Charging at home / friend

Charging a Tesla at home can be incredibly easy. In this guide we’ll go through the different ways of charging at home, at work or a friend’s place incl. the pros and cons of how to charge.  All Teslas come with a Mobile Connector (UMC) that plugs into a regular socket at home. You can use other mobile charging units, but the Tesla one is genuinely pretty sweet.  There are different plug ends for different uses such as the European Schuko plug, British G plug, US plug as well as adapters for use with higher amp sockets.

 

1	Gen II Universal Mobile Connector, EU	1121254-00-E
2	Smart Adapter, Schuko – Straight	1104938-00-B
3	Smart Adapter, UK	1455440-00-C
6	GEN II SMART ADAPTER, 60309 – 2PE, 32A/230V	1104948-00-B
7	16A Smart Adapter	1104947-00-A
8	Corded Mobile Connector – 3P Red	1046714-00-D
9	MENNEKES TYPE 2 , 3 PHASE, 32 AMP ADAPTER – 4M	1039810-01-A
10	CHAdeMO ADAPTER, EU (NOT FOR MODEL 3)	1036391-10-D
*	ASY,UA,A,250V1,013A,TMC002SCHUKO,PIGTAIL	1024005-02-B
*	ASY,UA,A,415V3,016A,TMC002I016M3PNE6	1024110-00-D
*	ASY,UA,A,230V1,032A,TMC002I032M2PE6	1025801-00-D
*	STORAGE BAG – MOBILE CONNECTOR	1126118-00-B
*	Charging Kit, Gen II UMC, UK	1479075-00-C

 

Terminology:

• Voltage (V): 110V and 220V are most common (110V USA, 220V rest of world)
• Amps (A): Amps are set by your car automatically or adjusted by yourself and basically states the charging speed that is safe for the cable that is used.
• Watt & kW: Watt is simply a calculation of ‘voltage’ x ‘amp’ and states the current energy consumption in this moment of time.
  • Think of it like driving a car: 60 kW current consumption is like currently driving 60 miles per hour.
  • Example calculation: 220V x 10A = 2200 Watt being used right now.  2200W= 2.2kW (k means multiple of 1000). 
• kWh: The h after kW simply states that this is the total energy consumption.
  • Think of it like driving a car: 200kWh means you have driven 200 miles. The ‘h’ can be a bit confusing here.  Don’t worry if you forget the difference between kW and kWh. It really doesn’t matter in 99.99% of situations and everyone knows what you mean regardless.

When visiting friends or family, topping up your Tesla while parked at their place can be incredibly convenient—but it’s always good to be courteous and prepared. Be Considerate and Proactive. It’s best to ask in advance if you can charge while visiting. Offer to cover the cost of electricity or bring a small gift, like a bottle of wine or snacks, as a thank you. Not everyone is familiar with EV charging, so a little kindness goes a long way.  People typically have no clue that charging an EV for an hour only costs less than $1/€1.50/£0.80 (difference due to EU homes typically being capable of charing at much greater speeds) and may be surprised about that. Depending on the charger they have, you can easily calculate in advance how much a charging session might cost.  The Tesla app will also tell you how much the charging session consumed (best to add 10% on top to cover power conversion losses).

Level 1 – Standard power outlet

Plugging into standard power outlets is great for occasional or emergency charging.  As everyone has plenty of sockets at home, this is by far the cheapest way to charge your Tesla as it requires no new charging equipment. Ideal also when charging at a friend’s place who doesn’t have an EV charging point.

SAFETY FIRST: With the UMC only having 6 meters of cable, it’s not always long enough—especially when the nearest socket is inside the house.  You should however try to avoid the use of extension cables when charging an EV. These extension cables are typically designed to be very flexible and suitable for ‘typical home use’ and not built for sustained high loads. They can overheat and can pose a serious fire risk. If you must use an extension, unwind it fully to avoid heat buildup, and ideally use heavy-duty options rated for outdoor and continuous use.  Typically breakers at home are rated for 13A. They should not be maxed out continuously, so best to only do 80%, so 10A to be on the safe side.

Voltage	Amps	Power (kW)	Estimated Range per Hour*
110V	5A	0.5 kW	~3–5 km (2–3 miles)
110V	10A	1.1 kW	~6–10 km (4–6 miles)
110V	13A	1.4 kW	~10–13 km (6–8 miles)
220V	5A	1.1 kW	~6–10 km (4–6 miles)
220V	10A	2.2 kW	~13–19 km (8–12 miles)
220V	13A	2.9 kW	~17–26 km (11–16 miles)
220V	16A	3.5 kW	~22–34 km (14–21 miles)

Range per hour is approximate and depends on your Tesla model, driving style, and climate.

100-120V: For those living in the USA or a few select smaller countries you may be limited to 110V which takes forever to charge a Tesla (blame Thomas Edison and the ‘War of the Currents’ for that one). You can expect approximately 1.4 kWh of electricity per hour of charging which will add around 4-5 miles of range per hour.  Below is the approximate charge gained in kWh / distance added at 110V with the car set to charge at 10A (set charging speed to 5A when using a cheap extension cable, thus halving the values below).

• In 15 minutes: 0.28kWh / ~ 1 Mile
• In 1 hour: 1.1 kWh / ~ 4-6 miles
• Over night (13 hours – 6pm-7am): 14.3 kWh / ~ 50-80 miles

200-240V: For the 80% of the world that runs on this higher voltage, charging a Tesla at home is super convenient. Below is the approximate charge gained in kWh / distance added at 220V with the car set to charge at 16A:

• In 15 minutes: 0.9kWh / ~ 5-8 km (3-5 miles)
• In 1 hour: 3.5 kWh / ~ 22-34 km (14-21 miles)
• Over night (13 hours – 6pm-7am): 45.5 kWh / ~ 285-440 km (180-270 miles)

Please note: The UK loves the construction industry and as such agreed that it would be an excellent idea to save money on electrical installations by using cheaper cables. As such sockets and cables are only rated to 13A of non-continuous use.  The fuses in the plugs can actually get extremely hot and can easily melt the plug or old sockets (obviously a fire risk) if run at 13A continuously, so best to charge at 10A or less. If you want to safely use higher Amps, you can get a CEE blue 16A socket installed and use the 16A adapter for use with the Tesla UMC. Below is the approximate charge gained in kWh / distance added at 220V with the car set to charge at 16A:

• In 15 minutes: 0.5kWh / ~ 3-5 km (2-3 miles)
• In 1 hour: 2.2 kWh / ~ 13-19 km (8-12 miles)
• Over night (13 hours – 6pm-7am): 28.6 kWh / ~ 170-250 km (100-160 miles)

Range per hour is approximate and depends on your Tesla model, driving style, and climate.
Some EU sockets (e.g. Schuko or CEE blue 16A in the UK) can deliver 220V/16A, but not all household sockets are suitable for continuous high loads.
Many standard home sockets are limited to 13A max for safety. Always check plug temperature and use certified equipment.  Best to limit to 10A.

Level 2 – Dedicated EV charger for home use

YOU DO NOT NEED A TESLA WALL CONNECTOR!
There are hundreds of cheaper EV chargers that you can use that are easier/cheaper to install as well.  Just because you have a Tesla does not mean you need to get a Tesla wall charger.

Whatever Level 2 charger you go with, it is a one-off expenditure and you’ll reap the benefits for years to come.  Benefits include massively increased charging speeds and increased electrical safety. Some of these Level 2 chargers can be set to charge the car during reduced night time electricity rates.  Depending on electricity contract and the use of smart meters, the electricity providers may even pay you to charge your car during times when electricity production far exceeds demand!

Tethered or Untethered?
Tethered means that the charger has a cable permanently attached to it. It means you can’t use the charger on some older EVs, but makes the charging experience just so much more pleasant.

L2 Charging speeds:

• USA
  • 240V × 30–50A = 7.2 to 12 kW
  • NEMA 14-50 outlets (like oven plugs) allow up to 40A continuous, which is common
  • Tesla Wall Connectors and other chargers can push even higher (48A = ~11.5 kW)
• European Mainland
  • Most of Europe runs on three-phase which bundles multiple streams of 230V that can be bundled to 400V if needed or to distribute load. It has nothing to do with the voltage used inside the home which is alway 230V. Your electrician will be able to tell you if you have a 230V single-phase or 400V three-phase power supply to your house. 
  • Single-phase:
    • Up to 7.4 kW = 230V × 32A
  • Three-phase (400V power supply to the house – 3 phases at 230V):
    • 11 kW = 400V × 16A
    • 22 kW = 400V × 32A
• UK
  • 7.2 kW = 230V × 32A (single-phase).  This is the maximum for most homes without three-phase power. It is extremely rare for a three-phase supply to be available at residential premises. 3-phase is typically only available in farm houses, large homes or new builds where EV charging was already part of the building plans.

Voltage	Amps	Power (kW)	Estimated Range per Hour*
220V	16A	3.5 kW	~22–34 km (14–21 miles)
230V	32A	7.4 kW	~45–65 km (28–40 miles)
240V	40A	9.6 kW	~55–80 km (35–50 miles)
240V	48A	11.5 kW	~65–95 km (40–60 miles)
400V³	16A	11 kW³	~65–100 km (40–62 miles)
400V³	32A	22 kW³	~120–160 km (75–100 miles)