Hi, considering shipping a new 2021 model X to Europe...
The community recommendation for pre 2021 cars always ends up being “sell your car and buy another in the EU”...
...curious as to what adapter they use to get CCS2 into the US car side port.
First, I am not an expert--just been picking up hearsay and references. For you (but also for others in the same situation but with different model-years), here are a few sources of information to get you going:
Taking a Tesla from North America (with its TPC standard) to Europe (with the Type 2/CCS2 standards) is probably similar to importing a Tesla into New Zealand/Australia (also Type 2/CCS2) from North America, South Korea, or Japan (also TPC). So look to general information from the two largest Oceania countries, also. If people are doing something there, their counterparts may be doing something equivalent in Europe, and vice-versa. So, for example, see threads like this:
- What Plug is This?
- Check out threads and posts from TMC forums for Oceania and Asia, and maybe post inquiries there?
The list by Krash is good. Borrowing from it, I would divide your primary issues into:
- Transportation. (The not inconsiderable costs and logistics of transporting a car into Europe from the USA.) -- no comment
- Regulatory. (Securing the proper licenses, safety authorizations, and approvals from the destination country.) -- no comment
- Charging. - see below
- home (220v AC)
- in the wild
- Type 2 (AC)
- CCS2 (DC)
- ChadeMO (DC)
- Navigation (using the Tesla software maps and GPS locator) -- no comment
- Service (by Tesla or third-party businesses) -- no comment
- Perhaps a reverse of the same costs and efforts if you decide to return to the US within a few years. -- If this is true, I'd strongly consider leaving the Model X behind.
While there appear to be (newer) answers and methods to deal with some of these issues (e.g., installation of CCS2 charging hardware in New Zealand by third-party businesses), honestly, the easiest and cheapest overall answer may still be to leave your beloved behind (perhaps safely stored or in the care of a trusted person, or sold), move on, and/or find a new new/used car to love at your destination.
Not what many people want to consider, I guess.
I won't attempt to tackle most of these (daunting) issues, but some points about charging:
- You have a Tesla Proprietary Connector (TPC) car, with the beautiful/useful plug and port we in the US/Canada all know and love. In Europe they use a Type 2 port (in Models S and X) and CCS2 port (in Models 3 and Y). (Annoying, even for Europeans I imagine.)
- As a result, depending on the model-year native European Tesla cars actually face their own charging hurdles (in some cases requiring adapters and retrofits). (See Tesla Charge Ports/Plugs of the World for more about this.)
- Having a 2021 (USA) Model X is good, in that it should be CCS-ready. However, AFAIK (others please weigh in) there is no over-the-counter CCS2-to-TPC adapter right now. (Perhaps one could be made custom? Cost? Reliability?) So V3 Supercharging and use of third-party CCS2 stations may be impossible. (Read the 2020 article mentioned above by the family that moved to Europe.)
- There are Tesla CCS2-to-Type 2 adapters sold (Tesla CCS2-to-Type 2 adapter/upgrade; used by native Type 2 Port European Models S and X; probably not for you).
- And there are at least two third-party Type-2-to-TPC adapters (Type 2-to-TPC Adapter #1, Type 2-to-TPC Adapter #2, ) I've seen. (I cannot speak to the reliability of these, or whether they work for both AC and DC charging. Check with Tesla or the manufacturers.)
- Whether you could, or would want to, use two adapters together at the same time to charge at DC stations, I do not know. Sounds expensive and potentially dodgy/risky. To err on the side of caution, let's assume that using two charging adapters simultaneously is generally a bad idea. (If others know differently, please let us know.)
- What about a tesla CHAdeMO adapter?
- On paper it may be possible.
- The fly in the ointment is, can you get the TPC-plug CHAdeMO you would need? CHAdeMO adapters with TPC plugs are very hard to find in North America and other countries right now. (Maybe South Korea? They are still on the Tesla website there.) If you have one already, GREAT!
- Do not buy a European CHAdeMO, since they come with a Type 2 plug, despite what may be pictured on the Tesla European websites. (Unless you can also simultaneously use a Type 2-to TPC adapter, which we are assuming is a bad idea.)
- So you might be stuck using only at-home (Type 2 AC) charging (with a Type 2-to-TPC adapter), and maybe Type 2 AC charging (w/adapter) on the road. If some Superchargers still have Type 2 cable-plugs, you might be able to use those for DC charging if you have a Type 2-to-TPC adapter that will make that work.
Take all of this with a grain of salt; listen to the advice of Tesla and more learned experts on TMC. Hopefully you have left yourself time to weigh all the pros and cons. If you are going for a 'long' time (several years) or permanently, it probably makes sense to leave your Model X behind. But if it is only for a couple of years, I'd be prone to arrange safe storage/care in the US and car rental in Europe, just to avoid all the many hurdles.
Good luck.
