TMC is an independent, primarily volunteer organization that relies on ad revenue to cover its operating costs. Please consider whitelisting TMC on your ad blocker and becoming a Supporting Member. For more info: Support TMC
  1. TMC is currently READ ONLY.
    Click here for more info.

CCS Adapter for North America

Discussion in 'Supercharging & Charging Infrastructure' started by Can37, Sep 8, 2019.

Tags:
  1. stopcrazypp

    stopcrazypp Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2007
    Messages:
    9,830
    It's bound to happen when you have multiple vendors and manufacturers (both chargers/EVSEs and cars). Even though there are standards, there are gray areas and tolerances. For example, you would think something relatively simple like AC J1772 wouldn't have such problems, but there have been problems reported also.

    Working together: avoiding EVSE-to-vehicle interoperability issues - Charged EVs

    There are also issues reported with CCS even without the adapters.
    Fixing Chevy Bolt EV and Spark EV Charging Systems | Torque News

    In most cases it becomes a blame game, where the charger manufacturer blames the car manufacturer and vise versa, although the article above suggests it's the charger network/manufacturer which usually gets most of the blame from the consumer.
     
  2. mociaf9

    mociaf9 Active Member

    Joined:
    Oct 18, 2018
    Messages:
    2,388
    Location:
    CA
    Not that surprising. The car owner's experience is that their car can successfully charge on some networks/hardware but routinely has trouble at another. Since the car hasn't changed, it's easy to see why they might infer that the problem must be with the new element.
     
  3. cwerdna

    cwerdna Active Member

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2012
    Messages:
    3,343
    Location:
    SF Bay Area, CA
    Don't know but I've still seen reports on Bolt FB groups and Plugshare of people having trouble having trouble w/EA's credit card readers. My response to them is "duh. Why are you using them?" I usually try to point them to the interview.

    In the past month or two, I have dropped by an EA site nearby and seen that two of the units were showing network errors on their CC readers.
     
  4. ccdisce

    ccdisce EBISU like

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2014
    Messages:
    220
    Location:
    Georgia USA
    I think Tesla should be OK with the rather ' simple looking' adapter that was shown on the various sites, or just flood the area with 5,000 Superchargers /year.

    HomePlug.org website is non-responsive so I can't see the spec which they say that hey have posted on the web somewhere.
    Qualcomm possibly among others is supposed to have a chip (set) that will handle the protocol but not being in the industry I am not allowed to see any kind of documentation.
    It appears as if the standards could have been moved to the IEEE or the IEC.
    A testing organization may have been started I haven't found out as yet.
    The 5 major European Automakers supposedly have set up a governing body to set up a 350KW system. Tesla was not on the list that I saw.
     
  5. chinney

    chinney Member

    Joined:
    Nov 7, 2020
    Messages:
    102
    Location:
    Ottawa ON
    I think that there was a joke made earlier in this thread (or maybe it was in another related thread) to the effect that 'the great thing about standards is that there are so many of them' - and practical illustrations of that principle as it applies in various technologies. That might be true, but efforts can be made to improve standardization, or at least interoperability. Such efforts in the electric vehicle charging domain are going to be very important in allowing the transition to electric vehicles happen. The issue is not as big for Teslas, given that Tesla Supercharging largely 'just works'. But lack of standardization for all the other vehicle and charging combinations out there could be a huge drawback. If people pull up to a charging station with a low charge, they need the charger to reliably work, and work well. If it frequently does not, word of mouth is going to get out there that electric vehicles are not a practical alternative. That could hold back the electric vehicle project for many years.
     
  6. cwerdna

    cwerdna Active Member

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2012
    Messages:
    3,343
    Location:
    SF Bay Area, CA
    To add to an differing data point about the behavior I described in the 1st paragraph:
    I used two different ChargePoint CPE250 DC FCs on my Bolt the other night and tried pressing on the button on the SAE Combo handle to stop the charge. It didn't work. It felt like it was mechanically being blocked (not sure if it was in the handle or by my car's plug lock, blocking the tang). In one case, I pressed hard enough to the point where I could hear the microswitch in the handle. It didn't stop the charge.

    This above is what I would've always expected when charging via SAE Combo.

    The behavior I observed on the BTC Fat Boy chargers (in the video) I referenced was unexpected to me.
     
  7. theothertom

    theothertom Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2020
    Messages:
    228
    Location:
    South Carolina
    • Like x 1

Share This Page

  • About Us

    Formed in 2006, Tesla Motors Club (TMC) was the first independent online Tesla community. Today it remains the largest and most dynamic community of Tesla enthusiasts. Learn more.
  • Do you value your experience at TMC? Consider becoming a Supporting Member of Tesla Motors Club. As a thank you for your contribution, you'll get nearly no ads in the Community and Groups sections. Additional perks are available depending on the level of contribution. Please visit the Account Upgrades page for more details.


    SUPPORT TMC