Will you be installing a Level 2 charger?

[cadblu]

that is correct, if you have all night to charge (most people do) also you would not be able to benefit from off peak charging (in my case that would save me 50% on the electricity used to charge) and I am uncertain about this but is 220 charges more efficient? kind of like a 220v air conditioner would be more efficient than a 115v air conditioner with the same output

Your utility company provides the ‘super off peak‘ rates typically between the hours of 10 pm and 6 am. That rate applies to KWh consumed, both 120V and 240V. I think the point you are trying to make is that it’s more efficient to charge using 240v since it will all be consumed in a single charge event at the lowest rate; but continued charging at 120v will roll into the higher rate.

If Slate follows the Tesla charging algorithm, you should be able to automatically schedule 120v charging from 10 pm to 6 am, every evening. That way you lock in the lowest utility rate. Of course, it will take over a week to fully charge for 20-80% at 120v; longer if you continue to drive daily. Hope this helps.

 

[AKrietzer]

Don’t you have to get a special charger through your utility company to get the off hours discount? If you just use a 220 outlet you already have, with a charger you buy off Amazon, will you be able to get the discounts from the Utility company?

 

[KevinRS]

Your utility likely offers several rate plans, several of which are TOU time of use plans. On the general ones, they don't necessarily know what you are doing with power at different times, just program your charger or car to only charge when the rates are lowest.
They may also have a special EV plan, where they control the charger to do the same, and that plan may have a lower rate.

On the efficiency angle, I've seen level 2 being more efficient than level 1 in several articles, meaning that more of the watts coming out of the wall end up stored in the battery. I don't know how much more efficient it is though. I've also seen claims that level 1 charging is better for battery longevity, but again, I don't know how much difference it actually makes.

I don't really have a conveniently placed 120 outlet, I figure I'm going to have to take out an unused dryer outlet, and run that 240 line to the front of the garage, and set up a charger there, probably all hardwired. If possible I'll set the charger up to charge as slow as practical to complete charging within the off-peak hours

 

[AZFox]

Level 2 charging is slightly more efficient by virtue of happening more quickly.How much does that save? Dunno. I think someone posted the difference.

The efficiency gain comes from reduced energy losses during the charging process. A significant portion of the energy drawn during charging is used to power the vehicle's charging electronics, battery management system, and cooling systems, which operate at a relatively fixed power level. Because Level 2 charging completes the charge much faster, this fixed power draw is used for a shorter duration, meaning a higher percentage of the total energy consumed goes into the battery.​