CCS upgrade? Where can i obtain a CCS adaptor upgrade for a post June 2020 Model 3?

[brjr]

I have determined that my Model 3, as manufactured, is not CCS upgrade enabled. However i read in this forum that folks are doing it on their own. I would never try to do it myself and have drawn a blank on Tesla dealers that will do it. I am about to take a round the US tour in my 2020 Model 3 and would like to have the CCS upgrade performed on my car anywhere along the way. Does anyone know where a Tesla dealer or 3rd party shop would do it?

 

[dmurphy]

There are no such thing as Tesla dealers. The service centers are all owned by the manufacturer, unlike every other car brand where it’s a separate business.

So, to that end, if the mother ship doesn’t offer such an upgrade, that means none of them will. No sense calling around.

Now — they ARE planning to do CCS retrofits, but not till 2023.

So you’re likely out of luck for now unless you go the do-it-yourself route.

All that said, while I don’t know your route, the Supercharger network is awesome. We’ve road tripped all around the US and never had an issue.

 

[srs5694]

Now — they ARE planning to do CCS retrofits, but not till 2023.

So you’re likely out of luck for now unless you go the do-it-yourself route.

Although it's conceivable that @brjr could find a third-party shop or helpful Tesla owner who could do the work, I personally wouldn't recommend it right now. Assuming Tesla offers retrofits in Q1 2023, we're talking about having the unofficial/DIY upgrade for just a few months longer than the official upgrade. Although the DIY approach does work, it has some drawbacks:

• If the car has the Gen3 charging hardware, then the DIY approach requires a Gen4 ECU and "bundle of wires" adapter. In the event of a problem, this combination is unsupported by Tesla and it might be used as an excuse to refuse warranty service, or to charge extra to rip it out and replace the DIY hardware with whatever Tesla eventually provides itself (or maybe even to downgrade back to a factory-spec Gen3 setup).
• The Gen4 hardware includes a heating element to prevent the charge-port latching mechanism from freezing in cold weather. The Gen3 hardware lacks this element, so with the Gen3 ECU, Tesla implements a workaround that involves unlocking the charge port when charging is done in cold weather (or maybe not locking it at all; I'm not sure of the details). I'm not 100% certain, but my guess is that when you do the DIY hardware swap, the Tesla will try to run the (non-existent) heater and will keep the charge port locked. Thus, the DIY approach might result in an increased risk of the charge cord being frozen in place in cold weather. The DIY method was developed early this year, so not many people were using it in cold weather, and how serious this problem will be remains to be seen. It may be a non-issue, or it could be a major hassle for those who charge in cold climates. There's no official word from Tesla about this, but I'd expect their official upgrade to do something about this -- most likely, to implement the Gen3-style workaround, or maybe to add a heater to the Gen3 hardware.
• The DIY approach with the Gen3 hardware involves modifying the temperature sensor so that it gives false readings at most temperatures. The reading is designed to be correct at the critical temperature at which the Tesla slows the charging rate for safety reasons (or maybe just a bit below that), so it should be safe; however, the temperature readings are still wrong at other temperatures. If Tesla ever decides to use that data for some other reason, or to adjust the temperature cutoff value, then the DIY setup may work incorrectly.

These are all issues mainly for owners who have Gen3 ECUs; they're less likely to be issues if the car has the "lobotomized" Gen4 ECU, since the DIY upgrade in that case just swaps in the same part that Tesla uses on other Gen4 cars. The other Gen3 hardware differences (like the heater and different temperature sensor) are non-issues in this case, and I find it hard to believe that Tesla's own official upgrade will be different from a DIY ECU swap, so the warranty likely won't be affected. I've seen different claims about when Tesla switched from Gen3 to Gen4 charging hardware in the Model 3, but all sources say it was sometime in 2020.

@brjr, if you'll be traveling where Superchargers are common, then you'll probably be fine just relying on them for your trip. If not, or if you want to have a backup plan in case of some problems, then you might want to look into renting a Tesla CHAdeMO adapter or the Setec CCS1 adapter. Either of these will work without Tesla's in-car update and will enable you to charge at most non-Tesla DC fast chargers. (The Setec adapter seems to be less reliable, but at this point there are more CCS1 plugs than CHAdeMO plugs, so a case could be made for either adapter being the better choice.) Both these adapters are expensive enough that they aren't worth buying right now, IMHO, but paying a few bucks to rent one for the length of your journey may be worthwhile. I seem to recall that there was a business that rented CHAdeMO adapters at one time, but I don't recall the details. You could check with a local Tesla user group, or post a query here, to try to track down an individual who might be willing to lend you one. Both of these adapters are limited to about 50 kW charge rates, so you probably won't want to rely on them for most of your charging, but they'll be good enough for an occasional charge or to limp home if there's a major problem with the Supercharger network while you're away.

 

[RayK]

I seem to recall that there was a business that rented CHAdeMO adapters at one time, but I don't recall the details. You could check with a local Tesla user group, or post a query here, to try to track down an individual who might be willing to lend you one.

This place was mentioned here last month in another thread (I have no financial ties to the company; only reporting what I've seen):

Tesla CHAdeMo Rental | Dynamic Rentals

Dynamic Rentals is Tesla CHAdeMO adapter rental located in Victoria B.C. Our adapter rental service provides a cheap alternitive to buying a CHAdeMO adapter which can cost upwards of $600

www.dynamicadapters.com

 

[brjr]

Although it's conceivable that @brjr could find a third-party shop or helpful Tesla owner who could do the work, I personally wouldn't recommend it right now. Assuming Tesla offers retrofits in Q1 2023, we're talking about having the unofficial/DIY upgrade for just a few months longer than the official upgrade. Although the DIY approach does work, it has some drawbacks:

• If the car has the Gen3 charging hardware, then the DIY approach requires a Gen4 ECU and "bundle of wires" adapter. In the event of a problem, this combination is unsupported by Tesla and it might be used as an excuse to refuse warranty service, or to charge extra to rip it out and replace the DIY hardware with whatever Tesla eventually provides itself (or maybe even to downgrade back to a factory-spec Gen3 setup).
• The Gen4 hardware includes a heating element to prevent the charge-port latching mechanism from freezing in cold weather. The Gen3 hardware lacks this element, so with the Gen3 ECU, Tesla implements a workaround that involves unlocking the charge port when charging is done in cold weather (or maybe not locking it at all; I'm not sure of the details). I'm not 100% certain, but my guess is that when you do the DIY hardware swap, the Tesla will try to run the (non-existent) heater and will keep the charge port locked. Thus, the DIY approach might result in an increased risk of the charge cord being frozen in place in cold weather. The DIY method was developed early this year, so not many people were using it in cold weather, and how serious this problem will be remains to be seen. It may be a non-issue, or it could be a major hassle for those who charge in cold climates. There's no official word from Tesla about this, but I'd expect their official upgrade to do something about this -- most likely, to implement the Gen3-style workaround, or maybe to add a heater to the Gen3 hardware.
• The DIY approach with the Gen3 hardware involves modifying the temperature sensor so that it gives false readings at most temperatures. The reading is designed to be correct at the critical temperature at which the Tesla slows the charging rate for safety reasons (or maybe just a bit below that), so it should be safe; however, the temperature readings are still wrong at other temperatures. If Tesla ever decides to use that data for some other reason, or to adjust the temperature cutoff value, then the DIY setup may work incorrectly.

These are all issues mainly for owners who have Gen3 ECUs; they're less likely to be issues if the car has the "lobotomized" Gen4 ECU, since the DIY upgrade in that case just swaps in the same part that Tesla uses on other Gen4 cars. The other Gen3 hardware differences (like the heater and different temperature sensor) are non-issues in this case, and I find it hard to believe that Tesla's own official upgrade will be different from a DIY ECU swap, so the warranty likely won't be affected. I've seen different claims about when Tesla switched from Gen3 to Gen4 charging hardware in the Model 3, but all sources say it was sometime in 2020.

@brjr, if you'll be traveling where Superchargers are common, then you'll probably be fine just relying on them for your trip. If not, or if you want to have a backup plan in case of some problems, then you might want to look into renting a Tesla CHAdeMO adapter or the Setec CCS1 adapter. Either of these will work without Tesla's in-car update and will enable you to charge at most non-Tesla DC fast chargers. (The Setec adapter seems to be less reliable, but at this point there are more CCS1 plugs than CHAdeMO plugs, so a case could be made for either adapter being the better choice.) Both these adapters are expensive enough that they aren't worth buying right now, IMHO, but paying a few bucks to rent one for the length of your journey may be worthwhile. I seem to recall that there was a business that rented CHAdeMO adapters at one time, but I don't recall the details. You could check with a local Tesla user group, or post a query here, to try to track down an individual who might be willing to lend you one. Both of these adapters are limited to about 50 kW charge rates, so you probably won't want to rely on them for most of your charging, but they'll be good enough for an occasional charge or to limp home if there's a major problem with the Supercharger network while you're away.

This is brjr, Bruce Reed Jr. I thank you very much for your information. I think i will check abrp with multiple routes and then plan accordingly. I just want to travel the country for 2-3 weeks from Dallas Tx to Seattle Wa and then anywhere else along the way. Many thanks.