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Tesla to adopt 'local' charging stations: CCS/CHAdeMO/GB

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widodh

Model S 100D and Y LR
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Jan 23, 2011
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Venlo, NL
I just found this: 特斯拉宣布支持新国标充电接口:老车免费升级_IT与交通_cnBeta.COM

It's in Chinese, but from what I could find it seems that Tesla is willing to adopt CCS/CHAdeMO/GB in addition to SuperCharging on their vehicles?

Is there anybody here who can read Chinese and translate it?

Google Translate:

Today, Tesla official announced that the Chinese market will be equipped with "new national standard (GB / T20234-2015)" charging interface MODEL S and MODEL X models. In the future of the factory in the regulation of vehicles, Tesla will be canceled in the left side of the tail light hidden in the mouth, while the left rear fender to add a new national standard charging interface. At the same time, Tesla also taking into account the needs of the old owners, announced today from China for the continent with non-"new national standard" charging interface of the vehicle free of charge to provide "new national standard" charging adapter.

In order to meet the above measures, Tesla will also the current mainland super charge piles, the destination charging network of the charging pile to transform, support the new national standard charging interface.

Tesla said that more than 700 super-charging piles have been set up in 170 cities nationwide, and by the end of this year, the figure will exceed 1000.

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Great to see Tesla taking a customer-friendly approach. Annoying to see more diverse and incompatible standards that don't scale and aren't as well engineered as Tesla connectors entrenching themselves via government fiat.

CharIN can't come out with a new standard fast enough :Þ
 
If they do the same in Europe and America then yes but otherwise we want see any differens here.

For certain it will.

1. First, Tesla doesn't want to maintain two sets of stamping tools for the left rear quarter panel.
2. Second, now that it's publicly and visibly out there, people will be screaming for it. Or worse... holding off orders.

As a side note... it's interesting that they installed a "fueling door". This very much goes against the Tesla design ethic. That implies, to me, that this is a stop-gap measure. I expect that we will see a revised body in the relatively near future that will include a larger tail lamp door, similar to what we see in the model 3.
 
My Mandarin speaking granddaughter provides the following interpretation which is essentially the same as the Google translation shown in this thread:
"Hi Grandpa, it says that Tesla has announced that they will support a new Chinese national standard for their cars, and that owners of the old models will get the necessary upgrade for free.
Further it says that they will cancel distribution of the cars that have the charging opening by the left tail light, and instead (on the new cars) put the charging opening on the right side instead. At the same time, they will take into account the demands of the owners of old Teslas, and provide charging adapters (not sure exactly what the technical term here would be) to them according to the new national standards."
 
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Further it says that they will cancel distribution of the cars that have the charging opening by the left tail light,
and instead (on the new cars) put the charging opening on the right side instead.

Looking at the Google translation, I don't see the mention of shifting from Left to Right? ( left and right)

在今后出厂的中规车中,特斯拉将取消原本隐藏在侧尾灯边角的充电口,同时在后翼子板处增加新国标充电接口。

"In the future of the factory in the regulation of vehicles,
Tesla will be canceled in the left side of the tail light hidden in the mouth,
while the left rear fender to add a new national standard charging interface."
 
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Does anyone know if the Tesla charging port is still behind the reflector on these vehicles?

This is great news!!! It does mean that the Tesla plug will slowly go away, but that's okay.

Why does it mean that? Do you really think Tesla will change all superchargers to one of these ports? I bet they max out at CCS and Chademo rates which are less than Tesla's rate. Plus, what about all those destination chargers? In my view, Tesla's plug won't "slowly go away" anytime soon. For the foreseeable future, Tesla's plug will grow significantly given all the superchargers being added, and destination chargers being added daily.

1. First, Tesla doesn't want to maintain two sets of stamping tools for the left rear quarter panel.

I don't get this argument. They have to adapt a lot of parts for other markets. Plus, they can get rid of the old stamping set once the new one is fully on-line for all new vehicles, if that's the way they want to go, and if there's a Tesla charge port behind the reflector. You need to explain this one better since it seems they don't need two sets of stamping tools to me but even if they do, it seems no big deal.

2. Second, now that it's publicly and visibly out there, people will be screaming for it. Or worse... holding off orders.

You seem to think people who buy Teslas are aware of these nuanced changes. They are not. Very few, if any, will be screaming for it. But isn't there also the possibility we will soon see it on all new vehicles, along with the Tesla port?

I actually don't like it. Looks too much like that gas filler door.

Agreed. But I'd still take it to be able to leave my Chademo adapter at home and also have the CCS option so I'd put up with the gas entry type looking door. Function wins out over form in this case for me hands down.
 
Looking at the Google translation, I don't see the mention of shifting from Left to Right? ( left and right)

在今后出厂的中规车中,特斯拉将取消原本隐藏在侧尾灯边角的充电口,同时在后翼子板处增加新国标充电接口。

"In the future of the factory in the regulation of vehicles,
Tesla will be canceled in the left side of the tail light hidden in the mouth,
while the left rear fender to add a new national standard charging interface."

There are a number of threads on this, but the basic gist is this:

- The current EU style port (inlet/"mouth") in the light cluster is being removed.
- The new dual port 1x GB/T DC + 1 xGB/T AC are being added behind a new flap.
- The existing Superchargers are being retrofitted to have GB/T DC plugs.
- The existing owners are to be given GB/T -> EU style adaptors

For the absolute avoidance of doubt, the GB/T AC port is NOT the same as the EU version, even if it looks similar to an untrained observer.

IMHO this is a real headache for Tesla, at least from a short term logistics POV.

Longer term one has to question the strategic importance of building out the network there given the GB/T DC is already specified to be capable of greater kW rates of the current SuC system, and frankly has the full weight of the Chinese government behind it.

Any benefits would only be softer, e.g. better reliability, integrated sat-nav, easier payment system

Even then to a large extent the latter is moot, given how WeChat & AliPay has exploded there. (This aspect was a huge culture shock during my vacation there earlier this year).

In Urban China, Cash Is Rapidly Becoming Obsolete

One of the hotels I stayed in had a GB/T* DCFC in the car park, it was constantly busy. I wish I had paid a bit more attention / asked a user how the payment system worked, but it definitely seemed to be via some sort of QR code, just like AliPay, with people simply coming up and scanning the code from their phones to start a charge.


(* it was also CHAdeMO capable, and I saw a P90D owner using it a few times via the EU style adaptor).
 
IMHO this is a real headache for Tesla, at least from a short term logistics POV.

Great informative post. I take it that you are of the view, given the considerations mentioned in your post, this is Tesla to try to make charging easier overseas and this is not an addition we will likely see in North America?

The more I think about it, with all the Superchargers being added, is there really a need for Chademo and CCS in North America? I use my Chademo adapter less and less as superchargers are added and I see no need for it once Tesla builds more SC in my province, as planned.
 
@Canuck

My view is this Chinese situation has come in haste, and probably a forced decision. (Which is why we are only seeing renders, no photos of adaptors, no clear communication on roll-out strategies, etc. etc.)

Don't get me wrong I absolutely loved China, I met some great people in the too short 4 week time I was there (locals, ex-pats and fellow tourists), however it has an air about it that's hard to put your finger on. Officiousness with a deep rooted sense of patriotism maybe. (I'm trying to explain it the best I can).

My best guess is that the Party decided that GB/T was the way forward, and in all honesty Tesla in China are far from influential enough to change that. I got the massive impression when China makes a decision, that decision happens. Culturally they have a different view to us on a lot of things, and scrapping something (unless it's culturally significant) and starting again is nowhere near as big a problem as maybe other countries.

For them the pain of Tesla having to go through all this effort is "mouse-nuts" (to use an Elonism) given the scale of their infrastructure projects. (The Chinese rail system is amazing BTW!)

They probably have some more protectionist undertones in play too, but I would likely say it's more dogmatic. They know they want to build a world class exemplar of EV charging infrastructure, they have a set of plans to achieve it, and they will make it happen as fast as they can. If Tesla need to cut a new hole in the side of their cars for a Chinese port so what?


How does that effect EU / NA?

At least in Europe it would solve a number of challenges Tesla have backed themselves into by not having physical space for the CCS port. Not least of which Tesla will likely have no choice but to put CCS on the Model 3 due to legislation. Not having all charging options on your flagship vehicles would have been an uncomfortable position. Besides there's been growing political pressure to go for a common standard for years, however we can't act as decisively as China, so we've been soflty allowing competing standards to co-exists side by side while only encouraging one (CCS).

In the NA market, really hard to say, I'm not close enough to it. I don't think anyone there would complain if the new flap contained a CCS port. If the bodywork has to change to add a flap for China and EU, then you might as well put something there, and CCS wouldn't be without merit.
 
You just need to have your car shipped during the last few miles in.

If few means 1000's ;)

Driving from Europe to China in a car would be one heck of a challenge, let alone in a Model S.

Even some EU member states are troublesome. Last year's vacation I drove from the UK to Romania. I ever-so briefly toyed with the idea of doing it by Model S. The logistics of a Supercharger network that in effect only stretches as far east as Bratislava quickly put pay to that idea.

Far more sensible solution, fly to Hong Kong, then rent a Model S.
 
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