How Long Does It Take To Charge A Tesla?

Electric cars are the new craze in the automobile industry and Tesla is leading the pack with some innovative models packed with advanced features. This new type is gaining popularity. But concerns regarding charging and battery range come to the fore whenever it comes to battery-operated vehicles. How long does it take to charge a Tesla?

Battery range anxiety is real when it comes to switching to an electric car. Nobody wants to get stranded in a remote place because their car runs out of battery power. Tesla has made significant progress in solving this issue. For this reason, they are the most popular electric car brand among the end-users.

How Long Does It Take To Charge A Tesla? A Discussion On The Charging Methods

Charging a Tesla car is just like charging an electric device. You plug it into an electrical outlet and it draws energy until the battery is full. Many think the electric car charging a complicated process but it is as simple as that.

The only problem is you won’t find a charging station as easily as a gasoline fuel station. You have to leave a station or your home on a full charge and hope to find the next charging point before the battery runs out.

So, how long does it take to charge a Tesla? Well, it depends on the charging method you are using. But remember that most electric cars mostly 80 to 90 percent of their battery capacity. Also, charging from 10 50 percent is quicker than charging the battery from 80 to 100 percent.

These are the three charging methods that you can use to recharge a Tesla car:

1. Public Electric Charging Stations

The electric car charging stations allow recharging at 120 kW. At this rate, charging 50% of the battery will take almost 20 minutes. The rest 50% is likely to take an additional one and a half hour.

how long to charge a tesla
Public charging points are not as available as gas stations (Photo Source: greencarreports)

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How long to charge a Tesla with a public charging station? It depends on the car’s battery and the mileage range. For example, Tesla cars could have a standard 60kWh or an 85kWh battery unit. The Model S takes less charging time than other models because of having a few onboard chargers.

If the car has a powerful 85 kWh unit that provides 300 miles per charge, it will take approximately 52 hours to recharge it through a 110V outlet at a rate of 5 mph. To reduce the charging time, you can use a 240V socket that can recharge at a rate of 31 miles per hour. It will take a total of nine and a half hours for fully recharging the battery.

You can curtail the charging time even more if the vehicle has more than one charging cable. For instance, connecting two charging plugs from the car to two 240V wall connectors will decrease the duration to 4 hours and 45 minutes because the two outlets will charge at 62 miles per hour.

Except for Tesla Model S, no other electric car has this facility of double charging plugs. Owning a Model S will significantly lessen your charging waiting time.

You can now easily calculate how long does it take to charge a Tesla at a public charging station. Remember that most of these charging points charge at a rate of 22 miles per hour.

2. Home Charging

The duration of charging at home depends on two things: the battery’s energy level and your home’s charging system setup.

If you have a 240V wall outlet at home, a full charge may take 10 to 12 hours. A 125V outlet (with NEMA 5-15) will take more time. In that case of a slow charging system, try to power up the car by keeping it plugged overnight. If you want to speed up the process, upgrade your home’s electrical system. Consult with an experienced electrician for this process.

3. Tesla Supercharger Station

If you want a super-fast charging option, find a Tesla supercharger station. If your car is configured with the Supercharger feature, it is possible to recharge your 300-mile range battery unit within an hour.

how long does it take to charge a tesla
Fastest charging station for Tesla cars. (Photo Source: tesla)

The high-voltage system uses direct-current power to supply battery energy. It can deliver up to 120 kW by using 480V. Unfortunately, you cannot install one in your home as the power setup won’t match to this high-voltage system.

How long does it take to charge a Tesla? Assuming that you have already got the answer, remember that a Tesla vehicle can be equipped with one or more than one of these four types of chargers—NEMA 5-15, NEMA 14-50, wall connectors, and Tesla Superchargers. The last one is obviously the fastest and the first one is the slowest.