# Tesla charger vs plugin to 220v outlet?



## GigaTexas (Oct 2, 2021)

What is the added bonus of charging from a Tesla charger vs just plugging into the 240v outlet?

If the little faster charg rate is not needed, is the other main benefit charging during off-hours for lower electricity charge?

Trying to decide if buying the EV charger for 220v outlet is worth it. Your thoughts?


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## Power Surge (Jan 6, 2022)

GigaTexas said:


> What is the added bonus of charging from a Tesla charger vs just plugging into the 220v outlet?
> 
> If the little faster charg rate is not needed, is the other main benefit charging during off-hours for lower electricity charge?
> 
> Trying to decide if buying the EV charger for 220v outlet is worth it. Your thoughts?


I'm new to this, but I've done a ton of research so I'll give it a shot.

220v home charger is a Level 2 charge. It charges through the car's charging system and will be a slower charge. The Tesla Superchargers are a Level 3 charge. They bypass the car's charging system and fast charge the pack directly. My understanding is that it's not healthy for the battery long term to ONLY use Superchargers for charging.

The benefit of 220v home charging, is that every day you can start your day with a full charge without having to drive anywhere. Supercharging is usually used for long distance trips. My Tesla mobile charger used at home on 220 charges my model 3 long range in 2-4 hours, depending on how low the battery is.

Hopefully my info is correct, but if not I am sure someone will correct me. lol


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## Bigriver (Jan 26, 2018)

GigaTexas said:


> What is the added bonus of charging from a Tesla charger vs just plugging into the 220v outlet?


Not a whole lot. Mainly just convenience and a sleek setup. A 240 V plug can be configured with different amp setups that will affect the speed of charging. But even the slowest is usually adequate for people's overnight charging needs. I personally always wanted to keep my charger with me in the car for when I travel, so I would have needed a second charger to keep for my home setup.

In my case, my Tesla wall connector is an older one that supports an 80 amp setup that allows 72 amp charging on my older model X. It's not standard these days and I have to say there hasn't been a single time in over 4 years that I've needed that faster charge rate at home.


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## Ed Woodrick (May 26, 2018)

GigaTexas said:


> What is the added bonus of charging from a Tesla charger vs just plugging into the 220v outlet?
> 
> If the little faster charg rate is not needed, is the other main benefit charging during off-hours for lower electricity charge?
> 
> Trying to decide if buying the EV charger for 220v outlet is worth it. Your thoughts?


First, it's probably 240V outlet.

"Buying an EV charger" is somewhat a misnomer as that is what came with the car. Or more specifically, the adapter is what you are talking about. The charger is actually in the car. The thing that plugs into the car is essentially an extension cord with the correct adapter.

I'm charging 2 Teslas off of a single 120V plug. It works for our needs.

What ever works for you works. Anything else is overkill that you may never need.

You may want to think about a second moblle adapter, so that one can stay in the vehicle and the other always stays plugged into the wall.


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

Power Surge said:


> The Tesla Superchargers are a Level 3 charge.


I think @GigaTexas is actually referring to a Tesla Wall Connector rather than a Supercharger.
@GigaTexas, can you clarify which you mean?


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## GigaTexas (Oct 2, 2021)

garsh said:


> I think @GigaTexas is actually referring to a Tesla Wall Connector rather than a Supercharger.
> @GigaTexas, can you clarify which you mean?


@garsh yes, this is referring to the Tesla Wall Connector.

@Ed Woodrick yes, this is referring to 240V.

I am buying a new home in Austin, TX close to GigaTexas and am preparing for how it'll be setup with a 240V outlet in the garage.

At the current speed of my new build, the Cybertruck might be released before the home is finished :tonguewink:


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## FRC (Aug 4, 2018)

If you're building a new home, go ahead and run 60a to the garage for whatever charging solution you finally decide on. If you're buying an existing home, don't do anything until you've had your car for a while. Range anxiety will cause anyone new to EVs to decide that they need more charging capacity than they actually do. @Ed Woodrick is right that a simple 120v plug is adequate for many, if not most.

A 14/50 plug will provide a full charge overnight and a HPWC will provide more than that. So why would you ever need more than a full charge overnight? You probably won't. An HPWC, for most people, provides charging flexibility, sleekness of design, and the feeling of having the latest and greatest. If you need any of these things, by all means go with the HPWC. If not, wait until you've driven your car a while before deciding. There's no need to try to anticipate your needs when after a few weeks of ownership, you can KNOW your needs.


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

This has been discussed a few times before. See if either of these threads helps you:

https://teslaownersonline.com/threads/tesla-mobile-charging-differences.17441/https://teslaownersonline.com/threads/wall-connector-worth-it.12145/
I generally suggest that people try using the Mobile Connector that comes with the vehicle before buying a Wall Connector. It may work just fine for you, and doesn't cost anything extra.

As for preparing a home, I would suggest running a 240v circuit to each location where a car will be parked. For now, add a NEMA 14-50 outlet to each one. The outlet can be easily replaced with a Wall Connector in the future if you like. But an outlet will also work with non-Tesla EVs


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## NR4P (Jul 14, 2018)

Generally speaking. For M3. 240VAC

Wall Charger ($495) 48A vs Nema 14-50 mobile connector included with vehicle 32A, is 50% faster. 
Assuming you buy/add the $45 Nema 14-50 plug.

Tesla has been offering a Nema 14-50 wired connector for $400. 40A Max. Has the plug permanently connected, I think.

Yes, Tesla has confused things, with the availability of the $400 Nema wired connector.


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## shareef777 (Mar 10, 2019)

FRC said:


> If you're building a new home, go ahead and run 60a to the garage for whatever charging solution you finally decide on. If you're buying an existing home, don't do anything until you've had your car for a while. Range anxiety will cause anyone new to EVs to decide that they need more charging capacity than they actually do. @Ed Woodrick is right that a simple 120v plug is adequate for many, if not most.
> 
> A 14/50 plug will provide a full charge overnight and a HPWC will provide more than that. So why would you ever need more than a full charge overnight? You probably won't. An HPWC, for most people, provides charging flexibility, sleekness of design, and the feeling of having the latest and greatest. If you need any of these things, by all means go with the HPWC. If not, wait until you've driven your car a while before deciding. There's no need to try to anticipate your needs when after a few weeks of ownership, you can KNOW your needs.


The HPWC comes in handy when you have two or more EVs and have to share. Topping off overnight doesn't work when there's one plug, but two vehicles. Every hour saved charging one EV is an hour that can be used to charge another.


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## msjulie (Feb 6, 2018)

FRC said:


> If you're building a new home, go ahead and run 60a to the garage for whatever charging solution you finally decide on.


One small adjustment I would make (cause we did) - even if you only plumb a 60amp breaker and 14-50 outlet, run a line that can handle more. We did: 100amp. Yeah, pita cause thick and unfriendly wire but if in some future higher amps needed it's there. Just a thought.


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## shareef777 (Mar 10, 2019)

msjulie said:


> One small adjustment I would make (cause we did) - even if you only plumb a 60amp breaker and 14-50 outlet, run a line that can handle more. We did: 100amp. Yeah, pita cause thick and unfriendly wire but if in some future higher amps needed it's there. Just a thought.


Great info, wish we'd done that ourselves. I'm actually considering hiring an electrician to re-run our 60A line to 100A so that we can have a sub-panel in our garage (for eventually putting two 50A HPWC). We're doing ok charging two EVs with the current 60A HPWC, but my daughter now has a drivers license and we'll be getting a 3rd vehicle sometime in the next year or two (ideally the CT).


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## Power Surge (Jan 6, 2022)

GigaTexas said:


> What is the added bonus of charging from a Tesla charger vs just plugging into the 240v outlet?
> 
> If the little faster charg rate is not needed, is the other main benefit charging during off-hours for lower electricity charge?
> 
> Trying to decide if buying the EV charger for 220v outlet is worth it. Your thoughts?


Sorry, I thought you were talking about the Tesla Supercharger.


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## GigaTexas (Oct 2, 2021)

@Power Surge it's all good. Appreciate your support!


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## Ed Woodrick (May 26, 2018)

shareef777 said:


> The HPWC comes in handy when you have two or more EVs and have to share. Topping off overnight doesn't work when there's one plug, but two vehicles. Every hour saved charging one EV is an hour that can be used to charge another.


If you have two or more Teslas (Not EVs) then a HPWC doesn't solve the issue that you are referring to, AFAIK, you will need TWO or more HPWC that talk to each other to get that advantage.


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## Ed Woodrick (May 26, 2018)

FRC said:


> If you're building a new home, go ahead and run 60a to the garage for whatever charging solution you finally decide on. If you're buying an existing home, don't do anything until you've had your car for a while. Range anxiety will cause anyone new to EVs to decide that they need more charging capacity than they actually do. @Ed Woodrick is right that a simple 120v plug is adequate for many, if not most.
> 
> A 14/50 plug will provide a full charge overnight and a HPWC will provide more than that. So why would you ever need more than a full charge overnight? You probably won't. An HPWC, for most people, provides charging flexibility, sleekness of design, and the feeling of having the latest and greatest. If you need any of these things, by all means go with the HPWC. If not, wait until you've driven your car a while before deciding. There's no need to try to anticipate your needs when after a few weeks of ownership, you can KNOW your needs.


I'd be looking at 60A for each stall in the garage, 100A or better panel for a 2 car garage.


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## shareef777 (Mar 10, 2019)

Ed Woodrick said:


> If you have two or more Teslas (Not EVs) then a HPWC doesn't solve the issue that you are referring to, AFAIK, you will need TWO or more HPWC that talk to each other to get that advantage.


A HPWC helps in that the first vehicle can be plugged in when getting home and fully charged before bedtime to be able to unplug and plug in the second Tesla. My wife and I relied on that process throughout winter.


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## msjulie (Feb 6, 2018)

That's unexpected https://electrek.co/2022/03/17/tesla-drops-price-most-popular-products-wall-connector/

It an still be cheaper to use a 2nd mobile connector


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## GigaTexas (Oct 2, 2021)

msjulie said:


> That's unexpected https://electrek.co/2022/03/17/tesla-drops-price-most-popular-products-wall-connector/
> 
> It an still be cheaper to use a 2nd mobile connector


@msjulie thank you! great information, due to the new build not being ready for multiple months hopefully the wall charger will still be discounted!

Great eye!


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