Tesla Cybertruck System

[Ceefiveceefive]

I am planning on getting Tesla's Cybertruck in the next 2 years. I would like to prepare a DIY home charging station for it now.

I live in sunny Arizona.

What would I need to be able to charge it at home off-grid? What size inverter? How many solar panels? What can I buy/make on my own & what do I have to buy from Tesla?

I'm thinking of having the "middle" charging power, not one that uses 110 and takes days to charge, and not the one that takes minutes to fully charge.

 

[sunshine_eggo]

I am planning on getting Tesla's Cybertruck in the next 2 years. I would like to prepare a DIY home charging station for it now.

I live in sunny Arizona.

What would I need to be able to charge it at home off-grid? What size inverter? How many solar panels? What can I buy/make on my own & what do I have to buy from Tesla?

I'm thinking of having the "middle" charging power, not one that uses 110 and takes days to charge, and not the one that takes minutes to fully charge.

Critical missing information:

1. How many kWh/day do you wish to charge (should be a function of your expected daily use)?
2. How many amps do you wish to charge with (assuming 240VAC since 120VAC is too slow)?

Bonus info:

If insufficient PV, do you wish to:

1. stop charging
2. charge from battery
3. charge from AC

Be prepared for this to cost substantially more than off-peak utility rates and have a payback period of several years.

 

[Ceefiveceefive]

Critical missing information:

1. How many kWh/day do you wish to charge (should be a function of your expected daily use)?
2. How many amps do you wish to charge with (assuming 240VAC since 120VAC is too slow)?

Bonus info:

If insufficient PV, do you wish to:

1. stop charging
2. charge from battery
3. charge from AC

Be prepared for this to cost substantially more than off-peak utility rates and have a payback period of several years.

1. I'm not sure. I heard there were 3 different charge rates. Using a standard 110V plug in charger would take days-I don't want that. I would like to be able to fully charge in a day or less. Not sure how many kwh/ day that would take.

2. Again, not sure. I have two LV 6048 6000w inverters I could use. Would they work well in this situation?

My preference is to only use solar during the day to charge since I am in an area that has very good sun & few cloudy days.

I have no access to the grid in a 30 mile radius of where I live, so AC charging is not an option.

I'm still a newbie to understanding charging an EV. Forgive my ignorance.

 

[bob.longmire]

I'm in AZ and I charge my car with solar and run my AC. I charge at 25 AMPs for the car and leave 25 AMPs for the AC so I can run both at the same time. If you're only wanting to charge the car, you could charge at the full 50 AMPs.

I agree that there is some missing information in your post; but, in general, get yourself the new EG4 18K inverter from Signature Solar with a kit of 15 KWs at least. Running a 50 AMP load, at 240, requires 12KW of solar input, and you never get 100% efficacy, so you want extra panels and some batteries to manage the load. (or, with the EG4 18K you can skip the batteries and just use the grid, this isn't the best ROI, but it saves you money on the upfront).

Put the inverter in an airconditioned space. In AZ, it's essential. Charging a car generates so much heat the inverter and batteries will cook if they aren't in the AC.

Then, hardwire your charger from Tesla straight into a sub panel (or right into the inverter if all you want to power is the charger). I'd avoid using a NEMA 1450 plug on the charger as they just get so hot they don't last much longer than 2 years in AZ.

That's the best high level I can give you without more details.

hope that helps!

 

[Ceefiveceefive]

I'm in AZ and I charge my car with solar and run my AC. I charge at 25 AMPs for the car and leave 25 AMPs for the AC so I can run both at the same time. If you're only wanting to charge the car, you could charge at the full 50 AMPs.

I agree that there is some missing information in your post; but, in general, get yourself the new EG4 18K inverter from Signature Solar with a kit of 15 KWs at least. Running a 50 AMP load, at 240, requires 12KW of solar input, and you never get 100% efficacy, so you want extra panels and some batteries to manage the load. (or, with the EG4 18K you can skip the batteries and just use the grid, this isn't the best ROI, but it saves you money on the upfront).

Put the inverter in an airconditioned space. In AZ, it's essential. Charging a car generates so much heat the inverter and batteries will cook if they aren't in the AC.

Then, hardwire your charger from Tesla straight into a sub panel (or right into the inverter if all you want to power is the charger). I'd avoid using a NEMA 1450 plug on the charger as they just get so hot they don't last much longer than 2 years in AZ.

That's the best high level I can give you without more details.

hope that helps!

Thank you!

I can't use AC to help charge as I live totally off-grid.

I have two MPP LV6048 inverter chargers. Do you think they would work well?

I am confused about using batteries. Would it be considered a waste to use batteries to help charge a battery? I could understand using the batteries to store power if I am out & about during the day using the EV and not charging. Would that be the only reason to incorporate batteries as part of the system? If having batteries in an EV charging setup would help, I do have three 48V 100A Lifepower batteries.

 

[sunshine_eggo]

1. I'm not sure. I heard there were 3 different charge rates. Using a standard 110V plug in charger would take days-I don't want that. I would like to be able to fully charge in a day or less. Not sure how many kwh/ day that would take.

Using @bob.longmire 50A @ 240V, that's 12000W pretty beastly, but it's not going to get anywhere near fully charging a cybertruck.

According to Tesla, it's as large as a 200kWh battery nearly 7X the electrical use of the average U.S. household and about 2X my worst days here in Mesa in 2300sq-ft with a 60K BTU heat pump.

200kWh should only require about 30,000W of PV to fully charge in a day, and you'd need a lot of battery to fully utilize all that PV.

You'd need to charge at 105A @ 240V (about 25kW) for 8 hours to fully charge it.

I'd say you're looking at about $20-25K minimum to be able to fully charge a cybertruck from empty.

All of the above ignores inefficiencies and other charging needs.

2. Again, not sure. I have two LV 6048 6000w inverters I could use. Would they work well in this situation?

Nope. Not at all. At only 12kW, they're less than half of what you need, and there's no way they can handle a 30kW array.

My preference is to only use solar during the day to charge since I am in an area that has very good sun & few cloudy days.

I have no access to the grid in a 30 mile radius of where I live, so AC charging is not an option.

I'm still a newbie to understanding charging an EV. Forgive my ignorance.

Hopefully, you've gleaned that it's probably best to target a specific amount of range per day rather than the whole shebang in a day. If you cut back to maybe 50kWh (1/4 the battery), the cost will drop accordingly, and your LV6048 can likely be utilized.

 

[sunshine_eggo]

Thank you!

I can't use AC to help charge as I live totally off-grid.

I have two MPP LV6048 inverter chargers. Do you think they would work well?

I am confused about using batteries. Would it be considered a waste to use batteries to help charge a battery? I could understand using the batteries to store power if I am out & about during the day using the EV and not charging. Would that be the only reason to incorporate batteries as part of the system? If having batteries in an EV charging setup would help, I do have three 48V 100A Lifepower batteries.

Batteries may be needed to store and release peak output. A 15kW array doesn't put out 15kW in most cases. It's going to put out about 13.5kW peak, and that's only at high noon. It will be less at all other times.

The battery is a reservoir from which you draw the constant demand from the charger while taking on the variable charge over the course of the day.

 

[Ceefiveceefive]

Using @bob.longmire 50A @ 240V, that's 12000W pretty beastly, but it's not going to get anywhere near fully charging a cybertruck.

According to Tesla, it's as large as a 200kWh battery nearly 7X the electrical use of the average U.S. household and about 2X my worst days here in Mesa in 2300sq-ft with a 60K BTU heat pump.

200kWh should only require about 30,000W of PV to fully charge in a day, and you'd need a lot of battery to fully utilize all that PV.

You'd need to charge at 105A @ 240V (about 25kW) for 8 hours to fully charge it.

I'd say you're looking at about $20-25K minimum to be able to fully charge a cybertruck from empty.

All of the above ignores inefficiencies and other charging needs.



Nope. Not at all. At only 12kW, they're less than half of what you need, and there's no way they can handle a 30kW array.



Hopefully, you've gleaned that it's probably best to target a specific amount of range per day rather than the whole shebang in a day. If you cut back to maybe 50kWh (1/4 the battery), the cost will drop accordingly, and your LV6048 can likely be utilized.

Thank you. This is the info I need.
The max range of the Cybertruck to get it "empty" is about 500 miles. With my current lifestyle, I would at worst max out the miles only occasionally. On average, I would probably only need to charge it half-way to get it full.

 

[sunshine_eggo]

Thank you. This is the info I need.
The max range of the Cybertruck to get it "empty" is about 500 miles. With my current lifestyle, I would at worst max out the miles only occasionally. On average, I would probably only need to charge it half-way to get it full.

The 500 mile is the trimotor at 200kWh. That's 100kWh/day. That's a massive system that would more than power my house here in Mesa on most summer days (I occasionally break 100kWh/day).

It seems much more practical to target a smaller system that could accommodate your daily drive needs and then just ensure you charge every day to keep the car near full charge at all times, e.g.,

You drive 100 miles/day. You need to replenish 20% of the battery or 40kWh/day.

Charge the car daily between 70 and 90%, and you'll never be more than an extra half day for a full charge.

 

[bob.longmire]

The 500 mile is the trimotor at 200kWh. That's 100kWh/day. That's a massive system that would more than power my house here in Mesa on most summer days (I occasionally break 100kWh/day).

It seems much more practical to target a smaller system that could accommodate your daily drive needs and then just ensure you charge every day to keep the car near full charge at all times, e.g.,

You drive 100 miles/day. You need to replenish 20% of the battery or 40kWh/day.

Charge the car daily between 70 and 90%, and you'll never be more than an extra half day for a full charge.

It'd be wise to decide at what rate you want to be able to charge.

As Sunshine mentioned, to go from 0 to 100% on the cybertruck in a day is going to be really difficult to pull off.

Maybe the best you'd manage is 3 days.

My thought is, if you already have the 2 MPP LV6048 inverters, give it a try with those. Together, they output 12KW of power, which gets you 50AMPs at 240. That should be enough to get 75 miles a day (total guess) if you have at least 15Kw of solar array.

You'll need several batteries to manage the ups and downs of the solar. IE, if a cloud passes overhead while charging, it isn't good on your inverters, or the truck, if the output drops dramatically very quickly.

FYI, making this work off-grid, and reliably is going to be some work. You're signing up for a major project.

Hope that helps.

 

[Supervstech]

Math… I hate it when what I WANT to do gets blown away by what math says I CAN do…

A 200kWh bank in the truck… so, figure 6 ish hours of sun… (I know, the sun shines for far longer most of the time, but the angle of the sun changes the irradiance the panels receive) and divide the range storage you will need replenished each day… then add 25% for equipment efficiency losses… then divide THAT number by the 6ish hours of sun… and that is how big your solar array will need to be.

The battery bank you will need is the amount of charging you want the system to be able to provide… plus 25% for losses…

So, in the above example of 40kWh for average daily needs, you would need 50kWh of battery JUST for the truck use… ya can’t run anything else off it…
And 8334W of panels… minimum…

 

[Alkaline]

I am planning on getting Tesla's Cybertruck in the next 2 years.

Not sure if your "planning" is going to match availability, unless you are one of the very frist reservation holders, expect to wait a considerable amount of time or pay $$$ over sticker.

Case in point Hummer EV, still selling for 150-200K 2 years after release.

 

[Ceefiveceefive]

Not sure if your "planning" is going to match availability, unless you are one of the very frist reservation holders, expect to wait a considerable amount of time or pay $$$ over sticker.

Case in point Hummer EV, still selling for 150-200K 2 years after release.

You are correct, it may not. It will give me more time to get my array up for the charging station.

 

[400bird]

There are so many missing details on every side of this thread!

Charging the EV can be done at a variable rate to match solar output.
I charge my car with a 7kw array, it starts charging in the morning when 1.4 kW is available, that's the lowest the charge specification allows at 240vac.

What is your daily/weekly drive? Do you drive 60 miles daily? Multiple trips totaling 2000 miles weekly? Single 500 mile trips, followed by?
Those are important details.

1. I'm not sure. I heard there were 3 different charge rates.

Sort of, there is:
Level 1 which is typically 120v at something like 10 amps, slow as mud
Level 2, which is 240 at varying amps, often 32-40
DC, which is normal the fast or for Tesla "supercharger"
Again variable current

Using a standard 110V plug in charger would take days-I don't want that. I would like to be able to fully charge in a day or less.

Do you need to fully charge every day? Probably not unless you drive 300+ miles every day.

Not sure how many kwh/ day that would take.

Again, how much do you drive?!

2. Again, not sure. I have two LV 6048 6000w inverters I could use. Would they work well in this situation?

Probably fine, I wouldn't use those, but they'll make 240 vac from the sun and the EV could charge. But 12kw isn't going to meet the vague understand I have of you your needs.

My preference is to only use solar during the day to charge since I am in an area that has very good sun & few cloudy days.

Then you either need more battery to ride out the clouds/couldy days (lots more battery to charge on an overcast/rainy day)

I have no access to the grid in a 30 mile radius of where I live, so AC charging is not an option.

You just said you had 2 inverters. You have AC
DC charging equipment is prohibitively expensive and doesn't exist at the consumer scale. You are stuck with AC charging.

I'm still a newbie to understanding charging an EV. Forgive my ignorance.

We all had to learn by asking questions.

Thank you. This is the info I need.
The max range of the Cybertruck to get it "empty" is about 500 miles. With my current lifestyle, I would at worst max out the miles only occasionally. On average, I would probably only need to charge it half-way to get it full.

Is the 1/2 recharge that every day? 100 kWh daily? You need lots of panels.
On those 500 mile days, are you going to need half your battery the next day?

 

[Ceefiveceefive]

There are so many missing details on every side of this thread!

Charging the EV can be done at a variable rate to match solar output.
I charge my car with a 7kw array, it starts charging in the morning when 1.4 kW is available, that's the lowest the charge specification allows at 240vac.

What is your daily/weekly drive? Do you drive 60 miles daily? Multiple trips totaling 2000 miles weekly? Single 500 mile trips, followed by?
Those are important details.



Sort of, there is:
Level 1 which is typically 120v at something like 10 amps, slow as mud
Level 2, which is 240 at varying amps, often 32-40
DC, which is normal the fast or for Tesla "supercharger"
Again variable current

Do you need to fully charge every day? Probably not unless you drive 300+ miles every day.

Again, how much do you drive?!

Probably fine, I wouldn't use those, but they'll make 240 vac from the sun and the EV could charge. But 12kw isn't going to meet the vague understand I have of you your needs.

Then you either need more battery to ride out the clouds/couldy days (lots more battery to charge on an overcast/rainy day)

You just said you had 2 inverters. You have AC
DC charging equipment is prohibitively expensive and doesn't exist at the consumer scale. You are stuck with AC charging.

We all had to learn by asking questions.

Is the 1/2 recharge that every day? 100 kWh daily? You need lots of panels.
On those 500 mile days, are you going to need half your battery the next day?

Good clarification questions!

My average use: every other day or every few days, 100 to 200 mile round trip. I live in a remote area and have to drive a long ways to small towns. The Cybertruck would be a second vehicle and I would not be fully reliant on it.

Occasionally: drive the full or near the 500 mile limit round trip, probably once or twice a month. If driving in a city I would use a charging station there as needed.

I have no problem obtaining as many solar panels as needed. I do plan on having a very large array for it. Besides the number of panels needed, my main concern is the other components that I would need.

 

[Shimmy]

Haven't seen anybody ask the most important question: will you be charging during the day or at night.

If at night, forget it. You would need a battery bank sized with the full capacity for your daily charge (plus losses). Say conservatively 60kWh for battery. That is a $18-20k battery system, or about $0.10/kWh for just the battery.

The daytime components based on 100 miles/day average (~35kWh) would be a minimum 5kW inverter (7-8 hour charge time), and I would guess about 10kW of PV (~25x 400W panels), just to support the car.

A kit from Signature Solar such as below would get you most of the way there for daytime; you would need 8 extra batteries for nighttime charging.
https://signaturesolar.com/complete-all-in-one-off-grid-solar-kit-kit-e0000

 

[Ceefiveceefive]

Haven't seen anybody ask the most important question: will you be charging during the day or at night.

If at night, forget it. You would need a battery bank sized with the full capacity for your daily charge (plus losses). Say conservatively 60kWh for battery. That is a $18-20k battery system, or about $0.10/kWh for just the battery.

Daytime is what I plan on. Arizona is ideal for it.

 

[Shimmy]

Daytime is what I plan on. Arizona is ideal for it.

Then the kit I added to my post above would be a good budget and bill of materials. It wouln't be the actual equipment I would get though.

 

[Supervstech]

Daytime is what I plan on. Arizona is ideal for it.

Daytime charging allows a smaller bank if the solar is sized for it.

Now, to get ANY charge into the bank, the solar needs to be able to charge the vehicle while the bank is full.

If the bank isn’t full, Solar tries to charge while the vehicle is drawing all the watts, and little hits the bank.

 

[DrZ123]

What do Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and the Tesla Cyber Truck all have in common?