How Fast Do Teslas Charge At Home? (We Checked)

Battery capacity and charging speed are some of the most talked about topics concerning electric cars. Interestingly, these two topics aren’t independent of each other so we’d talk about both a lot.

For now, remember charging duration heavily depends on battery capacity.

Keep reading to find out how fast Teslas charge at home.

Here’s how fast Teslas charge at home:

According to Hot Cars, it takes between six to nine hours on average to charge a Tesla at home. However, if you use a regular wall outlet, it’s going to take a lot longer than that. So, it’s best to install the Tesla wall connector in your garage for greater charging speed.

How Fast Can You Charge a Tesla at Home?

As we said earlier, six to nine hours is enough on average to get a full charge in your Tesla. However, this doesn’t apply to all chargers. Instead, it’s a typical duration that level-2 chargers would take.

Now, let’s explore the different cases and explain a bit about EV chargers.

There are three different levels of charging which are level-1 (120-volt), level-2 (240-volt), and level-3 charging. Level-1 and level-2 chargers can be thought of as regular chargers because they are the typical options EV owners use.

It’s also important that you know whether or not you can charge a Tesla at any house.

The DC fast charging system, on the other hand, is commonly referred to as the Level-3 charging system. Level-3 chargers are in a class of their own. Now let’s break down the classes to help you understand better.

Level-1 chargers are the most basic and slowest chargers. They are the most affordable and can work almost anywhere, so home charging is easily done.

However, they’re so slow that you’d only get 2 to 3 miles of driving range in your Tesla every hour.

Level-2 chargers require special installation by professionals. While they’re a tad bit expensive, they’re worth it and are the most used chargers today. Level-2 or 240-volt chargers would supply up to 30 or 40 miles of driving range per hour charged.

That’s over 10 times as fast as a level-1 charger and it’s the fastest charging time you’d get at home. Any charging speed over that and you’re staring at a Tesla supercharger, which is a level-3 charging system. The supercharger can deliver 200 miles of driving range in only 15 minutes.

If you’re interested in using a supercharger, here’s how much it costs to charge your Tesla using a supercharger.

What Are the Model-Specific Charging Times?

At the moment, Tesla has four models that are favorites among many other EV models in the EV industry. Although all models are classy and durable, the Model X and S are considered the flagship ones. With that in mind, you know that the different models have different battery sizes and this heavily affects charging duration.

We’d explain how battery capacity affects charging duration in more detail later on. For now, remember, most Teslas have the same charging speed but different charging durations.

It’s difficult to give a number for charging duration because models evolve and newer batteries get larger. There’s also the fact that Tesla has got long-range trims too.

Let’s start with the Model 3, which is Tesla’s lowliest model and has batteries ranging from 50 to 80 kWh. Its battery is pretty impressive for a compact sedan and that guarantees it a relatively long range.

The Model 3’s battery across different model years and trims can take from 6 to 12 hours to charge up.

The Model Y, which is Tesla’s more affordable SUV, has a straightforward charging duration. Its 75 and 81 kWh batteries both need 10 and 11.5 hours respectively to charge up.

The Model X and S with their 100 kWh batteries may get filled up in 12 hours too. However, don’t be shocked if it takes longer. Bear in mind that these durations are observed with level-2 charging, which is the ideal method at home.

In this article, we answer questions about the chargers that come with a Tesla.

Can You Charge Teslas With Regular Outlets?

This is possible, but only with level-1 chargers.

Level-1 chargers can be plugged into your regular 120-volt sockets at home. As expected, this doesn’t give the required charging speed anyone who’s in a hurry would need. Hence, a level-1 charger wouldn’t meet your needs if you drive for hours every day.

You may also have to endure agonizing 50-hour waits for your car to get fully charged. For most individuals, that’s not even an option. If we’re being realistic, people who commute miles to and from work shouldn’t even consider level-1 charging.

This causes people to use level-2 chargers. However, they can’t be connected to regular outlets, and neither can level-3 equipment fit in.

What Tesla Model Charges Faster at Home?

We already established that some models get filled up quicker than others. The more affordable models usually charge the fastest because of their smaller batteries. With home charging, it’s no different.

So, on average, the Tesla Model 3 would get filled up fastest.

However, with level-1 charging, we doubt if it’ll make much of a difference to you. That’s because any vehicle you charge with such chargers would take a long time to get filled up.

So, whether it’s a 50-kWh battery or a 100-kWh one, you’d probably spend your whole day or night charging it. You can easily feel the difference when you use level-2 chargers.

Whatever the case, level-2 charging is the most practical solution. However, if you only drive to the store to get groceries, a level-1 charger might work well for you. The catch is that you’ll probably never have a fully charged battery.

Do Teslas Charge More Quickly Than Other Electric Cars?

Although Tesla is the leading EV brand, they don’t exactly charge faster than other brands.

They may even appear to have longer charging durations than the average EV. Ultimately, it depends on how large the batteries are, and Teslas have relatively powerful batteries.

Most EVs, including Teslas, would get 2 to 5 miles of driving range in an hour from a level-1 charger. However, there are many EVs that can get full in as little as 4 hours via level-2 charging. With modern Teslas, this is difficult to achieve, so other EVs charge faster going by this metric.

The lowest charging duration for a Tesla via level-2 charging is about 5 or 6 hours. However, a Tesla usually has at least a 50-kWh battery and big ones today brandish 100-kWh batteries. Other cars have a wider range, from about 30 kWh to over 100 kWh.

So, before praising other EVs for having shorter charging durations, ensure their batteries can match that of Teslas in capacity.

If you don’t have access to superchargers, here’s an article that provides tips to charge your Tesla faster.

Can You Upgrade Your Electrical Panel to Charge Faster?

An electric or service panel connects a power line to a house. It is usually built into walls and contains different circuit breakers.

Many people have had to upgrade their electric panels before installing level-2 chargers. However, it is hardly ever done to make charging faster. Instead, people upgrade their panels because they may be needed.

You’d usually find 100-amp or 200-amp electric panels in houses. You’ve probably already understood that you need a 200-amp panel for charging equipment installation. So, if you already have this type of service panel in your home, there’s no need for an upgrade.

However, if you have a 100-amp panel, you can upgrade to a 200-amp panel before installing level-2 charging equipment. This implies that an upgrade isn’t meant to make charging faster, but to make installation possible.

Final Thoughts

While charging speed is important, it’s only a third of the puzzle. The second piece is battery capacity because it determines how long a car can hold on before needing a recharge.

So, it’s not enough to have a battery that takes in power quickly. Instead, you want to make sure it can absorb more than enough power in one charge. The third piece is the driving range, which is broadly determined by the battery capacity and car weight.

We’re sure you’ve had enough of the technical talk. So, in simpler terms, a level-2 charger and an average Tesla would get you above-average range. After all, that’s the importance of a tough battery.

However, you might go for a higher-priced Model X or S with a bigger 100 kWh battery. In that case, you’d have an overly superb driving range but not a full battery in the same charging duration. Ultimately, go with the option that works best for you.

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