New Tesla owner - advice, EV charging, etc.!
Discussion
Well after being inspired by a mates' Model S 85, I've finally taken the plunge and purchased my own Tesla, a P85+, picking it up this weekend.
Like most EV owners at the moment, this is my first EV and so it's a steep learning curve, but I'm getting through it all. However, if anyone has any advice on the following points it would be greatly appreciated:
- Any advice on home charge point installers? I have made contact with POD Point and Chargemasters but not getting very far with either at the moment, and need to get something sorted ASAP
- Any recommendations for public charge point membership? There seems to be quite a few options, I've no idea of the pro's and con's of any of them, ultimately I'd like to have one with good, reliable coverage, and ideally for free!
- Extension leads; from time to time I may need to use a 3-pin socket to charge up overnight, and if so will probably need an extension lead to do so. Does this need to be rated to a particular amperage?
- Any Tesla-specific advice? Mine is the last of the 'first-gen' cars, i.e. RWD, but has all the important stuff such as Autopilot, etc., plus almost every other option going (panoramic roof, subzero pack, air suspension, high fidelity sound, 21" wheels, performance plus pack, etc.) - any advice on ownership, charging, etc. would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks
Like most EV owners at the moment, this is my first EV and so it's a steep learning curve, but I'm getting through it all. However, if anyone has any advice on the following points it would be greatly appreciated:
- Any advice on home charge point installers? I have made contact with POD Point and Chargemasters but not getting very far with either at the moment, and need to get something sorted ASAP
- Any recommendations for public charge point membership? There seems to be quite a few options, I've no idea of the pro's and con's of any of them, ultimately I'd like to have one with good, reliable coverage, and ideally for free!
- Extension leads; from time to time I may need to use a 3-pin socket to charge up overnight, and if so will probably need an extension lead to do so. Does this need to be rated to a particular amperage?
- Any Tesla-specific advice? Mine is the last of the 'first-gen' cars, i.e. RWD, but has all the important stuff such as Autopilot, etc., plus almost every other option going (panoramic roof, subzero pack, air suspension, high fidelity sound, 21" wheels, performance plus pack, etc.) - any advice on ownership, charging, etc. would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks
Edited by Mike_C on Tuesday 26th January 23:09
Congratulations 
I'm afraid I can't offer you any Tesla advice but would like to hear your experiences as they happen. There are a lot of us watching the Tesla scene and waiting for the current lease to expire with a view to upgrading.
I've only been in the Zoe for three weeks and to me it is a revelation
I'm afraid I can't offer you any Tesla advice but would like to hear your experiences as they happen. There are a lot of us watching the Tesla scene and waiting for the current lease to expire with a view to upgrading.
I've only been in the Zoe for three weeks and to me it is a revelation
Mike_C said:
- Any advice on home charge point installers? I have made contact with POD Point and Chargemasters but not getting very far with either at the moment, and need to get something sorted ASAP
Try speaking to https://thephoenixworks.com/ they installed my 32A charge point.Edited by Mike_C on Tuesday 26th January 23:09
s111dpc said:
On the Charge Point Installers I would suggest contacting Rolec and they will get a local fitter to come out and give you a quote. I've gone with their tethered unit for £195.
Are they (Rolec or their installer) OLEV approved? I assume the £195 is on top of the £700 grant...Ask your mate who impressed you with his?
Cheapest home charging option is to get a 32a commando installed if the car has the right lead (ask who you're buying it from). You may be able to get a grant but I'm not sure how they work on used cars.
Depending where you live and drive as it varies across the country, the different charging network/company coverage changes. As a minimum ecotricity which covers pretty much all service stations and if you ever do more than say 150 miles a day and you're away from super chargers, look to get a chademo adaptor which means you can get a fairly rapid charge at ecotricity points. I also use CYC which covers the cities and railway stations I use which are slow but as you leave your car there all day at work they're fine.
Only other cable you might need is a type 2 cable but there might be one with the car, these support the slower car park charging points.
Plugshare or zapmap web sites/apps show the charge points near you and which network.
Back to your mate, I'd have recommended a much longer conversation before buying to make sure you can live with the consequences of owning a pure electric car.
Cheapest home charging option is to get a 32a commando installed if the car has the right lead (ask who you're buying it from). You may be able to get a grant but I'm not sure how they work on used cars.
Depending where you live and drive as it varies across the country, the different charging network/company coverage changes. As a minimum ecotricity which covers pretty much all service stations and if you ever do more than say 150 miles a day and you're away from super chargers, look to get a chademo adaptor which means you can get a fairly rapid charge at ecotricity points. I also use CYC which covers the cities and railway stations I use which are slow but as you leave your car there all day at work they're fine.
Only other cable you might need is a type 2 cable but there might be one with the car, these support the slower car park charging points.
Plugshare or zapmap web sites/apps show the charge points near you and which network.
Back to your mate, I'd have recommended a much longer conversation before buying to make sure you can live with the consequences of owning a pure electric car.
Thanks Jon. He used Chargemasters, one of the companies I have approached.
I'm not too bothered about the consequences of going electric, if you want to you'll make it work. My commute is 80 miles each way, but only a couple of times a week, so overnight charging off a blue commando will suffice. There's also a 6-station Supercharger stop en route.
What I'm trying to do is establish the best way to go farther; we still have a 'normal' car we could use, but would obviously much prefer to use the Tesla where possible and am just after advice from existing owners on the best charging suppliers/networks.
I don't think I'll make use of the CHAdeMO adaptors @ £350, however I do have the Type 2 to Type 2 cable and my car also has dual chargers, although it doesn't seem that there are many places to make use of this extra - but the car came with it, so I'm not fussed!
Any other advice appreciated
I'm not too bothered about the consequences of going electric, if you want to you'll make it work. My commute is 80 miles each way, but only a couple of times a week, so overnight charging off a blue commando will suffice. There's also a 6-station Supercharger stop en route.
What I'm trying to do is establish the best way to go farther; we still have a 'normal' car we could use, but would obviously much prefer to use the Tesla where possible and am just after advice from existing owners on the best charging suppliers/networks.
I don't think I'll make use of the CHAdeMO adaptors @ £350, however I do have the Type 2 to Type 2 cable and my car also has dual chargers, although it doesn't seem that there are many places to make use of this extra - but the car came with it, so I'm not fussed!
Any other advice appreciated
The ecotricity charges tend to include the fast AC side which your dual charger will make use of - I think you'll get 40-50 miles of charge an hour if not more (I've not got them so never tried, I just use Chademo would is typically 120 miles/hour). As for whats right, it really varies across the country. I use the chademo when I head out towards Shropshire as I have no other option, but can use super chargers in most other directions. Thats where the various maps come in handy to show whats possible. I refuse to pay for charging away from home at the moment and can get away with it, its partly because the paid for points tend to be worse than the free ones. I see it changing in the future where I think a token amount will always be charged to stop the hybrid lot blocking a charging point for a tiny top up because they can. I don't mind them charging if they need to, its when they're putting in 15 mins worth as thats all the car will take but they're gone for an hour.
Mike_C said:
s111dpc said:
On the Charge Point Installers I would suggest contacting Rolec and they will get a local fitter to come out and give you a quote. I've gone with their tethered unit for £195.
Are they (Rolec or their installer) OLEV approved? I assume the £195 is on top of the £700 grant...JonV8V said:
I see it changing in the future where I think a token amount will always be charged to stop the hybrid lot blocking a charging point for a tiny top up because they can. I don't mind them charging if they need to, its when they're putting in 15 mins worth as thats all the car will take but they're gone for an hour.
Agreed, parking a hybrid in a charging bay for an hour or more will seriously get my goat if I need to charge up!!s111dpc said:
Hi Mike, yes theyre OLEV approved and the £195 is on top of the grant I.e. It's what you'll actually pay.
Might give them a try, then - thanks!Once you try out a few different public chargers, and get a home charger installed, charging becomes part of your normal routine, just like filling up. Range is the bigger issue, and on a Model S it's not really an issue unless your doing mega miles.
Enjoy your new car, am sure your love it, and soon be singing the praises of EVs like the rest of us....Let us know how you get on with the P85+, Tesla are in the process of dropping RWD, so you might have got your self a collectors item, especially with autopilot hardware as well.
Enjoy your new car, am sure your love it, and soon be singing the praises of EVs like the rest of us
....Let us know how you get on with the P85+, Tesla are in the process of dropping RWD, so you might have got your self a collectors item, especially with autopilot hardware as well.gangzoom said:
Once you try out a few different public chargers, and get a home charger installed, charging becomes part of your normal routine, just like filling up. Range is the bigger issue, and on a Model S it's not really an issue unless your doing mega miles.
Enjoy your new car, am sure your love it, and soon be singing the praises of EVs like the rest of us....Let us know how you get on with the P85+, Tesla are in the process of dropping RWD, so you might have got your self a collectors item, especially with autopilot hardware as well.
Thanks, as someone alluded earlier, my impression is the reliability and service at the free chargers seems to exceed that offered by the payment options, so I'm eager to utilise those where possible!Enjoy your new car, am sure your love it, and soon be singing the praises of EVs like the rest of us
....Let us know how you get on with the P85+, Tesla are in the process of dropping RWD, so you might have got your self a collectors item, especially with autopilot hardware as well.Yeah, I really wanted RWD, although the P85D is hugely impressive, so I can understand Tesla's drive to dual motors - more range and more performance is win win! Not sure how important RWD will be to people in the future, but that with Autopilot is the perfect combination for me
Well, by way of an update, here's an update on my first week (nearly) of Tesla ownership:
- I really, really like the car, which is good given what it cost! But seriously, it is a great vehicle all round; there are the odd niggles (limited storage in the cabin being my main gripe so far) but the positives more than outweigh the negatives!
- Had my first dose of range anxiety, where I got done to 13 miles of range. Fortunately I was heading home so could guarantee a charge (rather than hunting around for a available and working public charge point). Will be more relaxed about this as I get used to it, of course
- Home charging off a 3-pin socket is really slow; after two overnight charges it is up to 160 miles, with limited driving each day!
- I have two chargers being installed; a POD Point S7 unit at my main house, and a blue commando (3.7kW) being fitted at a second property that I use less frequently. This will give me 22mph and 11mph of charging capability respectively.
- It's quick. Really, really quick. Off the line I can't think of much that will keep up with it, and the immediacy with which it can make overtakes is spectacular. At higher speeds the rate of acceleration does drop off, but in the grand scheme of things it is still a quick car even then.
Overall, very pleased!!
- I really, really like the car, which is good given what it cost! But seriously, it is a great vehicle all round; there are the odd niggles (limited storage in the cabin being my main gripe so far) but the positives more than outweigh the negatives!
- Had my first dose of range anxiety, where I got done to 13 miles of range. Fortunately I was heading home so could guarantee a charge (rather than hunting around for a available and working public charge point). Will be more relaxed about this as I get used to it, of course
- Home charging off a 3-pin socket is really slow; after two overnight charges it is up to 160 miles, with limited driving each day!
- I have two chargers being installed; a POD Point S7 unit at my main house, and a blue commando (3.7kW) being fitted at a second property that I use less frequently. This will give me 22mph and 11mph of charging capability respectively.
- It's quick. Really, really quick. Off the line I can't think of much that will keep up with it, and the immediacy with which it can make overtakes is spectacular. At higher speeds the rate of acceleration does drop off, but in the grand scheme of things it is still a quick car even then.
Overall, very pleased!!
Hi Mike
I'm a month into Tesla ownership and agree - it's a pretty amazing car.
I also have a PodPoint fitted at home and apart from the fact it doesn't like the rain too much (if it gets 'wet' inside it needs rebooting from the mains), all is good with the Tesla life.
Lowest I got in range is 12 miles by which time the dashboard was telling me to restrict my speed if I wanted to reach destination etc.
What spec is yours?
Lgm
I'm a month into Tesla ownership and agree - it's a pretty amazing car.
I also have a PodPoint fitted at home and apart from the fact it doesn't like the rain too much (if it gets 'wet' inside it needs rebooting from the mains), all is good with the Tesla life.
Lowest I got in range is 12 miles by which time the dashboard was telling me to restrict my speed if I wanted to reach destination etc.
What spec is yours?
Lgm
Hi Lgm50,
Interesting you should say that - on the second night my POD Point unit tripped the fuse at home, so didn't charge up. Doubly annoying as I had scheduled charging to start whilst I was asleep as it only needed a top up, so only found out when I woke up! Fortunately I had enough range to get to where I was going, but still irritating. It was a windy and rainy night, however the unit is located under a carport so shouldn't be too affected?
I have a P85+ (brown car, pictured below), how about you?
Interesting you should say that - on the second night my POD Point unit tripped the fuse at home, so didn't charge up. Doubly annoying as I had scheduled charging to start whilst I was asleep as it only needed a top up, so only found out when I woke up! Fortunately I had enough range to get to where I was going, but still irritating. It was a windy and rainy night, however the unit is located under a carport so shouldn't be too affected?
I have a P85+ (brown car, pictured below), how about you?
Edited by Mike_C on Tuesday 9th February 14:53
Mike_C said:
Achieved a charge rate of 306mph at the Oxford Supercharger last night - very impressive!
What sort of charge rate can be achieved on other EV's by way of comparison? i3, Leaf, Bolt, etc.?
In the current cold weather my Leaf will go from 15% to 80% in 30 minutes on a rapid charger. Sadly that only adds about 50 miles of range AT MOST. Ofcourse that depends on you arriving at the charger to find it working. Quite often it's iced, been used, or just broken. Bare in mind at most each Ecotricity rapid charger only has 2 chargers at each charge point, and ANY EV/PHEV can use them. What sort of charge rate can be achieved on other EV's by way of comparison? i3, Leaf, Bolt, etc.?
The last time I tried to use an Ecotricty rapid charger all the chargers on both sides of the motorway service station was out of order (4 intotal).
Cannot wait to get rid of the Leaf for a Model S.
I haven't tried any public charging stations yet, other than Tesla's own Superchargers which are great so far! Always been able to get a bay, good charging rates (338mph is the highest so far) and always appear to be in good working order.
I have an Ecotricity card but haven't needed to use it yet, and I have charging points at home now that both offer 20mph charge rate, which gives an easy 200mile range overnight. Easy!
I have an Ecotricity card but haven't needed to use it yet, and I have charging points at home now that both offer 20mph charge rate, which gives an easy 200mile range overnight. Easy!
Hi Mike,
Mines a Red P90D with the tan leather interior running on standard 19inch wheels, standard audio and no seats in the boot, but all the other options ticked :-)
This is only second month of ownership, so I'm very much looking forward to seeing how much more range the warmer weather will allow once we get into Spring/Summer.
LGM
Mines a Red P90D with the tan leather interior running on standard 19inch wheels, standard audio and no seats in the boot, but all the other options ticked :-)
This is only second month of ownership, so I'm very much looking forward to seeing how much more range the warmer weather will allow once we get into Spring/Summer.
LGM
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