bigger! Most builders skimp on garage size and it becomes cumbersome to have your car in there and store it.


Oh yes, THIS!
You need room to open car doors, and ideally store some things around the perimeter of the garage. If there's any possibility of tweaking your design plans at this stage, do it.


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

Needsdecaf said:


> I would go with what Garsh said, although I would request at least an 80 amp breaker... The reason for at least an 80 amp breaker is that you'll be able to share loads for two cars charging at once, if you want to ever do that. Right now it's cheap and easy to run. Oversize now, you won't regret it. The extra cost is negligible.


Yep, good point about oversizing if you can afford it - it's much harder to run wire after the house is complete.
IIRC, electrical codes prohibit installing multiple NEMA 14-50 outlets on a single circuit, so don't plan on load-sharing unless you're installing hard-wired EVSEs (like a Tesla Wall Connector).

And in case anybody is wondering why we're suggesting various specific values, they're based on current Tesla vehicle and charger limitations:

Tesla's on-board chargers are limited to 48 amps (requires a 60-amp circuit to supply it)
Some older Model S cars have 72-amp chargers, or dual chargers (80 amps). Standard Range Model 3s are limited to 32 amps.

A Gen2 Mobile Connector is limited to 32 amps (requires a 40-amp circuit)
A Gen3 Wall Connector is limited to 48 amps (but many connectors can load-share a single circuit)
A Gen2 Wall Connector is limited to 80 amps (requires a 100-amp circuit, up to four can load-share a circuit).


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## Feathermerchant (Sep 17, 2018)

And the Gen1 Mobile Connector is limited to 40A. I have 2 of them. One for each car. They live at the house so I can keep the Gen3's in the cars. For our Model 3 & Y 30A at 240V is more than fast enough. I have an order for the CT and 30A may not be enough for that.


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## Needsdecaf (Dec 27, 2018)

garsh said:


> Oh yes, THIS!
> You need room to open car doors, and ideally store some things around the perimeter of the garage. If there's any possibility of tweaking your design plans at this stage, do it.


Yup. It's one area where many / most builders skip out on SF as it increases cost but isn't counted as livable square footage for selling purposes.

A lot of builders in our area use the tandem setup for their three car garages ( two cars deep on one side of the garage). I've seen many "three car" tandems set up where the third tandem bay is like 17' deeper than the other section. I guess technically you could fit a car in there if you parked your front bumper against the sheetrock and parked the second car behind it bumper to bumper. But I think it's a scam to call it 3 car.

I digress.


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## msjulie (Feb 6, 2018)

To add to good comments; we recently refurbished an older standalone garage and couldn't make it bigger (boo) but we did put 150 amp service (it's own box) to the building. 

2 14-50 outlets but with 100 amp line run to them for upgradability in the future (currently 1 Model 3 and another hybrid less dependent on charging) 

Future proof as much as you can


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

Needsdecaf said:


> A lot of builders in our area use the tandem setup for their three car garages ( two cars deep on one side of the garage). I've seen many "three car" tandems set up where the third tandem bay is like 17' deeper than the other section. I guess technically you could fit a car in there if you parked your front bumper against the sheetrock and parked the second car behind it bumper to bumper. But I think it's a scam to call it 3 car.


If you have a single double-wide garage door, then your garage is too cramped. You ideally want separate garage doors for each parking spot, with some empty space between each one, as well as space between the door opening and the side walls.


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## Feathermerchant (Sep 17, 2018)

Man I've been living in a house with a 20X20 garage for 35 years. I can park a Model 3 and Y in it and have room for tools, etc. I can even get in and out of the cars. Never knew I had it so bad.


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## Needsdecaf (Dec 27, 2018)

Feathermerchant said:


> Man I've been living in a house with a 20X20 garage for 35 years. I can park a Model 3 and Y in it and have room for tools, etc. I can even get in and out of the cars. Never knew I had it so bad.


20x20 isn't TOO bad.

Mine is 20x19, and the 19 is in the width. I have padding on the walls on both sides, as I can't get in and out of my car without opening the door up completely against the wall. And don't get me started on when my kids door ding my own cars in the garage. 

Neither of my cars are overly large. Model 3 and Porsche Cayenne. I can't imagine if I had an F150 and a Yukon like everyone else around me does.


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## JWardell (May 9, 2016)

I'm imagining a TV show where you let a bunch of internet commenters design your house and actually build it  Just imagine now the three-story garage with full wet bar and indoor/outdoor theater...


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## Feathermerchant (Sep 17, 2018)

Yup. My F150 won't fit in my garage now. It is a SuperCab with an 8ft bed.
My 2005 Ram 1500 fit though. Just barely. I had to be against the drill press.
A friend had a Suburban and a bumper shaped divot in the sheetrock.


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

Feathermerchant said:


> Man I've been living in a house with a 20X20 garage for 35 years. I can park a Model 3 and Y in it and have room for tools, etc. I can even get in and out of the cars. Never knew I had it so bad.


My two-car garage is 25' (wide) by 23' (deep) with separate doors. It's wide enough that I'm in no danger of car doors hitting the other car. But I have some storage cabinets along both side walls, and I do have to be a little careful about opening the car doors because of that. Without those cabinets, it would be about perfect.


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## JasonF (Oct 26, 2018)

garsh said:


> My two-car garage is 25' (wide) by 23' (deep) with separate doors. It's wide enough that I'm in no danger of car doors hitting the other car. But I have some storage cabinets along both side walls, and I do have to be a little careful about opening the car doors because of that. Without those cabinets, it would be about perfect.


There was one point in the history of home building that garages became useless. A lot of the early garages I've seen intentionally had storage to both sides of the garage door, and to the rear so you don't have to park your car in the middle of stuff and push your way out. And the cars back then were bigger - they physically wouldn't fit in most modern garages at all.

One of the more amusing annoyances is with those somewhat modern houses in this neighborhood that have a "3-car" garage, with one small door and one large one. The large garage door section is barely big enough for two cars to squeeze in. The small section _won't actually fit a car_, because the inside back wall is too close - it's basically a loading dock. I've even seen people with SUV's having to park them both at an angle, taking up the entire "3-car" space, because even the 2-bay isn't long enough for them. Because of that annoyance, quite a lot of people just park outside, leaving this huge empty space mostly empty.


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## Needsdecaf (Dec 27, 2018)

Oh, I assure you, no one in Texas leaves that space empty. If there is not a car in there, there is a metric crap-ton of junk. Bikes, boats, hunting gear, sports toys, coolers, whatever. Lot of homes in my area that have two car garages have two or more cars parked in the driveway. Between the amount of junk and the size of vehicles vs. garage (again, the largest SUV's and pickup trucks) they just treat it as storage. And when I walk by (or drive slowly) and the door's open, it's really does look like a storage shed. Not sure about where you are in FL, but self-storage spaces are HUGE business around here. You can't go a half mile without passing one.


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## Feathermerchant (Sep 17, 2018)

I think Self storage places are as common as Starbucks.


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## Gauss Guzzler (Nov 30, 2020)

I know this is an old thread but I was horrified when I saw all the responses suggesting 40A, 60A, 100A runs to a 14-50 outlet. DO NOT embarrass yourself by asking a qualified electrician to do that. A 50A outlet *must* have a 50A breaker, no more, no less. And it generally must be connected to either 4 or 6 gauge wire.

There are 3 simple options:
1: Run 60A circuits to empty "square" boxes in the exact locations where you will later mount wall chargers, Tesla, Juicebox, whatever brand. These can easily be converted to 50A circuits with 14-50 outlets later if preferred.
2: Run 50A circuits to 14-50 outlets near where you might use plug-in chargers. This might be cheaper because they can run 6/3 Romex, or even 6/2 Romex to a 6-50 outlet if you really want to get the best bang for your buck.
3: Run some combination of the above or lesser outlets (e.g. 30A) if all these breakers bump you up into an undesirably larger panel.

Note that the house power might warrant much more consideration than the garage power. Make sure your main panel is "solar-ready" at a minimum unless there's just no chance of solar ever working on your property. And if you think you might want something like a powerwall battery system someday you should make sure the meter and main panel are setup to properly accommodate the Powerwall gateway being spliced in between them -- a cheap but significant change now could save a huge expense later in this regard.


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## Feathermerchant (Sep 17, 2018)

I'm shocked to hear the terms 'Wall Charger' and 'Car Charger'. For level 2 charging the charger used is in the car. Proper terms are 'Wall Connector' and 'Mobile Connector'.


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## Gauss Guzzler (Nov 30, 2020)

Sorry to shock you but "connector" is a meaningless marketing term used by Tesla, and only Tesla, to refer to the device every other company calls a "charger". It's a device whose sole purpose is to charge the car, not connect it to a wall. If you want to be irrationally pedantic and cryptic, use the term EVSE. If you want to tell the kid at the Tesla parts counter what product you'd like to buy, use the term "Wall Connector". Otherwise the proper term is "charger" because no one cares which component actually contains the voltage regulation circuitry, they just want to charge their car, with a charger.

Go ahead, ask someone for a "wall connector" or a "dashboard connector" next time you're caught off guard with a low phone battery. Or better yet, a connectorless connector if you have one of them new-fangled phones.


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## Madmolecule (Oct 8, 2018)

Don’t forget to add wiring for the Wi-Fi. Also I would go ahead and plan on Expoy coating the floors or polishing the concrete. Wonderful part of Tesla is is they don’t leak oil. Also you might want to add communication wiring between multiple wall connectors. I don’t know if this is still something with the new wall connectors but you might wanna look into it. It would be nice if there was someway to catch the AC water in the garage.


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

Madmolecule said:


> Also you might want to add communication wiring between multiple wall connectors. I don't know if this is still something with the new wall connectors but you might wanna look into it.


The Gen3 wall connectors use wifi.


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## Feathermerchant (Sep 17, 2018)

Oh it is a wall connector. Thanks Garsh.
Would you call an extension cord with a GFI a charger? I have a battery charger for my ICE car. It does not look like my extension cords.
The 'connector' or EVSE is just an extension cord with extra features.


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## JWardell (May 9, 2016)

Feathermerchant said:


> Oh it is a wall connector. Thanks Garsh.
> Would you call an extension cord with a GFI a charger? I have a battery charger for my ICE car. It does not look like my extension cords.
> The 'connector' or EVSE is just an extension cord with extra features.


Although a lot of people like to call them chargers, they really are, as you say, cords and connectors....the charger is in the car. It's why Tesla calls them "wall connector" and "mobile connector." And also why folks with any EV should NOT be paying upwards of $1000 for what they think is a charger when it's really just an extension cord + GFCI + some smarts to communicate current and temperature for safety.


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## JasonF (Oct 26, 2018)

JWardell said:


> Although a lot of people like to call them chargers, they really are, as you say, cords and connectors....the charger is in the car. It's why Tesla calls them "wall connector" and "mobile connector." And also why folks with any EV should be paying upwards of $1000 for what they think is a charger when it's really just an extension cord + GFCI + some smarts to communicate current and temperature for safety.


I think what causes that is portable devices with "chargers" came first. So it became terminology for anything that gets power into a battery powered device - including a car.

And it gets even more complicated when you consider DC fast charging - because for that, at least part of the "charger" is outside of the car.


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## JWardell (May 9, 2016)

whoops, forgot a very important NOT in my post...

And yes, DC fast chargers are actually chargers, and the car hands everything over to them (those contactors you hear switching when you supercharge)


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## Gauss Guzzler (Nov 30, 2020)

Feathermerchant said:


> Would you call an extension cord with a GFI a charger?


If it's specifically designed for charging and has no reasonable value for any purpose other than charging then yeah, it's a charger.
That's why chargers for every other brand of car are called "chargers". Even if you use the curiously-named charging adapter for charging your Tesla from a different brand of charger it's still called a "charger" and will still have the word "charger" written right on it from the charger factory.

There's nothing special about Tesla chargers. Every modern car/phone/notebook/cordless drill/etc. uses the same scheme of crude power delivery from the charger being converted and managed internally by the device being charged. It's actually required by law in most cases. The electrical engineer designing the actual charge management circuitry might want to clarify its distinction from the crude external power source, but the end user typically uses the broader dictionary definition of "charger" which is: "thing you use to charge it". Likewise, whoever designed the light switches in your house might want to clarify that the plastic rocker you interact with is not actually the "switch", if they thought anyone cared for some reason.

Look, I get it. You're super pumped about Tesla's totally awesome marketing jargon. Cool. But the OP wanted advice to convey to his builder/electrician and those guys don't care what brand the charger is or what jazzy trademarked name the marketing team came up with for it. A 50A outlet here, a 60A charger there, that's all they want to know.


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## Feathermerchant (Sep 17, 2018)

Just because something is mislabeled, does not make it so. If the OP wants to communicate with the electrician he should know the correct words to use.
Light Switch refers to the assembly that switches the power on or off. It's accurate. The wires in the wall or that plug the lamp into the wall are not called a light switch or considered a part of the light switch.
Like Wardell said, the charger is permanently installed in the car.


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

Gauss Guzzler said:


> That's why chargers for every other brand of car are called "chargers".


Actually, they seem to go to great lengths to call it anything but a "charger".

Nissan: "plug the charge connector into the charge port"
Chevrolet: "portable charge cord", "charging unit"
Ford: "Ford Connected Charge Station"
Hyundai: "Plugging into a wallbox"


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## Doug Johnson (Jul 11, 2016)

Feathermerchant said:


> Oh it is a wall connector. Thanks Garsh.
> Would you call an extension cord with a GFI a charger? I have a battery charger for my ICE car. It does not look like my extension cords.
> The 'connector' or EVSE is just an extension cord with extra features.


I've got a 240-Volt NEMA 14-30 receptacle that supplies power to my clothes dryer, and I'd like to use that receptacle to power the charger that came with my Model 3. I'd call this an extension cord, but more specifically a 14-30 extension cord.

I've also thought of fabricating my extension cord from 10-Gauge SO cord, but nowhere in the world can I find 14-30 cord ends with a female configuration; only 14-30 plugs. So, I may end up fabricating my own extension cord, but with a receptacle in a junction-box on the opposite end from the plug.

If anyone knows where I can get either a NEMA 14-30, 4-wire cord with with male and female connectors, or even just female cord ends, please let me know, thanks!


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## Klaus-rf (Mar 6, 2019)

urquattro83 said:


> If anyone knows where I can get either a NEMA 14-30, 4-wire cord with with male and female connectors, or even just female cord ends, please let me know, thanks!


The amazon has them in 10, 25, 50, 100 feet lengths with molded 14-30P and 14-30R ends.


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## Doug Johnson (Jul 11, 2016)

Klaus-rf said:


> The amazon has them in 10, 25, 50, 100 feet lengths with molded 14-30P and 14-30R ends.


Thank you, would you care to point me to the 25' and 50' ones to which you refer?


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## Feathermerchant (Sep 17, 2018)

You need 25' or 50' to reach your EVSE and charge your car?

Here's a 'smart' device that you can plug into your dyer outlet and it will switch between your dryer and car.
https://www.getneocharge.com/shop-pages/smart-splitters


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## Doug Johnson (Jul 11, 2016)

Feathermerchant said:


> You need 25' or 50' to reach your EVSE and charge your car?
> 
> Here's a 'smart' device that you can plug into your dyer outlet and it will switch between your dryer and car.
> https://www.getneocharge.com/shop-pages/smart-splitters


Thanks, and yes, I can get by with a 25' cord if I use a cord longer pigtail from the receptacle supplying the dryer.

I'd prefer a real short pigtail, though, which would then require about a 30' 14-30 extension cord.

My UMC is left in the garage, coiled in a plastic box with a lid. The cord length I'll need depends on whether I leave the UMC in the storage box, or extend its cord.


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## Doug Johnson (Jul 11, 2016)

urquattro83 said:


> Thank you, would you care to point me to the 25' and 50' ones to which you refer?


Thanks, most of what's listed on Amazon have twist-lock female ends, and these would require an addition twist-lock to 14-30 adapted to connect to the 14-30 UMC adapter I'll also have to purchase, but thanks.


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## Klaus-rf (Mar 6, 2019)

urquattro83 said:


> Thank you, would you care to point me to the 25' and 50' ones to which you refer?


Load your fav browser, entr amazon.com then search for "neam 14-30 extension" and you will find things like:

25ft:

50 ft:

IMHO be sure to get copper cables.


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## Doug Johnson (Jul 11, 2016)

Needsdecaf said:


> 20x20 isn't TOO bad.
> 
> Mine is 20x19, and the 19 is in the width. I have padding on the walls on both sides, as I can't get in and out of my car without opening the door up completely against the wall. And don't get me started on when my kids door ding my own cars in the garage.


Sounds to me like it's time for kids to park on the street if they insist on banging their door into yours...


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## Needsdecaf (Dec 27, 2018)

urquattro83 said:


> Sounds to me like it's time for kids to park on the street if they insist on banging their door into yours...


Kids aren't driving. They are exiting the car. You cannot open the doors of the cars in our garages and not touch the other car without being EXTREMELY careful.


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## JasonF (Oct 26, 2018)

Needsdecaf said:


> Mine is 20x19, and the 19 is in the width. I have padding on the walls on both sides, as I can't get in and out of my car without opening the door up completely against the wall. And don't get me started on when my kids door ding my own cars in the garage.


Get a piece of that rigid garage insulation foam, and hang it from the ceiling between the cars. It will easily push out of the way if you need to get past, but it will also catch door opens and cushion them from hitting the other car.

You can also glue it to the walls to protect the doors there.


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## Needsdecaf (Dec 27, 2018)

JasonF said:


> Get a piece of that rigid garage insulation foam, and hang it from the ceiling between the cars. It will easily push out of the way if you need to get past, but it will also catch door opens and cushion them from hitting the other car.
> 
> You can also glue it to the walls to protect the doors there.


I have rubber matting on the walls.

The hanging insulation idea is neat in practice, however would be terribly annoying to move around. Better to do what I did and teach the kids to be careful or get punished, lol. They're now old enough to no longer do it.


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## JasonF (Oct 26, 2018)

Needsdecaf said:


> The hanging insulation idea is neat in practice, however would be terribly annoying to move around. Better to do what I did and teach the kids to be careful or get punished, lol. They're now old enough to no longer do it.


You know the adults will do that eventually. Better safe than sorry!


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## KnightRiderKitt (Jun 18, 2021)

By this time you've probably already started construction but, FWIW, I'll tell you what I did. When I had my house built, I had a 200 amp service installed in the garage. Had I known I'd be buying an EV, I would have gone with a 300 amp service, as I am sure electrical demand is going to continue to increase in our homes. I picked up the Tesla Gen 3 Smart Wall Charger and had the electrician install a 60 amp dedicated circuit for it.


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## Feathermerchant (Sep 17, 2018)

I added two 50A circuits - one for each car. I now have the cars turned down to 20A each and its plenty for us.
I have ordered a CT so I'll probably split one of the circuits to charge the cars and then use the other to charge the truck.


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## StevieC (Jun 1, 2021)

Needsdecaf said:


> Kids aren't driving. They are exiting the car. You cannot open the doors of the cars in our garages and not touch the other car without being EXTREMELY careful.


Everybody in/out in driveway. Use Summon!


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## Needsdecaf (Dec 27, 2018)

StevieC said:


> Everybody in/out in driveway. Use Summon!


Don't have summon.


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## PNWmisty (Aug 19, 2017)

Doug Johnson said:


> Thanks, and yes, I can get by with a 25' cord if I use a cord longer pigtail from the receptacle supplying the dryer.
> 
> I'd prefer a real short pigtail, though, which would then require about a 30' 14-30 extension cord.
> 
> My UMC is left in the garage, coiled in a plastic box with a lid. The cord length I'll need depends on whether I leave the UMC in the storage box, or extend its cord.


You know, electric cars aren't going away, they are about to explode in number, so you might as well install a proper EV charging solution rather than jury rig it with a 30' extension cord, a Mobile Connector and a dryer outlet (and all the additional points of resistance that entails). It typically not too expensive to hardwire a good solution and I'm sure the next buyer of your house will appreciate it.


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## TrevP (Oct 20, 2015)

I'd install 2 of the new Wall connectors and have them on the same circuit. They will automatically handle charging load balancing and since they have firmware update capability they're more future proof. Lastly, they're the most affordable level 2 units out there!

https://shop.tesla.com/product/wall-connector---18-ft


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## Feathermerchant (Sep 17, 2018)

I dunno my Gen 1 (bought 'em used) EVSEs are a pretty cheap connector. I have two of them plugged into NEMA 6-50's I installed myself on separate circuits. I can charge each car up to 40A with no sharing restrictions.


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## PNWmisty (Aug 19, 2017)

Feathermerchant said:


> I dunno my Gen 1 (bought 'em used) EVSEs are a pretty cheap connector. I have two of them plugged into NEMA 6-50's I installed myself on separate circuits. I can charge each car up to 40A with no sharing restrictions.


I bought one of those barely used Gen 1 MC's too. I kind of regret I didn't just buy another Wall Connector instead.

I don't think the sharing restriction is a concern for any normal EV couple (or even an EV family) but, for the record, the Gen 2 HPWC can load share a 100 amp breaker. Since neither HPWC can consume more than 50 amps there is no sharing penalty. I wired my HPWC on a 100 amp circuit for potential future expansion. It doesn't add much to the cost.


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## Feathermerchant (Sep 17, 2018)

A. You can only get 80A from a 100A breaker per code.
B. In my 2 story house with the panel on the outside opposite the garage, running heavy enough wire for 100A up the outside of the house and thru the attic etc, etc for about 75 ft was a no go.
C. With the 50A outlet(s) I can connect other loads like a welder.
The situation I found myself in kind of dictated what I had to do.


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## PNWmisty (Aug 19, 2017)

Feathermerchant said:


> A. You can only get 80A from a 100A breaker per code.
> B. In my 2 story house with the panel on the outside opposite the garage, running heavy enough wire for 100A up the outside of the house and thru the attic etc, etc for about 75 ft was a no go.
> C. With the 50A outlet(s) I can connect other loads like a welder.
> The situation I found myself in kind of dictated what I had to do.


Yeah, everyone will have different considerations. I was simply saying there are no sharing restrictions beyond the 40 amps that your Gen 1 MC is limited to.

Did you install two runs of AWG #6 Romex or use conduit 8 individual wires the whole way?


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## SalisburySam (Jun 6, 2018)

StevieC said:


> Everybody in/out in driveway. Use Summon!


Thanks @StevieC for the chuckle this morning as I read your post. Summon, frequently referred to as Dumb Summon to distinguish it from the Smart Summon that returns your car to you in private parking lots, rarely works for seemingly a lot of folks from reading these fora. It occasionally works for me but rarely well and more than half the time not at all. Another feature that sounds great, but is little more than half-baked and no better today than it was 3 years ago…for me. YMMV.


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## SalisburySam (Jun 6, 2018)

When we moved into our home mid-2013 we found the electrical service to be in bad condition such that even the house ground was not connected to anything but hanging loose in the crawl space. We upgraded the 200-amps service to 400-amps to the house with a 100-amp line back to the detached garage 50 feet away for our EVs, and possibly finishing off the large attic above the bays. This has worked out very well. For charging, we already had an EVSE purchased previously to charge our Nissan LEAF back in 2011 and just moved that hard-wired device from the old house to our new garage. It provides about 30 amps, and uses the J1772 adapter that came with our Tesla to charge that car. Had I not had the LEAF and its EVSE, I would have installed whatever generation of Tesla's wall unit was available at the time.

If you have the option of wiring new construction or are completely re-doing existing electrical service in any major way, I agree with @PNWmisty that this is an ideal opportunity to have lots of useful power added. Even if you never plan to have three EVs charging at once where each can draw 80 amps, you'll appreciate the ability to essentially power anything you want from EVs to shop fans, HVAC units, welders, electric lifts, kilns, arc lights, and the ever-popular nuclear containment devices. It is unlikely you'll ever regret the investment to add proper and adequate wiring, and you'll likely always regret not doing so every time you have to plug in multiple devices or cords or other workarounds.


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## Feathermerchant (Sep 17, 2018)

I pulled 6-2 Romex. That's 2 #6 and a #10 ground. No neutral is needed for the car or the NEMA 6-50 so I saved some copper and some weight. Weight is important when carrying the wire upstairs and then up the attic stairs and maneuvering in the attic.


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