Shipping my Model Y to Europe - Lots of questions and concerns!

[Alex#$]

Hello everyone,

I'm in the military and there is a good chance I will be moving to Germany this winter. I'm expecting to take ownership of my Model Y prior to this move and I'd love to bring the car with me. My employer will pay for all the shipping expenses, but I have several questions about shipping the car as well as using a US spec Tesla in Europe.

- Has anyone shipped their car internationally? Was the shipping company knowledgeable with how to care for EVs? What are the best charge levels/ modes to set the car to for shipping?

- I understand newer European spec Tesla cars have a different charge plug style. Are the US standard plugs still usable? Are they being phased out or will there be continued support? (I'll likely be in Germany for three years).

- I have heard some owners have issues with the software, LTE connection and other things such as the maps when they ship a US Tesla out of the country. How can I approach dealing with these issues?

Sorry for the flood of questions! I would really appreciate some informed options on this topic. Thanks in advance!

 

[Alex#$]

Okay - upon further research it seems charging a US Tesla in Europe is not as simple as i'd assumed. European Superchargers use two types of plugs (CCS type 2 and IEC 62196 I think), but neither of them are the US style Tesla plug.

I found an adapter for sale by a third party that supposedly allows a US vechicle to utlize the IEC 62196 -
NEW! Tesla Supercharger Adapter – European to US – EVSE Adapters Of course they are charging over $1000 USD

What do you guys think about this?

 

[GSP]

The US Chademo adapter should work at Chademo stations worldwide, and has been reported to work in Europe.

For AC charging you can use Tesla’s J1772 (type 1) adapter and a standard Type 1 to Type 2 cable.

The slower charge rates compared to EU spec cars is not ideal, but workable if you don’t take long road trips.

Driving a Y in Europe before it is released there will get you a lot of attention.

Be sure to check with Tesla about service, they may refuse to service a US car in Europe.

Good Luck,

GSP

 

[Alex#$]

The US Chademo adapter should work at Chademo stations worldwide, and has been reported to work in Europe.

For AC charging you can use Tesla’s J1772 (type 1) adapter and a standard Type 1 to Type 2 cable.

The slower charge rates compared to EU spec cars is not ideal, but workable if you don’t take long road trips.

Driving a Y in Europe before it is released there will get you a lot of attention.

Be sure to check with Tesla about service, they may refuse to service a US car in Europe.

Good Luck,

GSP

Yes i figured the Chademo stations are a viable backup solution, but I prefer to stick to the Supercharger Network if at all possible.

So I could just use the included J1772 adapter and then use a second adapter cable for connecting to the CCS 2? There wont be any issues with doubling up on the adapters?

As far as Tesla proving service and maintaining the warranty, I should be protected by the Soldier's Civil Relief Act, which mandates that lien holders and car manufacturers must continue to provide service and warranty if the service member's car has to be shipped overseas for official duty.

 

[JasonR67]

So I could just use the included J1772 adapter and then use a second adapter cable for connecting to the CCS 2? There wont be any issues with doubling up on the adapters?

i strongly suspect you won’t get supercharging in that situation. Supercharger bypass onboard chargers. With adapters I don’t think that communication can happen.

 

[GSP]

Yes i figured the Chademo stations are a viable backup solution, but I prefer to stick to the Supercharger Network if at all possible.

So I could just use the included J1772 adapter and then use a second adapter cable for connecting to the CCS 2? There wont be any issues with doubling up on the adapters?

As far as Tesla proving service and maintaining the warranty, I should be protected by the Soldier's Civil Relief Act, which mandates that lien holders and car manufacturers must continue to provide service and warranty if the service member's car has to be shipped overseas for official duty.

In Europe car owners bring their own cables and plug into type 2 sockets. Type 2 cars use Type 2 on both ends of the cable, Type 1 cars, like the Leaf, or US Teslas with J1772 adapter, use Type 2 on one end and Type 1 on the other end. I have not read of any issues. There are several US spec Teslas in Russia and East Europe that use this for charging. Power is reduced since US Teslas can use only one of the three phases provided by Type 2. This is for AC charging only, not CCS DC charging. The cable doesn’t have the DC pins, just the non-CCS Type 2 plug.

For DC charging Chademo might be the only option. Using and adapter on Superchargers might, or might not work. Regardless, it likely is illegal and risky to do so.

GSP

 

[odguy]

There was a user here that took his model 3 when was first released to Europe. He couldn't use superchargers and had no Tesla support. If you can wait for European release that would be best IMO

 

[Uncle Paul]

Would talk directly to Tesla about this. They would be the only ones with certain answers.

 

[kayak1]

Hello everyone,

I'm in the military and there is a good chance I will be moving to Germany this winter. I'm expecting to take ownership of my Model Y prior to this move and I'd love to bring the car with me. My employer will pay for all the shipping expenses, but I have several questions about shipping the car as well as using a US spec Tesla in Europe.

- Has anyone shipped their car internationally? Was the shipping company knowledgeable with how to care for EVs? What are the best charge levels/ modes to set the car to for shipping?

- I understand newer European spec Tesla cars have a different charge plug style. Are the US standard plugs still usable? Are they being phased out or will there be continued support? (I'll likely be in Germany for three years).

- I have heard some owners have issues with the software, LTE connection and other things such as the maps when they ship a US Tesla out of the country. How can I approach dealing with these issues?

Sorry for the flood of questions! I would really appreciate some informed options on this topic. Thanks in advance!

Good luck with your move and new Model Y.

Please keep up posted on what you find.

And thanks for your service!

 

[Reeler]

Pay the $1000 for the aftermarket adapter and you should be fine. Buy it after you arrive so that it can be returned if it doesn't work with the Model Y for some reason. The adapter does work on earlier models apparently.

 

[Hash Browns]

I would discourage sending your car to a market in which it wasn’t intended. On top of the charging concerns, there are different specs for lighting, reflectors, labels and instrumentation in EU vs US. Right now, we have no idea how much unique content exists for the EU Model Y vs US Model Y, which basically means it’s unclear how much extra work and $$ it would take to import a US spec car into EU.

On top of this, as you point out, a US spec car will almost surely have a US-based SIM and data carrier agreement, so I’d expect no data once it gets to EU, which would stink. You might be able to swap the SIM to an EU carrier, but you’d need to pay for that data and I’d imagine it would disconnect you from Tesla’s fleet analytics and over the air software updates.

Sorry, I know this isn’t great news. I spent 10 years in the automotive world and exporting cars is generally much more challenging and expensive than it seems. I would encourage you to wait a few months and get an EU spec car while you’re in Europe.

 

[jboy210]

I would discourage sending your car to a market in which it wasn’t intended. On top of the charging concerns, there are different specs for lighting, reflectors, labels and instrumentation in EU vs US. Right now, we have no idea how much unique content exists for the EU Model Y vs US Model Y, which basically means it’s unclear how much extra work and $$ it would take to import a US spec car into EU.

On top of this, as you point out, a US spec car will almost surely have a US-based SIM and data carrier agreement, so I’d expect no data once it gets to EU, which would stink. You might be able to swap the SIM to an EU carrier, but you’d need to pay for that data and I’d imagine it would disconnect you from Tesla’s fleet analytics and over the air software updates.

Sorry, I know this isn’t great news. I spent 10 years in the automotive world and exporting cars is generally much more challenging and expensive than it seems. I would encourage you to wait a few months and get an EU spec car while you’re in Europe.

I also wonder about legalities. The EU rules have a restrictions on side G loads etc that are different than the US. This limited some of their AP functionality. And then there is the question about over the air updates. Can they send US spec software updates to a US VINed car in the EU? Can these send EU SW updates to a US VINed car? One fellow over in the X forums is facing all sorts of strange issues in Estonia with his X he brought in from another EU country

For these an others, I agree with Hash Brown. Get a car there. And sell it before coming back to the states.

 

[Qbenjamin]

This has bad idea written all over it...

 

[MP3Mike]

As far as Tesla proving service and maintaining the warranty, I should be protected by the Soldier's Civil Relief Act, which mandates that lien holders and car manufacturers must continue to provide service and warranty if the service member's car has to be shipped overseas for official duty.

Does it say they have to provide service overseas? The official warranty document says that you have to ship your car back into the coverage area, i.e. North America, before they will service it.

From past experience with people that took their Model 3 to Europe you will get no updates even if you connect to WiFi. And I really wouldn't want to have a brand new model of Tesla early in its lifecycle without updates.

 

[Alex#$]

Thanks for the input everyone. I've reached out to Tesla asking what they will and will not cover as far as warranty / service / updates etc. (haven't heard back yet).

I've read that other military owners have shipped their cars to Korea, and after some deliberation with Tesla, were able to get LTE connectivity, updates and maps enabled for their cars in that country.

I'm also considering the possibility of leasing a Model 3 (or Y if they are available) when I arrive in Germany, albeit I would rather make payments on a car I intend to actually own and keep.

 

[IchDochNicht]

Contact Ove Kröger from Ove Kröger Tesla Kaufberatung Sachverständiger Gutachten

Email is kontakt (at) teslakaufen.com

He is both a Tesla expert AND an importer of American cars into Germany.

 

[Newscutter]

Reddit sent me here (thread on servicemember wanting to take an X to Stuttgart)-- here's what I told them, and I think it's good advice for you as well:

There's no practical way to make a US-spec Tesla work there. Even if you could, you'd be switching it all back upon return the costs of all that are going to be way more than it's worth, even with depreciation. Start the selling process today if you want to be picky and hold out for best price. Not sure where you are located, but in my area people have received favorable purchase offers from Carvana.

Unless things have changed drastically, you get ration coupons for gas in Germany. They're pretty generous amounts, IIRC and you'll have plenty for sightseeing-- especially if you just hop the trains for longer trips (highly recommended). But my point is, get a gas car. The best parts of Europe are AWAY from the beaten path and you want the ultimate flexibility to GO OUT and EXPLORE. That's gonna be a gas car there, just like it still is here. In the Stuttgart area, I'd look for (duh) Mercedes and Porsche second hand from factory employees. They get sweet deals on new cars and turn them over with regularity, resulting in softer prices regionally. There's also a lot of business cars turned over for the same reason-- my runaround was a German exec's '79 BMW 728 that I adored (bought in 1989), long legs on the Autobahn and a very flickable tail, especially on wet cobblestones.

Another route to go if you have a sponsor (that used to be a thing, anyway) is to start getting listings from Americans selling Euro-spec cars as they prepare to return to the US. You can get some really nice newish cars at discount prices this way.... you can also get some solid older cars, but be wary as some have been passed around like whores and electrical gremlins multiply every time.

Anyway-- that's more than you asked -- but sell the Y. This is the way.

 

[slainla]

I wouldn’t count on Tesla servicing the vehicle even if they’re required by law.

 

[merrami]

I found this article. Quite interesting.

You will run into glitches but I think it's doable. You would have to mainly use ChaDeMO for fast charging and the speeds are not bad at all (see the article above).
Considering the cost of Tesla cars in Europe it might make sense to suffer the glitches. To each his opinion on the matter though.


Full link if doesn't work: Moving with your Tesla Model 3 from the U.S. to Europe? Here’s how.

 

[krcossin]

First, Alex#$ thank you for your service sir.

Second, my daughter got orders to Germany in 2020 and she shipped her 2016 Volt. She is able to charge from home now that I bought her a new connector from Clipper Creek. But other then that she has not found charging available.
The ECS-20 sells for $549, comes with the SAE J1772 connector, 3 year warranty, and it is ETL-EU, CE certified.
I know these are different vehicles with different connectors, however please note the Volt is able to use petrol, and obviously the Y is very dependent on the network, I do not recommend taking delivery in US, wait for Berlin to deliver for 6 months, then take delivery there.