CHAdeMO Charging the Model 3

Last night I received the 2019.24.4 software update for our Model 3. So this morning I tested Tesla’s CHAdeMO adapter to determine the rate of charge, and see how many miles I’d get and how long it would take to charge from a given SOC. Summary: 45 minutes gave me 139 miles of rated range and cost $8.69. Tesla’s CHAdeMO adapter is easy to use and provides more charging options for the Model 3.

A DC charger at a charging station in Sacramento.

This site where I charged has one DC charger with dual plugs to charge EVs with either CHAdeMO or CCS charging ports. It can charge one car at a time, delivers a maximum of 125 amps, and provides maximum power approaching 50 kW depending on factors such as state of charge, battery pack temperature, etc. I arrived at the station with 126 miles of rated range – 39% SOC – in our long range RWD Model 3.

I arrived at the station with 126 miles of range / 39% SOC.

If you haven’t used CHAdeMO chargers before the plugs are substantial, and by that I mean big. But using the adapter, while not dead simple like a Supercharger, was straightforward and easy: I removed the CHAdeMO plug from its holster on the charger, connected it to Tesla’s CHAdeMO adapter, and plugged the adapter into the Model 3’s charging port.

This station is operated by Greenlots. To start a charging session you either call their 1-800 number, use the Greenlots phone app, or a Greenlots RFID card. I have a Greenlots account and their RFID key fob so I held the key fob next to the labeled sensor on the charger and it verified my account. The charger provides you with easy to follows instructions. I pressed the button to select the CHAdeMO plug, and then pressed the button again to start the charging session.

I connected Tesla’s CHAdeMO adapter to the charger plug, plugged the adapter into my Model 3 charge port, and used an RFID card to start the charging session.

The charger delivered 22.8 kWh in the first 30 minutes, providing about 90 miles of rated range.

This DC charger sent 23 kWh to the Model 3 in 30 minutes, adding 90 miles of rated range to the pack.

The session started with the charger delivering 42 kW when the battery pack was at 39%. The power slowly increased, hitting 49 kW when the battery pack reached 80% SOC. I didn’t charge long enough to see where the taper would begin, but I’m guessing that would be in the range of 80-85% SOC.

It took a total of 45 minutes to go from 39% to 81% SOC. This included the time it took me to plug in and initiate the session. In 45 minutes the charger delivered 33.7 kWh (according to Greenlots), adding 139 miles of rated range to the pack.

The charging session started with the charger delivering 42 kW at 39% SOC, and the power slowly increased hitting 49 kW when the battery reached 80% SOC.

At this location Greenlots charges 25¢ per kWh, plus taxes and a 35¢ session fee. Total cost for this charge was $8.69, so just under 26¢ per kWh, which is comparable to the cost of using a Supercharger. The cost of using CHAdeMO chargers varies depending on the network that operates the station.

CHAdeMO charging stations are not Superchargers, yet. Some of the new stations coming online provide more than 125 amps, but I believe Tesla’s current CHAdeMO adapter will accept no more than 125 amps (please correct me if I’m wrong). CHAdeMO chargers don’t span the entire country, and generally don’t have as many charging stalls per site compared to most Supercharger locations. But some regions of the country have a good number of CHAdeMO charging locations that support EV drivers. So while 139 miles in 45 minutes is slower than a Supercharger, it’s better than L2 charging. Most importantly this gives us more charging options for road trips and regional travel.

I’ve used this station before to charge our 2012 Toyota Rav4 EV, thanks to Tony Williams’ CHAdeMO charging port, JdeMO. Adding the CHAdeMO charging port to our Rav4 EV expanded the horizons of that car, and I expect the CHAdeMO adapter to come in handy for our Model 3. I don’t expect to use it for local charging, but plan to use the adapter on longer trips we have planned.

Quick charging my 2012 Rav4 EV at this station several years ago.

If you are new to EVs and want to know how to find CHAdeMO charging stations, Plugshare is a very good resource. Go to that website (or download the phone app), click on the filter tab, and select CHAdeMO (or any other type of charger) to find charging locations near you.

Screen shot from the Plugshare.com website showing the location of CHAdeMO charging stations in the Atlanta area.

Final note: In the United States the two non-Tesla DC charging standards are CHAdeMO and CCS. The CHAdeMO charging standard was designed and promoted by Japanese power companies and auto manufacturers including Nissan and Mitsubishi. The Nissan Leaf, which came on the market in 2010, is the best selling EV with the CHAdeMO port. Other auto manufacturers use the CCS DC charging standard. Cars with the CCS port include the Chevy Bolt EV, BMW i3, VW e-Golf, and other European made EVs coming on the market. Ultimately cars with a CCS port will outnumber those with CHAdeMO. At some point Tesla may sell a CCS adapter for use in the United States, but there’s no indication of that yet.

This guest post from Steve Noctor originally appeared on his blog It’s Electric. 

 

[Ulmo]

There is a much older Model 3 CHAdeMO thread, and here's where that thread picks up with CHAdeMO first actually working on Model 3, with a lot of informative posts about ways you can use CHAdeMO on Model 3 and fix issues:

Anyone tested S/X CHAdeMO Adapter on Model 3

 

[bwilson4web]

Initial data using the free, CHAdeMO / CCS-1, fast DC charger in Huntsville. I stopped at 112 minutes because the cell phone battery was below 10%:

.

• Use SPACE to toggle run/stop
• Use "." to forward one frame
• Use "," to backup one frame
• Standard Range Plus Model 3: 2019.24.4
• EVpump: Version 8.9B, firmware 4.7.6, (max 100 A), 30 min segments

Charge curve:

I've attached a OpenSource, zipped, spreadsheet coded from the video and used to make the charge graph.

Bob Wilson

 

[timk225]

Chademo needs to die out in the US. We have the Tesla standard, J1772, and CCS. That's enough. Most people aren't technical enough to understand the differences, they just don't know why they can only plug in at certain chargers. Minimize the fuss by only using the 3 best standards.

 

[cbutters]

Good Data; just tried mine for the first time today; I charged from ~40-90% When it hit 90% it was still pushing 37kW; (Charging Session Peak 46kW) while your graph looks like it had dropped to 16-20kW by 90% so looks like the curves can vary based on SOC when starting the charge.

 

[richtrav]

Just out of curiosity, has anyone ever used a 25 kW CHAdeMO charger? If so what kind of charging rate did you get?

 

[cbutters]

Just out of curiosity, has anyone ever used a 25 kW CHAdeMO charger? If so what kind of charging rate did you get?

There is one near my work; It is usually blocked by ICE vehicles though; but if I get a chance to test it before anyone else responds; I will.

 

[bwilson4web]

Good Data; just tried mine for the first time today; I charged from ~40-90% When it hit 90% it was still pushing 37kW; (Charging Session Peak 46kW) while your graph looks like it had dropped to 16-20kW by 90% so looks like the curves can vary based on SOC when starting the charge.

If you have a video recorder with "time lapse" (i.e., an iPhone option,) you could set it up to make a video record. Make sure it include the display clock at the top. Playback of a video is much easier to analyze.

As for why your P3D+ might have a different charging curve than my SR+3:

• 50 kWh vs 75 kWh - the relative battery capacity
• single vs dual motor - likely supports higher currents than my single motor SR+3

Bob Wilson

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Chademo needs to die out in the US. We have the Tesla standard, J1772, and CCS. That's enough. Most people aren't technical enough to understand the differences, they just don't know why they can only plug in at certain chargers. Minimize the fuss by only using the 3 best standards.

The only people who don't know are the people who haven't been told.

It's no more difficult to understand than grabbing the right hose at a gas station.

 

[brianman]

I have the CHAdeMO adapter and have used it a few times in my Model S previously.
...
I used it with my wife's Model 3 LR AWD and it works perfectly.

Just to confirm I'm not misreading:
A CHAdeMO adapter produced before 2018 (i.e. for S, X) is working perfectly now for you on your Model 3?

 

[bwilson4web]

what'd you think of the experience.

The first problem was to offload the mechanical stress on the Tesla connector. With the trunk open, there is a frame part that an adjustable strap:

It does not go over the trunk weather seal so it may be possible to close the trunk in wet weather without risk of damaging the trunk-to-quarter panel gap. I was happy the lower part did not rub against the paint.

The charging curves:

• 40 kW @28-29 min - SuperCharger
• 40 kW @65 min - CHAdeMO

The SuperCharger is front loaded and puts a faster charge while the CHAdeMO is taking twice as long. But slow has a cooling advantage so the car doesn't have to crank up the A/C to cool the battery. This is not a big problem but just an aside.

Bob Wilson

 

[brianman]

Chademo needs to die out in the US. We have the Tesla standard, J1772, and CCS. That's enough. Most people aren't technical enough to understand the differences, they just don't know why they can only plug in at certain chargers. Minimize the fuss by only using the 3 best standards.

And this is how bad policy gets written.

What you should have said is something more like: "CCS should be more broadly available than CHAdeMO in the U.S., Tesla/Nissan/etc. should make an adapter available to customers, then CHAdeMO locations should start converting to CCS."

Instead, policy-makers kill the working (though clunky) thing before they get the "now preferred" (for whatever reason) stuff online. And that's how we go from "working but lame" to a gap decade with nothing available.

 

[ElectricEel]

Just to confirm I'm not misreading:
A CHAdeMO adapter produced before 2018 (i.e. for S, X) is working perfectly now for you on your Model 3?

Can confirm, I am using a two year old one from an S I bought used on my 2019 and SR. I maxed out at 46kW. Sadly chademo is significantly better for me because whenever I wanna use a supercharger there's too many damn people and I'm stuck charging at 24kW.

 

[cbutters]

If you have a video recorder with "time lapse" (i.e., an iPhone option,) you could set it up to make a video record. Make sure it include the display clock at the top. Playback of a video is much easier to analyze.

As for why your P3D+ might have a different charging curve than my SR+3:

• 50 kWh vs 75 kWh - the relative battery capacity
• single vs dual motor - likely supports higher currents than my single motor SR+3

Bob Wilson

Oh sorry, I should have looked a bit more closely; the SR vs. LR battery is most likely the biggest difference here.
Took a screenshot of my session in the chargepoint app that started ~40% and ends at 90% battery: Imgur

 

[bwilson4web]

Picking a common point, the 40 kW charge rate, it an adequate 'equal' point because both SuperCharger and CHAdeMO taper down their charging rate afterwards commanded by the car. Regardless of what went on before, now the car won't let more than 40 kW come in as the battery has achieved the same SOC.

EVgo cost = ? Time =?
Electrify America cost = ? Time =?
SuperCharger cost = ? Time = ?

Since the battery in both cases at 40 kW has achieved the same storage, the cost to get there is the time to reach it times the published rates. But I did not calculate the SuperCharger rate which I'll add:

• 40 kW @28-29 min - SuperCharger
  • ~17 min Tier 1, $0.26/min (experimentally verified)
  • ~12 min Tier 2, $0.13/min
• 40 kW @65 min - CHAdeMO (both EVgo and Electrify America have 50 kW CHAdeMO)
  • $0.25/min - Electrify America (some questions about this vs $1 session and $0.21/min)
  • $0.35/min - EVgo

So this is what I would expect to pay to reach 40 kW charge rate and similar battery SOC:

• $5.98 = $4.42 + $1.56 :: SuperCharger
• $16.25 :: Electrify America
• $22.75 :: EVgo

Bob Wilson

 

[jkoya]

The first problem was to offload the mechanical stress on the Tesla connector. With the trunk open, there is a frame part that an adjustable strap:

Thanks for the tip. I was wondering about the weight of the CHAdeMo adapter/plug combination putting stress on the charge port.

 

[ivan801]

I just got back from 3,000 trip yesterday. Used my CHAdeMO adapter twice. Not sure why some people are so negative about it, it's a great additional option to have.

Both times I used it because CHAdeMO chargers were near food and Superchargers were not. So I did not HAVE to use it, but it was a nice option to have. And both times the charge time was not an issue -- it takes me about an hour to eat a meal, so both Supercharger and CHAdeMO provide a full charge during that time (or near full, like 90%).

One other time it came in handy was when I decided to skip a Supercharger along my route. There was a CHAdeMO charger about 10 miles short of my destination Supercharger, and it was a great backup option in case it looked like I am not going to make it.

I also plan to drive to Vegas in about a month, and Supercharger is St. George, UT is way off the highway, but there is a CHAdeMO literally 30 seconds away from an exit. Since I will be still at pretty high SOC, charge rates should be about the same, but I will save about 20 minutes of driving.

 

[bwilson4web]

I just got back from 3,000 trip yesterday. Used my CHAdeMO adapter twice. . . . it's a great additional option to have.

Both times I used it because CHAdeMO chargers were near food and Superchargers were not. So I did not HAVE to use it, but it was a nice option to have. And both times the charge time was not an issue -- it takes me about an hour to eat a meal, so both Supercharger and CHAdeMO provide a full charge during that time (or near full, like 90%).

One other time it came in handy was when I decided to skip a Supercharger along my route. There was a CHAdeMO charger about 10 miles short of my destination Supercharger, and it was a great backup option in case it looked like I am not going to make it.
. . .

This is an excellent example of where the CHAdeMO makes sense. It can fill the SuperCharger gaps and expand options like when taking a meal break. In a perfect world, there would be a SuperCharger next to each Waffle House or Denny's but we live in the real world. This also shows that a rentable/borrowable CHAdeMO would be an asset to any Tesla Club.

Today, CHAdeMO can work well for trips in SuperCharger sparse or poorly placed areas. It also works where there are free CHAdeMO chargers. What I don't know is whether a Nissan dealer would allow a Tesla, their primary competition for the Leaf, to use their charger.

Bob Wilson

 

[richtrav]

Aren't there 25 kW DC fast chargers on the market in the $10k range that can output CCS or CHAdeMO and can run on 240v? That might be the ticket for places that currently don't have enough EVs to justify the expense of installing a "real" supercharger but need something faster than an L2 charger.

 

[Rocky_H]

Aren't there 25 kW DC fast chargers on the market in the $10k range that can output CCS or CHAdeMO and can run on 240v? That might be the ticket for places that currently don't have enough EVs to justify the expense of installing a "real" supercharger but need something faster than an L2 charger.

Yep, those exact kinds of products do exist and could have some small niche of usefulness. Here is an example.
EVTV Motor Verks Store: 20 kW CHAdeMO Portable Fast Charger, Battery Chargers, 20kwchademo

It takes an input of 240V AC at 80A (100A circuit). So it's about 20kW power.
And the output is CHAdeMO. It is $7,495.

There are also ones you can find that are 10kW for about $3,000-4,000, but that's not all that useful for Teslas, since they have onboard chargers about that strong anyway. That would only be useful for little short range EVs that only have the tiny 3kW chargers onboard but do have a CHAdeMO port.

 

[SWUtah]

...

I also plan to drive to Vegas in about a month, and Supercharger is St. George, UT is way off the highway, but there is a CHAdeMO literally 30 seconds away from an exit. Since I will be still at pretty high SOC, charge rates should be about the same, but I will save about 20 minutes of driving.

You're probably talking about the Maverik station at exit 15. There is a new Black Bear diner at the same exit. We love Black Bear. There's also an Electrify America (EA) CHAdeMO at the Flying J in Scipio. Supposedly EA chargers will now also accept a ChargePoint account for payment. I have yet to verify this.

From Lehi headed north, you have free CHAdeMO charging provided by Rocky Mountain Power. Multiple chargers on West N Temple in SLC, plus short distance from I15 in Layton and Ogden. I plan on using one or more of these on my next trip from St. George to Logan. It's kind of ironic that the power company only provides max 25KW instead of 50KW CHAdeMO.