Third party DC fast charger switch?

[ChooseGreen]

I have searched around but didn’t come across this so thought I would post in case it could help someone else.

• 2014 S 60 (Pre-AP)
• Recently purchased off of original owner (i.e. recent factory reset)
• Would not CHAdeMO charge despite:
  • This car had previously CHAdeMO charged with this CHAdeMO adapter
  • Tried it at about 5 different CHAdeMO stations all with good plugshare scores
  • Error was the same every time (failed right away after a brief blue flashing ring)

I was in the service centre for something unrelated and asked about this. The tech was kind and spent some time digging. He found a “Allow third party DC fast charging” switch buried in the software. He flipped it back to a ‘1’ and said to watch it in case the next software update flipped it back inadvertently. Helpful to know should it fail in the future.

Hope that helps and thanks to the service centre staff to keep digging to find that.

 

[Rocky_H]

Hmm, I knew about that switch. Those old 60's didn't come with Supercharging enabled by default. It was an optional extra. And if you ordered it after the fact, it was I think $2,500. The interesting bit was that it wouldn't allow any DC fast charging. So for some years, the online store had an option you could purchase for I think $1,750 or something like that, which would enable that DC fast charging switch, so you could use CHAdeMO, but it still didn't give access to the Supercharger network.

This car had previously CHAdeMO charged with this CHAdeMO adapter

That's the really odd bit, though. If the previous owner had paid to get that DC fast charging enabled, I thought that would be a setting that stayed on the car, and it's pretty strange that would get turned off when selling to a new owner.

 

[ChooseGreen]

I thought that would be a setting that stayed on the car, and it's pretty strange that would get turned off when selling to a new owner.

Ah, that makes sense. I had wondered why this was even a switch. Another issue I’m having is that the unlimited supercharging for the life of the vehicle also disappeared in the transfer and I’m trying to politely advocate to get that back. Thanks!

 

[Rocky_H]

Ah, that makes sense. I had wondered why this was even a switch. Another issue I’m having is that the unlimited supercharging for the life of the vehicle also disappeared in the transfer and I’m trying to politely advocate to get that back. Thanks!

Oh, so they did have it with Supercharging activated before? I would think most 60 buyers did.
So here's the thing about that. Do you know the path or ownership? Did you buy it directly from the original individual who bought it? Or was it sold back to Tesla and then through some auction or resale place?

What people are finding is that this is how Tesla is killing off the older free unlimited lifetime Supercharger cars. If they can ever get it back into their possession, they remove that. I still don't think that's legal, since they had published specific written language saying it would stay with the entire lifetime of that car, regardless of ownership, but most people seem to disagree with me about that legal conclusion.

But if you bought it directly from the original owner, and Tesla never got ownership of it back at any point, then that should be rock solid that Tesla cannot remove the unlimited Supercharging.

 

[ChooseGreen]

But if you bought it directly from the original owner, and Tesla never got ownership of it back at any point, then that should be rock solid that Tesla cannot remove the unlimited Supercharging.

I tend to agree with you. I bought it directly from the original owner (super kind and helpful individual!) but have been told by a few customer service reps that the promotion is over which is silly as it was never a ‘promotion’ with this vehicle in the first place. Unfortunately there is no Executive Escalation button any more so it is taking a very long time to work through.

Also unfortunately the only documentation I have to go off of is a tweet by John McNeil back in 2017 when the unlimited supercharging was first being phased out. There is a tonne of communications and references to communications, but no concrete contractual language (yet). All documentation I and the original owner has just talks about supercharger access.

 

[Rocky_H]

Also unfortunately the only documentation I have to go off of is a tweet by John McNeil back in 2017 when the unlimited supercharging was first being phased out. There is a tonne of communications and references to communications, but no concrete contractual language (yet). All documentation I and the original owner has just talks about supercharger access.

Yep--that's the one I was referring to. That was a Tesla executive confirming in writing that the permanent Supercharging continually transfers with the car when it is sold from one private party to the next. They should figure this one out, but I have been afraid this was coming for a while, that they might try to start illegally revoking access from cars that they never bought back. I hope it wouldn't come to this, but the evidence on this is iron-clad enough that I would go to court if I had to to hold their feet to the fire and get the precedent established that they are not allowed to revoke this.