New Tesla branded chargers with original Roadster?

[S-2000 Roadster]

Does anyone have experience charging a classic Roadster - 1.5 to 2.5 - with the new Tesla brand chargers?

My apartment building just installed 20 Tesla branded chargers in the (locked) resident garage. 10 of those have Model S connectors, and 10 have J1772 connectors. I have the HC Sharp adapters for both Model S and J1772, and have tested each. For both, I get one message on the VDS saying "Charging Problem" but then the charge proceeds anyway (perhaps only after I dismiss the message).

My problem is that the display reads 12A/208V, and that's an incredibly slow charge. Is this the normal power level for these new Tesla chargers? Is that "Charging Problem" an indication that the charger is falling back to the absolute minimum power?

Note that the Model S charger (with HCS adapter) failed in the middle of a charge due to an interruption of power. There may be an issue there, so I want back to the J1772 Tesla. Same "Charging Problem" again, and same 12A/208V again.

It's possible that the installation isn't complete here. The apartment hasn't actually notified us that the chargers are "Ready" - I just noticed a Model 3 charging in one of the stalls and decided to test them. Any information on these new Tesla products would be interesting.

 

[smorgasbord]

208 Volts indicate that they have 3 phase power coming in. A link: 208 Volts Is a Weird Voltage. Where Did It Come From? - Thermal Corporation

That it's only 12 amps could be that's all they wired up for, and set the charger accordingly, or that they set the charger up to not draw more than 12 amps since they have 20 chargers there.

 

[S-2000 Roadster]

Yes, it's definitely going to be 208V expected here. The two old ChargePoint chargers read 208V as well, so that's the commercial service here.

It's the 12A that I was curious about.

How much are these Tesla branded chargers capable of? Do they reach 72A (90A breaker)?

The installer mentioned that some of the remote stalls would share power, so I made a point of testing one of the stalls that he indicated would have unshared power. He pointed out the insufficient gauge of the wires feeding the ChargePoint (which was removed), and that supported 30A. I got the impression that these should be capable of more.

 

[Midnightsun]

How much are these Tesla branded chargers capable of? Do they reach 72A (90A breaker)?

60a breaker, 48amps. Those units are probably set up to load share therefor the more cars charging the slower it will get. Try charging one day when no one is using any.

 

[S-2000 Roadster]

60a breaker, 48amps. Those units are probably set up to load share therefor the more cars charging the slower it will get. Try charging one day when no one is using any.

I'm the only one in use among all 20. The other stalls are all empty.
I've definitely seen the ChargePoint drop current when both are in use, but this is not an example of load sharing.

 

[Midnightsun]

I would bring this up with the apartment association to find out how they were wired. As mentioned, they may have wired them for a max output of 12a which does sound quite probable.

 

[gregd]

What Midnightsun said. The few times I've used the Tesla type charging stations in the wild they were good for 40 amps, but could be anything depending on how they were wired and what their configuration switches are set to. In theory the two should match, but it's possible that the installation missed a step. Most of the J1772 stations seem to be in the 30 amp range.

You might check with that Model 3 owner to see what they were able to charge at. The HCS adapter should work up to the maximum 70 amps the Roadster can take, if such a circuit is provided for it, so the Roadster should match whatever the Model 3 can do.

 

[S-2000 Roadster]

You might check with that Model 3 owner to see what they were able to charge at. The HCS adapter should work up to the maximum 70 amps the Roadster can take, if such a circuit is provided for it, so the Roadster should match whatever the Model 3 can do.

Agreed. I don't know all 9 Tesla Model <N> owners here, but I hope to catch one near their car soon. Today, I saw two charging, so folks are starting to use them.

At this point, I need to find out what "Charging Problem" means on my Roadster, because that could easily be a reason for the new Tesla charger to fall back to absolute minimum current.

 

[gregd]

At this point, I need to find out what "Charging Problem" means on my Roadster, because that could easily be a reason for the new Tesla charger to fall back to absolute minimum current.

The one time I had that alert (if it was exactly the same one) was at charging station at one of the Tesla Service Centers. They were some older ones (Level 2) that the Sales guys used for the demo cars. I asked about it and they said something to the effect of "Yeah, we've been having trouble with that one". Vague recollection that it was related to the plug, but it could have been anything. I moved over to the other charger and was able to charge. It might have flickered once at the beginning, too, but this a few years ago and I don't recall exactly.

I seem to also recall that there is a little bit of "wrist action" involved with the CAN-SR involving the sequence of using the switch as it's plugged in. I think you plug it in with the switch depressed, then let go of it, otherwise the charger can get confused. Something like that. I mostly use the CAN-JR for public charging, and that's been pretty reliable (but often a little slower).

 

[hcsharp]

I seem to also recall that there is a little bit of "wrist action" involved with the CAN-SR involving the sequence of using the switch as it's plugged in. I think you plug it in with the switch depressed, then let go of it, otherwise the charger can get confused. Something like that. I mostly use the CAN-JR for public charging, and that's been pretty reliable (but often a little slower).

The recommended sequence when plugging in a Roadster using a CAN SR is to twist-lock the adapter into the car first, then plug the cable into the adapter. If you don't follow this sequence it's not a big deal, it usually works anyway. There is no requirement that you hold the switch open while plugging in, and it won't help to do that. (It did help with one of my prototype versions while using some of Tesla's early Gen 1 Model S chargers, but all CAN adapters in circulation were updated, rendering the hold-the-latch-open method obsolete about 11 years ago.)

It is normal behavior for Gen 2 and 3 wall chargers and UMC cables to briefly throw a fault when you first plug in. If you ignore it the fault will clear and your Roadster will begin charging. This behavior was a compromise to enable the charger to connect to the vehicle with serial comms immediately. It throws a fault if it can't connect right away. Eventually the charger figures out it's connected to a Roadster and begins charging normally.

 

[hcsharp]

I'm going to guess that S-2000's building had the electrician initially set up all the chargers for 12A. Tesla's newest generation of chargers do not have dip switches to set the max current. You have to use Wifi to set it up. Hopefully they are not permanently wired for 12A. I wonder if the load-sharing wall chargers are sharing 12A? That would be a classic case of ignorant decision makers who don't drive EVs thinking that they know what's best for those who do.

 

[KJA2001]

Is it not likely that these are 3 phase chargers that a M3 can take full advantage of and charge at 36A, but the Roadster, that can only charge on single phase, can only get a third of that?

 

[hcsharp]

Is it not likely that these are 3 phase chargers that a M3 can take full advantage of and charge at 36A, but the Roadster, that can only charge on single phase, can only get a third of that?

The North American Teslas - all models - are set up for single phase charging and can't take advantage of 3-ph like you can in Europe and UK. But if S-2000 lived in Europe then your guess would have likely been the case.

 

[S-2000 Roadster]

Is it not likely that these are 3 phase chargers that a M3 can take full advantage of and charge at 36A, but the Roadster, that can only charge on single phase, can only get a third of that?

Interesting question, because I don't know about how the new Tesla branded chargers are designed.

With the original Tesla charger, I could use a single-phase feed at 250V with a 50A breaker and charge at 40A. That was with the plugin cable. The installed Tesla Roadster charging station worked at 250V and 72A (90A breaker). That's still only a single phase, but it's a lot more than 12A or 36A.

Now that I think about it, the Model S connector doesn't have enough wires for 3-phase, does it?

 

[Ray B]

Has anyone removed the old / original charge port and replaced it with a used Tesla nacs port (a retrofit) so that you could charge from a typical Tesla level 2 charger without an adapter?

I ask because doing this seems like it is electrically the same as using the the adapter but more convenient and puts less stress on the port.

 

[smorgasbord]

The recommended sequence when plugging in a Roadster using a CAN SR is to twist-lock the adapter into the car first, then plug the cable into the adapter. If you don't follow this sequence it's not a big deal, it usually works anyway.

While traveling to/from the Tesla Takeover last weekend, I had problems charging at two different destination chargers. One is the old ex-RaboBank charger (was 70 amps) in Atascadero, the other at the Adeline Inn in Paso Robles. In both cases I attached the adapter to the plug, and then attached that to the car. My thinking is that I didn't want to put undo stress on the Roadster port by pushing the plug into the already attached adapter.

However, in both cases I was unable to charge. The car cycled trying to charge, hit a problem, stopped charging, then restarted the trying to charge sequence. Could this have been avoided with using your recommended sequence? Note that I was able to charge at the Madonna Inn with my inverted sequence, and that's what I do at home as well.

Has anyone else used either charger recently?

 

[hcsharp]

While traveling to/from the Tesla Takeover last weekend, I had problems charging at two different destination chargers. One is the old ex-RaboBank charger (was 70 amps) in Atascadero, the other at the Adeline Inn in Paso Robles. In both cases I attached the adapter to the plug, and then attached that to the car. My thinking is that I didn't want to put undo stress on the Roadster port by pushing the plug into the already attached adapter.

However, in both cases I was unable to charge. The car cycled trying to charge, hit a problem, stopped charging, then restarted the trying to charge sequence. Could this have been avoided with using your recommended sequence? Note that I was able to charge at the Madonna Inn with my inverted sequence, and that's what I do at home as well.

Has anyone else used either charger recently?

It's hard for me to diagnose the charging problems you had without more information. Your description of the events is almost exactly what happens when the non-recommended sequence is used. Having said that, there are other things that could have also caused the same behavior.

Generally speaking, most of the Gen 2 and all the Gen 3 Tesla wall and cable chargers are not sensitive to the plugging-in order, and you won't hurt anything by using the non-recommended method. However, it's much easier to plug in and unplug everything if you use the correct sequence, in addition to experiencing a higher charging success rate. If you're worried about putting undo stress on the charge port, perhaps you could hold the CAN SR steady with your other hand while plugging the Tesla cable into it.

I hope we hear from others who have used those chargers recently.

 

[smorgasbord]

The Atascadero charger is an old 70 amp clipper creek unit. They removed the Roadster pkug and attached a J1772.

 

[TMorg]

The recommended sequence when plugging in a Roadster using a CAN SR is to twist-lock the adapter into the car first, then plug the cable into the adapter. If you don't follow this sequence it's not a big deal, it usually works anyway. There is no requirement that you hold the switch open while plugging in, and it won't help to do that. (It did help with one of my prototype versions while using some of Tesla's early Gen 1 Model S chargers, but all CAN adapters in circulation were updated, rendering the hold-the-latch-open method obsolete about 11 years ago.)

It is normal behavior for Gen 2 and 3 wall chargers and UMC cables to briefly throw a fault when you first plug in. If you ignore it the fault will clear and your Roadster will begin charging. This behavior was a compromise to enable the charger to connect to the vehicle with serial comms immediately. It throws a fault if it can't connect right away. Eventually the charger figures out it's connected to a Roadster and begins charging normally.

@hcsharp how can I reach you to order a CAN SR?

 

[TMorg]

The recommended sequence when plugging in a Roadster using a CAN SR is to twist-lock the adapter into the car first, then plug the cable into the adapter. If you don't follow this sequence it's not a big deal, it usually works anyway. There is no requirement that you hold the switch open while plugging in, and it won't help to do that. (It did help with one of my prototype versions while using some of Tesla's early Gen 1 Model S chargers, but all CAN adapters in circulation were updated, rendering the hold-the-latch-open method obsolete about 11 years ago.)

It is normal behavior for Gen 2 and 3 wall chargers and UMC cables to briefly throw a fault when you first plug in. If you ignore it the fault will clear and your Roadster will begin charging. This behavior was a compromise to enable the charger to connect to the vehicle with serial comms immediately. It throws a fault if it can't connect right away. Eventually the charger figures out it's connected to a Roadster and begins charging normally.

@hcsharp how can I reach you to order a CAN SR