Tesla Roadster takes 30 hours to charge from a standard wall socket

If you've got the coin to roll deep enough to own a Tesla Roadster, we'd imagine that making sure the car gets its 8 (or fewer) hour charge from a 220v / 80A circuit (like what powers some larger home appliances) won't be a huge issue. But if not, think twice about your driving schedule with the all-electric sports car, because while you can technically power a Roadster from any standard wall outlet, the amount of draw a standard 110v / 15A plug delivers would mean a 30 hour wait to juice up your vehicle's thousand pound battery pack. Thankfully, Tesla owners have time to think over how to deal with these kinds of details, being that none of the customers who've pre-ordered a car have yet received theirs.

[Via Autoblog Green]

[hiko36 @ Jul 7th 2008 1:25AM]

How is that a big problem. If you can afford a Tesla, I would hope you can afford an electrician to rewire a standard outlet...

[DYLAN C @ Jul 7th 2008 1:28AM]

Couldn't agree more.

[Yevon @ Jul 7th 2008 1:31AM]

Or you could just alternate between the Tesla and a Bugatti chauffeured by Morgan Freeman while you're waiting for a charge.

[waiownsyou @ Jul 7th 2008 1:40AM]

eww Morgan Freeman

[Steventm @ Jul 7th 2008 2:03AM]

Or, you could rewire it yourself for free.

Zaaap.

[Garst @ Jul 7th 2008 3:16AM]

I think they would end up buying a second one anyway, even if they rewire an outlet. They will however still alternate use to make sure that the car is fully charged.

[Twitchy @ Jul 7th 2008 3:59AM]

Or move to Europe.

[hiko36 @ Jul 7th 2008 4:06AM]

Or have a house in Europe specifically for charging your Tesla Roadster...

[fanman @ Jul 7th 2008 11:12AM]

I must display a smug, rather condesending smile at the notion that the US could produce a sports car, yet alone one powered by electricity.

[Ghen @ Jul 7th 2008 12:11PM]

For those who don't RTFA its 8 hours on a larger circuit. You know, like the ones every house has in them for the refrigerator or wall mount air conditioner or electric dryer.

Nothing to see here, move along.. Just normal flamebait posting by Ryan. =)

[chris fredette @ Jul 7th 2008 7:18PM]

Luckily only a few rich people will have these. Electricity is cheaper at current usages but if everyone had these the supply would increase and we would need to build more plants and increase the price.

[thedesolate1 @ Jul 8th 2008 11:42AM]

Hell if you can afford a tesla you might aswell go all out and have solar roof panels and a frickin wind turbine farm in your backyard... or get a direct line to the power plant with a giant extension cord.

[Greg @ Jul 7th 2008 1:30AM]

Now if only I could ride my washing machine to work. Then I wouldn't have to worry about getting a Tesla or another plug.

[hiko36 @ Jul 7th 2008 1:40AM]

Is it weird that I just got an image of a businessman flying down the highway on a washing machine, tie flapping in the wind?

[phrogg @ Jul 7th 2008 2:16AM]

You could take care of two things at once! The morning commute, AND the day's wash! Then you just hang the wet clothes around your cubicle to dry during the day!

[Bobs @ Jul 7th 2008 8:11AM]

I got the same vision, black suit, red tie with stripes, flying down the highway

[z0phi3l @ Jul 7th 2008 11:35AM]

It's usually the dryer that's 220 not the washer

[Ben Grimsbo @ Jul 7th 2008 12:31PM]

Now that image is going to be stuck in my head all day...

Although I do have a defunct lawnmower and washing machine in the garage... Perhaps it is time to marry the two?

All I need now is a suit and tie.

[gad get @ Jul 7th 2008 7:07PM]

@ Ben Grimsbo

...And a marriage license.

[Nastro @ Jul 7th 2008 1:31AM]

And reality finally hits home when the laws of physics are applied. I figured this out months ago. However, it seems the teaming masses of uneducated green leftist have thrown intellect and common sense out with the bath water in a futile attempt at solving the issue of energy and transportation.

[eb @ Jul 7th 2008 1:52AM]

I hardly consider 8 hours to charge a car that does 0-60 in 3.9 and has a 220 mile range bad at all.

[Alex de Gale @ Jul 7th 2008 2:42AM]

Actually it has a 110 mile range... If you drove 111 miles from home, you'd run out of juice 2 miles before you get home. Or you could plug it in to a regular outlet and come home 30 hours later...

[eb @ Jul 7th 2008 2:51AM]

Tesla Motors Website: "220 miles per change"

[Alex de Gale @ Jul 7th 2008 3:00AM]

Let me clarify.. If you drive 111 miles from home, that means it will be 111 miles to get back. If my math is correct, that would be 222 miles total. So, the farthest range you can get in one direction is... 110 miles if you want to make it home without plugging in.

[eb @ Jul 7th 2008 3:07AM]

Thanks for stating the obvious.

[The 3rd Hot Dog @ Jul 7th 2008 8:50AM]

"Teeming" is spelled like I just wrote.

I don't normally point out spelling errors but comments past a certain level of pomp seem (seam?) to require it.

[jimmy @ Jul 7th 2008 9:55AM]

charging it via USB is even worse

[axiom @ Jul 7th 2008 3:50PM]

"Or you could plug it in to a regular outlet and come home 30 hours later.."

This car is not for cross-country driving. People who buy it will probably just take their private jet for that. Or stop by an RV park every 200 miles and use one of their high tension outlets.

[Aaron @ Jul 7th 2008 6:01PM]

So, I guess I better not go to the supermarket 111 miles away. Geeez. This is not the family truckster you take to your mother-in-law's. It has a 220 mile range.

Step 1: Go drive
Step 2: Look at trip odometer
Step 3: Be back home before it says 220

[fatfishy @ Jul 8th 2008 4:13PM]

or maybe if you were following someone you could run an extension cord from their lighter outlet. How many solar panels would one need to charge the thing in 8 hours?

[mackid105 @ Jul 7th 2008 1:33AM]

this is going to be a really dumb comment but its late so i dont care i'm basically out of it from lack of sleep. I vote the car owners find way to supercharge their standard wall sockets and hope nothing goes wrong with the car. had i been in a state of mind to think this through i would see every error imaginable in this idea which clearly would never work

[Etaanaru @ Jul 7th 2008 2:54AM]

Couldn't have stopped after the 9th word, could you? How much more of a hint do you want?

[Jack @ Jul 7th 2008 1:34AM]

You meant to say (as the article does) "like what powers your household electric dryer" Not washing machine. All washing machines run off 110, as do gas dryers. Electric dryers run off 220.

[Sebastien @ Jul 7th 2008 2:51AM]

Funny to discover that the appliances are not on the same voltage.
In Europe we got pretty much everything on 240v (and some professional tools on 380v) for the AC.

Looks like this car will be best used on this side of the pond ;)) Keep them going to Europe !!

[Macro @ Jul 7th 2008 2:43AM]

Funny that the car started there but had to come to here in order for you to want it

[Alex de Gale @ Jul 7th 2008 3:09AM]

In the US our standard is 120v & we get 220v when you combine two 120v circuits.

[speakafreaka @ Jul 7th 2008 3:54AM]

I was wondering the same thing.. but 80A doesnt seem what you could usually draw from a socket without blowing fuses

[LondonConsultant @ Jul 7th 2008 4:15AM]

But UK has a slower frequency than US (50Hz vs 60Hz). I think that's why Vista runs so slowly here.

[Steven @ Jul 7th 2008 5:51AM]

You mean you actually *double* the voltage to 220V?

US: 120V, 208V between phases (that's x sqrt(3))
Europe: 230V, 400V between phases

[Evan @ Jul 7th 2008 1:41AM]

rblock with the zing!

[Xander @ Jul 7th 2008 1:41AM]

... can someone please tell me what this equates to in terms of tonnes of C02 produced by a standard coal burning power station.

This is great and all ... and it is early days ... but have we just replaced a fuel guzzling V8 engine with a coal burning (at least here in Australia it is) power station ?? What's the net gain in all of this?

[hiko36 @ Jul 7th 2008 1:44AM]

I hate this arguement. That power plant will still be making power, regardless of a few extra Teslas. Also, if you go to the Tesla site there is a DR. who's entire house is solar powered. For the extreme side, the Tesla is the last piece from going completely off-grid.

[Jesse S @ Jul 7th 2008 1:48AM]

In many places, you can choose to have your power come from green-only places. Here, it costs like 7 cents extra per kilawatt.

[insertAlias @ Jul 7th 2008 1:48AM]

If nothing else is gained, centralization of a pollution source is. Instead of all the cars individually polluting, you have a few energy stations doing the pollution. Then, they can be replaced one by one with better power sources, or other pollution-reducing methods can be applied.

[Ypoknons @ Jul 7th 2008 1:56AM]

Well it's up to the government to change that end of the system. The average person can only do so much, and the rich average person gets Tesla.

[Sean O @ Jul 7th 2008 2:03AM]

It's a California company with mostly California buyers. California doesn't burn coal, it mostly uses a combination of Natural Gas, Nuclear, and Hoover Dam.

[Macro @ Jul 7th 2008 2:50AM]

Well you should have just gone to their website! CA electrical energy generation chart for 2005...
Natural gas 37.7%
Coal 20%
Large Hydro 17%
Nuclear 14.5%
Geothermal 5%
Biomass 2.1%
Small Hydro 1.9%
Wind 1.5%
Solar 0.2%
So all in all you are getting 60% by burning stuff instead of 100% and it is much more affordable than gasoline.

[Qwan @ Jul 7th 2008 11:28AM]

Why does that matter.
Arent we going to slowly shift to wind and solar powered energy.
So why do idiots like you still keep bringing this argument up.
We havent shifted to green energy yet.
So let atleast the cars be green.
We can then eliminate coal power.
Also there already exists hydro electricity and nuclear power plants. So everything is not coal.
I dont what do with people like this.
I think either they want to have bath in the morning with clean water or else these people just rub shit all over themselves.

[BobTurbo @ Jul 7th 2008 1:49AM]

Will there be a USB version?

[hiko36 @ Jul 7th 2008 1:55AM]

My USB port has a hard time powering my phone, let alone a vehicle...