Charging the Roadster

[slcasner]

I don't know how the yellow cables delivered with UK cars may differ from those for US cars. But for the US cars I can answer that the only active component as delivered was the GFCI built into the AC plug end. I replaced that with a standard plug because the GFCI was not reliable and was not really needed.

For a US car, putting a 240V plug on the yellow cable does not work (I tested it). The car requires the J1772 pilot signal to be present when it senses 240V on the inputs so it knows how many amps it can draw. When it sees 110V (120V) it assumes 16A (the max continuous draw allowed for a 20A circuit under the US electrical code).

But since the sockets are all 240V (or 230V) in the UK, the car's firmware would have to behave differently.

 

[hcsharp]

How did you get a 120v cable in the UK? Tesla supplied a 230v cable in Europe/UK that would charge at 13A with no pilot signal just like the yellow 16A/120v cable that was supplied in North America. So, to answer your question the yellow NA cable will work on 230v if you meet some conditions. First, you would obviously have to replace the plug with a non-gfi Type G BS-1363 plug. You cannot use an adapter with the existing GFI plug. You would have to ensure that the pilot wire is connected to ground and not connected to the Neutral pin.

You would also have to have a European spec Roadster. That's why I'm curious how you acquired the 120v yellow cable. It was not supplied with cars in the UK.

 

[hcsharp]

Thanks. Looking at the yellow 120V cable, it has the Roadster connector, and at the other end a plug with no "brick" in between like most EVSEs have. Is it a true mode two device? Is there anything electronic in the plugs at either end?

I see now from your avatar and signature that you do indeed have a EU right-hand drive Roadster. Still curious how you got your hands on a North American 120v cable.

The cable does not have a "brick" or controller because the Roadster (like many EVs) will default to 13A if the pilot pin is grounded and connected to 230v (16A and 120v in North America).

The yellow cable is rated for and capable of 230v if you make the modifications mentioned in my previous post.

 

[KJA2001]

My car is a UK built and specified car with a UK VIN but was exported to Japan, I think from new. Japan also uses 110V hence the yellow 110V cable. I do not actually have the car yet, it is on a ship in the Mediterranean but I will need to charge soon after it gets here so am planning ahead. I have an HC Sharp Can EU but am keen to have a backup.

Thanks for the info above. I presume that the pilot wire is obvious and of smaller gauge than the others?

 

[KJA2001]

Ha, I had not looked at who I was replying to. One of YOUR CAN EUs I should have said.

 

[slcasner]

The pilot pin is present only inside the Roadster connector. The yellow cable carries only the two power wires and ground. I'm sure Henry is aware of that, so I'm not sure what he meant.

 

[hcsharp]

My car is a UK built and specified car with a UK VIN but was exported to Japan, I think from new. Japan also uses 110V hence the yellow 110V cable. I do not actually have the car yet, it is on a ship in the Mediterranean but I will need to charge soon after it gets here so am planning ahead. I have an HC Sharp Can EU but am keen to have a backup.

Thanks for the info above. I presume that the pilot wire is obvious and of smaller gauge than the others?

To get access to the pilot wire you would have to disassemble the Roadster connector. That's a lot of work. I was thinking you could test what the pilot pin is connected to with a DVM, but that's not necessary if you remove the GFI plug, which you have to do anyway. One of the power pins is Neutral in NA.

Whether you can use the yellow cable at 230v depends on what software is installed in your Roadster. If it's the standard UK (Europe) firmware then you should be able to use the yellow cable with the modifications I mentioned. If you have North American firmware then you'll need a control box that will generate a pilot signal to charge at 230v 13A. I don't know if Japan destined Roadsters had firmware that was different from NA cars. I doubt it. My adapters work there the same as they do in NA. I know that Japan is a great place to buy a Roadster!

 

[KJA2001]

Thanks Henry. Yes, I have looked at Japan for some time as the steering wheels are (mostly) on the correct side for UK. Were there routine firmware updates after June 2011 when my car was born? Do we have version numbers for NA / UK / EU / Asia firmwares and can I get the car's current firmware version from the touch screen? I will test the pilot wire connection when it arrives. Is there a schematic showing the pin identification?

 

[drewski]

Thanks Henry. Yes, I have looked at Japan for some time as the steering wheels are (mostly) on the correct side for UK. Were there routine firmware updates after June 2011 when my car was born? Do we have version numbers for NA / UK / EU / Asia firmwares and can I get the car's current firmware version from the touch screen? I will test the pilot wire connection when it arrives. Is there a schematic showing the pin identification?

you can get FW versions in the Diagnostic menus.

in NA, the last 2.0/2.5 FW is 4.7.2

not sure if differed WW - there are flags and other options within the FW (accessible by Service Center, not end user) for HW differences like the Single Motor / Dual Fan upgrade they did so regional differences could possibly be done in there two.

 

[KJA2001]

I now have my car and have tested the yellow cable. The pilot pin is not connected to anything. I know that the cable was used in Japan on their standard 100V supply and charged at 15A.
Any tips on taking apart the roadster connector so I can try to connect the pilot pin to ground? Or will it work without it being grounded? Am I likely to damage the car by trying?

 

[slcasner]

I have detailed instructions for opening the Roadster connector that I could send to you, but before doing that you should try the cable as-is. You will not damage the Roadster by connecting 230V to the two power wires. I have tested that with my US-spec Roadster and our local 240V supply. The Roadster declined to charge with that setup because the US-spec cars only allow 120V charging without the active pilot signal.

I'm not positive whether the pilot pin should be open or grounded for the inactive mode.

 

[hcsharp]

I agree with slcasner that you won't hurt anything to try the cable as-is on 120v (or 240v), especially since the pilot pin is open. You may have some region-specific firmware that allows it to charge at low amps without the pilot wire connected to anything.

Taking the OEM connector apart is not easy, especially the first time. It's worth giving the cable a try as-is before starting a disassembly project.

 

[KJA2001]

Thanks both. I fitted a UK 13A plug and tried it, nothing happened.
Are you able to post a link to the instructions or email them to me?

 

[slcasner]

PM me your email address and I will send the instructions I have, written by Martin Eberhard.

I wonder if you could test grounding the pilot pin using a very fine wire (like wire-wrap wire) inserted into the female pin sockets of the connector. It would need to loop all the way down in the space between the plastic surrounding the pins because there is a mating piece of plastic in the connector on the car side.

 

[KJA2001]

Yes. I had thought of trying something like that as a test before taking it all apart. I presume that very little current carrying capacity is required?
PM on it's way.

 

[slcasner]

Yes. I had thought of trying something like that as a test before taking it all apart. I presume that very little current carrying capacity is required?

Correct.

 

[hcsharp]

Yes. I had thought of trying something like that as a test before taking it all apart. I presume that very little current carrying capacity is required?
PM on it's way.

Less than 6ma.

 

[KJA2001]

Ok, I joined the pilot and ground in the Roadster plug with a single fine copper strand in an inverted W shape. The car still does nothing when connected to 240V.

It has firmware 4.6.8 HW Pkg 40. I believe that there is a later firmware update so I will get that done here in the UK and see if it makes any difference. If not, I presume that this cable has a value?

 

[imdbui]

View attachment 518154 View attachment 518155
This arrived today! Took a while to install but well worth it!

Nice! Where'd you get that?

 

[Bunnak]

Now and then you'll see it listed for sale here on TMC.