E29 | 110-120V. 25% Faster Home Charging on NEMA 5-20 (Tesla Model Y)

Everybody wants a faster charge, especially when you’re at home charging on 110V - 120V or out on a road trip either staying with friends and family, at a campground or anywhere in between. Come along for the ride and find out how you can take a slow charge and make it 25% faster!

Below are two quick and easy articles to learn more about electricity and electric motors. This will help as you go electric.

Learn to Speak EV

The Difference between Amps vs. Volts vs. Watts

[magicalcat]

5-20 is the way to go for economical charging. I am glad I came across this video. Thanks!

[sirblundr]

This should have more views. Nobody else is talking about this solution, and it's a very good one! Thanks.

[PhilT]

Just be careful that someone didn't mistakenly screw a 20 Amp receptacle onto wiring that was designed for a 15 Amp receptacle. 15 Amp circuit needs 14 gauge wiring and a 15 Amp breaker in the panel. A 20 Amp circuit requires 12 gauge wiring (thicker wire) and a 20 Amp breaker in the panel. You are only allowed to draw 80% of the circuit rating, therefore 15 Amp circuit X .8 = 12 Amps. and 20 Amp circuit X .8 = 16 Amps.

[briang]

Shout out to Mom and her joyful model vibes!!!

[walterspector]

For a continuous load, such as EV charging, the National Electrical Code requires derating the circuit to 80%. So that is why the 5-15 and 5-20 adapters set the amperage to 12 and 16 amps respectively.

[ledzeppelin]

Great video! The wife and I are about to take a trip to visit my parents and they definitely have 5-20 outlets in their garage. Now, I just have to convince them to let me park in there 😉

[JoalHarding]

I love when somebody else does the math for me! Thank you so much for all of this investigative work! And 12% OMG range anxiety in full force I would be! 😁

[TreyDaze]

Dan you’re the man! Appreciate your content as always! Your videos helped me during my Model Y purchase process!

[camrodger]

Thanks for another wonderful video, Daniel. Your Mom is a real sweetheart, and is truly the star of the show. You do come in at a close second, though !❤️

[Pythonzzz]

I had no idea about this. Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll have to check out my outlets.

[ryanj]

Welcome back and good to see you again. Your mom looked like she had a blast. Thanks for the great video on home charging. It’s nice to know there’s other options out there. Who knew!

[dstrum]

Seriously - your videos are clutch as I’m waiting for my Model Y.. Cant thank you enough.. You’re amazing

[Epearson]

Dan...welcome back! You are awesome. I got my MYLR last month and have been charging at home with the nema 5-15 until our electrician can install a nema 14-50 outlet in our garage. I had purchased the nema adapter bundle for options while on he road. Thanks to your vid, I checked the outlet in the garage and can use the nema 5-20 😀. Also, thanks for the links to the articles you recommend!

[Slowjo]

I wish I could like this 50 times for your lovely model. Love it!!

[emperorjasonpaul]

It’s been to long, glad you’re back :)

[TheKylern]

Some one may have mentioned this. But if you are there often you look into quick 220 system. I got one for tips I take and hotels that don't have level 2 chargers. The block heater plugs have 2 outlets on them and it is usually ether side of the buss bar witch give you 220. It is a a220-20D

[marclemieux]

Daniel, you can do even better charging your Tesla by using a Quick 220 20-amp-type voltage converter box connected to both of your nearby, hopefully out-of-phase, 5-20 outlets at your parents' house; you'd most likely be able to charge at a rate of up to 16 amps (80-percent of load), but at 240 volts, thereby giving you about 3 times the charge rate of a regular 120 volt, 12 amp charger!

At 16 amps/240 volts, you'd get close to 15 miles per hour of charging!

There are two conditions that must match the requirements of the Quick 220 in order that this may work: 1. two out-phase, fully-dedicated 5-20 outlets with at least 12-gauge wiring to and from your electrical panel; and 2. these 5-20 outlets cannot be GFCI protected.

You may also use 5-15 outlets, provided that no more than 12 amps is the maximum output for each outlet, in comparison to 16 amps with the Quick 220 20 amp version.

At 12 amps/240 volts, you'd get close to 11 miles per hour of charging, or over twice the charge rate of a regular 12 amp/120 volt charger.

In case I can't find a regular 240-volt charger while travelling, I always carry a Quick 220 box with me along with all of the required, high-quality adapters, extension cords and connectors; and I frequently end up using it at my cottage, which does not have the capability of taking a 240-volt charger since my electrical panel is completely full and cannot be expanded any further!

Just make sure Daniel that you follow the included instructions accompanying the Quick 220 to the letter in order to ensure safety!

Just check out the capabilities and requirements of each type of Quick 220 system by viewing the numerous videos on YouTube.

If in doubt, consult an electrician, by all means!

The Quick 220 is fully safety certified for use in Canada and the United States.

And we all want to charge as quickly, and as safely, as possible, don't we?

[mmcm]

Saw the following on reddit the other day and thought of this video.
This would almost triple the rate at which you charge on your 5-20 outlet.
No need to change the wire. You need a new breaker and receptacle but the wiring should be good.

"If you have a dedicated receptacle in your garage for a refrigerator/freezer or tools (many houses do), talk to an electrician to verify it and re-configure it to 240V, then get the appropriate adapter. Many of these dedicated plugs are 5-20, which is a “normal” plug with the horizontal/vertical hot blade which is recognizable as a “T” on the plug left blade. These (should) have 12-ga wiring and are rated for 120V/20A. To reconfigure in this situation to 240V/20A all it requires is a 6-20 receptacle, two pole 20A breaker, and some electrical tape to mark the white conductor as a hot. That change will take you from as low as 1.4kW (120V/12A) to 3.8kW (240V/16A). That is enough for - 40-50% charge in 10hr overnight."

[msut]

Love the math focused breakdown! Just a sidenote - I heard when you wake the car up by checking the app it draws a non insignificant amount of power, so the KW estimates are probably a little higher.

[NYHalfassprepper]

Retired electrician and model 3 owner here. I have not come across an electrical panel that I could not squeeze another circuit into. Most modern panels are UL listed to accept split or tandem breakers which can free up the space you need. If the panel needs to be replaced it should take a competent electrician a few hours to do that. Your solution is excellent for a visit, but for an extended stay or something you own you really want to get at least a 6-20 preferably a 14-50.