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Should I buy one, or both, of these Tesla charging accessories?

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It's worth pondering - good question. After reading many forum reviews concerning charging and questioning those in the know, it seems to me that the charging accessories offered by Tesla aren't the ones you should buy.
If you have a single charger, the Tesla 'solution' is the simplest, cheapest etc.
I have ranted to Tesla about this in the past but the problem is simply our market isn't big enough for them to jump through the hoops.
In both America and Europe they have the charging sorted cause both are much bigger markets.
 
Hi Homer

If I had to choose between the J1772 and the 32A Euro adapter, I would choose the J1772, as you'll probably find more uses for it.

However, the 32A Euro adapter is just such a good and cheap insurance policy to ensure that you don't get stuck. Sure, you can use the 10A plug to get you out of any situation, but why use that when almost every town has a 20A or 32A 3 phase socket, where you could charge at 50km of range an hour?

Anyways that's my 2 cents, but take it with a grain of salt because I sell the things :D haha. Honestly though they are useful accessories to have.
 
Thanks Tim! It's terrific to have somebody on this forum who is directly involved with Tesla accessories. I've only heard good things about your products so I'll be placing my order. I get that both adapters are useful in different ways. I've had a look on ChargePoint and personally I think I'll get more use out of the J1772 than the 32a so I will start with that one just in the interests of keeping my life as simple as possible. ;-)
 
Thanks Tim! It's terrific to have somebody on this forum who is directly involved with Tesla accessories. I've only heard good things about your products so I'll be placing my order. I get that both adapters are useful in different ways. I've had a look on ChargePoint and personally I think I'll get more use out of the J1772 than the 32a so I will start with that one just in the interests of keeping my life as simple as possible. ;-)
Yes - Chargepoint and Plugshare list lots more J1772 that 3 phase; that's because most 3 phase aren't listed. As I stated previously; every show ground in Oz has 3 phase. The following is a partial list compiled by Marc in his travels.
Qld3phaseLocs.jpg
 
Thanks Ray. I should have clarified that I think for me the J1772 is more useful based on where I plan to travel for weekends away outside Sydney. If I was driving up to Brisbane (before the Supercharger rollout) or out west then I agree with you that the 32a would be a better option.
 
Homer, even 15 amp is better than 10. The route I went is J1772 adaptor. Tesla Euro 3 phase, followed with Australian 20, 32 amp 3 phase and a 15 amp single phase. That is, 3 separate pigtails. I wired all 3 up myself, easy to do, provided you use 6 sq mm cable, which is 32 amp rated. Red white blue in that order is phase one to three. The inline connectors to join cable to the Euro pins in the Tesla unit are available from Perth, raynewsman can provide the contact details. The parts are clearly labelled inside as to which pins do what, that is, phases neutral and earth. I promise, really easy!!
 
Gudday Homer,
Ive been running on Tims 3 phase 22kw unit for some time. Works a treat. As a super early adopter I got just the single phase pendent with no discussion about upgrades or swaps to 3 phase.

Gotta say I am feeling a bit jealous of your order. Tesla gave a shot at the big beast while mine was in having a software glitch sorted 2 weeks ago and I fell in LOVE with the better performance.

Bastards knew I would! Now I am back in my 85S wondering where all the grunt went........... I shouldn't be dissatisfied as its perfect but I am...


Thanks Ray the 3 phase list is really helpful. I will see what I can do to gather 3 phase data and access here in Victoria - maybe Tim? Can you help me out with this one?
 
Thanks Ray. I should have clarified that I think for me the J1772 is more useful based on where I plan to travel for weekends away outside Sydney. If I was driving up to Brisbane (before the Supercharger rollout) or out west then I agree with you that the 32a would be a better option.

For me the J1772 has been useful but that's only because I have a Chargepoint 30A charger at home and no HPWC yet. Keep in mind that the highest charge rate you'll see is +/- 30 km/h...to get any useful extra range, that's a lot of time spent at Stocklands or wherever.

I drove to Port Macquarie today for the first time in the P90D...400 km and still had 50 km remaining on arrival...in the scheme of things, J1772 adds little at a slow pace so my advice for touring is get the 3 phase 32A plug & Tesla Euro adaptor.
 
That sounds like a sensible approach. If I was to choose just one adapter - so that I had a "plan B" in case I needed more charge, more quickly than the standard UMC will give me - would it make more sense to choose the J1772 adapter or the 32a UMC adapter?
Sorry cannot answer that as neither of our cars have ever come close to running low. I almost purchased a stack of plugs "just in case" before the first one arrived. Glad I didn't, and noting your situation and driving needs may be different than mine.
 
I drove to Port Macquarie today for the first time in the P90D...400 km and still had 50 km remaining on arrival...in the scheme of things, J1772 adds little at a slow pace so my advice for touring is get the 3 phase 32A plug & Tesla Euro adaptor.

It's great to hear about range like that WhiteStar, so it seems I won't have too many problems. I just don't see myself schlepping in to a show ground to plug in, but I do see myself topping up a bit of range at a café in the Southern Highlands or in the Blue Mountains.
 
... most 3 phase aren't listed. As I stated previously; every show ground in Oz has 3 phase.

Sounds promising thanks Ray. Like Homer, I'm waiting for my Model S and trying to work out how to do a bit of a road trip when it arrives in May. I'm getting a J1772 and a 32A 3 phase adapter from EVnomics.

Can I ask the experienced travelers - What is the best methodology for finding and accessing 32A outlets in a new town? ...

> Ask the motel if they have a 32A outlet?
> Drive around the local showground and see if there is one? Or visit the council first? as I'm reluctant to grab a charge without asking?
> Carparks were mentioned. Do carparks often have these outlets on the wall?
> What sort of businesses would have these plugs (and be generally happy to share them)?
> Anywhere else to look?
> Should I ring in advance to avoid being stuck?

Thanks and cheers Richard
 
Sounds promising thanks Ray. Like Homer, I'm waiting for my Model S and trying to work out how to do a bit of a road trip when it arrives in May. I'm getting a J1772 and a 32A 3 phase adapter from EVnomics.

Can I ask the experienced travelers - What is the best methodology for finding and accessing 32A outlets in a new town? ...

> Ask the motel if they have a 32A outlet?
> Drive around the local showground and see if there is one? Or visit the council first? as I'm reluctant to grab a charge without asking?
> Carparks were mentioned. Do carparks often have these outlets on the wall?
> What sort of businesses would have these plugs (and be generally happy to share them)?
> Anywhere else to look?
> Should I ring in advance to avoid being stuck?

Thanks and cheers Richard

What sort of businesses would have these plugs (and be generally happy to share them)? - it seems many car mechanics have 3 phase 32a. With the nature of the car, I've heard many mechanics are happy to share their outlets in order to see it. Also I think some wineries use 3 phase to run their equipment. Although after 4 hrs (to fully charge at 3 phase 32a) at a winery may not be such a good combination :)
 
What sort of businesses would have these plugs (and be generally happy to share them)? - it seems many car mechanics have 3 phase 32a. With the nature of the car, I've heard many mechanics are happy to share their outlets in order to see it. Also I think some wineries use 3 phase to run their equipment. Although after 4 hrs (to fully charge at 3 phase 32a) at a winery may not be such a good combination :)
Steel fabricators generally have 3 phase plugs, but note they can use two different types. The larger places will be too safety conscious, best with a smaller friendly fabricator.
Some older petrol stations that included a car workshop often have them too.
Many earthmover yards have them for repairs.
 
Sounds promising thanks Ray. Like Homer, I'm waiting for my Model S and trying to work out how to do a bit of a road trip when it arrives in May. I'm getting a J1772 and a 32A 3 phase adapter from EVnomics.

Can I ask the experienced travelers - What is the best methodology for finding and accessing 32A outlets in a new town? ...

> Ask the motel if they have a 32A outlet?
> Drive around the local showground and see if there is one? Or visit the council first? as I'm reluctant to grab a charge without asking?
> Carparks were mentioned. Do carparks often have these outlets on the wall?
> What sort of businesses would have these plugs (and be generally happy to share them)?
> Anywhere else to look?
> Should I ring in advance to avoid being stuck?

Thanks and cheers Richard

in my (albeit limited) experience, every place that I've been to that has 3 phase has 20A, not 32A. I bought both the 20A and 32A adaptors, fully expecting to not really use the 20A adaptor very much, and I haven't used the 32A one once yet..

- I imagine most motels won't have 3 phase outlets, but ring ahead, you could get lucky!
- definitely ring the showground ahead of time, as Ray said, this is probably going to be your best bet
- Carparks - again if you're lucky. I wouldn't rely on this.
- I originally thought mechanics were going to be my saving grace, but of the 4 I have visited recently, all of them only had 4 pin sockets, so I couldn't charge. The one place I could was an earth moving place where they had heavy machinery and welding happening etc. It was pure luck, one of the mechanics pointed me there and the owner was walking right outside. Still worth ringing mechanics, but you just have to make sure that a) they have a 5 pin socket, and b) the 5th (neutral) pin is connected. Most mechanics only have the 3 phase for their car hoists, and these don't need a neutral.
- if you need to charge, you'd be silly not to ring ahead.
- when ringing the mechanic, if they don't have it it's worth asking them who they think around town might have it, to give you some leads (pun intended!).

good luck.
 
in my (albeit limited) experience, every place that I've been to that has 3 phase has 20A, not 32A. I bought both the 20A and 32A adaptors, fully expecting to not really use the 20A adaptor very much, and I haven't used the 32A one once yet..

And in my also limited experience I've used my 3 phase 32A adapter several times and my 20A adapter has yet to be christened. Mine have all been show grounds, and they all have 32A it seems. I guess the message combining both our experiences is that you really need to carry both.
 
I also got extension leads (32A 3 phase and 15A single phase) - useful when the charging outlet is not right next to where you can park the car (happens a lot).

Good question - extension leads. I'm looking at dual chargers and an EVSE, and am thinking (without any practical experience at this point) that you are better having a single long lead from the EVSE to the car (Maxichargers can come with up to 10 metres) with short tails for various power outlets, rather than multiple long trails or extension leads for each outlet type which will take a lot more space in the boot. Or am I missing something here?

Also how far away from the car can some of these outlets be at worst case? 10m? 20m? Do some types tend to be located further from the road?
 
Good question - extension leads. I'm looking at dual chargers and an EVSE, and am thinking (without any practical experience at this point) that you are better having a single long lead from the EVSE to the car (Maxichargers can come with up to 10 metres) with short tails for various power outlets, rather than multiple long trails or extension leads for each outlet type which will take a lot more space in the boot. Or am I missing something here?

Also how far away from the car can some of these outlets be at worst case? 10m? 20m? Do some types tend to be located further from the road?

The lead from the Maxicharger or EVR3 EVSE is a fixed length - you cant order it with a longer option, and to be useful would really be way too long for most uses. In practice a 15M extension lead is ideal. 10M will limit you at some locations, 20M is a lot more cable than you need, and the 3 phase 32A etension cable is very thick and bulky. I also carry a 10A plug to 15A socket adapter to got with my 15A single phase extension lead, and a 20A plug to 32A socket to go with my 32A extension lead. This covers pretty much all the bases.
 
That
The lead from the Maxicharger or EVR3 EVSE is a fixed length - you cant order it with a longer option, and to be useful would really be way too long for most uses. In practice a 15M extension lead is ideal. 10M will limit you at some locations, 20M is a lot more cable than you need, and the 3 phase 32A etension cable is very thick and bulky. I also carry a 10A plug to 15A socket adapter to got with my 15A single phase extension lead, and a 20A plug to 32A socket to go with my 32A extension lead. This covers pretty much all the bases.

That looks like a 100% comprehensive solution Colin. Not sure I will go all the way, but great to know !