Charging Basics

Charging your Tesla Model 3 on a daily basis is very simple, but in order to charge at home each night you may need to get some electrical work done in your home to provide the power needed by the vehicle. This is generally an easy process and can be done by a licensed electrician. Then, you’ll be ready to charge at home or out in public!

How Does Charging Work?

Electric vehicles, including the Tesla Model 3, need a lot of energy to drive around which means they draw a significant amount of power from the source of the charging. This means you’ll be charging at electric vehicle specific spots called charging stations. If you plug a Model 3 into a regular wall outlet like you have in your house, it will charge a little bit but it will take a very long time to fill the battery up in your vehicle.

Instead, special charging stations are used to deliver very high rates of power to your vehicle and fill the battery with energy as quickly as possible. This number will vary depending on equipment used, but you can charge your Model 3 at home and most public charging stations to get around 20-30 miles of range per hour of charge.

Your vehicle will take the electricity from the charger and store that in a big battery within the vehicle. In most electric vehicles those batteries are very similar to the ones in your phone, laptop, or tablet. Once the energy is stored in the battery it will supply power to the electric motors that move the wheels and run other electronics in the vehicle.

Where Can You Charge Up?

Tesla maintains a significant network of charging stations where you can charge your Model 3, including some fast charging stations called Superchargers. These chargers are fitted with the Tesla-specific charge plugs that will fit right into your Model 3. On top of that, you can still use any public charger as well so you’ll have lots of options for charging your vehicle on the road. You will need to use an adapter (Tesla provides you one) when you plug into a public charger, but you can just keep that in your trunk and attach the adapter in a matter of seconds.

Approximately 85% of electric vehicle charging is done at home, so you should expect to do most of the charging there. Not only is this extremely convenient (goodbye trips to the gas station!), but it also is the most economical because you can charge using your home’s electricity rate. Charging at home means you can plug your Model 3 into the wall when you park it at night, and have a fully charged vehicle the next morning.

How Do You Charge at Home?

Your Model 3 will come with some charging equipment that will allow you to charge at home right out of the box. First, it includes the charging cable you’ll need to plug your Tesla right into a standard wall outlet that you might have in your house or garage. This will charge your vehicle very slowly, 3-4 miles of range per hour of charging, so you should not plan on using this as your primary charger.

Also included in with your new Model 3 will be the cord needed to charge at much faster speeds, anywhere from 20-30 miles of range per hour of charging. Unfortunately, you wont be able to plug this into a standard wall outlet and will most likely need to get the needed outlet type installed by an electrician. The cost of this work varies fairly significantly depending on your home’s wiring, age, location, existing appliances and energy users, and more. Typically you’ll find the cost for this work will be $400-900.

The work can be done by a licensed electrician and should take less than a single day to complete. Unless you are an experienced electrician, you should not try to do this work on your own because it deals with high power levels that can be extremely dangerous. That being said, it is a fairly simple job for a licensed electrician so give them a call and you can be charging at home in no time!

Benefits of Charging at Home

First of all, charging your electric vehicle at home is by far the cheapest way to fill the battery and drive the car. If you charge in public, the owner of the charging station will (most of the time) charge you to use it and they aren’t cheap. Plan on only charging at public stations if you absolutely have to. Charging at home, on the other hand, is very inexpensive when compared to public charging and even cheaper when compared to fueling a regular car with gasoline.

It’s extremely convenient because it will only take you about 15 seconds to grab the cord and plug it into your car and wall. Do that at night when you come home from work, and you’ll be charging while your car is parked. This means no more trips out of the way to a gas station across town when you’re in a rush for work. Plug your car in at night and you’ll be ready to go by the morning.

Tesla also has an app that you can download to your iOS or Android device to help you monitor your car’s charging status. That way, you can schedule charging, ensure you’ve got enough battery to get you to work the next day, and much more.

What Else You Should Know

Some cities, counties, and states offer programs to help you pay for the installation equipment needed to charge your vehicle at home. Your electric utility may also offer incentives such as rebates to help make the installation process a little bit easier on the wallet. It is a good idea to contact your utility to find out about these offers.

Tesla sells a wall mounted charger that would be installed adjacent to the outlet you use for charging your vehicle. They currently cost $600+ and do add some convenience for you. This would allow you to keep the cord that came with the vehicle in your trunk at all times, just in case you need it to charge outside of your home. Plus, it leaves you a spot to keep your cord when you’re at home. For many, the $600 is not worth it. But you can always purchase it a few months or years after you get your vehicle if you like the idea of having a dedicated home charger, like keeping a phone charger on your bedside table, so you always have a cord to charge it.