Affordable and convenient way to get Tesla cables off the garage floor, trip-free charging from above!
Added Apr 7 2022 - I recently came across a promising overhead cable management system called EV Hover, especially handy if your charging port isn't near your wall outlet, detailed below. While it's more expensive, it may be better suited for garage layouts that differ from mine.
Article as it originally appeared below.
Some of my Tesla videos and this article show a glimpse of how I handle overhead charging in our all-electric two car garage, with EVs in both pod bays:
- 2018 Tesla Model 3 Long Range Dual Motor (AWD) Midnight Silver, Tesla Gen 3 Wall Connector set to 40 amps
- 2020 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus (RWD) White, Mobile Connector it came with, 32 amps
Seems to me that getting our coiled power cables off our garage floor looks better than what even Tesla is showing, seen pictured below, and it only required a modest cost in time and money. After over a year of daily charging both of our Tesla's this way, cable management has absolutely proven to be worth every penny! No tripping.
Benefits
- No tripping over your charging cable, even when garaged nose-in.
- No chance of driving over your charging cable or charging cable handle.
- Easy 5 second unhook/plugin, cable stays out of your walking path.
- Easy 5 second unplug/stow, cable stays out of your walking path.
- No dirty fingers, nice when heading out or arriving back home.
- Your Mobile Connector Bundle can be removed from the bracket and bungees if you really have to for an occasional long trip.
- It's unlikely you'll be accidentally leaving your charging cable un-stowed, as you'll spot it dangling from above as you drive out or in. Even if you do hit it, it's unlikely to damage either your car or your cable.
Recent comments and tweets expressed interest in exactly how I went about doing this. It was one of my sons who encouraged me to consider this overhead cable management approach, and I'm glad we came up with a way to avoid pricey reel mechanisms such as an Electric Vehicle Cable Retractor or ugly wall-to-wall PVC piping to get this done. What's not to like about keeping those cables off the grimy winter sludge garage floor? You don't have gas fingers anymore, why have dirty fingers either? Affordably, with nothing mechanical to maintain. Watch the video and read the article below to learn exactly how.
Table of Contents
- Benefits
- Backstory
- Prerequisites
- Tools
- Safety
- Instructions
- Parts List
- Wall Mount Solution
- Between Door Solution
- Photos
- More videos
- See also at TinkerTry
- See also
Free Supercharging: If you find this article of value and decide to order a Tesla, please consider using this ts.la/paul68544 referral link when placing your order so you and I both get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging. If you order Solar, it's a $250 award after system activation.
Disclosure: My family owns no stock in Tesla. Tesla doesn't advertise at TinkerTry, or anywhere else, and this is not a sponsored post. We financed the purchase of two Tesla Model 3s, replacing my 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid in December of 2018 and replacing my wife's 2005 Honda Civic EX in December of 2019. These big moves to an all electric household were an expression of our mutual desire to go green, avoid gasoline, be safe, have fun, and save money in the long run. Mostly for my job, I drive a lot, 25,000 miles in 2019 for example, and I thoroughly enjoy sharing what I've learned with you. I hope you can tell!
Concerns
- If you have children, you'll need to be absolutely sure they don't try swinging from this cable. The bungees will pop off before the very sturdy wall bracket fails, but either outcome is dangerous.
- Building codes - be sure whatever you do can pass a safety or code inspection.
Backstory
This solution is TinkerTry'd, in other words, a thoroughly tested known-good solution. At first you might wonder why not just screw a bicycle hook into the ceiling above the car's charge port, then hang the cable from there? Until you go to open the garage door. Oops!
I mostly write about things I have first-hand experience with, and the between the door solution has been working flawlessly for 13 months now, and the wall mount for 6 weeks. There's many hundreds of charges/stows between them, as confirmed by my energy use monitoring by TeslaFi’s Charging Stats page.
For the between the door solution, all that was required to manage the charging cable from the Wall Connector that an electrician installed in January of 2019 was a long tarp strap, some short bungees, and a hook fastened with some screws I had laying around. Everything else was situated by chance exactly where it needed to be, I just fastened to overhead hardware that was already there, as you can see for yourself in the photo gallery below.
Right after buying your electric vehicle, you may not exactly have a lot of money leftover to invest in an elegant charging solution. This article is for you, because this was very much the case in my household. I had to find an affordable way to make it super easy for my wife to unplug and unplug every day, avoid tripping, and keep her hands clean too. It needs to take well under 10 seconds, every time. Convenience was crucial, cosmetic appearance was secondary.
I was getting ready for my wife to take delivery of her Model 3 SR+ on Dec 17 2019, when I realized we had a problem. Well, I had a problem. I stood there for a bit thinking about what to get at my local Lowe's to get her cable safely slung from above, but below the garage door. It wasn't going to be nearly as easy as the first install I did a year ago, and the rush was on to get things just so. It required some wood, paint, and brackets to get my 2nd charging cable hanging directly about the charge port, without getting in the way of any garage door machinery. I made some mistakes, and learned from them. This article should speed up the shopping aspect of this project considerably, and hopefully spares you from enduring trial-and-error and multiple trips to the store. Even if you bought a new 3rd Generation Tesla Wall Connector with WiFi, most of this article still applies since the focus is really on cable management. Also note that the $500 3rd Generation Tesla Wall Connector is capable of up to 48 amp charge rate, but the SR+ is limited to 32 amps maximum.
Prerequisites
- A garage door that has overhead clearance above you and your vehicle, to be sure you won't be whacking your head into anything, even when the cable is hooked along the wall.
- Plenty of clearance from all garage door pulleys, hinges, and any other moving parts.
- If you have a lower ceiling, perhaps the commercial offering I've listed below would work for you.
Tools
- Basic tools, including:
a. drill
b. miter table saw with metal and wood cutting blades
c. socket set
d: stud finder - Wrap-around safety goggles are essential, especially since metal cutting is involved.
- Leather gloves
I have a nasty scar from some soapbox derby metal-work-gone-wrong several years back to remind me of how important those gloves really are! Which leads me to...
Safety
- Turn off all circuit breakers before doing any work.
- Be extremely careful when working with a wide and safe step ladder.
- Be sure your garage floor and shoes are dry.
If all of this is making you uncomfortable, you must have a professional handy-person do this work. I bear no responsibility for your safety. It's entirely your responsibility to be safe and to follow all local building codes.
The key to long-term electrical safety here is to be absolutely sure no part of the cable is resting against anything sharp, to avoid any chaffing. You'll notice in my photos below that this is true for every one of those 20' of cable, with bungee cords securely fastened to the smooth surfaces of the galvanized angle iron. Even if you were to try to pull down on the cable, all that would happen would be that the bungees would stretch, but the cable will still not touch anything sharp.
Instructions
Wall Mount Solution
Unfortunately, I can't account for the wide variety of scenarios out there, so I can't really do step-by-step instructions. I can outline the basic sequence of steps, however:
- With a helper, with your car in place, find the position your charging cable will need to hang from, then plan your wall bracket installation from there.
- Use some 1x3" lumber to cover the areas of wallboard where your galvanized angle irons will be secured to studs
- Secure another suitably sized piece of wood where the Tesla Cable Organizer 2.0 chassis holder bracket will go
- Prime and paint all the wood
- Once dry, secure angle iron to the wood trim with lag bolts into studs
- Fit the perforated 1" metal square tube to 2 pieces of angle iron
- Attach the assembly to the wall's angle iron, using pictures and video below as a reference
- Attach charging cabling to your perforated 1" metal square tube
- Mount the Tesla Cable Organizer 2.0 cable organizer bracket to the wall, then loop slack cable onto it
- As needed, adjust cable lengths by pulling the car back in and attaching the charging cable
Parts List
Amazon
- Qty 1 (25 pk) - uComforts Premium Black Ball Bungee Cords - ~$11.99
- Optional, as needed - Qty 1 - 3M Scotch 4011 Exterior Mounting Tape, 1 in x 60 in
- Optional, as needed - Qty 1 - 3M Tough 1.88-in x 45-yd Gray Heavy Duty Duct Tape
This is to cover any rough edges that might be anywhere near any cables. You want zero risk of chafing.
Tesla.com
- Qty 1 - Gen 2 Mobile Connector Bundle - $275
This comes standard with all Tesla Model 3 models, but you may want to puchase another from Tesla directly at the link above, with more technical info available at Tesla's Mobile Connector page. If you have a Model 3 Standard Range or Model 3 Standard Range Plus, this charger supplies the full 30 miles of range / 32 amp charging rate speeds that these models are limited to at home, so any of the 48 amp $500 Wall Connectors that an electrician would need to install would be overkill.
- Qty 1 - Gen 2 NEMA Adapter - 14-50 - ~$35
Model 3s sold in 2018 came with these 14-50 "wishbone" adapter cables for free, but sometime in 2019, Tesla stopped including these.
- Qty 1 - Tesla Cable Organizer 2.0 - ~$35
This new cable organizer just came out in January of 2020, perfect timing! I was just putting the finishing touches of cleaning and touch-up painting my garage for the wall mount for my wife's new Model 3, so I placed an order the day I spotted it on reddit. Works great, and I even have a video of the unboxing below!Description
Store your Tesla Mobile Connector cables with the newly redesigned Cable Organizer. Featuring a sturdy bracket to keep your cables neatly stowed, along with a chassis holder to reduce additional wear and tear on your adaptor and outlet.
Includes:
1 x cable organizer bracket
1 x chassis holder
1 x installation hardware (set)
Electrician
- Qty 1 - NEMA 14-50 Outlet if you're planning to use your Mobile Connector.
You should also check out Check Your Tesla Plug❗️ Why you MUST get an Industrial Grade Outlet 🔥 Tesla Recommended Receptacle to learn more, featuring:
Finally, see also Tesla's INSTALLING YOUR 240 VOLT OUTLET guidance.
Details about getting NEMA 14-50 outlets installed are in my related article:
Home Improvement Store
All ~$100 worth of building materials equivalent to the list below are likely to be available at your local home improvement store. This hardware fits my particular application, your parts list will vary:
- Qty 2 - 3' perforated angle iron
- Qty 2 - 3' perforated square tube
- Qty 1 - 6' 1" x 3" lumber
- Qty 6 - 5/16" Lag screw
- Qty 1 - drill bit for pilot hole into studs
- Qty 1 - rubberized hook
If you're using Lowe's like I did, then I've got some links to the exact products I used below. Prices are subject to change, of course, and can vary from store to store. I've taken the relevant items from my Lowe's electric receipt and copied-and-pasted them below, adjusting quantities a bit to match my final installation configuration.
Note, I tried 5/16" nylon lock nuts at first, but they were far too tight. So you might want to get regular nuts and some Loctite Threadlocker Red instead.
ITEM | TOTAL PRICE | ITEM# | QTY @ UNIT PRICE
SW1-1/4INX1-1/4INX6FT(16GA)PRFANG
$ 32.98
Item #: 215675
2 @ 16.49
SW 1-IN X 3-FT 14GA PERF TUBE
$ 41.96
Item #: 103642
2 @ 20.98
KOBALT BICYCLE HOOK
$ 5.98
Item #: 103659
1 @ 5.98
SERTD FLNGHD BT 5/16-INX1-IN G13
$ 3.20
Item #: 137644
4 @ 0.80
SERTD FLNG BT 5/16-INX1.5-IN G13
$ 0.80
Item #: 137649
1 @ 0.80
5/16-IN HEX NUT 8 GRD 4-CT D3
$ 6.60
Item #: 136047
5 @ 1.32
5/16-IN X 4-IN GALV LAG SCREW
$ 11.04
Item #: 67326
8 @ 1.38
Parts List
Between Door Solution
Here's your BOM (Build Of Materials).
Lowes
Qty 1 - SmartStraps 2-1/2-ft Tarp Strap
Qty 1 - SmartStraps 8-Pack Assorted Length Bungee Cord
Qty 1 - Kobalt Gray/Black Utility Hook
Qty 1 - Power Pro One #8 x 3/4-in Silver Zinc-Plated Pan Interior Multi-Material Screws [40-Count]
Parts List
Garage
- Optional, as-needed - Qty TBD - urbanhouse Ultra High-Density Heavy Duty Corner Guard Edge Protector & Bumper for Parking Garages, Workshops and Warehouses - Dark Grey, 24 Inches - 1 Each
I did have to use a table saw to rip these lengthwise, converting a corner piece to a wall piece. I could then 3M tape stick them to the alcohol-wipe cleaned freshly-painted wall. I also had to use a glue gun for some non-flat areas where adhesion was a challenge. I couldn't find anything like these sold in a flat shape.
Photos
Wall mounted solution
Between door solution
More videos
This first video gives you a tour of my garage's two overhead charging configurations, and the second video is a close look at the handy bracket and cable loop hangar.
Free Supercharging: If you find this article of value and decide to order a Tesla, please consider using this ts.la/paul68544 referral link when placing your order so you and I both get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging. If you order Solar, it's a $250 award after system activation.
Disclosure: My family owns no stock in Tesla. Tesla doesn't advertise at TinkerTry, or anywhere else, and this is not a sponsored post. We financed the purchase of two Tesla Model 3s, replacing my 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid in December of 2018 and replacing my wife's 2005 Honda Civic EX in December of 2019. These big moves to an all electric household were an expression of our mutual desire to go green, avoid gasoline, be safe, have fun, and save money in the long run. Mostly for my job, I drive a lot, 25,000 miles in 2019 for example, and I thoroughly enjoy sharing what I've learned with you. I hope you can tell!
Oct 18 2020 Update
After having some minor issues with charging speed stepping down to 30 amps, thanks to Tesla Home Charging service, on Aug 10 2020, an electrician installed my new Tesla Gen 3 Wall Connector, and it's been working flawlessly. Basically all that was needed was the NEMA 14-50 outlet and workbox was removed from the location between my garage doors, then this Wall Connector was hard-wired in.
Mar 04 2021 Update
Great discussion with commenter SomeSubjectiveSomeObjective below, here's an excerpt:
SomeSubjectiveSomeObjective
Very clean install. Simple, without complex mechanisms and should work without issue for years.Paul Braren Mod
Thank you, that was exactly my goal, and it's 13 months after writing this article, and there are no signs of wear on the support hardware or bungees.The only change has been that Tesla replaced my Wall Connector with 14-50 with a Gen 3 Wall Connector (with Wi-Fi) is now hardwired to my 50 amp circuit, and set to 40 amp charge rate limit. Haven't had a chance to take pictures or update the above article, but those details aren't really related to the ceiling cable suspension anyway.
FYI, the push button on my wife's Tesla Mobile Connector handle has developed a very slight crack in the membrane cover. It works fine and is clean, it's just a sign of wear after using it pretty nearly every day, twice a day.
SomeSubjectiveSomeObjective
I'm quite possibly going to start construction of something similar tonight. The only challenge I have is that I have a single charger I need to essentially duplicate your results with, so I'm probably going to create a swing arm on hinges that extends out several feet. I'm absolutely sure that if I do not do this somebody is going to trip over it, so it really has to be done!Other than a swing arm I had thought about a retracting mechanism and a single pulley wheel, but I think it's going to be difficult to find a correctly sized wheel that pivots in the way I'd need it to. Also possibly a hassle to get just enough tension to retract it without yanking on the connector.
I'm surprised how few people appear to have done anything like this or what you've done, considering it's an obvious need and a lot of EV owners are a bit...let's say obsessive (I am).
Apr 07 2022 Update
EV Hover Kit
I came across this video and article yesterday. I reached out to the creator Mike Mayer to ask for a coupon code and affiliate link, and he quickly responded. If you have a garage that isn't laid out like mine, and/or you charge multiple EV types in your garage with various charge port locations, then you are likely to need something with considerably more reach and versatility. Check the video out, it certainly looks promising:
Buy
Disclosure - Using this affiliate link may earn the author a modest commission with no added cost to you. Be sure to use the Coupon Code at checkout for savings:
- EV Hover Kit - Adjustable Arm for your Electric Vehicle Charging Cable
evhover.com/?ref=tinkertry
Coupon Code: TINKERTRY
I have not tested this product myself, but if you buy one, I'd love to hear your honest feedback by adding to the comment below below, dropping me an email, and/or a tagging me @paulbraren on Twitter.
See also at TinkerTry
All Tesla related videos and articles:
- Michelin CrossClimate+ 18" tires for Tesla Model 3 are better in snow & rain, protect rims, and cost less
Jan 31 2020
- Featured on "Home Gadget Geeks" Episode #429 "Paul Braren Podcasts from the Tesla 3 and Buys Another"
Jan 12 2020
- First year and 25,000 miles of Tesla Model 3 ownership went very well, far exceeding our expectations
Dec 23 2019
- Charging your Tesla Model 3 at home and on the road, with details to discuss with your electrician
Jan 30 2019
- Best road-tested Tesla Model 3 accessories for all-weather long-distance safety and convenience
Jan 05 2019
- Elon Musk's Powerwall, time-shifting the energy from that handy fusion reactor in the sky
May 04 2015
See also
-
Tesla launches new home charging station with Wi-Fi connection and new design
Jan 15 2020 by Fred Lambert at electrek -
The Retractables are Coming!
Jul 31 2011 by Mark Thomason - EVoCharge Electric Vehicle Cable Retractor
I had not seen this item until after publishing this article. It has advantages and disadvantages and costs significantly more, and I have some concerns about longevity, but you may like it better, and that's ok, drop a comment below to let us know how it goes!
