How to charge using CHAdeMO and other non-Tesla EV chargers in Japan.

[Aganan]

Hi everyone, I live in Sendai up in Tohoku where sadly there aren't many superchargers. So aside from charging mainly at home, I assume I will also be charging at service stations that offer charging via CHAdeMO.

What is the experience like for charging using a CHAdeMO here in Japan? When I had a look at one CHAdeMO charge station. It didn't seem to accept cash or credit card. So do I need to sign up for a pre-paid cash card specifically for CHAdeMO or is there a particular app that I need to use?

I like to do road trips and plan to do a few with the Tesla, so I don't want to be caught unable to charge using a CHAdeMO charger and the like.

Also, I'm guessing there are other options aside from CHAdeMO. For example, could I park at a Nissan or Mitsubishi dealership and pay to use their charger or would they chase me off the property? lol

Any help is much appreciated. Thank you.

 

[hiroshiy]

Hi everyone, I live in Sendai up in Tohoku where sadly there aren't many superchargers. So aside from charging mainly at home, I assume I will also be charging at service stations that offer charging via CHAdeMO.

What is the experience like for charging using a CHAdeMO here in Japan? When I had a look at one CHAdeMO charge station. It didn't seem to accept cash or credit card. So do I need to sign up for a pre-paid cash card specifically for CHAdeMO or is there a particular app that I need to use?

I like to do road trips and plan to do a few with the Tesla, so I don't want to be caught unable to charge using a CHAdeMO charger and the like.

Also, I'm guessing there are other options aside from CHAdeMO. For example, could I park at a Nissan or Mitsubishi dealership and pay to use their charger or would they chase me off the property? lol

Any help is much appreciated. Thank you.

@Aganan, to use CHAdeMO in Japan, there are three types.
1) Free chargers. You don't need payment - connect your adapter.
2) NCS-affiliated chargers. You can identify these by looking for pink elephant sign. You have two ways to charge - subscribe to a Nissan ZESP3 card or pay as you go. ZESP3 card is a subscription - you need to pay the monthly fee.
日産：日産電気自動車 充電について | zesp3
(they are not good at making web sites - the important part is in the image)
You can find pay-as-you-go enabled charging stations by finding them here:
ビジター充電パスワード発行｜ジャパンチャージネットワーク
3) non-NCS-affiliated chargers. These chargers have a non-standardized way of charging (like paying cash).

電気自動車ゲスト充電の【実録レポート！】取扱説明書 | EVsmartブログ
How-to article to "pay-as-you-go" charging
# Note: very complex

You can download an app to see the charging stations around you:
EVsmart 電気自動車の充電器スタンド・ステーション検索 口コミサイト

 

[Aganan]

Hi again Hiroshiy. Thank you so much for all the useful info! I'm going to have a look after dinner!

I might be back with more questions...

Thanks again!

 

[NamaDenki]

Do CHAdeMO chargers show up in Tesla's navigation in Japan yet?

 

[indianinjapan]

Do CHAdeMO chargers show up in Tesla's navigation in Japan yet?

I am not owning any Tesla yet. But when I checked the navigation in a demo car in Tesla showroom in Kawasaki I didn’t see Chademo chargers popping out. Only Tesla Superchargers showed up when I tired navigating to Nagoya. But even the superchargers popped up only as information not as navigation points (in the directions) as I had seen on some YouTube videos. So may be I was checking bolder version of software.

 

[Pillage]

I got mostly through the ZESP3 sign up page but it asked me to enter a “reseller” name (according to Google translate). Anyone know what this is? It would not let me continue the process without giving one it liked. Thanks!

 

[apisit]

I have a question regarding charging at non-Tesla chargers,
Does the charger throttle the output for a non-member? The reason I'm asking this is that I NEVER get a rated output or even close to rated output. For example, the charger is rated at 30kW but I don't get more than 16kW. sometimes as low as 10kW. 30 mins and I gain around 60-70km. it's quite annoying. Is it normal?

If being a member and paying a monthly fee speeds things up, I would sign up for it.
If not, staying a non-member and not having to pay monthly would be a better deal.

Thanks!

 

[NamaDenki]

I got mostly through the ZESP3 sign up page but it asked me to enter a “reseller” name (according to Google translate). Anyone know what this is? It would not let me continue the process without giving one it liked. Thanks!

I'm guessing you're talking about having to pick some Nissan dealership somewhere? If so, just pick the one nearest you that you'd be happy to visit if you had to. It shouldn't matter if you opted for the card to be sent via post anyway.

 

[NamaDenki]

I have a question regarding charging at non-Tesla chargers,
Does the charger throttle the output for a non-member? The reason I'm asking this is that I NEVER get a rated output or even close to rated output. For example, the charger is rated at 30kW but I don't get more than 16kW. sometimes as low as 10kW. 30 mins and I gain around 60-70km. it's quite annoying. Is it normal?

If being a member and paying a monthly fee speeds things up, I would sign up for it.
If not, staying a non-member and not having to pay monthly would be a better deal.

Thanks!

I charge with the ZESP3 500yen/mo card and I sometimes get lower speeds than rated.