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 practise you accuse a Tesla? That's a question y'all may be request if you lot're thinking almost switching to i of the best electric cars.

After all, recharging one won't exist every bit speedy as pulling up to a gas station and spending a few minutes filling up your tank, even if you have a agglomeration of public chargers where you live. (For a breakdown of all the chargers around, cheque out our guide on EV charging.)

Recharging is a irksome procedure in comparison, and information technology's one that a lot of drivers won't have much feel with. Fortunately the whole process is very simple, especially if you're using a Tesla Supercharger. And so, here's how to charge a Tesla and go along your car on the route during those long trips.

How to charge a Tesla at a Tesla Supercharger

Tesla Model 3 charging at station — (Image credit: Tom'due south Guide)

Using a Tesla Supercharger is remarkably easy — in fact, it's 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 accuse.

Your car will need to be registered to your Tesla account earlier you can use a Supercharger. If you lot purchased your car direct from Tesla, this volition be washed automatically. If you purchased information technology from a third party, you'll need to add together it manually from a desktop browser:

ane. Register for a Tesla account, or log in if you already have one
2. Click Add next to the "Purchased a machine from a third party?" option
3. Enter your Tesla'due south VIN number, which is located in the lower-left corner of the windshield
4. Follow the on-screen steps and provide the necessary information to register your car. Be sure to take the title or registration, and your personal ID, to hand

Once that's done, you volition need to add together a payment method to your account. This is how you will pay for the ability you utilize at each Supercharger station.

ane. On a desktop browser, cull the Payment Method option on the side of the screen. On mobile, click your Profile Picture > Account > Wallet
ii. Choose Add Card
3. Enter the details of the card you wish to tie to your account

Then at present all the hard stuff's out of the way, how do you actually charge?

Tesla Model 3 dash display — Tesla Model three displaying recharge data (Image credit: Tom'due south Guide)

ane. Drive to a Supercharger — a map can be institute on Tesla's website or using the in-auto navigation system
2. Park in an empty bay
3. Open your charging port. This can be done on the car's infotainment screen by hitting the charging port/lightning bolt icon, or by pressing the bottom of the charge port door itself
4. Plug the Supercharger cable into the port, and look for it to lock
5. Wait while the car recharges. You tin can check the progress, and how much your session has cost and so far, from the Tesla app and the car's ain infotainment screen.

Information technology actually is that uncomplicated. There's no need to confirm or actuate a accuse, because your car is already tied to your business relationship and the Supercharger can charge the cost to your card when y'all're done.

How to charge a Tesla at home

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

For most EV owners, recharging is done at domicile, and Teslas are no exception to this. Recharging at home is significantly slower than using a Supercharger, but it too costs considerably less. How much you pay all depends on how much your energy visitor charges you.

There are a variety of different ways y'all tin recharge at domicile, but they all share the same basic process:

1. Park upwardly and ensure the charging port is within achieve of your charger
2. Open up the charging port, either from the infotainment screen or past tapping the lesser of the charging port door
3. Plug in your automobile

Just similar using a Supercharger, it's very simple. But because it's a domicile charger, and already tied to your own power supply, there'southward no payment to worry virtually — outside of your usual dwelling house energy bill.

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

However, the automaker does include accessories that allow you manage without this gizmo. The Gen ii Mobile Connector bundle comes as standard, and lets you plug directly into a 120V plug socket to charge — albeit at a very slow 1.3 kW speed that adds just 2-three miles of charge per hour.

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 building has a non-Tesla charger already. This will allow you utilise public AC chargers upwards to a speed of xix.ii kW, only non the super-fast DC rapid chargers.

Information technology's likewise possible to buy adapters that let y'all plug your Tesla into any high-voltage power sockets you accept or may want to install. These still aren't as fast as a Wall Connector, but they'll be faster than a standard outlet.

Can yous charge a Tesla on other charging networks?

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

In the United States Tesla cars utilize a proprietary charger, which is quite different from the CCS and CHAdeMO rapid chargers utilized past other electric cars on the road. That means no, y'all can't readily use third political party charging networks.

Elon Musk'southward caption for the charger is that the Tesla plug is a slim connector offer depression and high power charging. This was developed back in the days before a universal standard when Tesla was the just automaker developing long range electrical cars.

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

However, the United states of america has non been and then quick to catch upwards. Teslas all the same use the proprietary charger, and both the CHAdeMO and CCS adapter are unavailable. At that place has been word that the CCS adapter may launch in the United states of america, but and so far information technology hasn't happened. Likewise, third party companies have developed their own Tesla-compatible adapters, but having never tested them we tin can't speak for their quality.

Tesla does supply a Tesla to Type one charging adapter with every car, simply these are but compatible with slower AC chargers at a speed of upwardly to 19.2 kW. For reference, a Supercharger is 250 kW (for at present), while third political party rapid chargers can offer annihilation from 50kW all the way upwardly to 350kW. So it'southward not ideal if you lot're in a hurry.

And so, if you lot own a Tesla in the United States, you're pretty much limited to Tesla's own charging network. This isn't such a bad thing, considering the size of the Supercharger network, but until something changes, that does limit where y'all tin can recharge.

Now you're familiar with how to charge a Tesla, accept at look at 9 tips to get the virtually range out of your EV or how to maximize your EV'south range in common cold weather. And if you're wondering whether you can leap commencement your EV, cheque out what y'all can and can't do.

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