Tesla model S UMC with J1772 & JESLA(tm) conversion

[TonyWilliams]

When I called the Tesla service center they said that I had to have the vin# of the vehicle I was purchasing it for. Any one else have this problem or a way around it?

Ask for Eric and tell him I sent you.

 

[B-Bob]

When I called the service center this morning they gave me the speech about needing a VIN # but said to come down and "maybe my manager will work something out"
I showed up a few hours later and was immediately shot down and told that they no longer sell them over the counter and must be ordered online. As we all already know you can't purchase outside of the bundle online. Apparently something changed in between my phone call this morning and the time I showed up.

Thanks Tony, I'll call again tomorrow and ask for Eric.

 

[B-Bob]

No dice. Spoke with Eric, nice guy but said there was nothing he could do. Due to a shortage of connectors corporate has informed the service centers that their stock is strictly for warranty replacement. All orders must now be online which means we are stuck with the pricier bundle option only.

Ordered the bundle online, hopefully they ship quickly.

 

[TonyWilliams]

No dice. Spoke with Eric, nice guy but said there was nothing he could do. Due to a shortage of connectors corporate has informed the service centers that their stock is strictly for warranty replacement. All orders must now be online which means we are stuck with the pricier bundle option only.

Ordered the bundle online, hopefully they ship quickly.

Roger that. I'll be waiting for it.

I've got some more crimping to do tonight.

 

[TonyWilliams]

 

[Ampster]

Nice work Tony. I see the LED that you have put in the handle. That is a nice enhancement.

Now that the price for the UMC has gone up how does the price of this EVSE compare with the other options in the market?

I keep seeing the Manzanita Micro ads pop up on this forum. They have an adjustable EVSE which ranges from 18 to 40 Amps for $1250.

The UMC option still looks to be the most compact.

 

[TonyWilliams]

Nice work Tony. I see the LED that you have put in the handle. That is a nice enhancement.

Now that the price for the UMC has gone up how does the price of this EVSE compare with the other options in the market?

I keep seeing the Manzanita Micro ads pop up on this forum. They have an adjustable EVSE which ranges from 18 to 40 Amps for $1250.

The UMC option still looks to be the most compact.

You're not going to haul around the heavy, bulkier, more expensive Manzanita. Plus, the UMC is obviously adjustable, too. Just put on the correct plug, and it will automatically set the correct amperage! Easy!!!

The UMC will go from 12 amps (120 volt) to 40 amps and it fits in a 6.3 pound circular bag. For guys shopping only price, the UMC still wins, even at $650 + $155 for the J1772 + $200 to me ($1005 total, plus shipping). That $650 UMC comes with two plugs, too, and a cheesy bag ;-)

 

[AvLegends]

How does the UMC select amperage? It must have some way of knowing what plug is being used?

 

[TonyWilliams]

How does the UMC select amperage? It must have some way of knowing what plug is being used?

Here is the UMC owner's manual:

https://www.teslamotors.com/sites/default/files/blog_attachments/ms_mobile_connector_guide.pdf

Yes, it has a dedicated fourth pin on the wall plug: 2 "hot" (Line 1&2), 1 ground and one amp signal.

When you attach the respective $45 plug, it will automatically use the following amperage:

.............................................VOLTS / AMPS................kW
NEMA 5-15 .......Standard Outlet 110 V / 12 A...... 1.4 kW
NEMA 14-50......RVs and Camps. 240 V / 40 A...... 9.6 kW
NEMA 6-50 .......Welding Equip... 240 V / 40 A...... 9.6 kW
NEMA 10-30......Older Dryers...... 240 V / 24 A...... 5.8 kW
NEMA 14-30......Newer Dryers..... 240 V / 24 A...... 5.8 kW


The small pin is the Amperage Control:

 

[AvLegends]

Thanks Tony! That's a nice feature!

 

[wimbro]

I'm interested in UMC mod if you are still accepting orders.

 

[TonyWilliams]

I'm interested in UMC mod if you are still accepting orders.

I'm shipping modified UMC's daily, and have not yet got to "parity" (one in, one out) !! Getting closer, though.

Yes, accepting orders.

 

[TonyWilliams]

http://www.TucsonEV.com has lowered the price JUST FOR YOU!!

Now, just $135 for the 70 amp J1772 plug for those converting their Tesla UMC. Sorry, I can't cut any deals with Tesla on the whole $650 UMC kit price :?


http://shop.teslamotors.com/collections/model-s-charging-adapters/products/model-s-mobile-connector-bundle

 

[wimbro]

While the new price for the J1772 plug is great...I made a purchase before the price cut. I will package up the components and ship them this weekend. Any estimate on turn around?

My wife and I drove to South Lake Tahoe this weekend and took advantage of the EV charging stations at Harvey's and Harrah's casinos. Extended charge showed 122 miles on GOM before departure, we drove 93 miles with 27 left on GOM when we arrived...pretty accurate for this trip considering a 6,000+ foot net elevation gain. Return trip was obviously much better. Regular charge showed 111 on GOM, traveled 88 miles with 47 left on GOM upon arrival at home. We love the RAV4 EV more and more everyday. 5,500 miles since 6/21/13 without a drop of crude...love it.

We met a Model S owner parked next to us on Sunday who had a bad experience with someone removing the ChargePoint plug and dousing his beautiful car with an unidentified liquid. His car was plugged in overnight with the plan to return to the bay area that day. We discussed the feature of locking the charge plug into the car when the vehicle was locked to prevent removal prematurely. FYI...Harrah's charging stations location is much more secure and isolated from heavy foot traffic. Any ideas or suggestions on a solution?

 

[TonyWilliams]

While the new price for the J1772 plug is great...I made a purchase before the price cut. I will package up the components and ship them this weekend. Any estimate on turn around?

One week minimum at this point.

Any ideas or suggestions on a solution?

A simple padlock? That's what I use. The Master 131T (and smaller 121T) are my favorites this week:

 

[geo]

We met a Model S owner parked next to us on Sunday who had a bad experience with someone removing the ChargePoint plug and dousing his beautiful car with an unidentified liquid. His car was plugged in overnight with the plan to return to the bay area that day. We discussed the feature of locking the charge plug into the car when the vehicle was locked to prevent removal prematurely. FYI...Harrah's charging stations location is much more secure and isolated from heavy foot traffic. Any ideas or suggestions on a solution?

I hate it when that happens.

A very simple solution is that both Chargepoint and Entunes report charging status and disconnects. Check your phone every once in a while when charging to keep an eye on things.

 

[rav4buyer]

What is the approximate cost of installing a NEMA 14-50 outlet in the garage if my electrical panel is in the garage as well? I'm guessing there is no need for a permit in this instance.

 

[TonyWilliams]

What is the approximate cost of installing a NEMA 14-50 outlet in the garage if my electrical panel is in the garage as well? I'm guessing there is no need for a permit in this instance.

$10 - 50 amp breaker (assuming space in your panel) **
$30 - 35 feet of 6 gauge wire Copper THHN Wire****
$15 - box and cover plate
$10 - NEMA 14-50R
$20 - conduit, if you don't have drywall or otherwise covered walls. The wires can't be left exposed.


** Before you go to your electrical supply or hardware store, you need to know what brand of electrical service box you have. Also, if there isn't room in your box for the 50 amp breaker, then you'll have to "double up" some of the other beakers using "dual circuit breakers" that only take up one spot.

Circuit Breaker Panel Brand

Challenger
Federal Pacific Electric
Pushmatic
Siemens
Square D
Wadsworth
Westinghouse/Bryant
Zinsco



**** Lowes 6 AWG Stranded Green Copper THHN Wire (By-the-Foot)
Item #: 72609 | Model #: 20497401
$0.87 per foot in any color
I recommend equal lengths of four colors: Black, Red, White, Green

http://www.teslamotors.com/en_AU/forum/forums/diy-nema-1450
[email protected] | MAY 24, 2013
... it isn't really very hard if you know what you are doing. Use the following at your own risk -- if you aren't completely comfortable with it, don't follow these instructions and hire an electrician -- it won't cost a lot over the cost of materials and the price of a mistake could be very high (like your life or burning down your house). These instructions are also just for split-phase 240V power -- if you have 3-phase, don't follow these instructions.

Shut off power to the breaker box, then put in a 240V 50A breaker -- it will straddle two slots, so it gets both hot phases. Personally I would use #6 THHN copper wire which gives room for derating based on ambient temperature if your garage gets hot, but some will say #8 is sufficient. I would not recommend using aluminum wire, as you have to worry about anti-oxidant coating, and it is easier for an amateur to make mistakes -- unless you are running the wire a long distance, the cost savings won't be that much anyway.

The two hots (black and red wire) go to the two connections on the breaker, the bare (or green) ground wire goes to the ground bus bar, and the white wire goes to the neutral bus bar. Note that if this is a subpanel, the ground bus and neutral bus are isolated (they should only be tied together in the main panel), so make sure you get the right one. You might also need a lug to get the larger wire into the busses depending on your panel. If the garage is unfinished, either drill holes through the joists and run the wire there, or put it in conduit if it is surface-mounted. You will need a deep metal box and a 14-50 receptacle, and then connect the wire on that end as the receptacle instructions show.

You can get all the parts from Home Depot or similar places.

 

[TonyWilliams]

When you attach the respective Tesla $45 plug, the UMC will automatically provide the following amperage:

..................................................VOLTS / AMPS..........kW
NEMA 5-15 .......Standard Outlet 110 V / 12 A...... 1.4 kW
NEMA 14-50......RVs and Camps. 240 V / 40 A...... 9.6 kW
NEMA 6-50 .......Welding Equip... 240 V / 40 A...... 9.6 kW
NEMA 10-30......Older Dryers...... 240 V / 24 A...... 5.8 kW
NEMA 14-30......Newer Dryers..... 240 V / 24 A...... 5.8 kW

****************************************

Miles Gained per Hour Charging @ 87.5% charger efficiency
70F Ambient temperature - hotter or colder will decrease miles gained

---------------------------- 2.7 miles/kWh - 3.4 miles/kWh
Amps/Volts -- Where ------ City Drive ----- 65mph

12 / 120 ------- Any ------ 2.8 miles ------ 3.5 miles (supplied cable with car)
12 / 240 ------ Home ----- 6.8 miles ------ 8.6 miles (EVSEupgrade.com mod)
16 / 208 ------ Public ----- 7.5 miles ------ 9.5 miles (2011-2012 LEEF EVSE doesn't work)
16 / 240 ------ Home ----- 8.9 miles ----- 11.2 miles (2011-2012 LEEF EVSE doesn't work)
20 / 208 ------ Public ----- 9.4 miles ----- 11.9 miles (2013 LEEF EVSEupgrade.com)
20 / 240 ------ Home ---- 11.0 miles ----- 13.9 miles (Clipper Creek LCS-25)
24 / 240 ------ Home ---- 13.6 miles ----- 17.7 miles (dryer outlet)
25 / 250 ------ Home ---- 13.7 miles ----- 17.9 miles (2013 LEEF EVSEupgrade.com)
30 / 208 ------ Public ---- 14.8 miles ----- 18.7 miles (typical public J1772)
30 / 240 ------ Home ---- 17.1 miles ----- 21.6 miles (rare public J1772)
40 / 208 ------ Public ---- 18.5 miles ----- 23.4 miles (Tesla Roadster/Clipper Creek)
40 / 240 ------ Home ----- 22.7 miles ----- 28.5 miles (RV park, welder outlet)

 

[TonyWilliams]

Future J1772 plugs from TucsonEV for the Tesla UMC conversion will be rated at 50 amps, vice 70 amps.

Also, if you are one of the many that sent a UMC in the past two weeks, the shipment of J1772 plugs from China were held up in customs. I just received the last plug that I needed on Wednesday.

Since I build these in batches, I intend to ship out all the current conversions by Monday.

Thanks,

Tony