Charging Adaptors 101

[meloccom]

I expect to deliver my M3 RWD by the end of Dec 22. I ordered it on the 11th July, just a few days after they stopped supplying new orders with a UMC, but I don't actually recall being given the option to add the UMC to my order. I only found out about that decision a few days after I had placed my order. I would have placed my order earlier if they didn't have such a long wait to test drive.

Do you think I could be getting one? It's really made things more complicated as I'm now not sure whether to order the Tesla Wall connector and have it installed, or just order the UMC. Before I sold my old car I used to do between 5-10K KMs per year, so I don't think I need the Wall Connector because the car will sit at home most days and can charge slowly with free electricity from my 7.8kW solar array.

I've also been a bit hesitant about taking delivery instead of delaying and waiting for a 2023 build, but then I don't want to miss out on USS.

Too many decisions!

I would recommend that you consider something like the Zappi charger that can be set to only put excess solar into your car.
It’s more expensive than the Tesla wall connector but the V3 wall connector will respond to signals sent by another device to match your solar production but the Zappi has it built in.

 

[cafz]

Do you think I could be getting one? It's really made things more complicated as I'm now not sure whether to order the Tesla Wall connector and have it installed, or just order the UMC. Before I sold my old car I used to do between 5-10K KMs per year, so I don't think I need the Wall Connector because the car will sit at home most days and can charge slowly with free electricity from my 7.8kW solar array.

I decided that I didn't want to keep using the existing garage point point wiring of dubious heritage, so wanted a dedicated EV charging circuit put in that I knew was up to scratch for long-term high power use. Once you're doing that, installing the wall connector starts to make a lot of sense, since a wired-in device takes the plug/socket contacts and plug/unplug cycles out of the equation too, and most of the expense is in the electrician's time to actually run the circuit.

You can always turn the charge rate down in the car to stay under your solar production, and I have occasionally found it beneficial to be able to crank the charge rate right up to 11kW when I needed a quick boost.

 

[cafz]

I would recommend that you consider something like the Zappi charger that can be set to only put excess solar into your car.
It’s more expensive than the Tesla wall connector but the V3 wall connector will respond to signals sent by another device to match your solar production but the Zappi has it built in.

I don't feel the Zappi is worth it, you'll never make back the additional cost in grid-consumption-avoided over the simple solution of just telling the car to charge at 10am.

 

[daichisuba]

Yeah Zappi seems pretty robust, but I've got a SolarEdge inverter and Solar Analytics, which are both compatible with ChargeHQ, so I was planning on using that to regulate the charging speed and limit charging during periods of high production. I think I'm now leaning more towards the UMC as the slow charging would probably be sufficient for my needs.

 

[Nickdp]

I think I'm now leaning more towards the UMC as the slow charging would probably be sufficient for my needs.

from what I see lots of folks are going down that path, start off slow charging with the 10A & 15A tails/Gen2UMC - $550, then add faster charging with the 32A 5pin tail ($270) and 20A 5pin ($250) as needs arise so the complete 10/15/20/32A charging kit come in at $1070, but the 20 & 32A tails are out of stock.

or this 7kW charger and tails bundle with 2 carry bags to lug all those cables around.. and in stock.

 

[WoodWombat]

I don't feel the Zappi is worth it, you'll never make back the additional cost in grid-consumption-avoided over the simple solution of just telling the car to charge at 10am.

Or just using ChargeHQ with pretty much any charger, assuming your solar or other power metering has a decent API supported by ChargeHQ.

 

[WoodWombat]

from what I see lots of folks are going down that path, start off slow charging with the 10A & 15A tails/Gen2UMC - $550, then add faster charging with the 32A 5pin tail ($270) and 20A 5pin ($250) as needs arise so the complete 10/15/20/32A charging kit come in at $1070, but the 20 & 32A tails are out of stock.

or this 7kW charger and tails bundle with 2 carry bags to lug all those cables around.. and in stock.

And you are still single phase, so maxing out at 7kW with an unbalanced load not ideally suited for generator use in truly remote locations. Better off getting a proper 3 phase portable EVSE in the first place.

 

[OzVic]

from what I see lots of folks are going down that path, start off slow charging with the 10A & 15A tails/Gen2UMC - $550, then add faster charging with the 32A 5pin tail ($270) and 20A 5pin ($250) as needs arise so the complete 10/15/20/32A charging kit come in at $1070, but the 20 & 32A tails are out of stock.

or this 7kW charger and tails bundle with 2 carry bags to lug all those cables around.. and in stock.

32A 5pin tail for ~$146 (USD $98) delivered from this site. It's where I got mine from. Works great. 250+ in stock in two lengths.

Australia SAA 32A 5-pin 3-phase Adapter for Tesla Model S/X/3/Y Gen 2 – EVSE Adapters

www.evseadapters.com

It I was to buy again I'd likely go the one with the longer cable. Wasn't available when I purchased it.

 

[EddyandVicky]

PSA: links to 32A adaptors at bottom of page 6 are broken.
Alternative supplier links for UMC adaptors:

• 32A 5pin,
• 32A 3pin,
• 20A 5pin,
• 20A 3pin.

Thanks for sharing. Just bought a 1m long adaptor. On sale.

 

[Dazz_]

So it's now Feb 2023 and my Model 3 is due in next month. As Tesla don't supply the mobile charger anymore, I was just going to buy one. But they were out of stock. So I've been watching to see if they come back in and now they have been removed from the AU store altogether! I found this thread and thought I would get one of the third party ones listed above, but they too, are out of stock.

Tesla seems to be pushing the wall charger, but that's not possible for me to use as I live in a rental. My driving habits also mean that the speed of a 10A charger will usually be fast enough for me anyway.

What are people using to charge at home? Does anyone regularly use the mobile charger? I've heard (and Tesla reckons) that most people never actually use them. Does anyone have a second hand mobile charger they'd like to sell me?

 

[[Zombie]]

So it's now Feb 2023 and my Model 3 is due in next month. As Tesla don't supply the mobile charger anymore, I was just going to buy one.

If you're lucky, and your car does arrive next month then it will come with the mobile connector.

If you're unlucky and it's pushed into April then it might not, hopefully either Tesla extend this offer or make sure they have enough stock in the online store.

 

[Dazz_]

If you're lucky, and your car does arrive next month then it will come with the mobile connector.

If you're unlucky and it's pushed into April then it might not, hopefully either Tesla extend this offer or make sure they have enough stock in the online store.

Wow thanks! You may have just saved me $400-550! (If Tesla does come good on that - obviously haven't got such a txt yet)I was just about to pull the trigger on an aftermarket charger for $407.

 

[WoodWombat]

Tesla seems to be pushing the wall charger, but that's not possible for me to use as I live in a rental. My driving habits also mean that the speed of a 10A charger will usually be fast enough for me anyway.

Keep in mind that it is not hard to attach a small tail with whatever plug you have available to a Tesla HPWC which makes it super easy to move it from place to place without needing an electrician to do anything for you. You can also change the tail to 10A, 15A, 32A single or three phase. If you don't plan to travel in remote areas a lot, then this is probably one of the cheapest ways that you can get a semi-portable charger.

If you plan to do remote touring then a multi-tail setup like those sold by evchargers.com.au are possibly a better bet. They are often able to be mounted on a wall using a bracket.

 

[cafz]

So I've been watching to see if they come back in and now they have been removed from the AU store altogether!

My guess is that they've removed it while they're including it in the cars here, because they had too many people ordering them then returning them when they found one in their new car.

 

[GeoQuack]

I picked up a 2023 build model 3 a week ago. Tesla told me that they have organised for the UMC to be included in the factory as they are unable to secure a separate supply for their store at the moment. My car also came with ultra sonic sensors, which I was a little surprised and relieved about. The delivery rep said that only cars destined for the US do not have USS.

 

[Dazz_]

Thanks! I actually picked my car up on the 18th of March and sure enough - it came with a UMC. Crisis averted. Funnily enough, they now also have stock of them back in the AU store.

 

[-Dave]

Now that the UMC is no longer supplied for free, I've had to put some more thought into my charging solution for a pending delivery.

I was thinking of grabbing this kit:
KWIK Portable Type 2 Charger | w/ Adaptable Tails | 16.5 kW - EVSE Australia
+
Type 2 EV Cable | 2 Year Warranty | EVSE | FREE Shipping

Bit of an outlay, but my novated lease company will let me package the cost as a running expense (plus yesterday's price cut pretty much cancels it out).

Will this setup cover most situations?

 

[cafz]

Will this setup cover most situations?

It will but it seem like serious overkill unless you're planning on spending a lot of time out bush.

 

[Nickdp]

... seems like serious overkill ....

and serious spend.

32A 3pin outlets are rare so the 240V 32A connector tail (3pin single phase) tail will hardly (aka never) be used,

This alternative doesn't have automatic plug recognition but setting the charging current in the car manually takes seconds, and comes with only the tails (10A/15A/20A3ph/32A3ph) you'd actually use. And has 9 5* reviews vs none.

 

[-Dave]

serious overkill

and serious spend

Yeah fair enough I probably got a bit carried away when the NL company said I could package it as a running expense. I'd hardly notice the cost over the course of a multi-year lease.

This alternative doesn't have automatic plug recognition but setting the charging current in the car manually takes seconds

I'm planning to use ChargeHQ anyway so this one probably makes more sense. Thanks for the tip.