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USB-C

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So let's give the car a connection that maybe 1% of the devices in the world can use that could steadily increase as the car becomes obsolete OR give the car a connection that 100% of the devices can use right now.
That is not the case.

Just ask Tesla for the cable that matches your phone. IIRC they offer lightning (Apple) and USB-C. The latter can easily be adapted to USB-B

The better question here would be the capabilities of the Tesla cable that is terminated as USB-C.
  • High data speed ?
  • High Power (for charging) ?
  • Does it support a separate channel for audio ?
  • Would it be blessed by Leung !?
 
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  • Helpful
Reactions: SW2Fiddler
Wait, I thought it came with USB-C and Iphone (lightening?) connectors? This is something that the trade thread mentions as USB-C and I figured at least one person knew what a USB-C was and was able to tell the difference between USB-C and a Micro USB or other cable.

Is this not the case? And if it is not the case, am I going to have to pay for one?

Ideally, not through the Shop.tesla because i still cant get a response to my emails asking for the missing Aero Wheel caps, since only 2 is worthless when a car comes with 4 tires (should be basic math). Would like to get at delivery where I can confirm what I am getting is correct.
 
Wait, I thought it came with USB-C and Iphone (lightening?) connectors? This is something that the trade thread mentions as USB-C and I figured at least one person knew what a USB-C was and was able to tell the difference between USB-C and a Micro USB or other cable.

Is this not the case? And if it is not the case, am I going to have to pay for one?

Ideally, not through the Shop.tesla because i still cant get a response to my emails asking for the missing Aero Wheel caps, since only 2 is worthless when a car comes with 4 tires (should be basic math). Would like to get at delivery where I can confirm what I am getting is correct.

Correct one usbc and one lightning cable are provided. What the OP is mentioning is that the connection to the car is actually standard old USB instead of having a female usbc connection. In reality it shouldn't matter all that much, just a different connection type.
 
I’m surprised that the M3 is not shipped with USB-C, many car companies are future proofing there cars and adding the hardwear for example the new RAM.

I would think Tesla would be leading the way here. Thoughts?
Future proof with USB-C? That's funny. Of the few things you can count on in this life is that manufacturers will continue to alter connectors. That's how they sell new cords and charging gizmos.
 
  • Disagree
Reactions: Pkmmte
I do think they missed out on higher charge speeds, maybe even laptop-compatible PD. Yup, Small issue in large scheme of things.
Providing a usb-c -> lightning, usb-c -> mini usb, etc cables would have made it just as transparent for the users.
You can always throw in there a plain USB for retro.

FWIW I threw a USB-PD adapter into the 12v outlet in the armrest and it's sufficient to charge my 15" MacBook Pro. Not the perfect solution but hey, better than a kick in the happy place.
 
Correct one usbc and one lightning cable are provided. What the OP is mentioning is that the connection to the car is actually standard old USB instead of having a female usbc connection. In reality it shouldn't matter all that much, just a different connection type.


It matters quite a bit for charging speeds.

The fastest charging standards all require USB-C on the source end, and that can charge much faster than older USB can (like 10 times faster in some cases).

If Tesla had gone with a highly capable USB-C port on the car side they could've provided whatever cables work with your phone on the other end- and everyone would've gotten the max charging speed possible for their device.

Instead everyone is limited to the lower power the old-style USB ports provide, no matter how advanced their phone might be or what cable they use with it

It's one of those really weird "this thing has features out of star trek...but also leaves out stuff that's coming standard on a Jeep nowadays" things on the car
 
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Is this really an issue? Much easier to find a traditional USB cable than a usb-c cable. I don't need my phone charged in 5 minutes nor is it good for the battery if it actually supported it.

The car comes with 2 cables free- if they put USB-C on the car-side up front you'd just get USB-C on the car end, and whatever you need for your phone on the other from Tesla at delivery. No need to "find" anything- and you'd have significantly faster charging available if you want it, or the same speed as the older port if you don't.

As mentioned other, much lower-end, vehicles are already starting to offer this.

And if concerned about guests they could always have rear ports be the older/slower USB-A
 
It matters quite a bit for charging speeds.

The fastest charging standards all require USB-C on the source end, and that can charge much faster than older USB can (like 10 times faster in some cases).

If Tesla had gone with a highly capable USB-C port on the car side they could've provided whatever cables work with your phone on the other end- and everyone would've gotten the max charging speed possible for their device.

Instead everyone is limited to the lower power the old-style USB ports provide, no matter how advanced their phone might be or what cable they use with it

It's one of those really weird "this thing has features out of star trek...but also leaves out stuff that's coming standard on a Jeep nowadays" things on the car

What exactly are you trying to charge that couldn't be accomplished using a USB-A interface? Fast charging does not require USB-C on the source end. I have tons of QC chargers w/ female USB-A ports to justify this.
 
  • Disagree
Reactions: strykeroz
What exactly are you trying to charge that couldn't be accomplished using a USB-A interface? Fast charging does not require USB-C on the source end. I have tons of QC chargers w/ female USB-A ports to justify this.

QC is a work around for faster charging before USB-C came out. USB-C is a real standard, in terms of speed, charging and ease of use (no way to plug it in backwards). It's capable of charging devices MUCH faster than Samsung QC. So by not having actual USB-C ports you are significantly reducing the charging capability.

But really it should also offer wireless charging, however much slower it is, or harder on your battery. Wireless charging for the tech package like the Chevy Bolt has + USB-C would be king.

USB 1.0 5V 0.5A 2.5W
USB 2.0 5V 0.5A 2.5W
USB 3.0 5V 0.5A/0.9A 4.5W
USB 3.1 (USB-C + USB-PD) 5-20V 0.5A/0.9A/1.5A/3A/5A 100W

+The USB specs are more like guidelines than dictum, though. Fast charging standards like Qualcomm’s Quick Charge and Samsung’s Adaptive Fast Charging exceed the USB spec’s voltage parameters, but on purpose"

USB-C:
  • new, symmetrical high bandwidth connector called USB Type-C
  • Data transfer rates that are twice the speed of existing USB technology (up to 10Gbit/s)
  • Enhanced power delivery of up to 20 volts, 5 amps, and 100 watts for power and charging
  • Built-in support for DisplayPort video and four channel audio (speaker and microphone)
Qualcomm / Samsung Quick Charge. (most popular for phones although I don't have a single phone or device that uses it)
Requires device to have licensed tech and parts. The only reason to pay for this tech IMO is due to how popular it currently is. Other than that USB-C + USB-PD seems greatly superior and does not require a license to use.

Quick Charge 1.0 5V 2A 10W
Quick Charge 2.0 5V/9V/12V 1.67A/2A 18W
Quick Charge 3.0 3.6V – 20V (200mV increments) 2.5A/4.6A 18W
Quick Charge 4.0 N/A N/A N/A
Quick Charge 4.0+ 5V/9V (USB-PD), 3.6V – 20V (200mV increments) 3A (USB-PD), 2.5A/4.6A 27W (USB-PD)

Apple doing their own thing also has decent technology, not sure why they didn't just go USB-C + USB-PD though. Well Ok, there's lots of money in dongles and adapters.

So yes, Model 3 Phone charging is already very obsolete out of the box.

How does fast charging work? Here’s every single standard compared
 
I think USB-C ports would have been great too. I also think the majority of "regular" consumers out there (not people who are tech-centric, early adopters drawn to forums like this) couldn't care less. They'd probably be more annoyed that their regular USB-A cables that come with the majority of flagship devices can't be plugged in to the car without and adapter or new cable.