Whether you have bought a new or used Tesla, your attention quickly shifts to your charging options. Tesla’s may be charged at home, on the go or at commercial charging stations. Most Tesla owners, due to their financial circumstances, will opt for residential EV charging.
In this article, I am going to discuss the various Tesla EV charger options, the installation costs, and different charging costs depending on the charger location.
Option #1: Tesla Level 1 Home Charging
Trickle charging, aka “Level 1” charging, is an option. This is also known as trickle charging and means plugging the car into a normal 120V outlet at home. The main benefit is that there is no need to install anything with this option, so the setup cost is $0. You just plug your home Tesla charger into a wall outlet and then plug in your car when you want to charge.
Level 1 Tesla Home EV charger = $0
Charging Time = 24 hours+
EV charger cost = $200-$300
Option 2: Tesla Level 2 Home Charging
Level 1 EV charging can only work if the owner drives infrequently and does not have a daily commute. For some owners, this is all they need. For commuters, entrepreneurs, and families, there is a need to charge up more quickly between drives to avoid the lines at commercial charging stations.
These Tesla owners decide to go with a Tesla-compatible “Level 2” charger installation. This can be hardwired, which means it is wired directly into the electrical panel with no plug, or use a 240V outlet such as a NEMA 14-50, NEMA 6-50 or NEMA 14-30 level 2 EV charger. Level 2 EV charging can add generally 18 to 30 miles of electric range per hour of EV charging.
Below shows the differences in EV charging speed between Level 1 and Level 2 charging for different Tesla models.
Level 2 Tesla Home EV charger installation = $500-$2000 (depends on panel and breakers)
Charging Time = ~12 hours
EV charger cost = $350 – $800
Option #3: Level 3 EV charging
Level 3 EV charging is increasingly referred to describe commercially direct current (DC) charging. Level 3 charging is provided thanks to Tesla’s superb DC charging infrastructure with its NACS standard charging stations. Depending on the purchase date of your Tesla, you may be able to enjoy free commercial charging.
Many Tesla EV owners will choose to have a level 1 or level 2 EV charger at home and then to top-up charge as needed with a commercial charging option. Tesla charging stations are conveniently located in many retail and light industrial areas but can get busy
Level 3 Tesla EV charger installation = None
Charging Time = ~20-40 minutes
EV charge cost = ~$20
Summary
The costs of charging a Tesla will depend on many factors. In general, residential level 2 EV charging is the most cost-effective type of charging. The costs of charging overnight on a residential EV charge are around 11 cents per hour of charging, where as commercial charging can be between 25 and 35 cents per kilowatt hour of charging. A 120 kilowatt battery would therefore only cost around $11-$12 to charge.
Whilst installation costs of a Tesla level 2 EV charger can add up, these will be offset over time by the lower charging costs compared to commercial EV charging. Residential EV charging is also generally seen as more convenient.
Our Tesla level 2 EV Chargers can be found at this link
