USB-C

[Knightshade]

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.

The car already comes with cables- so you'll have the right cable regardless.

The flagship of the biggest Android phone seller is the Samsung S9/S9 Plus. Which uses USB-C. As did the S8 and Note8 before it.

LGs flagship phone is the V35- which uses USB-C...as did the G7, G6, and V30 before it.

Googles flagship Pixel 2/2XL both use USB-C...as did the Pixel 1 before it- and the Nexus 6P before that.

The Essential phone, from the founder of Android? USB-C.

Motorolas flagship, the Z2 Force? USB-C. As were the previous years model.

...so basically every android flagship phone uses USB-C natively and has going back at least a year or two... so if Tesla had USB-C ports and the car came with USB-C to USB-C cables they'd work perfectly and charge much faster.


The only one I can think of that doesn't take USB-C is the iPhone X.

And funny enough- it doesn't take USB A either.

Tesla gives you a USB-A to Lightning cable today.... but if Tesla included a USB-C to Lightning cable instead with the car it'd work fine, and charge a ton faster too.

(and rumor has it the new iphones coming this fall will come with USB-C to Lightning cables out of the box, since they're bit embarrassed how slowly their phones charge with the default USB-A power plug and the A-to-Lightning cable compared to...well...everyone else going back a couple years now)

 

[SDKoala]

The car already comes with cables- so you'll have the right cable regardless.

The flagship of the biggest Android phone seller is the Samsung S9/S9 Plus. Which uses USB-C. As did the S8 and Note8 before it.

LGs flagship phone is the V35- which uses USB-C...as did the G7, G6, and V30 before it.

Googles flagship Pixel 2/2XL both use USB-C...as did the Pixel 1 before it- and the Nexus 6P before that.

The Essential phone, from the founder of Android? USB-C.

Motorolas flagship, the Z2 Force? USB-C. As were the previous years model.

...so basically every android flagship phone uses USB-C natively and has going back at least a year or two... so if Tesla had USB-C ports and the car came with USB-C to USB-C cables they'd work perfectly and charge much faster.


The only one I can think of that doesn't take USB-C is the iPhone X.

And funny enough- it doesn't take USB A either.

Tesla gives you a USB-A to Lightning cable today.... but if Tesla included a USB-C to Lightning cable instead with the car it'd work fine, and charge a ton faster too.

(and rumor has it the new iphones coming this fall will come with USB-C to Lightning cables out of the box, since they're bit embarrassed how slowly their phones charge with the default USB-A power plug and the A-to-Lightning cable compared to...well...everyone else going back a couple years now)

I'm completely aware these phones have USB-C connectors. I agree with you about the benefits of USB-C and you don't need to convince me. I'm not saying Tesla shouldn't keep up with current technology. What I'm saying is that the majority of people out there are oblivious and won't notice or care. Besides, I don't see anyone complaining about the car not being to charge their phone and there's many other things that need to be addressed before changing something that's working.

 

[Knightshade]

I'm completely aware these phones have USB-C connectors. I agree with you about the benefits of USB-C and you don't need to convince me. I'm not saying Tesla shouldn't keep up with current technology. What I'm saying is that the majority of people out there are oblivious and won't notice or care. Besides, I don't see anyone complaining

Funny you mention that.

USB Charging Speed Slow?

I saw quite a few such threads when the 3 first came out- because the ports were working at like 2005-era speeds and taking forever to charge... it seems like they updated the SW to at least make them charge at 2A- still glacial by USB-C standards, but better... and now there's a thread that may've been undone by a recent update and phones are charging painfully slow again.


I'm not saying this is the most vital thing the car needs updated- but I didn't start the thread either...and there's not really any good reason they didn't design it with USB-C from the get go (at least one one or two of the ports) given folks knew everything but iphone would be moving to it back before they ever took deposits on the 3 at all.

 

[Glamisduner]

Funny you mention that.

USB Charging Speed Slow?

I saw quite a few such threads when the 3 first came out- because the ports were working at like 2005-era speeds and taking forever to charge... it seems like they updated the SW to at least make them charge at 2A- still glacial by USB-C standards, but better... and now there's a thread that may've been undone by a recent update and phones are charging painfully slow again.


I'm not saying this is the most vital thing the car needs updated- but I didn't start the thread either...and there's not really any good reason they didn't design it with USB-C from the get go (at least one one or two of the ports) given folks knew everything but iphone would be moving to it back before they ever took deposits on the 3 at all.

Currently most phones cannot charge anywhere near 100w anyways, and 50+ watt chargers are expensive which is probably why tesla did not include them. I'd rather have a bigger screen, or nicer wheels than a faster charger . It would not have cost much to just add USB-C connectors though.

 

[eladts]

The front USB sockets can be used for USB disk-on-key devices. Most of these uses only the USB-A connector. Tesla also provides a 12V connector that you can use for charging mobile devices faster than you can with USB-C.

 

[timk225]

I have my own USB Type A to USB 3 data cable (micro USB and data plug combined) cable for my Galaxy S5 phone. It always seems like it charges faster from the USB ports in the rear side of the console then from the USB ports up in front in the console.

 

[Glamisduner]

The front USB sockets can be used for USB disk-on-key devices. Most of these uses only the USB-A connector. Tesla also provides a 12V connector that you can use for charging mobile devices faster than you can with USB-C.

I want to see this 100W+ 12v connector. I would also like to see a mobile device that supports such charging speeds.

 

[Glamisduner]

Dunno about 100w, but nearly everything supports faster than what you get out of the 1-2ish amp USB-A ports Tesla apparently put into the Model 3...

Here's a 45 watt car charger for example

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075WQQG7C?

Technically it's a 57 watt charger since it can feed the 45w USB-C and the 12w USB-A plugs at the same time.

And pretty much any laptop made in recent years will benefit from faster charging than the Tesla ports can provide too

I was referring specifically to the quoted post that states there is a 12v charger that can charge faster than USB-C?

 

[Knightshade]

I was referring specifically to the quoted post that states there is a 12v charger that can charge faster than USB-C?

Ah- apologies! I totally mis-read your post as asking where you could see anything that could charge at 100 (which you can do with USB-C and that's coming standard in some newer Jeep/Ram trucks now).... I deleted the inaccurate reply.

Interestingly they solved the old/new problem in the RAM trucks by just including 2 of each-
Ram goes to C

 

[Glamisduner]

Ah- apologies! I totally mis-read your post as asking where you could see anything that could charge at 100 (which you can do with USB-C and that's coming standard in some newer Jeep/Ram trucks now).... I deleted the inaccurate reply.

Interestingly they solved the old/new problem in the RAM trucks by just including 2 of each-
Ram goes to C

lol and omg. It's a sad day when a RAM truck has more advanced charging than a brand new tesla. Well Unless it's my RAM truck Who would have thought!

 

[Pkmmte]

I've stopped using most of my USB-A cables long ago that it felt strange having those outdated ports on my new Model 3. Even my desktop computer has USB-C ports. I ended up buying a bunch of adapters for each port and left them there permanently so I didn't have to buy new cables.

https://www.amazon.com/Acessorz-Hi-speed-Connector-Converter-Interface/dp/B075LHXVNV

Edit: Great, I'm back to seeing RAM truck ads on this site again.

 

[joanwa]

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.

Second that. Most plugged in device is a smartphone. Which new smartphone produced in the last 2 years has microUSB? Next to none, flagships phones I'd say zero. It's either USB-C or Lightning. And what's the frequency of changing to a newer phone vs to a newer car? My uneducated guess would be 80% of all devices plugged into a car now are USB-C and USB-A maybe 30%.

Just some examples for usb-c: ultrabooks, macbooks, gopro, iPad Pro, all android phones, new wireless headphones,...

 

[timk225]

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

That's one thing that Apple and Tesla have in common. They love to make unique non-standard parts that only they sell, to increase CORPORATE PROFITS. But they don't fool me.

I remember when Apple's new charging connector came out, the story was that it had a resistor in there somewhere so only an original Apple plug could be used in an Apple device.

Within 6 months the cheap Chinese counterfeits started showing up, and it made me happy to see Apple losing sales of their proprietary parts in this way.

Once more Model 3's start to come out of their warranty period, the aftermarket will come up to supply things that Tesla loves to overcharge for, which is pretty much everything they sell.

 

[MatildaModelY]

Y no ps/2??

 

[Atari2600]

iPhone 8 and newer uses USB-PD but you have to use a USB C to lightning cable.

 

[NeverFollow]

I've stopped using most of my USB-A cables long ago that it felt strange having those outdated ports on my new Model 3.
Even my desktop computer has USB-C ports.
I ended up buying a bunch of adapters for each port and left them there permanently so I didn't have to buy new cables.

I use mostly wireless charger so I rarelly use an USB-Type C plug for my smartphone.

However all the other devices (such as Bluetooth earphones or battery pack) still use the older USB Micro.
I hate both USB type 2 and USB micro because you never know which side to enter.

So I added to all of my devices some magnetic adapters and magnetic cords which I found very practical.

 

[pscarroll]

I'd rather they put in barrel 12V plugs and then you could just plug in whatever you want, or even *gasp* a cigarette lighter plug like they have under the arm rest. The arm rest one isn't convenient, they really need12V accessible from the front center console and also one under the USB ports in the back to maximize the ability to plug stuff in. Yes, you can plug in a USB-A to USB-C cable, but it's still only 5V and 2A+? coming from there, nowhere near what USB-C can deliver.

 

[SageBrush]

I'd rather they put in barrel 12V plugs and then you could just plug in whatever you want, or even *gasp* a cigarette lighter plug like they have under the arm rest. The arm rest one isn't convenient, they really need12V accessible from the front center console and also one under the USB ports in the back to maximize the ability to plug stuff in. Yes, you can plug in a USB-A to USB-C cable, but it's still only 5V and 2A+? coming from there, nowhere near what USB-C can deliver.

If I ever get really motivated, I'll route the 12v under the arm rest to the front center console with a USB-C cable

 

[Kirby64]

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

Just having the USB-C connector doesn't mean you actually support fast charging speeds. Those two things are independent and depend on the implementation of the manufacturer. I checked the Chevy Bolt, and the USB-C ports they give you offer only 5V, 1.5A charging which is slower than what Tesla offers (5V, 2.4A charging on all ports). The USB-C connector also doesn't mandate you offer 100W of charging. In fact you can offer just 5V, 0.5A if you feel like it. Your overview of USB-C and USB3.1 is also incorrect. USB3.1 just dictates the link speed of the interface. USB3.1 Gen 1 is just rebranded USB 3 (5 Gbps). USB3.1 Gen 2 is 10 Gbps. USB-C just defines the connector, and does not include mandatory power delivery (100W charging), 10Gbps speeds, or alternate modes (DisplayPort, etc).

Personally, it'd be nice if we had USB-C ports all around cars that offered 100W charging on every port, but the additional cost to provide potentially 400W (or even one 100W port) would be incredibly cost prohibitive, especially for a car like the Model 3. I could see them offering something like that (as a paid option) in the refreshed Model S/X, but it just doesn't make any sense in a Model 3.

For those that want 100W charging, you can already get it by using a 12V->USB-PD adapter. The vast majority of the population isn't getting much benefit since all they're doing is charging a phone. There's not even many phones on the market that can really utilize charging over 10W using non-proprietary methods.

Keep in mind, this car was released before the USB-PD 3.0 spec was even finalized. We're only now getting to a point where USB-PD and USB-C is becoming ubiquitous on phones. Keeping in mind the development time on cars (vs phones) is much longer, I think Tesla made the right decision here.

 

[docherf]

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?

Surprised too. usb-c came on our new Jeep Wrangler JL.