Can You Charge A Tesla With A Generator?

Electric vehicles are undoubtedly the better choice for the environment than gasoline cars. However, being battery-powered, they do have their drawbacks too, one of the biggest being getting stranded with low battery. EV batteries drain after 200 miles or so, and you'll need to get to the closest charging station before your car shuts down on you.

Sure, there are already thousands of accessible chargers across the country. But if you're in a densely populated area with hundreds of other EV owners, it might take ages to find one available when you need it. Then, there's the issue of power outages. Even when you're near a charger or have one at home, they're still practically useless with no power from the grid.

There are expert tips to get more range out of your Tesla (and any other EV). But if your battery's already getting dangerously low, can you ditch the traditional charging stations and plug your Tesla into a generator instead? Well, the short answer is technically yes, but is it recommended? Unfortunately, no.

Multiple Tesla users on YouTube have tried charging their EVs with portable power stations like EcoFlow and Bluetti and fuel-based generators like Generac. Yes, the Teslas do accept these power sources and start charging themselves. But charging by generator isn't a simple plug-and-forget like it normally is with your home wall charger or an outdoor Supercharger. There are some complexities to the process.

Probably the biggest consideration of all is the use of a ground bonding plug. When you buy a generator, they're typically not grounded out of the box — there's no connection running from the machine to the earth. Unfortunately, the Tesla Mobile Connector doesn't work if the power source isn't grounded. Even if you plug it in, its green light stays off and the red light flashes twice. That means it couldn't detect any ground, and your EV won't start charging at all.

This is where the ground bonding plug comes in. What it does is form a bond between the generator's neutral and ground lines. Although this isn't proper grounding, as it doesn't connect the generator to the earth, the Mobile Connector is tricked into thinking that it is and green lights the charging process. But, of course, there's a catch: a simple ground bonding plug is likely unsafe, and in case of any unwanted circuit fault or power surge, your EV might end up damaged.

Another major thing to keep in mind when charging your Tesla with a generator is the charge current. You might need to reduce it, just so it stays within the generator's output capacity. However, a low current will make your EV charge longer than usual — you might be waiting a good while before you even reach a significant battery level.

One of the things you should stop doing with your Tesla is charging it via a generator. While several users have successfully done so, Tesla itself advises against it. According to the owner's manual for the Tesla Mobile Connector, the charger should only be plugged directly into a wall outlet. This is because outlets typically have proper grounding, so if anything goes wrong electrically, the circuit breaker trips. This automatically cuts off power to your Tesla, which prevents damage to your car and the generator itself, and even saves you from getting electrocuted.

But if you can't charge with a portable power source, what happens if you're going on an extra long drive? Well, it's only natural to feel range anxiety. After all, no one wants to get stranded in the middle of nowhere with not a single one of the 60,000 Superchargers or 40,000 destination charging sites nearby. In cases like this, what you can do is reach out to the Tesla Roadside Assistance. It's available right from the Tesla app on your phone, or you can reach them via their 24/7 hotline. They'll send you a towing service to bring your EV to the closest charging station. 

There are also services like AAA and SparkCharge from Shark Tank, where you can request roadside EV charging instead of a tow service. They'll drive to your location and hook your Tesla to a charging unit right there and then — no more extra minutes wasted going to a charging station. AAA members can get this mobile EV charging service for free. Unfortunately, it isn't as widely available as you might hope and is currently only serving 27 cities across 15 states.