My Car
2017 Model X, upgraded to MCU2 with Intel processorBackground
Superchargers could get busy over the weekends/holidays and so I was wondering if I could have another option.Setec has a CCS1 adapter but it is selling for $610 with charging limit to around 70kw and it is known to have issue when charging. So getting the "offical parts" might be a better route.
Initial Research
Initially, I read this post by @FalconFour. Model 3 has an ECU in place and so he had to swap out ChargePort Gen 3 to Gen 4 and ran into multiple issues. I searched in parts catalog, however, I found nothing related to chargeport ECU installed in legacy Model X.Legacy Model S and Model X in EU provide CCS retrofit, so I was thinking whether this could be used in the US models as well. EU cars are using CCS2 plugs while US cars use CCS1 cars, but Tesla came up with a CCS1 adapter in Korea. In order to get it work, I will need the retrofit from EU and the adapter from Korea.
I found that the retrofit board 1495114-00-C is indeed in the US parts catalog. So I tried to order it from my local service center. However, the local service center refused to order it for me because the service center said the retrofit kit was suppoed for EU cars only. Therefore I asked my friend in EU to order the retrofit kit for me. I aslo asked my order friend in Korea to order the CCS1 adapter for me.
Also found this video regarding installation:
Looks like what he did was basically plug the retrofit ECU in, perform a software update, then done.
Steps to install
0. Wait for a software update notice1. Remove 12V battery connection and high voltage connection
2. Remove the panels on the left side of the trunk and expose the onboard charger
3. Connect the wiring harness. Remove the plug on the charge port and the communication ports, connect the removed plug to the harness and connect the harness to the socket. See the circles below
4. Remove three screws on the onbord charger and attach the retrofit ECU like this
5. Perform the software update
After the software update, however, I get "CCS Fast Charging is unavailable, Schedule Service - Configuration Change required" (Error code CHG_w084)
The CCS support in additional car info still shows uninstalled. from the error message, looks like a simple config change will resolve this issue. So I contacted the local service center to see if they could do the config change. Here is the conversation between me and the Tesla service advisor.
Advisor: DId you installed the EU CCS retrofit?
Me: Yeah, but this part is in the US part catalog. I ordered it from EU and installed it myself. It is just a plug and play thing and what it needs is a config change, which might be able to be done OTA.
Advisor: I am instructed not to perform the change because CCS charging is not supported in the US (lie). Also, this part is not installed by us, we cannot provide the support.
Me: OK. Thanks and have a good day
Initially, I did not tell him I installed the EU CCS retrofit but he asked me instead. So I assume he checked out the error code and found the solution but refused to perform the config change for various reasons. So I guess I will be the person to resolve this issue.
Troubleshoot
I drove to the local service center, started the service mode and performed a complete software reinstall. No luckI went back home and plugged in my mobile charger, which is connected to my NEMA-1450 outlet, the voltage jumped to 240V but no amerage. After 2 seconds the voltage dropped to 0 and then backt o 240V. After retrying a few times, the charging port light showed red and got "poor grid power quality possible"
I checked the "Service Alert" in service mode and found the following:
There are two unrelated error due to easy entry failure a long time ago which I didn't bother to fix. The other two are the two I mentioned before.
The next day I tried supercharging and I got 109kW in 49% battery, which is a normal speed.
I also tried a third party AC charging but I still get red charging port lights. This time, the CHG_u012 did not appear.
Assumption
Looks like the retrofit ECU was not configured and so AC charging and CCS charging was disabled. However, supercharging functionality is not impactedNext Step
Luckily the MCU has been upgraded to MCU2 and I got a Toolbox 3 subscription. I ordered a dianostic cable from Ebay and will troubleshoot further.Questions
1. I have not used Toolbox 3 before. For those who has expenrience, can I know whether Toolbox will show steps to fix the error codes? Specifically, CHG_w084 and CHG_u012? Thanks1. If possible, can I know how to perform a chargeport ECU config change using Toolbox?
Thanks a ton