Can you live with an EV with a big battery when you can only trickle charge? Lets find out

A video so many of you asked me to do! Instead of using my wall charger and topping up at 32A, we're on the domestic plug charger and taking only 10A.
A full charge at this speed takes more than a full day! Awful! But does that actually matter if you follow the Always Be Charging mantra? And what if you need to use an extension cable? I spend a whole month sipping power to see how difficult it is.
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[@TeslaAdventurer]

I only use the granny charger and limit to 8amp draw. No issues whatsoever and will continue to use only this for the foreseeable. Great vid Ian 👍🏼

[@robertofalkoni8544]

Be careful using extensions cable in a drum. It needs to be unrolled fully when charging, even if you dont need the whole length. Cable gets hot, needs to cool.

[@justgetatesla]

Absolutely. This was fully unrolled

[@djgoode]

@@justgetatesla been doing this since January using a caravan hookup lead so 16amp rate

[@antoniopalmero4063]

@@robertofalkoni8544 it’s a man thing , we understand 🤣🙄

[@michaelhall2138]

Yep I melted mine some yrs ago. Who knew?

[@robertofalkoni8544]

@@antoniopalmero4063 haha exactly

[@sean3077]

I do this everyday Ian. Works perfectly.

[@adamstockton67]

Do you have a link to the extension cable you use please

[@christopherhawkins-w2z]

I have used 3 pin for 4 years now You really don’t need anything else unless you’re a sales rep needing a 300 mile start each day

[@usefulrandom1855]

So true, I have a long range model 3 and used a 3pin for about 6 months. I have now installed a EV fuse board/commando socket/32a adaptor for the mobile charger. I don't do many miles so only need to charger about every 2 weeks. It is nice being able to go from 30% to 80% in one night though! I installed it all with a mate for about £300 all in.

[@albertoporras04]

The main reason for having a 7kw home charger is if you have a tariff that gives you a short period (say four hours) of off peak cheap rate electricity. You can then get close to 30kwh of cheap rate charging in your four hour window, as opposed to 12kwh at 3kw (if your EV does, say, 3.5 miles to the kWh that's the difference between about 100 miles of range and about 40.)

[@greghudson9717]

@@albertoporras04 If you have solar panels, you can disregard the off peak rates and still run on 240v 10A

[@maartendeen8404]

I charge on an IEC 60309 16A P+N+E 230V socket. So 3.6 kW. Never needed anything more. It does 5%/hour on my Model 3 LR, so it would be 20 hours from empty to full, but I've never ever been in a situation where I needed that.

[@aculeus1971]

@@christopherhawkins-w2z 3 years for me. I’m pleased I didn’t spend £1200+ on a 7kW charger , it really isn’t needed.

[@stephengowler5360]

I have an EV6. We’ve been in Spain for a month next week. After arriving at our base, we have only used the granny charger since. Absolutely brilliant. Obviously driving here and then home again, we only use ultra rapid chargers.

[@KieranRawley123]

Nice to have a house that covers multiple post codes 😂 25m cable is longer than my house and garden.

[@Aedriaen]

Did it fpr years. Although you loose more power on charging with a granny compared to a wallbox . It's also better for the lifetime of the battery to be charged slowly.

[@billcaulway9910]

I have been renting EVs for the last year for my business. I use a trickle charger and have experienced exactly what you have. Some days I use more KW then I charged the day before. But it averages out. I also take lunches at level 2 chargers when I am shopping/working. If I really needed to charge fast I would go to a local EV station. So far no need. Only negative is that I am not fully taking advantage of the discounted utilities rate. Usually from 9pm to 6am. Since I do ABC (Always Be Charging). A big positive is that the charger is small with a thinner/long cable so it fits well in right spaces.

[@DouglasJMark]

We have only been using the standard granny charger here in Toronto. At 120 V, we can get about 15% or about 14 kWh of charging on our model Y overnight. This serves our purposes for the most part except in the very cold winter if we do more driving. For that, we just supercharged it get it close to where we keep it at 70 to 80% charge. We did purchase a Tesla wall connector and plan to have it installed at a convenient time. In the meantime, we are quite happy this way currently as we don’t have long commutes.

[@iantaylor5104]

Hi Ian, I am still enjoying your videos. I got my Model Y in December 2022 and I have successfully used a granny charger since then to charge at home. I do not do high mileages like you. I get 10 amps. I did a test and plugged in at 8% charge and charged up to 100% and it took about a day and a half. If I am going on a journey I either make sure it is up to 80% before I go or call in the supercharges at Exeter. Regards Ian

[@dopiaza2006]

Bottom line, battery size is irrelevant - it's all about your mileage

[@audriusa5368]

Yes if you have driveway. I dont have driveway - just changed 40kwh Leaf which is doing 110 miles average per all year was kinda pain. Now I drive BYD 200 miles average-often even forget look how many charge left. So I would say without driveway when hit 200 miles capacity mark, then you golden- no range anxiety. Otherwise who cares-just plug every night and go in morning- who will travel 100 miles everyday anyway.

[@markeh1971]

@@audriusa5368Hi, I just use the open source EV charger I assembled and stuck a long charging lead on from in the garage and the lead stays outside. I charge when parked and the best bit is the heater runs from the mains every day before I drive. No scraping my car and it’s nice and warm and never damp. I do love it for every day use. P.S. it’s soo cheap compared to diesel or petrol. Take care M.

[@RWBHere]

And planning ahead.

[@Cam-gb1cu]

Not necessarily, if your able to charge just under the amount you use in any given time frame then having a bigger battery means you will be able to go longer without giving it extra time to charge up the difference.

[@dopiaza2006]

@@audriusa5368 I'd say if you can't charge at home then an EV makes little sense - public chargers can be twice as expensive as driving a diesel car.

[@TheRoybeasley]

I happily used a granny charger when I first got my Model 3. HOWEVER, you are skipping over/only mentioning in passing the BIG issue with charging using an extension lead. It's not the load carrying capacity of the cable itself (provided you fully unwind it, it'll carry the full 13A all day every day without breaking a sweat), rather it's the "weak point" that is introduced at each and every 13A plug/socket connection along the chain. Slightly imperfect terminations in either the plug *or* socket, or corrosion, tarnish etc on either the plug pin or in the socket contacts *will* introduce a resistance and *will* result in it getting warm. Normally with heavy current appliances that's not a problem as they are only in action for a relatively short time, but with EV chargers this load is drawn continuously for several hours at a time while being left effectively unattended and unmonitored. Now Tesla (in common with many other manufacturers) include thermal sensors at each and every point in the chain - Built into the 13A plug, connection into the charger, charger itself, connection to the car - and will automatically throttle the charge if things start to get warm or cut it completely if the overheating persists. An extension lead DOES NOT HAVE that protection at the point it is plugged into the wall socket. Yours is outside so there is natural cooling and if it does all go Pete Tong the only damage thankfully will be to the plug and socket, but if you use an extension cable plugged into an indoor socket (cable trailed out the window or through the garage door) there's a very real fire risk, and this is 100% the reason why Tesla et al specifically warn against using extension leads. This has *nothing* to do with the "heavy duty" rating or quality of the extension cable and everything to do with the interface between it and the 13A wall socket that you plug it into.

[@oliver90owner]

There are extension cables and better extension cables. I use only a short extension cable. It is a three core extension (not all are) and has non-chinese plug and socket along with 2.5mm^2 conductors (many are 1.5mm^2 conductors). There will be a voltage drop over a long extension cable as well as at the plugs and sockets.

[@TheRoybeasley]

@@oliver90owner As I said, the issue is not the length of the cable or the size of the conductors, nor indeed the voltage drop that results - it's the electrical contact between the pins of the plug and the contacts inside the socket, between the fuse cartridge and the clips that hold it, plus the quality and security (or not) of the typical screw terminals inside both the plug and the socket. Note that even in the video, using a supposedly good quality heavy duty extension lead, warming of the plug tops is evident just by touching them. Outdoors it's not a huge issue, but if people use them to plug in indoors there is *no* overheat protection at the point where the extension lead is plugged in and the typical usage scenario is to have the thing plugged in and passing high current completely unattended for several hours - typically while the family is asleep. It's a catastrophe just waiting to happen.

[@justgetatesla]

Get a sparky to check the socket - I said that. Dial the power down. I said that. Sip less power, create less heat.

[@cloudyeastside]

That is really great information thank you so much 🎉

[@DouglasJMark]

@@justgetateslaYou “continuous use” extension is something I haven’t seen in Canada or the US but might just look for it now. We’re owned and RV and have used 30A extensions for it - really heavy cable!

[@djsiuk]

Got a 2024 BYD and the 13amp Granny charger and is sufficient for charging for normal use. We use a bespoke extension to correct length (no coil to cause any heat) plugged into an outside socket.

[@jasonhollanduk]

What a fantastic idea for a test! This video should be shared everywhere!

[@wyx087]

Paradoxically I think the bigger the battery, the more flexibility and thus easier to live with slow charging. *As long as average daily mileage can be replenished by slow charging. Even though I have 7 kW charging. I set it to 3-7 kw depending on how much I need. Tonight, I’m only charging 10%, 45-55%, 3kw will be more than enough. 😊

[@simon8864]

It's always better to plug straight into a wall socket if you can. But if you do use and extension lead unravel the whole lot, especially if you're pulling the full 10 amps load (it'll heat up!)

[@justgetatesla]

Lead is fully unrolled as you can clearly see - it’s at full extent and I talk about that

[@MikeGleesonazelectrics]

@@simon8864 best not to use an extension lead at all.. get a longer lead or fit the socket nearer. Trust me, I'm a electrician and seen many of these.

[@rogerphelps9939]

@@justgetatesla Yrars ago my dad used a rolled up extension with his greenhouse heater. A lot of smoke and carbonised cable ensued!

[@MrPindie]

I do a thousand miles most weeks and for the first 18 months of Model Y ownership I used the granny charger and heavy duty extension cable. I simply turned the amps down to 8 amps. It always put a hundred miles a night in which always meant I’d be able to get to a supercharger during the day. Now I have a 32amp commando socket (interlocking) on its own feed, breaker and earth so it meets all regs. Easy to put 300 plus miles in a night and very cost effective to do.

[@adamstockton67]

Do you have a link to the extension cable you used please

[@anthonydyer3939]

I use my granny charger when visiting mum in West Sussex. Arrive with 12% at 4pm. By 9am the following morning, the car up to a very useable 63%. Similar deal with holiday cottages. I get the granny charger out, feed it though a window and then I never have a problem with questions of range when on holiday. I’ve never seen trouble with over heating. Bear in mind that plug in 13 amps room heaters have existed for decades, and they take a continuous draw (certainly when the room is stone cold), are legal to sell, and while some dodgy products will melt the plug, most of the good ones won’t. If a 3 pin socket outlet is good enough for room heaters then it’s certainly good enough charging your car.

[@rogerphelps9939]

Actually they are far more likely to be drawing 10 amps for 2.5 kw not 13 amps. It is a fact that 13 amp sockets do overheat if the current is 13 amps for long periods.

[@MarkHewitt1978]

When I got my PHEV I was a couple of weeks too late to get the £350 grant so I said sod it and got an EV rated 3-pin socket installed instead, saying I would get a proper charger when I got a full EV. Well I have an EV now and so far I haven't felt the need to spend £1k on a dedicated charger. It does help that the 3-pin is right where I park the car so no extension cables needed.

[@dazzassti]

Really simple answer YES! I got a new M3 LR last year, I was a going to get a 7kw charger, but after the first month and 1500 miles I realised i didn’t need one. I do on average 1000-1200 miles and month and never have a problem, in fact I now never even bother charging past 60 unless I’m going far. Octopus Intelligent Go and I just always plug it in when it’s in the drive. Never even think of range or charging. If I need to go anywhere over 180 miles there’s a supercharger 6 miles alway. I’ve realised the whole thing around range and charging is bollox

[@deanbaggs]

I’ve been doing this for a year. Charging at 1kw is slow but it works for me.

[@adamstockton67]

Do you have a link to the extension cable you used please

[@mlj9931]

We charge out ID3 to 50% whenever it is parked at home on a 3 pin 13A socket. Car can be set to take a reduced current so we do that to protect the household wiring. Car is normally replenished in an hour or two from daily errands. If a longer trip is planned then we top up further to a higher charge level overnight. Even if visiting relatiins for lunch, a few 10s of miles can be added during the visit which all helps keep charge level away from the extremes of very high or very low and means visiting fuel/charge stations is unnecessary.

[@barefootnhilbily7091]

We use the slower charge for our MS 99% of the time. And it has been working great for a long time. If we do need a bit faster charge then we use our 220V down in the shop. And hey charging at a slower rate is actually better on your battery life. We own a 2018 100D and still have about 320 miles of range at 80% battery charge. Great video, thanks

[@davidfazackerley155]

Great video. Although more information on the tesla charger isn't 100% waterproof. Which i found out earlier this, thankfully they replaced the charger. I now use an Ohm Wall charger. But yes, it is entirely possible to use an outdoor socket. With proper weather proofing.

[@tuftylfc]

When I bought my Tesla 3 Long Range a few months ago, I'd budgeted for having to buy a wall charger as well at around a thousand pounds. Quickly realised that I wasn't going to need one. I'm fortunate that I have a driveway and a weatherproof outside socket and also a daily commute of only 30 miles plus a bit of running around in the evening. The secret is to keep it topped up, I try not to go below 150 mile range. That way my overnight charge of say 10pm to 7am will generally fully charge up to my set 80% Having recently returned from a stay in Anglesey, I had to use 'super' chargers and had a nightmare. I was being sent to chargers that when I arrived were either not working, couldn't figure them out (LLandudno railway station) or not available to me as they were "for residents only" each time using up my range which was getting uncomfortably low.

[@rogerphelps9939]

Yes. I have both but the granny charger tends to be used more often.

[@kingwong5996]

I have a Tesla M3 SR and a Citroën e berlingo, using the Tesla granny charger at home and a 3kw granny charger at work. Over the last 5 months we have been doing most of the charging at work.

[@christianjohansen5089]

Winter and minus degrees is the main reason why upgrading to a wallbox is worth it. Tesla Bjørn tested this already, at -10 your car spends about 30min every hour only to heat the battery when charging at 220v 13A. If you charge faster then the charging process itself generates enough heat so this is not needed.

[@andrewthompsonuk1]

You are one of the first to talk about extension cables and charging. My friend had her electrian make one with very heavy cable. See could get 13 Amps with a Skoda En....whatever. You really need a long commute for granny to not be enough..all about the cable...

[@kevino2124]

😂 "teeny tiny current" I would love to get that wattage in the US.

[@ewitte12]

1440w. With an adapter and 20a circuit 1920w. On a 7.6kw charger I'm usually setting 3-5 to keep under solar production.

[@MrAdopado]

I thought most homes in the US have a 240V voltage socket available nowadays that should give you the same (even if most of the house is running at 120V)?

[@RenlangRen]

@@MrAdopado Most homes in the USA have a 240v socket that is used by the electric clothes dryer in the basement. Maybe there might be another one in the kitchen for an electric oven. Unless the house specifically had a 240v circuit added to the garage for charging an electric car it is not likely that there is a 240v plug available for charging one's car.

[@kevino2124]

@@MrAdopado depends on the age of the house and region. My house uses all gas appliances, so no 240 coming off the panel. Unfortunately my panel is the furthest possible distance away from my garage; running a new line will cost a ton to install.

[@MrAdopado]

@@kevino2124 I believe it depends on whether you have a split phase supply to the property where 2 x 120V phases can give you 240V. The issue of running a long cable isn't always as expensive as people fear (famous last words!). Armoured cable is actually not that expensive and most of the cost is in the ground works ... which some people will do themselves... or run the cable above ground if it can be done without being unsightly and meeting any necessary regulations.

[@thathairyguy]

Just found your channel mate, great content. I'll be hanging around 😎 Had a LEAF myself, now got an Ioniq Electric that I picked up last year 👍🏻

[@justgetatesla]

Had both!

[@thathairyguy]

@@justgetatesla did you like your Ioniq??

[@justgetatesla]

First Ioniq was the HEV powertrain. Awful double clutch gearbox but very economical. Sold it as we weren’t using it during Covid. Second one was EV (38kWh). Great car right up to the 12v battery dying just as we were handing it back

[@thathairyguy]

@@justgetateslaI have the 38, bought second hand. Had the 12v die 1 month in, not a great start - but replaced that and it's been perfect for a year since then. I am Tesla-curious though, so your channel is proving really interesting!! Can't argue with the supercharger network.

[@thorbjrnhellehaven5766]

I totally agree, you don't need high power. My first wall box defaulted to 6A whenever there was the tiniest blackout. You had to push the button to change it, within a few seconds after plugging in. Sometimes I used it at 6A for weeks, because I wouldn't bother, because it was enough. Today, I have a different wall box, set to only 12A, because it's sharing a 15A circuit with the garage light and door opener. I would actually argue that it's easier to live with slow charging when you have a large battery. As long as your average daily drive is less than you charge over night, as long as you don't go to 5% the day before a long drive. As long as you do ABC, you'll be fine. I always plug in, because my power company will start/stop charging to balance grid, and give me a discount when they do.

[@eddiegardner8232]

I have used the Tesla mobile charger on a 110v 20amp garage outlet since I got it. Only DC fast charged once, on a trip out of town. Pulls 16 amps (80% of outlet rating) for a 1.6 KW charge rate. There is a Supercharger 2 miles away if I should need it, but home charging costs only 10 cents per KWHr, so that's what I do. Good for recharging about 100 miles/day; more than I need.

[@MrAdopado]

Indeed, and if you routinely plug in every evening you therefore could be driving up to 700 miles a week without having to resort to public charging! You may drive 25 miles on one day and 150 miles the next and 50 the day after ... you catch up over a day or two unless you are exceeding your 700 mile maximum.

[@Neofolis]

I have been running an EV for almost 3 years. I do roughly 60-120 miles per working day and I have only ever used a granny charger. In the almost 3 years that I have had the car, I have needed to use a rapid charger twice. On both occasions it was just a top up to ensure I made it home after a long day of travelling. It's very rare that I am not back up to full charge by the following day and never in the summer. The few occasions that it has happened were during the train strikes or other occasions that I have had to give my wife a lift to work, 45 mile round trip, on top of a high work mileage day, during a fairly cold spell.

[@paguk2000]

I have just bought a BMW I3 living on the grannie plug for a week just 7 days until the charger fitted then 6p a kw and also battery and solar so I will save the cash back very quickley

[@daemoncan2364]

Agreed. Drive the Kona to work all week (15kms each way) plus a couple of other trips at night. I'm left with half a "tank" by Friday night. Plug into 120v Friday & Saturday night & all is well.

[@justgetatesla]

That’s the reality that most FUDers don’t want to accept. For so many people their daily driving distance isn’t very far. An EV would work for them with zero issues.

[@daemoncan2364]

@@justgetatesla Decisions based on the once per year road trip.

[@mrpauly01]

It works for me. I use the off peak electric rate between 11:30 & 05:30 to get 6hr or 60 mile (53 real world) and it cost 3kw x 7p x6 hour = 21p x 6 or £1.26. Compared to £6.50+ for a gall of petrol, oh and my car did 30pmg.

[@keithjohnson6510]

Is this Intelligent Octopus?, if so you will also get more than 6 hours if the car needs it, I had mine start charging like 7pm lot of times, and the bonus been the whole house got that 7p too.

[@AndyWWW]

Ditto. My ID3 has scheduled charging times controlled by the car, useful as poor mobile signal means Octopus cannot connect reliably.

[@mrpauly01]

@@keithjohnson6510 thanks for that. I have my smart meter in view and it shows a steady increase so I think I’m paying 24p kWh but I will look into this.. thanks for the heads up..

[@colinnich]

I'd be surprised if Octopus would let you use 2kw - they surely aren't going to let you take 24 hours of off-peak to charge it

[@mrpauly01]

@@colinnich I see what your saying. I should have typed 23:30 -05:30 to make it clear so to clarify it is only 6 hours of cheap rate. I think it's not quite 3kw being used,. The Tesla app is showing as 11 miles added per hour.

[@davepickard1972]

Commando socket comment at the end is interesting - wish I'd known about that sooner, but what the video misses about 'just always plug it it' is the different tariffs available. I get 5 hours at night a 3rd of the cost of the normal day tariff so always plugging it in is going to be more expensive from a consumption perspective. Then it's a trade off between cost to charge cheaper vs cost to install charger

[@fugdefano]

i charge my 24kw nissan leaf with my Granny charger and a Tough leads extension and an ev compatible 3 pin. 00:30 to 05:30 cheap rate. this manages most of my driving. i also keep it plugged in so i can have the car warmed for my morning journey. ps love my leaf.

[@justgetatesla]

How much range do you still have? How many bars left?

[@fugdefano]

@@justgetatesla it had 88 k. and had 10 bars. guessomiter says 94 at the most but in real word 60 to 80miles . the heater is the heat pump so does not use to much battery. i regularly do 50 miles a day as dads taxi.

[@jsallen1946]

Do note that in the USA the common wall outlet is 110V, and the granny charger will draw 12 Amperes. So, charging rate is about 1.3 kW.

[@Andersljungberg]

A heater pole outside an apartment in Sweden may have a limit of 6 amps, they may also have set a limit of 600 watts. the company you rent from may not even allow you to charge an electric car from such a connection. But some companies that rent out apartments have started to equip the parking spaces with connections for electric cars

[@MichaelEricMenk]

@@Andersljungberg 6A is the lowest setting that an EVSE can be set to, so 6A should be sufficient. A former colleague charged for years at 6A as the garage door was on the same fuse. He had no problem with charging at 1400W. I have also noticed that most cabin heaters (like Defa) are also 1400W.

[@douglasburnside]

This time next year I plan to have a [used] Tesla Model Y. I can easily install a 220V outlet in my garage. I never drive more than 100 kilometers in a single day, and most _weeks_ will be less than 100 kilometers. I will upgrade my home solar (replace old 320 Watt panels with new 500+ Watt panels) to handle the additional load. I won't need more than that.

[@dya10718prospect]

Thanks for doing this video. It’s confirming my thinking. We’re picking up a new Standard range model Y (£299 lease deal 😊) tomorrow. Generally we don’t much more than around 200 miles per week and maximum 300 miles per week and I’m thinking we should be able to get by on a granny charger. We’re with British Gas, EV tariff is around 7p per KWh for midnight to 5am so I’m thinking we’ll be adding 50 miles per night which should just cover us especially considering the car doesn’t move for multiple days as we work from home most days

[@robbobvr6]

Make sure to set your car to charge from 1am-6am while we are in BST. I'm with BG too and was charging from 12-5 but was getting charged full rate for an hour until I changed it. There's something odd with their system and daylight savings times.

[@justgetatesla]

You can set the car to charge at whatever time you like! The only problem is that you can’t set a time for it to stop!!! You will need to set the charge limit to cut off when you want.

[@robbobvr6]

@@justgetatesla you can set a start and stop time now in the schedule. Oh there is also a way to show the miles per hour it’s charging at. Just need to press the kw figure I think

[@justgetatesla]

[checks the app]. Ooh! So you can! That’s a new feature!!!

[@ianowens3762]

Hi lan ….. got my Model 3 back in July ( inspired by yourself, I also stay in Hilton’s a lot ) and been on a granny charger ever since, luckily I only use my Tesla at weekends and the occasional road trip the granny is perfect for this. After watching your previous video I bought an extension lead from tough leads as the socket is at the back of my garage, I unwind it fully and also throttle it back to 6amps for extra safety as you recommended too, I wouldn’t have known about this if it wasn’t for you……appreciated!

[@justgetatesla]

Just make sure the socket you’re plugged into is ok. I remember charging my Leaf on a garage socket at my parent’s old house and it all got very warm. Socket had been installed in 1975 and not checked since…

[@ianowens3762]

@@justgetatesla cheers, yes I’ve been keeping a close eye on it and always ( as you suggested in an earlier video) only charge at 6amps, it doesn’t get hot,maybe a tiny bit tepid but not even warm.

[@adamstockton67]

Do you have a link to the extension cable you used please

[@FearTec]

I only use a 240V Tesla Mobile charger with a 15A tail socket set to 12A to be nice to the wiring) here in Australia on my MY23 LY, I top up charge at 8c per kWh daily. I only use 50~75km a day. Even after long trips the mobile charger works just fine.

[@clnelson321]

UK power is more than adequate with 240V and extremely good outlet design. No worries at all.

[@gilletphilippe4473]

I've got a leaf and only charged with a grany charger for the past 8 years and no problem so no big deal😊

[@SteveNewman-tv6gv]

I use the granny cable on 117volts for my Model 3 and it works for me. Of course, that’s because I drive my Tesla as a grandad. I can usually stay topped up most of the time. On a longer trip I supercharge. If I drove more often,I’d need to install a 240 volt circuit. Just plug in most of the time and you can keep the tank full..

[@justgetatesla]

117v? Slow, but if you don’t drive much and charge often. I do wonder how America got stuck with half a domestic power voltage compared to the rest of us

[@accountsvalue]

I have had a Tesla M3 and now have a Nissan Ariya. My needs of a car are such that I never had a wall box installed, instead charged and charging entirely with a granny charger.

[@RWBHere]

We've used a granny charger almost exclusively, mostly at 10 Amps, for over 3 years, to recharge a 52kWh battery. We have 5 hours per night of low rate tariff electricity. We've never been worried about not having enough battery charge. It's been fine: Proper planning prevents poor performance.

[@michaelggriffiths]

We have one BEV (Kia E Nitro 4) and a PHEV (Golf GTE). We've been charging both cars without any issues for years now We can charge both cars at the same time. We have charging timers set and only charge between 12:30 - 04:30. We get about 35 miles on each car which is enough.

[@kieransullivan9483]

The most important safety device to look for if using an extension cable is that the plug on the extension cable has a thermal cutout. Otherwise using an extension cable is not advisable and some of them will result in a bit of a meltdown and possibly a fire.

[@rogerphelps9939]

Just don't use an extension cable. Some granny chargers don't like being on the end of an exension cable anyway.

[@chapmandu2]

I often use a granny charger when visiting parents who don't have an EV but do have an outdoor socket, and also AirBnB's and the like often make a standard outdoor socket available but don't have a 7kW charger - I guess it's a cheap way of doing it for the owner vs installing a charge point (btw I personally wouldn't charge at holiday accomodation without talking to the owner first). But anyway, it works just fine. The main reason(s) for having a dedicated charger are 1) it will have been installed professionally 2) it means you can charge up more quickly if you need to 3) it means you can more easily take advantage of 'good' times to charge ie not during evening peak and overnight/sunny afternoons when there is an abundance of cheap electricity. It really is one of the advantages of an electric car that you can just refuel pretty much anywhere, it might be slow but it works!

[@DanBurgaud]

For the first 2 months, we were using the small portable EV 2KW charger and it was enough. Once the wall charger arrived, we still charge our EV at 2KW . . . . We only use the full power of the wall charger after a long drive which occurs on weekends. And even if we charge at slow 2KW, everyday, for 8hrs, batteries will be full after 3 nights.

[@rogerphelps9939]

Same here. Very useful if you have 4kw of solar installed and wish to roughly match charging to solar production.

[@handle_user_unknown]

Had my model 3 just over a year and done 30,000 miles in the year and the granny charger has been fine… even works with Octopus EV smart charging and only now thinking about getting a wall charger (mainly so can charge my EQC and have a granny charger going at the same time).

[@redjohn20001]

I have been charging my car for nearly two years I much the same way as you do in this video with no problems. If I was doing high miles everyday however, it might be a problem. Other than completely unwinding a spooled extension lead, but some one has mentioned this in the comments, you seem to have covered everything. Great video for someone like me not wanting to splash out £1k on a wall box.

[@justgetatesla]

I didn’t mention fully unspooling it but do show that it’s at its maximum reach

[@adamstockton67]

Do you have a link to the extension cable you used please

[@PlugSocket98]

Thx Ian great Video, Good to have these options available from tesla :)

[@mfveen]

Hi Ian, nice and informative subject, may I point out that the blue CEE plug is available as a 16A and a 32A but they are looking the same on a picture but in real world are different sizes (to accomodate the difference in power throughput). Hence be careful when you order the blue connector with a Tesla grannycharger since the 32A will not fit at the most commonly used 16A sockets (as found on campings). CEE 16A (blue plug single fase) is a safe choice if you want to do long power usage like charging a car at a rate of 16A.

[@brianmartin3263]

Been driving a Tesla Model 3 for six years. NEC National Electric Code (USA) recommends when charging an EV dialing down your power draw 20%. Easy to do in a Tesla UI or App. WHY because most wiring and outlets are designed for short periods of power draws not long like EVs. Check for hot breakers and wires.👍😊

[@justgetatesla]

Absolutely- and the Tesla Mobile Connector (the “granny charger” automatically does that. From a 13A supply the most it will take is 10A, and it will drop that further if it detects issues

[@steve_is_my_name]

I used a granny charger for 4 years. It was fine, charged over night and added 100 miles. The only considerations is if you have a lower overnight electricity tariff. The slower charging takes you into daytime tariffs.

[@chrisnicalane5864]

There is another factor that i dont think was brought up in the video or the comments - the charging losses using a granny chsrger are much higher than charging at 7kw, which are also higher than rapid charging. So, costs will be correspondingly higher.

[@justgetatesla]

I’ve read about charging loss but seen competing “facts”. I can’t prove anything so left it

[@chrisnicalane5864]

@justgetatesla there are some videos on KZbin on the subject. Also from my own experience and experiments, to save on charging losses, it's best to charge at least 7kw, if possible 11kw+. The granny charger has about 25-30per cent loss!

[@sirenbrian]

I had a 2013 Nissan Leaf (24 kwH battery) for 10 years and only trickle charged it. When I switched to an Ioniq 5 (77 kwH) last year I kept the Leaf charger and still use it. Easy peasy. And I'm in the USA with our 120V wall plugs, so it charges at 1.3 kw. As you said, the car is parked most of the time, so while parked I charge it. I max it out at 70% because 250 miles of suburban driving range is far more than I need :) Trickle charger For The Win! If I do need a quick top up there are several DC fast chargers near me.

[@justgetatesla]

That is something that doesn’t work in markets outside the US. Globally they fitted the Leaf with a Type 1 socket, but at least in Europe and much of the rest of the world the standard is now Type 2. I had a 2014 Leaf and had I kept the Nissan charger it wouldn’t fit any modern EV

[@Jaw0lf]

At 2kWh and roughly 4 miles per kWh the car will gain 8 miles for every hour it is plugged in. So it is very easy to add back a 24 miles round trip with a 3 hour charge. You would need a heavy duty extension lead and always best to fully unwind it before use.

[@kaleygoode1681]

My home already had an outdoor mains socket in the front so I bought a Tesla long range Y a long way away and when I arrived home, I only had 14% left. It took 20 hours to get to 80% at 10A charge rate. I then told Octopus Energy that I had an EV and they schedule my charging at night for 7p per unit instead of 23p to keep it charged to 80% by 8am every day. Drive a decent known distance from fully charged with your normal load then see how long it takes to charge back to full; divide the distance by the time and that gives you the charge rate in kilometres(or miles) per hour. This is the easiest way to think of and compare charge speeds!

[@joshuarosen465]

You have a pretty big trickle compared to the US. We only have 12A x 120V. But it doesn't really matter. If you are in a house you can install a proper 60A line. It's a one time expense that's about the same cost as a color option on a Tesla.

[@robertvandeuren7199]

I did the same for half a year, drove 15k kilometers and hardly had to charge anywhere else. I could plug it directly into a socket, which is the only one on a 16 amp fuse with a mid-meter. 3 disadvantages, 20% charging loss against 8% now (20 amp x 230, 3 phase), not being able to charge when it is financially better and you have to plan more.

[@aussie405]

I set my EV to start charging at 3am on a granny charger. It mostly empties my home battery (down to about 15%) by the time the solar panels take over. Essentially, I am using yesterday's leftover sunshine to charge my car until today's sunshine arrives. It happens while I sleep and I use more of my power myself.

[@Fluxkompressor]

I am charging from a wall socket thru an 10m (30ft) extension cord for about 4 years now 230V and 16A max now, but the first 2 years it was thru the charging brick that came with the car and was limited to 10A I inspect every connection point regularly and found no problems jet

[@jamiehughes884]

Hi great video how much does it actually cost to charge off a 3 pin socket

[@justgetatesla]

Depends how much you pay for electricity…

[@jamiehughes884]

@justgetatesla 25p pkw so how much would that cost

[@justgetatesla]

Ok, so if you were charging my battery from completely flat that’s 75kWh x 25p

[@grahamleiper1538]

The big benefit of a wall charger is the use of cheap early hours tariffs. Granny charger (if you have an outside socket) is a better option than public charging. Having said that, I've never used mine once in almost five years.

[@timoliver8940]

My last electric car, Mini Cooper S E 32kWh battery, came with a granny charger……… I never used it as I have a Zappi at home. I replaced the Cooper S E with a new Countryman (note I don’t call it a Mini as it’s definitely a Maxi!) S E with a 64kWh battery. It doesn’t come with a “Granny” charger as standard like quite a few new EVs today, so if people are looking at a new EV they should find out if one is included if they don’t have a wall box type charger at home and factor in the extra cost of buying one after market against buying a wall box. I have also read on EV owners forums that people buying used EVs that did come with a Granny charger as standard are finding it’s missing when they take delivery of the car. Buyers need to be savvy regarding whether or not a Granny charger is included regardless of whether it’s a new car or a used one.

[@djhworld_]

One thing I hear a lot from people is needing to charge it to 80% all the time. I mean sure, if you drive all over the place every day then it makes sense, but what you said in the video - always be charging makes more sense for most people. Even just adding 10-20% to the car will cover a good chunk of miles to run errands around town!

[@justgetatesla]

We top ours up regularly. But in reality it doesn’t need charging at all during the week if it’s one where we’re not going very far

[@rhiantaylor3446]

A big difference between DC (fast) charging and any form of AC charging is that the inefficiencies in the charger arise within the car for AC charging. My experience (not Tesla) is that 10a at 240v only delivers about 1.8kh per hr of added charge. A charger that can take 32a is simply less efficient when carrying 10a. Your car display is most likely displaying the input AC power rather than the added charge.

[@nxsynjs]

I’ve used an extension lead from toughleads it’s fully capable of running the amps, waterproof and has a built in RCD so it doesn’t trip the house if anything untoward happens, I would never use one on a reel, or that didn’t have an RCD

[@justgetatesla]

A reel is fine if you unwind it as I did

[@rogerphelps9939]

That is all very well but the weak link is where it plugs into the wall socket. I always limit the current to 10 amps and then have no problems.

[@wanderingstep]

I’ve been using 3 pin plug to charge Tesla Model Y since release. No issue.

[@chenyansong]

I have been using trickle charge exclusively for the past 11 years for my Nissan leaf, and since this year, another model Y. My garage seems to have enough capacity to trickle charge two EV concurrently, but probably not a third one. So if I need another EV then I probably need other options.

[@rogerphelps9939]

Driving 3 EVs at the same time is some feat!

[@chenyansong]

@@rogerphelps9939 we have five persons with driving licenses in our household.

[@Sal3600]

yes. this is the only charger i have been using. i drive 500 plus km a week. i have used the fast chargers only a handful of times.

[@mdshovel]

I used a 3pin for 2 years because I don't have enough power to my property to run a 32amp charger. My new EV lasts all week so I just do a 30min public charge once a week. I mainly use Public Charging at 43p

[@mrhobbles385]

I own a VW ID.4. We rent a hour with a dedicated driveway, but no EV charger. We run a granny charger off an external 3 pin socket. In short, as long as we use less than 28% of battery per day (approx 50 miles), the car can fully charge back to 80% every night within the cheap electricity hours of 00:30-07:30 (we don't have a smart meter). On days where we go slightly longer, I still don't adjust the charger, as even if it doesn't go fully to 80%, it'll probably catch-up within the next night or two. And if I know I'm going further afield the next day, I'll disable the timed charging and the 80% charge limit, and I'll allow it to charge earlier. I can charge 20:00-08:00 (12 hours) for 50% of charge, so I can usually get to 100% by the time I wake up. Perfectly happy with a granny charger. Our only use for a dedicated EV charger would be to charge faster so we can fit all our charging within the cheap electricity hours the few days where we go further afield. But I'm not sure how long it would take to recoup that investment, I think it'd be quite a while.

[@christopherstubbs8130]

And this is why, as someone still on the fence over EV's, I am rapidly becoming a fan of the channel. Ive seen so many Pro-EV people simply dismiss concerns over granny chargers with such well-informed responses as 'usual anti-ev rhetoric'. You're one of the few I've seen do a meaningful test. Highly unlikely it will help us flat dwellers of course unless landlords are forced to retroactively install ground level sockets for all properties, but given the mess government's make of these sorts of things it wouldn't surprise me if the law is eventually tweaked to allow terraced properties to run charge cables across pavements provided they have a suitable trip guard.

[@kaleygoode1681]

Drive a decent known distance from fully charged with your normal load then see how long it takes to charge back to full; divide the distance by the time and that gives you the charge rate in kilometres(or miles) per hour. This is the easiest way to think of and compare charge speeds!

[@stevewhitehouse1136]

i fitted a gas meter box on a outside wall a short thick homemade extension cable thru wall to a indoor socket never charged any other way for 3 years with 2 EVs

[@Mark-hb2zy]

You can, because I did it. But you have to charge a lot at peak times and it's much more expensive

[@MrAdopado]

The Tesla "granny charger" works well with a commando connector at 32amps ... exactly the same output as you would get from an expensive wall box charge point. However, to meet UK regulations your 32amp commando socket needs to be fitted with the same earthing and breakers and wiring as would be needed for a full featured wall box charge point ... so despite the socket itself being a cheaper item the installation cost (which is a significant proportion of total costs) will be much the same.

[@markmcadie354]

We have 2 EVs, we happily charge using a single granny charger. Have done so for three years.

[@jcfallows]

Interesting video and nice to confirm the way I'm charging with a 20amp 25 meter cable from a 13'amp outside wall socket i installed using it's own circuit via a 6 mm cable. It's works very well and being retired and not needing the car every day works perfectly. I'm not sure it's the most efficient use of power though as it might have a loss of 30% or more, so for every kw consumed in only putting in 70% in the battery? Has anyone else checked power cost and loss?

[@CasperChicago]

For the last year, I have strictly used a 120 volt, 12 amp outlet getting 5 miles/hour; I usually drive no more than 60 miles per day. The only time I use a DC super charger or a 240 volt @ 32 miles/hour is on a road trip or when I stay in a hotel. Home charging adds no more than $30/month to my electric power bill.

[@justgetatesla]

I'm still puzzled how north America copes with half the power supply that practically the rest of the world has...

[@CubbyTech]

Best not to use an extension cord on a daily basis - you can see you are losing 7-9 vAC using that long cord. This also double the amperage that we get in the US on a standard 120vAC outlet we have/use here in the US.

[@justgetatesla]

It loses power! But only a little bit.

[@freddyruns]

I trickle charge, it’s never been an issue yet 👍

[@MarkHewitt1978]

I laugh when it's called trickle charge tbh. 2kW is a hefty amount of power so isn't exactly a trickle.

[@oliver90owner]

@@MarkHewitt1978 It is when you compare it to an ultra-rapid DC charger!😊

[@natehill8069]

Try it in the states where mains is only 120V!

[@lazziebardakos2956]

Solar panels and granny charger... perfect

[@ISuperTed]

Only have a 3-Pin and it’s been fine for nearly 2 years (my EV has about 200 miles real range). 7 Hours cheap rate overnight adds about 16kWhrs, enough for 60 to 70 miles a day. Don’t do that every day and if there’s any reason to charge it up more for a long journey then we’ll top up at a public Supercharger at 44p. If we had 2 EV’s it might be different, but 98% of the time I just don’t need a faster charger. Have a dedicated outdoor socket for it, properly installed and checked by an electrician who does EV chargers.

[@Sean-vh8pm]

4.5 yrs on “granny charger” flawless on Tesla M3P😊

[@alancleaver]

We in a rented house so installing a car charger is not an option. I have low confidence in the garage wiring so I charge my Model Y with the current dialled down to 5 amps. Works perfectly. The downside is that you can’t access the cheap EV tariffs because you can’t charge up in the 4 hours overnight that these tariffs have rock bottom prices.

[@greghudson9717]

G'Day Ian. I had my Tesla wall charger (240v x 32 Amp) installed before I even had the Model Y, however, if I was doing it again, I could have saved myself AU$2500 on the charger, and the install on the wall charger, plus the upgrade to the switch box. I have run a 10 Amp, 240 volt, 20 metre long, for hour after hour, (disregarding other people's advice about needing a 13 Amp cable), and it has worked fine. Yes, it gets a little warm on a hot day, and there are some losses in the length, but that's to be expected. Personally, I would NOT RECOMMEND installing a wall box to anyone. I have a friend with a Mercedes EQB, and she's been using her granny charger on 240v for almost a year, no problem.

[@justgetatesla]

A 13A cable is cheaper than repairing fire damage my friend. Unless you’re dialled down to 6A on your 10A rated cable

[@greghudson9717]

@@justgetatesla No dialing down here, its full blast 10 Amps, and no fires, in fact the cable has never even got hot. The cable is 10 Amps, so why get bigger and more expensive when it's just not necessary. Just my opinion... Regards, Greg.

[@Birko64]

For US viewers, UK domestic supply is 230V nominal. 13A in US would make it quicker to walk to work. The eFIXX electric guys recommend you get a properly certified 13A socket for charging cars in UK as most domestic power points aren't safe for running at maximum current for such a long time. Extension cables should always be uncoiled before use otherwise they can overheat and catch fire. Extension cables should be as short as possible otherwise there may be a significant voltage drop and make things worse depending on quality of the cable. Unlike ICE cars you can fill your EV car up at home and keep a full tank. Yes a 32A commando is a lot cheaper than a custom car charger and charges 2.5 times as fast as standard domestic socket..

[@herrtomas6729]

Stand your extension lead off the ground, with a bucket over it in case it rains in the night! Ensure it's RCD protected.

[@justgetatesla]

Extension lead has both RCD at the socket end and thermal cutout at the plugs end, is rainproof and doesn’t need to be inside a bucket

[@AdrianMeredith]

Been using the charge cable for nearly 4 years it's absolutely fine. The only downside is if you forget to charge.

[@wollywotsit]

We do it, for extra safety we just knock it down to 6amp. Works fine

[@oliver90owner]

OK, but as the current drops the charging efficiency drops also. Many vehicles dissipate close to 250W while charging (I believe mine uses nearly that amount when charging or VTL). 250W for a 7kW charger is about a 3 1/2% loss; at 2.2kW the loss would be circa 10% ; at 6A (~1.4kW) the losses would be nearer 20%. Still far better than 90p/kWh at some charging stations, mind. I believe one youtuber in the US found a loss of ~30% when charging his vehicle using a 110V granny charger.

[@lmaoroflcopter]

I use it configured for 8 Amps. I also run it through a smart socket. So I can use home assistant to activate it as and when it needs to and turn it off when i'm not at home. I have no intention of getting a level 2 charger installed at present. There is a lot of misinformation rewarding 13Amp sockets only being rated for 10Amp continuous, and that is not the case. Any properly certified socket has been tested as being safe at carrying 14 Amps, for 8 hours and has been proven to stabilise at a safe temperature. Now your house wiring may be old, may be less than ideal, may be installed incorrectly, the socket you're using could be out of spec and so yes its recommended you lower your current draw to give you that safely margin. Hence why I do 8A (plus my use of 10A rated smart socket), but the nonsense around BS compliant sockets being down rated for continuous use, is well... BS, they can deliver that 13A all day long.

[@cwverburg]

Used a granny charger for over 2 years now …and only for 7 hours overnight when rates are lower never an issue gives approx 18% per charge.

[@smithleon]

A huge missing here is that most EV owners switch to an EV energy tariff which gives you 5 hours of cheap electricity each night and the granny charger doesn’t provide enough energy to make the most of that short window.

[@justgetatesla]

It isn’t missing. This is my usage, not yours. And we’re not talking about charging costs at all - it’s about the physical practicalities

[@smithleon]

@@justgetatesla do you not use a cheap off peak tariff then? I just think anyone watching this thinking of getting an EV and wondering if they need a fast charger (quite possibly why they are watching) need to understand the additional limitations of a slow charger. But completely agree that you CAN manage without one.

[@justgetatesla]

I’m not trying to tell people what electric contract to get - many are available and it depends on who you are. And most people who watch my channel are from outside the UK where that is irrelevant