How Long Does it Take to Charge a Tesla Model S?

When people get a new phone or computer, it’s common for them to leave the device charging for extended periods of time. This often continues past the point of “full charge.” Although the negative impact of this practice is slight and takes a long time to accumulate into a full-fledged issue, charging an electric vehicle (EV) like the Tesla Model S is a whole different beast with numerous additional considerations. 

Before answering ‘How long does it take to charge a Tesla?’, it's important to understand the factors that influence battery life and your charging approach. Depending on the nature of your personal and professional life, you may need to be on the road a lot. The more you drive, the more difficult it can be to determine the most effective charging method. 

You also need to consider the available infrastructure in your immediate environment. Are there plenty of charging outlets around? Or an EV charging station? Does your living space accommodate the implementation of a Tesla Wall Connector?

It’s easy to get bogged down by the additional technical burden of planning out vehicle charging times and selecting the right outlets. By better understanding these charging factors, you can quickly bypass the initial EV learning curve and enjoy one of the most powerful and sustainable EVs on the road. 

Here’s what you need to know about the factors influencing Tesla Model S charge time. 

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Factors Influencing How Long it Takes to Charge a Tesla Model S

At a high level, the answer to the question, “How long does it take to charge my Tesla Model S?” is, “it really depends.” There are several factors that determine how long you'll need. Among them are the availability of Superchargers, your location, the electrical makeup of your home and workplace, and the age of your battery pack.

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Charging Location and Outlet

The rate at which Tesla's batteries can accept electricity is also limited by outside forces. How quickly the battery charges is dependent upon how powerful the electrical current coming from the outlet is and where the charger is plugged in.

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Tesla provides its customers with two options for charging: the Wall Connector and the Mobile Connector. The former is the more popular and efficient model, directly integrated with your home energy system to deliver charge throughout the night (or whatever off hours you have). The Mobile Connector, as the name suggests, can be moved around with the vehicle and then plugged into a standard electric outlet for backup charging.  

Here’s an outline of the features that the Tesla Wall Connector: 

• Compatible with Models S, X, Y, and 3
• Over 40 miles of range for every hour of charge
• Power level customization to match the spectrum of circuit breakers
• Residential and commercial power system compatibility
• 18-foot cable length

The maximum rate of charging will depend on the electrical structure of the building and the type of charging system being used.

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Maximum Rate of Charging

The maximum rate at which the Tesla Model S can accept electricity depends on what kind of outlet it is plugged into. Assuming that you have a 110-volt outlet, the minimum required to charge your Tesla at home, you can expect an average time to charge in the range of 12-15 hours. This is due to the fact that most home outlets are only able to produce 10 amps of current, which will limit the amount of electricity that can be transferred into your car's battery during charging.

The standard household 120-volt outlet will only fill your battery pack at a rate of 5 miles of range per hour and is entirely impractical for those that commute a lot. Higher amperage outlets like 220 volts can improve the charge time of your Tesla significantly. Known as Level 2 Chargers, these outlets can yield between 12 and 80 miles of range every hour. 

Commercial areas that provide electrical charging hookups in their lots, such as the public charging lots at Tesla's California Supercharger stations, will typically provide one or more 50 amp circuits for your Tesla. Charging stations drastically reduce the amount of time it takes to charge your Model S. However, it’s imperative that Tesla drivers are aware that Superchargers need to be used sparingly. Consistent exposure to excessive voltage can increase the rate of degradation your battery experiences, so the enhanced charge time comes with a performance cost.

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Temperature

It's not just the life of the battery that is impacted by changes in temperature, it's the charge time as well. 

In climates where high heat is a concern, it can take twice as long to charge your car—possibly even up to 48 hours. As you've probably experienced with your cellphone or laptop, batteries heat up naturally as they operate. This is because the lithium-ion batteries that are found in most electronics are charging. The battery itself heats up, but also the surrounding environment can produce heat that is transferred to the components inside of your car. How long it takes to charge will be directly related to how much power is being used by all systems inside your car while you're charging, as well.

If you're charging in a cold climate then the process might take a little longer. Cold climates invoke what industry experts call the battery's "low-temperature performance." This is when the chemical reaction within the lithium-ion batteries slows down in cold areas. The fluid that charged ions move through becomes thicker and drives up the resistance that the charge has to overcome. As temperatures approach -10 F, the battery can freeze solid.

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Year of Model

Being one of the first models released by the powerhouse EV company, the Tesla Model S has gone through multiple iterations. Across these models, there have been significant variations in performance. This is particularly true when it comes to the performance of the battery.

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Originally developed in tandem with the rest of the vehicle components, the Tesla batteries are now developed by an entire branch of the company — the Gigafactory. These batteries meet a variety of different needs across residential and commercial use cases. For example, Tesla's in-home battery/generator combo, called the Powerwall, is built for the Tesla battery.

Before you decide whether or not a Powerwall is right for you, it's important to understand what goes into the development of these batteries and how they differ in charging speed. The batteries used in the Model S used to have a capacity of around 60 kilowatt-hours (kWh), which has since been ramped up to 100 kWh thanks to internal developments and partnerships with companies like Panasonic. 

The most important thing to remember in these circumstances is that a Tesla Model S has a larger battery capacity compared to other Teslas and most EVs. Not only will it charge just as fast as any other electric vehicle, but it may also charge even faster.

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How Long Does it Take to Charge a Tesla Using Different Batteries?

Tesla electric vehicles come with a range of different battery options that will influence both the performance of the vehicle and how long it takes to complete a full charge. At the lower end of the spectrum, there is the Tesla Model S 60 with a standard 60 kW hour battery that can be charged in 6.75 hours with a Level 2 charger. One step up is the Tesla Model S 85D, which comes with an 85 kW battery good for 242 miles but takes about 6.5 hours to charge at 240 volts or 21 hours on 120-volt power. 

Tesla Charging Time 220v

Tesla models now come with a 220v battery that offers numerous performance benefits. The average charging time for the 220v battery is around 7.5 hours, but the vehicle can be charged to a maximum of 85% in as little as one and a half hours if a Tesla Wall Connector is used.

Tesla Charging Time 110v

For the smaller battery option, the 110v, the Tesla Model S takes around 33 hours on average. How long it takes to fully charge the Tesla Model S will depend on your amperage of electrical supply, with 30 amps or more resulting in a full battery charge in around 13-14 hours. 

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Optimizing Charging Time and Cost

Range anxiety and charging stress are real things for customers with electric vehicles. Even with all the money behind Tesla, the company is still reliant on other companies and governments to create the infrastructure we need for widespread EV adoption. That said, there are definitely some tips and tools that can help owners of the Tesla Model S and other electric vehicles to get into good, efficient charging habits.  

If you are looking for a community of EV drivers and experts, register your Tesla with Optiwatt today. With up-to-date charging and cost-saving tips, it is a great place to learn more about your Model S.