Category: Electric Vehicle Articles

So you finally have your Tesla charger installed and after some time you notice a flashing red light.

Red hardly ever means well, so you’re right to worry about it.

We’ve gathered the troubleshooting tips you need to handle this situation on your own or with a Tesla certified electrician.

If the light is a solid red

A solid red light on your Tesla charger could mean an internal fault and that the wall connector needs to be replaced. An electrician can confirm this. But your troubleshooting solution is to turn off the breaker supplying your Tesla charger with power and turn it back on.

If there’s no change and you still see the solid red light, contact Tesla with your product information.

If you see one red blink

One red blink on your Tesla charger could mean there’s a GFCI. Start your solution with an inspection of all the parts, including the handle, cable, Wall Connector, and vehicle charge port for damage or signs of water ingress.

Then, call an electrician to check that the ground wire is not directly connected to a conductor wire in the branch circuit.

If you see two red blinks

Two red blinks indicate a different problem from one red blink. It might mean there’s a ground assurance fault or possibly a high ground resistance has been detected.

Call an electrician to see if your charger is properly grounded or if any physical connections have such issues.

For three red blinks

This indicates a high temperature detected by your charger.

Inspect the physical parts of the wall connector, including the faceplate and cable, for warmth. Regardless of if you notice excessive warmth or not, call an electrician quickly to verify that the conductors used are sized correctly and there’s no danger from the connector.

For four red blinks

Thankfully, four red blinks just mean a disruption with the internet connection. Check for the cause of this interference. Like a changed password, working router, etc.

Fixing the reason should solve the problem.

For Five Red Blinks

If your Tesla charger is flashing red in five red blinks, it could mean there was a power-sharing communication issue. Hence, the charging speed has been reduced. Troubleshooting this is just like that of four red blinks, check for the interference, and try re-linking your wall connector.

When no lights come on

It’s not just flashing red lights you might have to worry about. An absence of light from your Tesla charger means there is no power supply coming in from the breaker panel.

Check if the breaker was turned off. Switch it on and off yourself and if there are no changes, call an electrician to check.

For Six Red Blinks

Flashing red lights 6 times means there’s too much voltage or poor grid quality detected. If you’re using the level 2 charger, the power supply should be nominal 200-240 volts. Have an electrician remove the Wall Connector from the wire box and confirm that voltage readings are correct.

For most problems with your wall connector, you can either reach out to Tesla or call an electrician to take a look.

This question is more common than you think and often asked by new Tesla owners. You’d want to know if there is any risk involved with charging your electric vehicle daily or not charging as much. In this article, we have gathered all the facts to help you decide on what’s best for your EV.

What Tesla says

You may have heard the funny phrase ‘A plugged-in Tesla is a happy Tesla’. This phrase comes from what Tesla says in the owner’s manual about battery charging –

“The most important way to preserve the Battery is to leave your vehicle plugged in when you are not using it. This is particularly important if you are not planning to drive Model S for several weeks. Model S wakes up when needed to automatically maintain a charge level that maximizes the lifetime of the Battery. There is no advantage to waiting until the Battery’s level is low before charging. In fact, the Battery performs better when charged regularly,”

From this, you can see it’s safe to charge your Tesla not just every night, but every time it’s not being used.

The manual also gives more suggestions on charging your vehicle the right way.

Setting a charging limit

Tesla owner’s manual also recommends setting a charging limit for your vehicle to 80-90%. Besides, your Tesla is already set to a default charging limit of 90%. If you’re wondering about the minimum low battery limit for your EV, the manual equally states to stay above 20% if possible.

Everything Tesla says about battery charging boils down to driving between 90% and 20% of total battery capacity. For many drivers, that’s more than enough for their daily miles.

Benefits of charging every night and using Tesla’s recommendations

The benefits include:

• Charging every day increases the range available to you for driving.
• Using only between 90 and 20% of your battery capacity helps to extend battery life. This is because Lithium-ion batteries are prone to damage when in the very high and very low ends of the charge spectrum.
• Also, when you charge your Tesla every night, you make up for the amount of battery life drained by Tesla’s auxiliary system each time your car is idle.

Drawbacks to charging your Tesla every night.

While all we have explained so far says it’s okay and even necessary to charge your Tesla every night, there are still drawbacks to consider before deciding for yourself.

Charging daily increases energy loss used in preconditioning or heating the battery for charging. There is also the cost of electricity and an increase in your battery cycle count.

Conclusion:

If you’re like most Americans who drive an average of 37 miles per day, you could easily skip charging for a few days and still have enough battery capacity for your use.

Charging fewer days a week at night or in off-peak electricity pricing periods will help you deal with the drawbacks listed above and increase the battery life of your Tesla.

Looking for a way to charge your Tesla at home? Contact us, your Los Angeles Tesla Certified electricians.

When you are an electric vehicle owner, dealing with charging becomes the next thing to do. For some, it’s easy to stick to public charging options. For others, home charging options are the best, but the same rules do not apply to every home.

If you are living in a condo or apartment, the power to your home comes from a house panel that serves all occupants. This means it won’t be so easy to just install a Tesla charger without approaching your building manager.

Since many occupants share the power from a panel, the building manager can’t allow occupants to install individual charging units. The reason is that such installations will overwhelm the panel in the long run.

Does this mean you have no choice but to depend on public Tesla chargers? Not exactly. It’s possible to get a Tesla charger installation in your Los Angeles condo by following certain steps, working with the right electrician, and knowing the problems to avoid.

Read on as we guide you through it.

1. Start by locating your service panel

In your Los Angeles condo, the service panel may not be in an accessible area. However, to even begin the process of installing a Tesla charger in your condo or apartment, you have to locate this service panel. Once found, a professional electrician can help you find out if the panel can accommodate another breaker or the charger installation.

1. Know the parking arrangement

From knowing what your panel can and can’t carry and its location, you can move on to your parking arrangement. Where you park your EV is vital to install a charging unit. Parking arrangements in a condo or apartment usually include assigned parking spots, shared parking lots, or personal garages that can be inside or outside.

Level 2 EV chargers often come with a cord that is up to 20ft long. Hence, identifying your parking arrangement helps to know what is involved in running power from the main panel to the spot where the Tesla charger can reach your vehicle.

1. Meet your building manager

This is usually where it gets tricky for EV drivers in condos or apartments. After you’ve determined the factors above, you will need to send a request to your HOA or building inspector/manager. Some managers who are familiar with installing EV chargers can help you through the process and granting permission. While others may make you go through a series of hoops or refuse to grant permission.

To help with your request, here are some things you should include;

• The charging station you need – Level 1 or Level 2.
• Where the charging unit will be installed.
• Any construction implications.
• The real estate benefits of installing an EV charger.
• Who will pay for the installation, charger maintenance, and electricity costs?
• Access to a licensed electrician to install the Tesla charger.
• A permit from the city.

A licensed electrician will get the permit from the city and be able to provide insight on most of the details you need such as the type of charging station and installation details.

If there’s anything we know about Tesla, it’s that they keep doing better and better. This leads to more people wanting to join the movement for sustainability by owning one of their sleek vehicles.

More EV drivers on the roads increase the need for home charger installations. It’s not surprising because a home charging station offers convenience and reliability. This is where hiring an electrician for the installation also comes in.

The term Tesla certified electrician simply means an electrician or company that has undergone training by Tesla and is certified as a capable installer.

Becoming a Tesla certified electrician comes with many benefits such as:

• Having the certification shows that you invest in your career as an electrician and you probably have more knowledge and experience than others in your field.
• You get to stay updated with the latest trends in consumer and industrial electricity.
• You will be shown to EV drivers in your area as a Tesla certified electrician.
• Tesla always recommends that owners get their charging equipment installed and serviced by one of their certified electricians.

How to become a Tesla certified electrician

When you decide this program and its certification are just right for you, you’ll have to apply for it. The application is done via the Tesla website and you will be required to fill a form. Here is some information Tesla will ask you to provide in the form:

• Your full name
• Email address and phone number
• Region
• Address
• Company name
• Products you will work with
• The number of installations you hope to install in a year?
• Company address
• Website
• Number of employees
• The certifications/licenses you currently have
• Insurance document

The data may depend on if you are an independent electrician or electrical contractor/company. Further directions will be given after you submit the form. Due to great interest, the form and program may not be available at any given time.

What to expect?

As a Tesla certified installer, you would often be required to take the pictures of your completed installations and send them to Tesla.

You would need to have an electrical license and be an electrician to apply for this certification.

The Electric Connection is proud to be featured as a Tesla certified installer. We are currently installing multiple Tesla and other electric vehicle charging units and receptacles daily. It’s usually a simple job for our electricians to tackle and we’re happy to help out! Complete this simple online form for a free quote emailed to you in minutes.

All EV drivers have to find a solution to charging their electric vehicles. The best option is to always charge at home overnight so you are powered up and ready to go in the morning. To do this, you will need a Tesla certified electrician but not all homeowners know where to start or why this is even necessary.

Why install a home charger for your EV

Yes, installing a home charger for your Tesla means investing some money. The thing is, it’s more beneficial and cheaper in the long-run. Here are some reasons why:

• You get to decide everything. Installing a home EV charger for your Tesla gives you a convenient charging option. Hence, you get to control everything. You can decide the type of charging you prefer such as a level 1 or a level 2. You can also indicate where you’ll like the charger installed.
• It saves you money. Investing in a home Tesla charger saves you charging costs in the long run. Most public charging options come at a cost that will only add to your monthly bills.
• Your home will rise in value. Having a Tesla charging station at home can increase your home’s value in case of a sale. A Tesla charging station is a modern installation that is relevant to a green future as more and more people buy EVs.

Why a Tesla certified electrician?

When it comes to installing a home car charging station, you may hear the term Tesla certified electrician. Yes, this differs from hiring a regular electrician to connect your Tesla.

A Tesla certified electrician has;

• Undergone an intensive EV service training program
• An understanding of all Tesla vehicle products
• Passed a written general automotive exam not specific to Tesla vehicles
• Relevant education and training
• Compliance with all local and national electric code installation requirements.
• Experience in Tesla vehicle charging needs
• License and insurance

Why would you want to hire someone any less qualified to handle the charging needs of your sleek EV?

How to find a Tesla certified electrician

Contrary to what you may think, there are not so many Tesla certified electricians around. It takes dedication and professionalism to opt for this certification.

To find a Tesla certified electrician, you can start by searching on the Tesla platform for a certified electrician near you. When you find a few options, be sure to confirm their certifications beyond EV charger installations. An electrician with experience in other electrical services is best.

Aside from installing your home car charger, the electrician could inform you of other problems with the electrical wiring in your home. They can determine if your electrical panel is of the right capacity for the new addition and also recommend surge protection.

Check for reviews of this technician and get their quote. Choose from your options if you have more than one and schedule a time for the installation. Be sure to keep all your invoices from the service.

Don’t want to look too far? Contact us here today for your home electrical and Tesla charging needs.