here are some more detailed information how these things work :
General (in theory, practice is often a little bit different :wink
:
I assume that every thing on the car side is done, car is ready to charge
a) Now you plug in the Mennekes connector on the charging station (EVSE). In the Mennekes connector is a built in resistor between the pins PP ( plug present) and PE (ground). This tells the charging station that a plug is present and how much current the
cable is able to draw.(100 Ohm = 63 A, 220 Ohm = 32 A, 680 Ohm = 16 A)
b) (see diagram on the first page of this thread) As soon as the EVSE sees the diode and resistor 2700 Ohm the EVSE starts talking to the car (PWM protocol) and tells the car how much current the EVSE can provide ( taking max current of the cable into account, see a) )
c) now the car programs its charger for the max current it can or likes to draw or the EVSE is able to provide and switches S2 to on.
d) When S2 is switched to on the EVSE locks the Mennekes connector
optional e) : you may have to activate the EVSE via operator, App, RFID or what ever
f) charging starts ( hopefully)
g) while charging the EVSE might tell the car, to set the current to a lower value e.g. because of a weak grid, don't know what in theory would happen, if the car doesn't respond
h) if S2 is switched to off or the pilot signal is interrupted, charging stops immediately, the Menneckes connector is released
TM cable vs Mennekes Adapter : (theory)
The TM cable :
the TM cable should do every step without the need of an user input
the TM cable is a direct connection between EVSE and car
you can charge only one car at one socket
you can only supply a Tesla with power
the TM Menneckes connector is only equipped with the pins L1, N and PE, L2 and L3 are missing
The Adapter to CEE red :
the adapter isn't listening to the EVSE, so you have to know the max. current of the EVSE, some times you have to guess
you have to dial down in the Tesla to the max current available
you push S2 via a button manually
4 times cheaper then the Tesla solution
its a dump solution, Kevin would like it :biggrin:
with a power distributor with switched phases you can charge up to 6 Roadsters at one EVSE ( they have usually 2 sockets)
with this power distributor other cars can charge with the Roadster on the same socket, e.g a Leaf with an "in Cable Box"
usually the EVSE has a single fuse for every single phase, if you have to guess the max current you have 6 tries with the power distributor:biggrin:
if one phase fails you can switch to the next phase with the power distributor
you can start a small folk festival at every EVSE, 44 kW are available for merry-go-rounds beer cooler or what ever you need:biggrin::biggrin:
(not done yet in practice, but we'll see about that :wink
My personal experience :
If you start charging at Mennekes EVSE you should be prepared for adventures :
some charging station doesn't exist, some are not connected to the grid, some doesn't work at all, some have horrible software bugs, some like your cable so much, that they don't want to give it back ...:crying::scared:
In my experience I found the adapter more reliable, the TM cable often gives you only 16 A when 32 A are available or refuses to work at all, you can't dial down or up after charging has started
and the best of it all is that you can charge up to 6 Roadsters. with the adapter :biggrin:
some pictures from the German Tesla forum, text in German but the pictures tell the story :
Adapter, EVSE at the Großglockner was out of order due to an impact by a snow plow but was repaired 4 weeks later, Kelag a power supplier in Autria is very quick about that
Tesla-Fahrer und -Freunde Forum Thema anzeigen - Fotos 7. Alternativenergiesternfahrt 2012
5 Tesla charging at Kelag EVSE near Großglockner in Heiligenblut and Ossiach:
Tesla-Fahrer und -Freunde Forum Thema anzeigen - Fotos 7. Alternativenergiesternfahrt 2012
In Ossiach we draw 500 kWh in 2 days, try this with the TM solution:biggrin::biggrin:
