Non Superchargers

[GaryH]

We've only had our Model S for a couple of weeks, some friends came round for lunch yesterday who also has a Model S (he is to blame for our purchase ) anyway he mentioned that he had bought a Chademo adapter and today I was considering whether we should, then I looked on ZapMap to find that there are a considerable number of rapid type 2 chargers scattered around the country seemingly at 43kwh so in reality is it worth buying a Chademo adapter just to be able to charge at, what I understand, is 50Kwh? considering with the Supercharger network the likelihood of using one is slim? Have I missed something?

Opinions please

Thanks
Gary

 

[mmccord]

We've only had our Model S for a couple of weeks, some friends came round for lunch yesterday who also has a Model S (he is to blame for our purchase ) anyway he mentioned that he had bought a Chademo adapter and today I was considering whether we should, then I looked on ZapMap to find that there are a considerable number of rapid type 2 chargers scattered around the country seemingly at 43kwh so in reality is it worth buying a Chademo adapter just to be able to charge at, what I understand, is 50Kwh? considering with the Supercharger network the likelihood of using one is slim? Have I missed something?

Opinions please

Thanks
Gary

If you need one to get to your destination, yes. For instance, I80 from Bloomsburg to Pittsburgh.

 

[thefortunes]

If you need one to get to your destination, yes. For instance, I80 from Bloomsburg to Pittsburgh.

Lol.

OP might have an even harder time getting to Pittsbugh, due to the lack of SCs between THE UK AND THE US

 

[mmccord]

Lol.

OP might have an even harder time getting to Pittsbugh, due to the lack of SCs between THE UK AND THE US

I heard they float.

 

[green1]

I heard they float.

They somewhat submerge actually...

 

[Saghost]

We've only had our Model S for a couple of weeks, some friends came round for lunch yesterday who also has a Model S (he is to blame for our purchase ) anyway he mentioned that he had bought a Chademo adapter and today I was considering whether we should, then I looked on ZapMap to find that there are a considerable number of rapid type 2 chargers scattered around the country seemingly at 43kwh so in reality is it worth buying a Chademo adapter just to be able to charge at, what I understand, is 50Kwh? considering with the Supercharger network the likelihood of using one is slim? Have I missed something?

Opinions please

Thanks
Gary

A Tesla can't do AC charging at 43 kW - I think the only car that can is the Twizzy (not sure if that's standard or an option on the car - we don't get that car here in the states.) If you get the high speed charger upgrade, I think you can get either 16 kW or 22 kW AC charging depending on the age of the Tesla.

I look at the CHAdeMO adapter as (fairly) cheap insurance against things going wrong. I've used mine three times - the first two for free, the third charge I paid for - in two months, but Tesla is planning to open a supercharger in "2016" that should mitigate my current need for it. Who knows where you'll end up on a road trip, though...

 

[Off Shore]

At US$450, the CHAdeMO adapter seems really expensive if I divide the cost by the number of times I've used it in the last year. As a one-time cost for a "range extender" it's more palatable. As the Supercharger network continues to build out the utility of the adapter will decrease, but it's still useful for us.

 

[Snerruc]

Where I live the only fast chargers are two CHAdeMO/cic chargers.. Tesla has said they will not build super chargers here. The adaptor is close to essential for some of my driving.

 

[kort677]

I have a chademo adapter and in 3+ years of ownership and many thousands of miles of cross country driving I've never had the need to use it. YMMV

 

[RocketGoBoom]

I live in the Pacific Northwest which as a ton of Chademo locations. In my 3 years of Model S ownership, I have never had a situation where I felt the need to have that Chademo adapter. So I never bought it.

The Supercharger network covers everything around here.
And the destination chargers (80 amps) at all of the hotels covers the overnight stays.

 

[Patrick W]

I heard they float.

True:
Tesla Model S can float, for short periods: Musk (video)

 

[JohnnyG]

I bought a CHAdeMO adapter the day I took delivery. It's cost savings is subjective to the individual, of course. For me, it was worth every penny. Relative to what I paid for the car (0.3%), it was the cheapest option I purchased with my car.

There are 5 FREE locations (that I know of) spread-out around my city. I can charge at up to 45kWh; almost 5 times as fast as I can at home. There are a bunch of other pay locations too. The free locations were put in by the different suburbs as part of their green initiative. I had to search to find out they had them, so it would benefit you to check with your municipalities. The pay locations are at places like Wal-Mart.

The one free station is 2 miles from my house, which subjectively, makes it even more worth it to me. One of my biggest concerns when I went completely electric was the speed of refueling in a semi-emergency situation. In a pinch, I can add 65 miles of range in as little as 15 minutes, just 2 miles from my house. All of the free ones are placed near shopping, restaurants, and parks.

 

[Off Shore]

Plus if you have one, when you lend it out it makes you a sweet person ;-)

 

[RocketGoBoom]

After 3 years of ownership, I am basically just using a 120 v 12 amp wall outlet at the house we moved into last year.

I have not yet even bothered to install a 30 amp outlet in the garage.

The 4 miles of range per hour is generally enough for my daily commute around my home region. The 12 hours per night that my car is at home is enough to keep my car charged up every night.

 

[bmah]

After 3 years of ownership, I am basically just using a 120 v 12 amp wall outlet at the house we moved into last year.

I have not yet even bothered to install a 30 amp outlet in the garage.

The 4 miles of range per hour is generally enough for my daily commute around my home region. The 12 hours per night that my car is at home is enough to keep my car charged up every night.

Whatever works for you! I think this thread shows that the answer to the OP's question is "it depends".

I have a CHAdeMO adapter because at one point I was doing a bunch of travel to a place that had no Superchargers close by (Fresno, CA), and I needed to use a combination of a CHAdeMO and a dryer outlet to get in and out of there. I haven't used it since the Fresno Supercharger came on line, but it's still in my trunk, just for flexibility. (I would bet that in the Bay Area, where I live, it's easier to find an available CHAdeMO charger than an open SuperCharger stall, if I needed a charge for some reason.)

Bruce.

 

[NullException]

I looked on ZapMap to find that there are a considerable number of rapid type 2 chargers scattered around the country seemingly at 43kwh so in reality is it worth buying a Chademo adapter just to be able to charge at, what I understand, is 50Kwh? considering with the Supercharger network the likelihood of using one is slim? Have I missed something?

The answer depends on where you are likely to take your Model S. There are still some parts of the UK where there are SuperCharger 'gaps':

- Scottish Highlands
- Wales
- M1/A1 corridor on the East Coast
- Cornwall
- Northern Ireland (all of Ireland, actually)

Day trips in-and-out of these might be okay, but staying / travelling around them could be an issue. Depends on the size of the battery in your car too.

They're also useful if you're likely to drive to some places in mainland Europe that don't have good SuperCharger networks yet.

So, depends on how you're going to use your car, I think.

 

[Brovane]

It has been mentioned that Tesla is working on a adapter that can do both CHademo and CSS Combo, might it be worthwhile to wait for this adapter to come out? IT appears that CSS Combo is going to displace CHademo long term and CSS Combo stations are being deployed at a fairly rapid rate.

 

[rolson1011]

Just rent a chademo adapter from quickchargepower.com and see if you need it. Or just rent it for road trips and then send it back.

 

[Phillip L]

I have used my ChaDeMo adapter about ten times. To me the time factor is the real value. If it saves me a few hours each time, then it was well worth the cost because my time is more valuable than the cost. Now I am talking about areas where the alternative to the ChaDeMo would be Level 2 chargers giving me anywhere from 30 to 72 km/hr instead of the 140 plus from the ChaDeMo's. That said, now that the Brewer, Maine SC is up and going I will not be needing the ChaDeMo at Darling's Nissan in Bangor any more. (They were very generous with their charger!) So, as the SC's get more numerous many newer Tesla owners may not find the ChaDeMo as valuable as I did. Now, if the advent of the Model 3 plus more S's and X's overwhelm the SC network, the adapters may resume being a good deal.