How to charge a Tesla| Tom's Guide

How to charge a Tesla

Tesla Model 3 parked in charging station

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

How do you accuse a Tesla? That's a question y'all may exist asking if you're thinking most switching to one of the all-time electrical cars. After all, recharging one won't be as speedy as pulling up to a gas station and spending a few minutes filling up your tank, even if yous have a bunch of public chargers where you live.

Recharging is a slow process in comparison, and it's ane that a lot of drivers won't have much experience with. Fortunately the whole process is very uncomplicated, especially if y'all're using a Tesla Supercharger. Then, here'due south how to charge a Tesla and keep your automobile on the road during those long trips.

How to charge a Tesla at a Tesla Supercharger

Tesla Model 3 charging at station — (Prototype credit: Tom's Guide)

Using a Tesla Supercharger is remarkably like shooting fish in a barrel — in fact, information technology'due south probably the easiest public EV charging network out there, because information technology doesn't rely on any awkward apps or dodgy hardware to confirm your charge.

Your car will need to be registered to your Tesla business relationship earlier y'all can utilize a Supercharger. If yous purchased your car directly from Tesla, this will be done automatically. If you purchased it from a 3rd party, you'll demand to add it manually from a desktop browser:

1. Register for a Tesla business relationship, or log in if you already have one
2. Click Add adjacent to the "Purchased a car from a 3rd party?" option
3. Enter your Tesla's VIN number, which is located in the lower-left corner of the windshield
iv. Follow the on-screen steps and provide the necessary information to register your auto. Be sure to take the title or registration, and your personal ID, to hand

One time that's done, y'all volition need to add a payment method to your account. This is how you will pay for the power you use at each Supercharger station.

ane. On a desktop browser, choose the Payment Method option on the side of the screen. On mobile, click your Profile Picture > Account > Wallet
ii. Choose Add Menu
3. Enter the details of the card you wish to necktie to your business relationship

And then now all the hard stuff'southward out of the way, how do you actually charge?

Tesla Model 3 dash display — Tesla Model 3 displaying recharge information (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

1. Drive to a Supercharger — a map can be found on Tesla's website or using the in-car navigation system
ii. Park in an empty bay
3. Open your charging port. This tin can be done on the car's infotainment screen by hitting the charging port/lightning bolt icon, or past pressing the lesser of the charge port door itself
4. Plug the Supercharger cable into the port, and wait for it to lock
5. Wait while the motorcar recharges. Yous tin can bank check the progress, and how much your session has cost so far, from the Tesla app and the car's own infotainment screen.

It actually is that simple. At that place's no need to confirm or activate a charge, because your car is already tied to your business relationship and the Supercharger tin can charge the cost to your menu when you're done.

How to charge a Tesla at home

Tesla wall connector home charger in garage — (Image credit: Shutterstock)

For about EV owners, recharging is done at home, and Teslas are no exception to this. Recharging at dwelling house is significantly slower than using a Supercharger, merely it also costs considerably less. How much you lot pay all depends on how much your energy company charges you.

There are a variety of different ways you can recharge at home, but they all share the same basic procedure:

1. Park up and ensure the charging port is within reach of your charger
two. Open the charging port, either from the infotainment screen or past borer the bottom of the charging port door
iii. Plug in your car

Just like using a Supercharger, it's very simple. Merely because it's a domicile charger, and already tied to your own power supply, there'south no payment to worry about — outside of your usual dwelling house energy pecker.

Tesla recommends that you purchase a Tesla Wall Connector, which costs $550. This doesn't include installation costs, which will require the services of a qualified electrician. This charger offers up to 11.5 kW speeds, and tin can add 34-44 miles of range per hour depending on which Tesla model y'all own.

However, the automaker does include accessories that permit y'all manage without this gizmo. The Gen ii Mobile Connector bundle comes as standard, and lets yous plug straight into a 120V plug socket to accuse — admitting at a very slow 1.3 kW speed that adds just 2-3 miles of charge per 60 minutes.

Tesla also supplies an adapter to connect the Tesla port to a standard Type one Air conditioning charger, which would prove useful if your home or edifice has a non-Tesla charger already. This will let you utilise public AC chargers up to a speed of xix.2 kW, but non the super-fast DC rapid chargers.

It's besides possible to purchase adapters that let you plug your Tesla into whatever high-voltage power sockets you have or may desire to install. These nonetheless aren't as fast as a Wall Connector, but they'll be faster than a standard outlet.

Can you charge a Tesla on other charging networks?

tesla model 3 at a supercharger station — (Image credit: Shutterstock)

In the Usa Tesla cars use a proprietary charger, which is quite dissimilar from the CCS and CHAdeMO rapid chargers utilized past other electric cars on the road. That ways no, yous can't readily utilize third party charging networks.

Elon Musk'due south caption for the charger is that the Tesla plug is a slim connector offering low and loftier power charging. This was developed back in the days earlier a universal standard when Tesla was the only automaker developing long range electric cars.

In the European Union, where the CCS connector is now a legal requirement, Tesla ditched its own connector for CCS. Models with the original connector still exist, but as a upshot of the change Tesla does sell a CCS and CHAdeMO to Tesla adapter in the U.Yard. and other European countries. That lets the few with older cars utilize not-Tesla chargers.

However, the United states has not been so quick to catch up. Teslas still utilize the proprietary charger, and both the CHAdeMO and CCS adapter are unavailable. There has been word that the CCS adapter may launch in the United States, but then far it hasn't happened. Likewise, third party companies accept developed their own Tesla-compatible adapters, but having never tested them nosotros can't speak for their quality.

Tesla does supply a Tesla to Type 1 charging adapter with every car, but these are but compatible with slower AC chargers at a speed of up to 19.two kW. For reference, a Supercharger is 250 kW (for at present), while third party rapid chargers tin can offer anything from 50kW all the way up to 350kW. Then it's not ideal if you lot're in a hurry.

Then, if you own a Tesla in the United states of america, you're pretty much express to Tesla's own charging network. This isn't such a bad matter, considering the size of the Supercharger network, but until something changes, that does limit where you can recharge.

Now yous're familiar with how to accuse a Tesla, have at await at 9 tips to become the virtually range out of your EV or how to maximize your EV's range in common cold weather. And if you're wondering whether you can spring start your EV, check out what you can and can't practise.

Tom is the Tom's Guide's Automotive Editor, which means he can usually be found knee joint deep in stats the latest and best electrical cars, or checking out some sort of driving gadget. Information technology'southward long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He's commonly constitute trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining that Ikea won't allow him buy the stuff he really needs online.