Tesla Model S Plaid

[Fat Boss]

Did you install a charger at home? If so, if you dont mind sharing, how much did that run you?

Yes, I have an American made Clipper Creek HCS-40 for my Fusion and now my Focus. It'll suffice for the Mach-E, but I'll probably upgrade to a higher AMP one. The HCS-40 draws 32 AMPS, while the Mach-E can take 48. That's 50% more, so I'll likely upgrade.

Install was a 12 pack to my friend the electrician. My breaker panel is on the outside wall of my garage, under a carport. I mounted the charger on the inside, opposite the panel and drilled a hole through for the power feed. I then drilled another hole through (1/2") for the charge cable so the J1772 "plug" is held by a holster right where I need it. The Shelby and other stuff occupies the garage. If you need to run a circuit, it's no different than running a dryer or stove 240V circuit and breaker.

Current 32 AMP charger:

32A Level 2 EVSE HCS-40 | ClipperCreek

SAE J1772 Connector Holster Wall Mounted | ClipperCreek

48 AMP charger:

48A Level 2 EVSE HCS-60 Hardwired | ClipperCreek

 

[L8APEX]

Yeah I think I saw 90% as a max. Do they have a limit for the home chargers where you can maintain at a lower %?

I just talked with my brother in law's dad and brother (have a S and 3) At least for the Model S and 3 It's all controlled in the cars dashboard, they think it defaulted to 70-80% of what it sees as 100% from the factory but after that it stays wherever you put it. IIRC Elon has said 90% is what they use, so that's what they do now. Set at 90% and that's where it stops charging to overnight. You can charge them to 99% (it takes a lot longer to charge above 90%) and they wont say a thing, but the second it hits 100% you get warning messages saying something to the fact of "never charge to 100% unless absolutely needed..." Most Ev's batteries have more capacity than they show, but it is really really rough to charge any lithium batteries that last ~20%.
For an example most of us can relate to, if you have you cellphone on quick charge you'll notice from 0% all the way up to 60-70% it stays about the same temperature charging, warm but not uncomfortable (if you are not using it), but the last 20-30% up to 100% it really starts getting hot, and charges exponentially slower as it nears 100%. With lithium-ion it's much harder to force those electrons in when it's nearly full. Part of the reason you'll read cell phone advertisements talking about getting 70% of a charge after 30mins, and not a complete charge.

On Tesla's it supposedly "trims" the batteries as they age so after say 5-7 years it still has "100%," but has a bit less available power/range than when the vehicle and batteries were new. It's not said to be super drastic (think it retires the really worn cells, and to compensate it borrows from the cells that were originally there for overhead, very similar to a solid state hard drive when the chips run out of writes, and are trimmed and no longer used.) I haven't seen it yet as the two Tesla's I've been around are still relatively new. The S has had several computer module upgrades just the past few years, but he plans on trading it when they get one with batteries that will get him past 500mi in range.

 

[venmos1]

Yes, I have an American made Clipper Creek HCS-40 for my Fusion and now my Focus. It'll suffice for the Mach-E, but I'll probably upgrade to a higher AMP one. The HCS-40 draws 32 AMPS, while the Mach-E can take 48. That's 50% more, so I'll likely upgrade.

Install was a 12 pack to my friend the electrician. My breaker panel is on the outside wall of my garage, under a carport. I mounted the charger on the inside, opposite the panel and drilled a hole through for the power feed. I then drilled another hole through (1/2") for the charge cable so the J1772 "plug" is held by a holster right where I need it. The Shelby and other stuff occupies the garage. If you need to run a circuit, it's no different than running a dryer or stove 240V circuit and breaker.

Current 32 AMP charger:

32A Level 2 EVSE HCS-40 | ClipperCreek

SAE J1772 Connector Holster Wall Mounted | ClipperCreek

48 AMP charger:

48A Level 2 EVSE HCS-60 Hardwired | ClipperCreek

good info. thank you

 

[Blown 89]

Good question. I'd venture a guess and say there are more than you think because why would there be Tesla charging stations every now and again?

One quick search showed 19 in the area of NEPA. One caveat to remember is how an EV driver is no different than others who forget to get gas, pick up milk, pay the such and such bill, etc.., Forgetting to plug in doesn't seem uncommon. When the stars and planets align, sure, maybe things work great but in terms of everyday life? Forgetting to plug in your battery, spirited driving, weather, time, etc.., all need to be factored in.

The average commute in the U.S. is 32 miles. It's why Chevy picked 58 miles for their ill fated PHEV lineup.

I just bought a used 2017 Volt w/ 13k odo for $11k with 0% financing from GM Financial. At 58+ miles it has enough to get me through the day and if I exceed that the gas engine kicks in. I've been searching for one for a few months and most private party cars has very few miles driven on the gas engine so my guess is that most owners don't forget to plug in. There are incentives for plugging in the Volt though as it uses that to manage idle battery temps as well as precondition the car before you get in. I'm sure range anxiety plays a factor in people staying plugged in too.

 

[Pribilof]

A few things are usually brushed aside when talking about an EV. First, temperature changes can effect charging time as well as how many people are drawing power from the grid at a period of time. Second, what about the time it takes to charge, supercharge or not? I'm reading various articles and while the price per mile looks good, how the hell does one put a sensible number on your time and the time it takes waiting?

This. My TIME is significantly more valuable to me than money. I don't have all day to screw around with charging a battery and I don't have anywhere at my house to install a charger unless I do a freestanding unit in my driveway - and that ain't happening.

 

[CobraBob]

I still wonder what the potential load on the electrical grid will be once a substantial percentage of Americans have switched to all-electric vehicles. Imagine all of those charging during peak load times. Has that even been considered, or are we pretty much blindly pushing forward?

 

[Silverstrike]

I still wonder what the potential load on the electrical grid will be once a substantial percentage of Americans have switched to all-electric vehicles. Imagine all of those charging during peak load times. Has that even been considered, or are we pretty much blindly pushing forward?

California, California and rolling blackouts. That is if we keep not wanting to build any viable power plants to expand the grid.

 

[Blown 89]

This. My TIME is significantly more valuable to me than money. I don't have all day to screw around with charging a battery and I don't have anywhere at my house to install a charger unless I do a freestanding unit in my driveway - and that ain't happening.

Your house doesn't have an outlet within 30-50 feet of where you park your car???

 

[blk02edge]

This is the democrats final solution to transportation

 

[jshen]

I agree with CobraBob..where is the energy going to come from...Ga. has been trying to build new nuclear plants for 20 years and still not done...No wind in flat country for wind farms--that kill all the birds- and solar which I would support. But just as gasoline...when one goes to total electric...monopoly and govt are going to tax you to death. Just like Comcast....Here, there is no viable alternative to cable.

 

[My94GT]

This. My TIME is significantly more valuable to me than money. I don't have all day to screw around with charging a battery and I don't have anywhere at my house to install a charger unless I do a freestanding unit in my driveway - and that ain't happening.

understandable with in your restrictions. By that thought process though for someone like myself, I too value my time and currently I fill up my ram every 3-3.5 days pending on what my weekend driving looks like. Meanwhile I have a garage already ran with a box ready for a car charger to be hooked up. I have a 100 mile round trip commute so each night I could park in my garage, attach the plug and be good every day. The few times I spend about 10 min at the gas station or more as I wait for traffic and lights to go green at my stop points would now be gone.

it’s all about pros and cons and currently it’s a very individualized assessment. My wondering point is also how does the electric grid mitigate this?

 

[Pribilof]

Your house doesn't have an outlet within 30-50 feet of where you park your car???

No. I live in a canyon in the mountains in a 100 year old house.

I have, essentially, a 1 car garage where the Z06 is parked. I have 3" clearance on either side through the garage door and about 8" clearance in length. Model S is too long to park. I guess I could park my EV directly in front of the garage... and I'd have to move it every time I drive the Z06. I had to move the 930 back to California.

The block heater for the Cummins is plugged in with a 100' extension cord and I use pretty much the entire length.

Look, I fully believe that the EV is the future. GM announced today that they agree 100%. Current battery tech is not there yet for a large percentage of users. I don't want to sit at a public charger for 40 minutes 3x weekly. I don't have a good solution for charging at my house. And chargers at my workplace is just not going to happen with the building ownership. Get me an EV with a solid state battery that I can charge in 5 or 10 minutes and I'm there.

My wondering point is also how does the electric grid mitigate this?

In short, with a lot of work.
Electric grids are evolving | McKinsey