New owner looking for good advice

[gregd]

If I read correct, the Roadster can not use the quick chargers unless you have the CHAdeMO system installed? Is that right?

Correct. There is no "plumbing" in the car to get access to the battery's DC connections. This is the same whether the original or "3.0" battery. Tony's adapter is essentially a large relay that gets inserted between the motor and PEM (I think), along with the requisite plumbing to an external connector, and some clever logic that makes the car think it's in Regen.

The reports are that it works rather well, though there are some small side effects. The install is also rather intrusive, though not irreversible. I think he's done a very good job at engineering it. If I had a larger need for it I would go for it, but faster charging not that critical for me right now. As you are doing, consider the availability of CHAdeMO chargers along your routes. For me, the ones I would use tend to be reported as broken on PlugShare more often than not, so I can't rely on them, and there's a Tesla Service Center along the way with a pair of 80 amp HPWC chargers that they let me use if I ask nicely. (The sales team loves having a Roadster sitting just outside the main doorway!)

 

[Indian Steve]

That makes sense. There aren't many places that I would move and make my commute any longer than the hour that it is so just charging with the 240 at home every night will be more than enough.

The CAN SR looks like the best bet since there is a J adapter coming in with the car.

 

[Hash Browns]

Correct. There is no "plumbing" in the car to get access to the battery's DC connections. This is the same whether the original or "3.0" battery. Tony's adapter is essentially a large relay that gets inserted between the motor and PEM (I think), along with the requisite plumbing to an external connector, and some clever logic that makes the car think it's in Regen.

The reports are that it works rather well, though there are some small side effects. The install is also rather intrusive, though not irreversible. I think he's done a very good job at engineering it. If I had a larger need for it I would go for it, but faster charging not that critical for me right now. As you are doing, consider the availability of CHAdeMO chargers along your routes. For me, the ones I would use tend to be reported as broken on PlugShare more often than not, so I can't rely on them, and there's a Tesla Service Center along the way with a pair of 80 amp HPWC chargers that they let me use if I ask nicely. (The sales team loves having a Roadster sitting just outside the main doorway!)

I'm still weary of the heat created when DC charging with the CHAdeMO retrofit.

Has anyone seen what sort of temperatures the battery reaches when DC charging? The Roadster's cooling system (and the cells themselves) were never intended to support DC fast charging.

 

[Stefan T]

The temp rise when Chademo charging is 1C each 5min with AC on

 

[hcsharp]

The temp rise when Chademo charging is 1C each 5min with AC on

Wow. That's more than I expected. That means your battery is likely to be over 40C for a lot of your charging time.

 

[ecarfan]

The Roadster's cooling system (and the cells themselves) were never intended to support DC fast charging.

And that is why I would never modify my Roadster for DC charging.

 

[Roadster]

The highest I've seen my ESS temps go while using JdeMO is 41°C at which point the parasitic HVAC cooling kicked in and brought the pack temps back down to 38°C. Results from one of my initial DCFC sessions here.

I agree it may not be worth it if you don't have (working) CHadeMO stations available to you. We're fortunate to have decent adoption here in SoCal so, in my experience, it's opened up a whole new world of possibilities encouraging me to venture out further than I normally would knowing that, at a minimum, if there's at least a Nissan dealer near my destination that I can call in advance to see if (a) they have a working CHadeMO charger and (b) are okay with me plugging in, I'll be able to top off quickly and be on my way with a full charge until I get to the next destination.

If I'm not in a rush, L2 works perfectly fine but if I roll up to a charging location with the option to fast charge, it's a blissful luxury I'll happily take advantage of every time. Granted, it's not Supercharging but it's as close as we'll get with our Roadsters... not to mention 10x cheaper than a 3.0 upgrade(!)... so, for that, it's well worth it IMHO. Just be prepared to sit in your car for 40 min - 1 hr since the key needs to be in the ignition and the car in the "ON" position.

 

[augkuo]

Congrats on your purchase! One important thing to do is to try to keep your battery cool. If you can, after a drive, charge at 12A 240V to bring your battery temps down. Might take 15-30 minutes if it's a hot day/spirited drive and life is easier if you have the OVMS installed. As for rims, there's not too much other there but you can search the forum here for people who have had custom ones made or found ones that fit the bolt pattern and size. Good luck!

 

[Indian Steve]

Thanks! Ya, I am trying to keep the temps down as best I can. That looks like the biggest thing from what I have read that I am trying to keep on top of.

I'd like some lighter wheels but it really doesn't look like that is going to be very easy so I think I am going to powdercoat the factory ones and call it a day.

 

[augkuo]

An old thread about getting lighter wheels -

Interested in Group Buy of Roadster Wheels?

 

[smorgasbord]

An old thread about getting lighter wheels -

Interested in Group Buy of Roadster Wheels?

Yeah, too bad that didn't happen. I would still love to get a lighter and better looking set of wheels than the forged.

 

[Indian Steve]

I did read through that but it didn't look like anything came through on it.