How is a Tesla car charged?
Charging an electrical appliance equipped with a battery is easy – just connect it to a suitable charger. Charging a Tesla car is associated with some nuances, the reason for which lies in the design features. The battery for a Tesla car is a high-tech device, the principle of operation and the electrical circuit of which is kept in the strictest confidence by Panasonic. The technical parameters of Tesla cars are so outstanding largely due to this structural unit.
A little about the Tesla battery device
The most "advanced" battery is considered to be the Tesla S model, the company’s flagship. It is a box 15 cm thick, which is mounted under the bottom of the car. Thanks to the assembly weight of 540 kg, it was possible to lower the center of gravity, which provides the car with stability and good handling.
The basis of the battery are AA cylindrical batteries (like conventional "finger" batteries). The battery is divided into 16 compartments, each of which, in turn, consists of 6 blocks. The compartments are connected in parallel, which ensures continuous operation of the battery even if one or more compartments fail. The battery capacity for a Tesla car of 85 kWh is enough to cover a distance of up to 400 km without recharging. So far, this record has not been beaten by any other electric vehicle.
How to charge a Tesla car?
All Tesla car models require the use of a special adapter: simply plugging the battery into a power outlet will not work. In theory, to charge an 85 kWh battery, 85 kW of power must be supplied for one hour. In practice, the charging rate of the battery is not always uniform, and losses in the supplied power are possible.
Watch a video on how to charge a Tesla car.
The electrical grid uses alternating current, while the battery uses direct current. For "straightening" a special memory is required – for example, as in the situation with a mobile phone. Such a “rectifier" is already built into the Tesla car, and all that is required from the user is to apply current. In the basic version, Tesla is equipped with an 11 kW charger, while it is possible to mount an additional one of the same power.
In addition, a Mobile Connector is included in the vehicle kit – a kind of "smart" electrical wire. Adapters are also supplied from a standard euro socket and for a socket using three phases. Vehicles adapted for use in Europe are equipped with a Mennekes Type 2 connector, which is the European standard for electric vehicles. Its main advantage lies in its versatility: the slot works with a three- or single-phase DC or AC network. Charging starts only after the connector is completely closed and the machine has been synchronized with the smart cable regarding the power of the network, as well as the type of electric current. Where to charge a Tesla car if you are outside your hometown? This can be done, for example,
When charging, the first step is to plug the Mobile Connector into a power outlet and wait until the green light turns on. The opposite end of the wire is connected to the car via a Type 2 connector. If the car is charging, three LEDs in the headlights blink green. Tesla car charging time depends on the voltage in the mains. The indicator on the dashboard shows the parameters of the supplied current: its strength and voltage. When charging, the machine increases the current while controlling the voltage. The voltage drop causes the current to be limited, which protects the electrical circuit from overload. Tesla car charging speed: up to a “full tank” when using three phases, the process takes no more than 9 hours. When the car is closed, the connector will lock into the socket and the vehicle will turn off all illumination.
Please note that without grounding the outlet, the machine will not charge. This parameter checks the "smart" Mobile Connector, and it will not be possible to deceive it, no matter how the owner contrives. During renovations, electricians often mess around, “zeroing out” or not creating grounding, so the presence of a euro socket is by no means a guarantee of the presence of grounding and the ability to charge. The maximum power of such an eco-socket is no more than 3 kW, and it will take four times more time to fully charge compared to using three phases. The process takes more than a day.
How to speed up the charging process?
As already noted, with the help of one charger, a car can be charged at a power of up to 11 kW. It is possible to double it if you pre-order additional equipment during production on the conveyor or mount a backup memory after purchase. You will also need a High Power Wall Connector. This is a stationary, fixed analogue of the Mobile Connector, which has a greater thickness and is capable of transmitting more power.
The "native" cable, manufactured by Tesla, is equipped with a button, when pressed, the car automatically opens the hatch hiding the charging socket. This is not possible with cables from other manufacturers. However, you can open the hatch from the passenger compartment or use a mobile application that controls the car.
With 22 kW of power provided by two chargers installed on the machine, it can be fully charged with energy in 4 hours. However, such a decision makes sense if you can get 22 kW in the parking lot. It is more rational to buy an additional Mobile Connector to use it in the garage as a stationary one, and always carry the second one with you.
It is worth noting that when used within the city, a Tesla car does not really need public electric stations. A power reserve of 400 km is enough to move around the city, and at the end of the working day return to the garage to recharge.