Charging a Tesla - Ultimate Guide

1. Tesla Charging essentials overview
2. How can you charge a Tesla?
3. How long does it take to charge a Tesla?
4. How much does it cost to charge a Tesla?
5. How do you have to charge a Tesla to preserve the battery?

Tesla Charging essentials overview

• Optimal charging power to protect the Tesla battery is 11kW
• Do not regularly let the charge level drop significantly below 10% - 20%
• Do not charge the Tesla battery regularly above 80% (exception: LFP battery can be charged up to 100%)
• Do not leave a Tesla with a charge level of more than 80% standing for long periods of time
• Only charge the battery to more than 80% immediately before departure (departure adjustable via Tesla App)
• Avoid regular charging at fast charging stations or superchargers if possible
• To save costs, look for a suitable charging tariff instead of charging with the Tesla Supercharger

How can you charge a Tesla?

If you want to charge your Tesla, there are several options that we would like to present to you in more detail below.

Household socket

Yes, you can charge a Tesla using the household socket and even from a normal Schuko socket. You can use the Tesla Mobile Connector for this. In this way you charge with a maximum of 3.4kW - very slowly.

However, caution is required here, since the standard cables used in houses are generally not designed for permanent loads. Theoretically, if they are constantly under load from the charging process, they can overheat and, in the worst case, a fire could break out. To prevent this, a wall connector or wall box is the better choice, more on that in the next paragraph.

11 kW wall box

You can charge your Model 3, Model Y, S or X with a wall box much more comfortably and safely. These wall boxes enable a significantly higher charging speed than charging via a normal household socket. They usually charge with 11kW, which is easily enough to get into a fully charged Tesla the next morning.

In addition to the Tesla Wallbox Gen 3, there are now also a large number of alternative wallboxes from third-party manufacturers. Depending on requirements, these even have additional functionalities such as restricted access or extended security features. 11kW charging is the best you can do to preserve your battery.

Fast charger or supercharger

On longer journeys, it is worth charging your Tesla at fast charging stations. If you drive with active Tesla navigation, charging stops are automatically planned into the route. So you don't even have to think about planning where to charge on your trip. The Supercharger network now includes over 10,000 charging stations in Europe alone.

But other fast charging networks such as EnBW, Ionity, Allego, Shell Recharge and Co. are also opening more and more charging stations. In contrast to Tesla Superchargers, you always need a charging card with other networks. Since these often come with a monthly fee, we have a tip for you. As an ADAC member, you get the EnBW Mobility+ charging card free of charge. So you only have to pay for the electricity that you use.

However, you should not charge your Tesla on the fast charger too often. Because of the high charging currents, the battery takes a beating in the long run. The result is that it loses capacity and after a while you will have less max range with your Tesla.

How long does it take to charge a Tesla?

The charging time for charging your Tesla depends on the size of the battery and the charging method used (i.e. household socket, wall box or fast charging station). Schuko socket and wall box constantly deliver the same charging speed. However, this is not the case with fast charging.

There is a so-called charging curve. In this test by the YouTube channel State of Charge you can see how the battery can be charged with a significantly higher charging power when the charge level is low. The fuller the battery, the slower the charging process will be.

If you are on the way to the fast charging station or a supercharger with your Tesla, you should definitely enter the location in the navigation system. This will precondition your battery. This means that it reaches the optimal temperature to charge with the highest possible charging currents without being damaged.

To answer the question of how long it takes to charge a Tesla, we have created an overview for you here.

Using a household socket

As already mentioned, you can achieve a maximum charging capacity of 3 to 3.4 kW with a conventional household socket. For example, if your Tesla has a battery capacity of 78 kW (Long Range Model 3), it will take around 78/3.4 = 23 hours to fully charge your car.

More relevant than a 100% charge, however, is the time until you are at 80% of the charging capacity, since the recommended value is between 20% and 80% battery level, as this protects your battery in the longer term. If you want to charge the 78 kW battery mentioned above from 10% to 80%, it takes a little over 16 hours via a normal household socket.

Using a 11kW wall box

You can charge the Tesla Model 3 battery with a capacity of 78 kW much faster using a wall box. Because the Tesla Model 3 charges at 11 kW, it takes about 5 hours to fully charge the battery from 10% to 80%.

Charging on an 11kW wall box is the most gentle variant for the battery. This means that a Tesla battery that is only charged on an 11kW wall box has the lowest range loss over time.

Using the fast charger

Of course, you can charge your Model Y or 3 fastest at the fast charging station, because here the peak output of a V3 Supercharger is 250 kW. However, this full power is only usable when your battery is relatively empty. The fuller the Tesla battery, the less charging power you have on the Supercharger.

While you can charge the full 250kW at 0% to approx. 26% (with a preconditioned battery), the charging power at 80% is only 40 to 60 kW. So you should plan about 25 to 30 minutes to charge Tesla with the Supercharger for 10% to 80%.

With other fast chargers, such as the EnBW 300 kW charger, we were able to achieve a maximum charging capacity of 185 kW at the peak in tests. More is not possible, as their chargers work with an 800 volts system and a Tesla uses a 400 volt system.

How much does it cost to charge a Tesla?

One of the main reasons for the popularity of electric cars in general and Tesla in particular is of course the significantly lower costs of running the car compared to internal combustion engines. So here is a brief overview of the amounts you have to reckon with.

At home at the wall box

If you want to charge your Tesla at home, the costs naturally depend on your electricity tariff. In general, energy costs have risen sharply this year for well-known reasons. If you have an existing contract, you have to reckon with electricity costs of around 26 to 30 cents per kWh, but with new contracts the prices can be even higher, so in this case it is definitely worth comparing providers .

To stay with our example above: If you want to charge your 78 kW battery from 10% to 80%, the electricity costs are €16.38 at 30 cents/kWh.

On the fast charger

A full charge for your Tesla is now the most "expensive" if you use the Tesla Supercharger. Prices have fluctuated here in the last year. As a result, charging at the Supercharger costs 38 cents/kWh, depending on the time.

So if we take our Model 3 Long Range example again, charging the Tesla battery from 10% to 80% costs around 20,8€.

How do you have to charge a Tesla to protect the battery?

What is probably the most critical thing when it comes to electric cars is the range. In order to get the longest possible range of your Tesla Model 3 and Y, you should charge the battery as gently as possible.

So here are a few additional tips on how to charge your Tesla battery as gently as possible and protect it as long as possible:

• Optimal charging power to protect the Tesla battery is 11kW
• Do not regularly let the charge level drop significantly below 10% - 20%
• Do not charge the Tesla battery regularly above 80% (exception: LFP battery can be charged up to 100%)
• Do not leave Tesla with a charge level of more than 80%
• Only charge the battery to more than 80% immediately before departure (departure adjustable via Tesla App)
• Avoid regular charging at fast charging stations or superchargers if possible