CCS Adapter for North America

[sdoorex]

Video of someone successfully using the SETEC CCS adapter with a US Model 3 at an Electrify America station. Starts talking about the adapter at 2:00 and starts charging at 4:47 and shows the screen of the charger up close at 9:07 and the car at 9:23. There is a discrepancy between what the car and station show is being delivered which I think could be power lost to heating the battery and cabin.

 

[jsmay311]

Video of someone successfully using the SETEC CCS adapter with a US Model 3 at an Electrify America station. Starts talking about the adapter at 2:00 and starts charging at 4:47 and shows the screen of the charger up close at 9:07 and the car at 9:23. There is a discrepancy between what the car and station show is being delivered which I think could be power lost to heating the battery and cabin.

Interesting. Thanks for sharing.

Any theories to explain why it worked for this guy (with an EA station and a Model 3) when other attempts have failed with similar vehicle+charger setups at multiple different charging stations?


Side note: kinda disappointing he didn’t bother discharging the battery to a low SOC% (he started at 70%) to see how high the kW would go. He said he’ll do that in a few days tho.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

Interesting. Thanks for sharing.

Any theories to explain why it worked for this guy (with an EA station and a Model 3) when other attempts have failed with similar vehicle+charger setups at multiple different charging stations?

I noticed he mentioned pushing the button at the top to get the car to recognize it. Hopefully the others tried that step as well.

 

[MP3Mike]

Any theories to explain why it worked for this guy (with an EA station and a Model 3) when other attempts have failed with similar vehicle+charger setups at multiple different charging stations?

EA has used four different brands of CCS chargers. So it might work on one and not others.

 

[miimura]

In that video @tommolog used an EA charger made by Efacec. There are not many of those installed on the west coast where the other people have tried the Setec adapter. Out here, most of the stations are ABB and BTC with some Signet thrown in for good measure. The way you can tell is that the Efacec chargers have the holsters on the side of the dispenser and everyone else is on the front.

Anyway, my point is that the adapter may work with some manufacturers' equipment and not others. They will probably need some time to refine their compatibility across different CCS hardware.

Edit: Damn. The other Mike beat me to it.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

EA has used four different brands of CCS chargers. So it might work on one and not others.

In that video @tommolog used an EA charger made by Efacec. There are not many of those installed on the west coast where the other people have tried the Setec adapter. Out here, most of the stations are ABB and BTC with some Signet thrown in for good measure. The way you can tell is that the Efacec chargers have the holsters on the side of the dispenser and everyone else is on the front.

Anyway, my point is that the adapter may work with some manufacturers' equipment and not others. They will probably need some time to refine their compatibility across different CCS hardware.

Edit: Damn. The other Mike beat me to it.

Too bad the CCS standard isn't "standard" across all brands.

 

[mspohr]

Too bad the CCS standard isn't "standard" across all brands.

I have no idea why EA chose to use four different suppliers for their stations. I guess they like the pain of supporting lots of different configurations.

 

[MP3Mike]

I have no idea why EA chose to use four different suppliers for their stations. I guess they like the pain of supporting lots of different configurations.

They said it was because they didn't know which ones would work and be reliable, so they diversified. I think at this point they have already declared one brand a loser and have started replacing it everywhere.

 

[miimura]

I have no idea why EA chose to use four different suppliers for their stations. I guess they like the pain of supporting lots of different configurations.

I don't think any one supplier could meet their quantity requirements. They also didn't want to be dependent on only one supplier. Four does seem excessive though. 2 or 3 would be more understandable.

 

[miimura]

They said it was because they didn't know which ones would work and be reliable, so they diversified. I think at this point they have already declared one brand a loser and have started replacing it everywhere.

I think Efacec is the vendor that caused them all the problems on the east coast. However, I don't think they did a rip and replace with another vendor because the sites I've checked on Plugshare are still using Efacec hardware.

 

[Dave EV]

Any theories to explain why it worked for this guy (with an EA station and a Model 3) when other attempts have failed with similar vehicle+charger setups at multiple different charging stations?

Looking at Tom's aero hubcaps and blacked out trim, it looks like he may have a 2021 Tesla Model 3 (hard to know for sure, since he also had it wrapped and those visual changes are easily done with any model year Model 3).

Edit: He has the new center console, so he has a 2021. RandyS has a 2018, so that's one possible difference that could affect compatibility.

 

[miimura]

Looking at Tom's aero hubcaps and blacked out trim, it looks like he may have a 2021 Tesla Model 3 (hard to know for sure, since he also had it wrapped and those visual changes are easily done with any model year Model 3).

Edit: He has the new center console, so he has a 2021. RandyS has a 2018, so that's one possible difference that could affect compatibility.

All the Model 3's in South Korea are relatively new as well. However, I suspect that Tesla's OTA updates make the car the least likely candidate to be the compatibility culprit.

 

[Dave EV]

Someone else with a SETEC that was successful: https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/ko16bv/ccs1_to_tesla_disappointing/

Only got about 44 kW charging speeds even at 22% SOC. Seems like this could be around 125 A maximum instead of 200 A.

Chrome trim on the rendered vehicle, so a 2020 at the newest.

 

[SageBrush]

Only got about 44 kW charging speeds even at 22% SOC. Seems like this could be around 125 A maximum instead of 200 A.

Welcome to the CCS world, where cars arrive to charge with cold batteries in the winter

 

[Dave EV]

Welcome to the CCS world, where cars arrive to charge with cold batteries in the winter

Well, he said he had just charged from 5-30% on a Supercharger and was getting 144 kW. Peak speed was 55 kW briefly using the adapter. So maybe 150 A peak or so.
https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotor...?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

 

[SageBrush]

Well, he said he had just charged from 5-30% on a Supercharger and was getting 144 kW. Peak speed was 55 kW briefly using the adapter. So maybe 150 A peak or so.
https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotor...?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

Ok; in that case I'm not sure what is going on.

The SETEC adapter is sounding to me like a successful proof of concept ... with kinks to work out. The Tesla announcement that an adapter is in the works must make it awfully difficult for SETEC to spend more R&D.

 

[cwerdna]

I have no idea why EA chose to use four different suppliers for their stations. I guess they like the pain of supporting lots of different configurations.

Electrify America Talks Charging Network Problems, Has Solutions says why. Search for "why four".

BTW, the Setec CCS adapter discussion should probably be in Setec CCS to Tesla Adapter. This will help avoid confusion esp. if Tesla decides to release such an adapter for North America.

 

[mspohr]

Electrify America Talks Charging Network Problems, Has Solutions says why. Search for "why four".

BTW, the Setec CCS adapter discussion should probably be in Setec CCS to Tesla Adapter. This will help avoid confusion esp. if Tesla decides to release such an adapter for North America.

Problem was supply chain. Four manufacturers doesn't help that.
Also, credit card readers? Isn't that a solved problem?

 

[chinney]

One of the potential problems illustrated here is that a CCS to Tesla adapter is not the only issue to be addressed. There is a problem with the lack of reliability and standardization of CCS itself, at least in its current form in North America. Presumably even a native Tesla version of a CCS adapter is not going to solve that problem. As a Tesla owner, I am glad for the relatively stable and reliable, and quite extensive, Tesla charging system. I'd like to be able to access CCS as a secondary option in situations where Tesla charging is not available, but unless and until CCS is better, and is itself more extensively available, having a CCS to Tesla adapter is not going to be a big gain.

 

[bruce4000]

With all this “standards incompatibility” there needs to be a gov or industry testing site where ev charging vendors and ev car makers bring their equipment and test against everybody else. The railroads have done this for years with a site in Colorado.