Tesla is one of the most popular electric vehicles (EVs) on the market and offers a wide range of models to choose from (via Car and Driver). The company is also working on deploying an extensive charging network for its customers, and recently even opened up its supercharger network to non-Tesla vehicles. Despite the growing popularity of electric vehicles, including Tesla, one of the biggest obstacles to further adoption is range anxiety, which is caused by anxiety about whether charging stations are available and within range.
In fact, according to a study by Nature Energy, up to 20 percent of California plug-in electric vehicle owners are switching back to traditional cars because of range anxiety. So one of the biggest questions potential owners want to know is how long it will take to charge a Tesla. The answer depends on the Tesla model you're driving and the type of electric car charger you plug in.
The type of charging station makes all the difference
It noted that Tesla offers many different options to charge its vehicles, each at a different speed. The company offers a wall connector that owners can purchase for home use, and the unit provides the fastest home charging. Using a wall connector, the Tesla can charge at 44 miles per hour. In contrast, charging from a standard three-pin 120-volt outlet can only produce 2 to 3 miles of range per hour.
On the road, the company says, its network of 30,000 superchargers offers the fastest charging speeds, with up to 200 miles per 15 minutes. Tesla can also use a third-party charging network. For best results, the company recommends its mobile connectors and 240-volt receptacle adapters. Charging per hour with a 240-volt adapter increases the range by 30 miles.
Given the Model S's 396-mile range, it's easy to see how much the charging system affects the time required. Using the Supercharger network, it takes less than half an hour to fully charge the Model S. Home wall-mount connectors can be fully charged for the same model within 9 hours. In contrast, using a standard 120-volt power outlet at home takes nearly 200 hours to fully charge, while a 240-volt adapter takes about 13 hours.