-August 2, 2017 at 1:41 p.m. Pacific Time

Since the launch of the Tesla Model 3 last week, one thing we haven't studied in detail is the charging capacity of the vehicle.

This is an underestimated feature of electric vehicles because it is compared with Tesla’s Model S and Model X, which already have industry-leading charging capabilities, but do not have the same charging capabilities in the price range of Model 3 Perhaps more importantly, the all-electric car is access to the charging network.

First, let's start with home charging, because it will be the main source of charging for most Model 3 owners.

There are two products that define home charging, namely car charger and home connector installation.

Tesla equipped the Model 3 with a 32-amp standard car charger and a 40-amp Model 3 car charger with a remote battery pack.

Technically speaking, car owners can simply use the included 20-foot mobile connector and plug their car into the wall using the 120-volt NEMA 5-15 adapter that is also included. This solution does not require the installation of a household connector, but the vehicle's range of charging per hour will be limited to about 5 miles (8 kilometers).

For some Model 3 owners, this may be a suitable solution because it can add approximately 50 miles (80 kilometers) of cruising range overnight, which is usually sufficient for daily commuting.

Now, for those who want to get more electricity at home, they can use the 240-volt NEMA 14-50 plug again with a 20-foot mobile connector and the included adapter, which should be three times the charging rate, and Only a 240-volt plug is required, or you can install a household connector for convenience.

This is the household connector I installed for Model S at home:

When you are on the road, it is best to install the mobile connector in the car, so not having to put long cables in and out of the trunk when you are at home is one of the main advantages of having a home connector.

You also need a product that matches the amperage of the car charger (32a for the standard Model 3 and 40A for the long-distance Model 3).

In most cases, you will want to use Tesla's own wall connector. Its price ranges from US$500 (8-foot cable) to US$550 (24-foot cable), which is almost the cheapest solution and can support up to 72A, which is sufficient for the Model 3 option and has power sharing The function has more than one Tesla.

The other advantage of Tesla Wall Connector is that pressing the button on the handle will open the charging port of the car, thus saving you a step in the charging process, and does not require an adapter to match Tesla's proprietary plug.

That being said, you can technically buy any other wall connector and use the J1772 charging adapter that comes with the Model 3. One of my preferred third-party solutions is Juicebox, which has a Wifi connection and a very good application.

Regardless of the wall connector you choose, in order to realize your full potential, you need to install a circuit breaker and cable that exceeds the vehicle's amperage by 20%-for example, 40A for the basic version and 50A for the remote version.

It is also adjustable, so there is no need to absolutely reach its full potential. For example, I have a dual charger with a capacity of 80A and a Tesla wall connector with a rating of 72A in my car, but my circuit breaker is installed with 40A to set the charging rate of my car to 32A. This is enough for overnight charging.

This is my charging screen:

I think it will become the most popular home charging solution for Model 3 owners because it can easily drop below $1,000 including installation and can meet most charging needs. For those who do not travel long distances often, a simple 240-volt plug and mobile connector should be able to solve the problem for about one-third of the price.

If you are thinking about other things, please let us know your current or desired configuration in the comments section below.

Compared with other electric vehicles, this is the shining point of Model 3. Today, the DC fast charging capacity of most electric vehicles is limited to about 50 kW, but the capacity of Tesla cars is 120 kW, which is equivalent to an increase of about 170 miles (274 kilometers) of cruising range in about 30 minutes.

Now the DC fast charge rate will be affected by several different factors, such as the state of charge, temperature and the occupancy rate of the station's booths, but generally speaking, if you don’t have a lot of remaining power, you can add about 170 miles in half an hour ( 274 kilometers).

This is the charging rate of the latest Model S and X models. Tesla did not disclose the actual supercharge rate of the Model 3, but they are slightly lower than the Model S because Tesla advertises the same "170 miles per 30 minutes", although the Model 3 is more efficient and can therefore be used at the same rate. Energy travels longer distances.

The smaller Model 3 battery pack option is advertised as a boost rate of "130 miles per 30 minutes." It's supercharged much slower than Model S and X, but still faster than any other charging options available for electric vehicles in this price range.

Of course, the biggest advantage is that you can actually access the super charging network, which is much more extensive than any other DC fast charging network available.

Tesla now has 6,000 super charging stations in more than 900 charging stations around the world. They are expanding the network to prepare for the mass production of Model 3. The goal is to build more than 10,000 super charging stations by the end of this year and 18,000 super charging stations by the end of next year.

In the past, Model S and Model X owners could use it for free, but Tesla switched to a new pay-per-use model, the price is very reasonable, and Tesla also provides 400 kWh of free supercharge points every year, which should be enough 5 to 6 full charges.

Model 3 can also be charged on other level 2 chargers on the public charging network using the included J1772 public charging adapter. Tesla sells bulky CHAdeMO adapters for Model S and Model X to access other DC fast charging networks:

Although Tesla does not list a $450 adapter compatible with Model 3 in its online store, the plug is the same. Either way, in most cases, you want to stop at the Supercharger instead of the CHAdeMO charger.

As a backup, it is just a good choice.

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Tesla is a transportation and energy company. It sells cars in the "Tesla Motors" division and stationary battery packs for household, commercial and utility scale projects in the "Tesla Energy" division.

Tesla Model 3 is the first model based on Tesla's third-generation platform. It aims to lower the entry price of electric vehicles without making any compromises on range and performance. Model 3 starts at US$35,000 in the United States, and delivery to employees and company internals began in mid-2017-customer delivery began at the end of 2017.

Fred is the editor-in-chief and main writer of Electrek.

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