How Many kWh Does It Take to Charge a Tesla?

In this article I will be talking about How many kWh does it take to charge a Tesla? This article is important because it will help you plan your charging routines, calculate cost and above all get the best of your Tesla car.

Tesla Battery Sizes — How Much Energy Do They Hold?

The amount of energy needed in charging any Tesla Model depends on the battery capacity.

Tesla Model S has about 100 kWh battery capacity, Tesla Model X has 100 kWh, Tesla Model 3 ranges from 54 kWh to 82 kWh, depending on the variant while Tesla Model Y has 75–78 kWh.

How to Calculate the kWh Needed to Charge a Tesla

To be able to estimate how much energy needed to charge a Tesla car you need to know the battery capacity in kWh, the current charge level (percentage) and also to what percentage you want to charge it.

Example: Charging a Tesla Model 3 Long Range

• Battery Size: 75 kWh
• Current Charge Level: 20%
• Desired Charge Level: 100%

The calculation:
Energy required = Battery size × (Desired percentage – Current percentage)
Energy required = 75 kWh × (100% – 20%) = 75 kWh × 0.8 = 60 kWh

Charging Efficiency — You Use More Than You Think

Charging a Tesla isn’t 100% efficient. This is because some energies are lost in the charging process, usually as heat. Let’s say if you are charging from 0 to 100% the average charging is around 90-95% efficient. So you need to draw a little more electricity from the power source than your Tesla’s battery requires.

Example with Charging Efficiency

If your Tesla Model 3 needs 60 kWh to charge, and charging is 90% efficient, the actual energy drawn will be:
Energy drawn = 60 kWh ÷ 0.9 = 67 kWh

How Much Does It Cost to Charge a Tesla?

The cost of charging your Tesla depends on your electricity rate and energy needed. To get the cost you will have to multiply energy needed (kWh) by electricity rate.

According to data collected from Statista, the average cost of energy in each state in United States is $0.1716 per kWh.

Let’s say energy required to fully charge your Tesla model 3 is 60 kWh and electricity rate is 17 cents per kWh. The charging cost will 10.2 dollars.

Cost = 60 kWh × $0.17 = $10.2

Using a Supercharger

The cost of charging a Tesla using a Tesla supercharger ranges from 25 to 40 cents per kWh. Using the same example:
Cost = 60 kWh × $0.30 = $18.00

What’s Tesla’s Regenerative Braking

All Tesla vehicle has regenerative breaking. How does it work? Tesla regenerative breaking main purpose is to recover energy during decelerations and give it back to the battery. This helps to reduce energy consumption a little bit.

How many kWh does it take to fully charge a Tesla?

It depends on the Tesla model and it’s battery capacity. For Tesla Model 3 you will need about 54 kWh while Tesla Model S needs 100 kWh for long range.

Does charging efficiency affect the kWh used?

Yes, If you are charging around 90 to 95% you will slightly draw more energy than what the battery needs.

How much does it cost to charge a Tesla?

Charging at home might cost you between 10 to 15 dollars depending on your electricity rate while charging at a supercharger will cost you around 15 to 25 dollars.

Can I charge my Tesla with renewable energy?

Yes you can. As a matter of fact, many Tesla owners installs and uses solar panels at their homes to charge their cars. It reduces electricity cost and carbon footprint.