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Charging Options for my Tesla Model Y

Many people that are not familiar with EVs still consider "range anxiety" as something to worry about when owning an electric vehicle. Of course, there is a bit more planning involved in road-tripping with an EV, but that is not necessarily bad since you have to take breaks anyway. But, let's first discuss the various charing options and how I use them:

Home charging: The advantage of an EV is that you can charge it at home (if you have a place to park within 20 feet of electricity) and no need to spend time at gas stations for daily driving. There are three options for charging a Tesla at home using Tesla equipment (there are other home chargers that I don't discuss here)

  1. Wall Connector: This connector has to be installed by an electrician, requires 240V/48Amp and delivers up to 44 miles per hour. It costs $475 plus installation. There is a new variant "Universal Wall Connector" that has a connector for non-Teslas. Great if you have different brand EVs. 
  2. Mobile Connector using 240V: Delivers up to 30 miles per hour with NEMA 14-50 (240 V outlet commonly used for washer / dryer. The charger costs $230 and does not require installation if you already have a 240 V outlet installed. I use this one as my primary home charger. 
  3. Mobile Connector using 120V: Delivers only 3 miles per hour with NEMA 5-15 (regular 120 V outlet). I think this option only works well if you don't drive a lot since you can only add about 36 miles in 12 hours (overnight?) 
Work charging: More and more companies offer charging at work. I don't have that opportunity, but if that is an option for you, definitely try to explore further. It might be free or at a discounted price!

Road trip charging: If you are on a road trip or if you don't have the place/electricity access at home (apartment, no garage, no driveway, etc.) there are several ways to charge your car.
  1. SuperCharger Network: The reason why many (including myself) decided on a Tesla is the extensive super charger network. Since it is "built-in" the navigation, charging is actually fun. You plug in your destination, the navigation system calculates the route including suggested supercharging stations. It provides info about the amenties at each location, displays the # of free chargers, etc. and it just works (uptime is 99.95%). You arrive and just plug in. Usually, I charge only to 80 to 85% because that is the fastest and then continue driving. In theory it charges up to 200 miles in 15 minutes. In practice it is a bit slower, but still pretty fast.
  2. Destination Charger: The Tesla navigation also displays destination chargers. These are chargers similar to the home wall connector (up to 30 to 40 miles per hour). These chargers are "hosted" by  hotels, restaurants, retail outlets, etc. to cater to their customers. Often, they provide free charging if you are a customers of their business. I have used them at hotels and retail stores, and are useful to top-off the batteries a bit. They are not meant to be a replacement for superchargers because it takes too long. More and more hotels (see Hilton announcement) provide destination chargers as a service to attract more customers. I have used them and it is a great way to slowly "supercharge" your car over night. 
  3. Other Public chargers: By now, there are many other companies that offer fast charging, but frankly I have not used them much. I have experience myself that they don't work or I had issues with the app or credit card - so I gave up. I guess Tesla owners are spoiled by the Supercharger network.




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