What EV Charger Do You Need for a 2022 Tesla Model Y?
Wiring a 60-amp circuit and mounting a hardwired EVSE is the standard path to charging this car at home. You need a licensed electrician for this work because a 48-amp continuous load requires permanent wiring. The car pulls up to 48 amps on a Level 2 setup, refilling the 91.2 kWh battery in 7.9 hours.
The numbers
| Maximum AC charging rate | 11.5 kW (48 A) |
|---|---|
| Charger size to buy | 48 A |
| Circuit breaker required | 60 A |
| Outlet / connection | hardwired (a 48 A EVSE must be hardwired -- no household receptacle is rated for it) |
| Charge port | NACS |
| Full charge on Level 2 | about 7.9 hours |
| Range added per hour (Level 2) | about 42 miles |
| Full charge on a 120 V outlet | about 63 hours |
| Range added per hour (120 V) | about 5.2 miles |
| EPA rated range | 330 miles |
| Energy for a full charge | about 91.2 kWh at the wall |
Why 48 amps and not more
Matching the 48-amp maximum onboard charger means installing a 60-amp breaker and hardwiring your equipment. Going to a smaller breaker reduces your charging speed because the car limits input amperage to match the supply. Feeding the car anything larger than 48 amps wastes money on oversized copper, as the vehicle cannot draw past 48 amps. You get 42 miles of range per hour of Level 2 charging at this rate, which easily covers overnight turnarounds. The EPA test protocol calculates a slower 11.5 hours and 29 miles per hour because regulatory testing cycles do not run at the car's peak AC rate.
What the install involves
A 48-amp Level 2 charger cannot plug into a standard wall outlet. Local building codes require a hardwired connection for any continuous load of this size. Your electrician must run heavy-gauge wire from the main panel to a dedicated 60-amp breaker. Mount the unit indoors or outdoors near your parking spot. Do not attempt this project without professional help if you lack experience with high-amperage residential electrical panels.
Chargers that match this car
Your car has a NACS port. The NACS units below plug straight in; any J1772 unit works with the adapter supplied with the car.
Native NACS plug, no adapter needed.
Dual plug: works with NACS and J1772 cars.
Tesla's own unit. Native NACS, hardwire only.
Worth having as well
Common questions
- What connector does the car use?
- Tesla vehicles use the NACS connector. The Tesla Wall Connector has this plug natively, and a J1772 adapter ships with the car for third-party Level 2 units.
- Can I plug this into a regular wall outlet?
- Level 1 charging from a standard household outlet works, but it takes 63 hours for a full charge and adds only 5.2 miles of range per hour. You need a hardwired Level 2 setup for practical daily driving.
- What happens if I use a smaller charger?
- The car accepts lower amperages without issue, but your charging speed drops proportionally. You will spend more hours tethered to the wall to regain the 330 miles of total range.
- Do I need to buy Tesla's Wall Connector?
- The Tesla Wall Connector supplies the maximum 48 amps using the native NACS connector and a 24.0-foot cable. Other brands work if they match the amperage and use the correct plug or adapter.
Other vehicles
Charging times derived from EPA data for the 2022 Tesla Model Y (covering 4 EPA trim listings). Electrical requirements follow NEC 625.41, which sizes a circuit at 125% of a continuous load. Always have a licensed electrician verify your panel.