Using my Tesla worldwide

[msvoyager]

While I was recently visiting my home country the Netherlands, I stopped by the beautiful Amsterdam Tesla showroom.
After talking with the sales team that Chicago is my new home since 7 years, I was asked whether I would eventually go back to live for a while in Amsterdam, and what I would do then with my Tesla.
That brought up an interesting topic: My beloved Tesla, is the ONLY car that cannot be used outside the USA. That is, it can be used, but not for long road trips, the Dutch / European super chargers just wont work with an USA Tesla, as it has not been made compatible with the electrical differences. Even the plug itself is physically different and wont fit. CHAdeMO or other faster home charging wont work either.
The only Tesla's that are/will be build for dual compatibility, are Tesla's sold in China, they have two charge ports, like the Leaf, so that both systems can be used. Why not make all Tesla's compatible with both electrical systems?
Especially in the time of globalization, I cannot believe my car cannot practically be used outside of the USA...

I guess that is my only negative comment, for the rest I seriously like everything else about Tesla.
I've added a poll, to hear what your thoughts are on this topic.

Thanks for your input.
Best, Mick

 

[Tiger]

I think worldwide compatibilty would be nice in principle, same applies to general electric sockets, dvd regions, movie public release dates, etc. But mainly just in principle, there are few practical situations where it matters.

 

[msvoyager]

Thanks for you response. Agreed, this is indeed not limited to Tesla. Since Tesla plays such a ground breaking role, I would hope they would also break the ground for ending (sometimes artificial) compatibility limitations. For example Blu-Ray coding, unlike DVD NTSC-PAL, there are no technical reasons for doing this for Blu-ray. I am aware that for electrical differences, the vendor needs to make an effort. Of course by now almost all laptops and phone vendors have done this, but I am just hoping eventually all devices can be used globally.

 

[DriveMe]

The technology is changing so rapidly, that it is hard to expect a quick adoption of a single worldwide standard. Eventually that will happen, but probably not in the next few years.

I don’t think this is a high priority for Tesla right now. How many people travel with their cars overseas?

 

[MP3Mike]

CHAdeMO or other faster home charging wont work either.

Why wouldn't CHAdeMO work? It should be just fine as there is only one CHAdeMO connector.

 

[msvoyager]

Why wouldn't CHAdeMO work? It should be just fine as there is only one CHAdeMO connector.

The Tesla tech told me the internal electric system wont allow an USA car to benefit from any faster charging speed, incl CHAdeMo. You will get a maximum charge of 4 miles per hour regardless what source is used to charge from.

 

[MP3Mike]

The Tesla tech told me the internal electric system wont allow an USA car to benefit from any faster charging speed, incl CHAdeMo. You will get a maximum charge of 4 miles per hour regardless what source is used to charge from.

That isn't true. In fact some people have even made Menneke Type 2 to Tesla adapters so that they can use an EU Supercharger on a US car.

From comments in that Electrek article
František Kubiš, jr. • 13 hours ago

"It would be the first reported use of such a Menneke Type 2 to Tesla plug adapter."
No, it wouldn't be... Amateurs already doing it for a long time when importing US Teslas to Europe...

 

[msvoyager]

That isn't true. In fact some people have even made Menneke Type 2 to Tesla adapters so that they can use an EU Supercharger on a US car.

From comments in that Electrek article
František Kubiš, jr. • 13 hours ago

Ha, look at that! Thanks for the update. I tried to find something like this, but all info I got as that it doesnt exist, and even if it does, it would be extremely dangerous. Do you know if safety isnt a concern, and where / how to get one of these?

 

[MP3Mike]

Ha, look at that! Thanks for the update. I tried to find something like this, but all info I got as that it doesnt exist, and even if it does, it would be extremely dangerous. Do you know if safety isnt a concern, and where / how to get one of these?

No I don't know where to get them, I assume people made them themselves.

However, if you buy a US CHAdeMO adapter it should work just fine everywhere.

 

[Lasttoy]

If we have dual chargers, I don't see why any adapter won't work, even if home made? Always beware when dealer tells u something does work. I bet if the Tesla Club of Europe was contacted, they would have figured it out already. I lived there 10 years, they won't wait on a factory solution. They will figure it out fast. We thought nothing hitting, Italy, France, Germany, Netherland in one trip. At $8 A gallon, you bet those folks have adapters for every country. I will bet a dinner in Amsterdam on it.
Oh, I have driven from Germany to Oslo a few times, thru Denmak, Sweden, Netherlands, you know these guys do it all the time.
There is an adapter.

 

[electra2016]

That isn't true. In fact some people have even made Menneke Type 2 to Tesla adapters so that they can use an EU Supercharger on a US car.

From comments in that Electrek article
František Kubiš, jr. • 13 hours ago

I would love to take my USA Tesla in Italy and use the SC. Could you please let me know where I can buy this adapter? Thank you so much in advance. PS Do you know if it is difficult to import from the USA a Model S?

 

[vigge50]

Tesla isn't the only company that makes different connection for North america and Europe, even the CCS standard is different. The advantage for Tesla in Europe is that you can charge with a Type2 inlet as nearly all other electric cars sold in Europe directly compare to US there you can't plug in a Type1 in a Tesla.

 

[tadekh]

I would love to take my USA Tesla in Italy and use the SC. Could you please let me know where I can buy this adapter? Thank you so much in advance. PS Do you know if it is difficult to import from the USA a Model S?

I'm interested in shipping my US Tesla to Europe. I was told by the dealer that I will be able to use my home charger only. Please share any information regarding optional adapters. I really need some confirmed info that they actually work. How long would it take to charge using Level 2?

 

[xyeahtony]

Tesla EU-spec cars have the Type 2 plug not because they are interested in not having global compatibility but because local regulations require EVs sold to have the same connector.

CHADEMO will work for a US-spec car in Europe. DC-DC charging standards are the same everywhere. Just get the adapter and done.

The Tesla sales person was confused, and was talking about the fact that EU-spec cars have 3-phase chargers while US-spec cars have a single phase charger.
That has nothing to do with DC-fast charging, which bypasses the onboard charger. the battery packs are the same globally.

 

[vigge50]

Tesla EU-spec cars have the Type 2 plug not because they are interested in not having global compatibility but because local regulations require EVs sold to have the same connector.

CHADEMO will work for a US-spec car in Europe. DC-DC charging standards are the same everywhere. Just get the adapter and done.

The Tesla sales person was confused, and was talking about the fact that EU-spec cars have 3-phase chargers while US-spec cars have a single phase charger.
That has nothing to do with DC-fast charging, which bypasses the onboard charger. the battery packs are the same globally.

Why did Nissan Leaf then come with typ1 conector in Europe until the new Nissan Leaf then?

 

[msvoyager]

To Tpham07: Are you saying I could buy an USA Chademo adapter, and then I can charge my USA Tesla at any European Tesla supercharger with the same speed as in the USA? This is a bit confusing, I thought Chademo is a lot slower compared to a regular Tesla supercharger.
BTW, what about charging speed if using a regular European 220V home plug?

 

[xyeahtony]

To Tpham07: Are you saying I could buy an USA Chademo adapter, and then I can charge my USA Tesla at any European Tesla supercharger with the same speed as in the USA? This is a bit confusing, I thought Chademo is a lot slower compared to a regular Tesla supercharger.
BTW, what about charging speed if using a regular European 220V home plug?

European Tesla Superchargers use the Type 2 plug, not CHADEMO. You can find CHADEMO at various other EV public charging stations. So yes, CHADEMO should work.

Regular European home plugs would work, but would be extremely slow to the point of being useless just like 120V here in North America.

 

[ltorgo]

Can I please revive this discussion, as I have currently a model 3 order and I'm not sure if I should cancel it as I may need to move to Europe in one year, and if I cannot take the car with me, then it does not make sense to buy it now.

Am I correct to assume that the challenges of using a model 3 bought in US/Canada in Europe are:
(i) Charging it
(ii) Getting the car connect (i.e. the builtin SIM will only work here and not in Europe)

If I am correct with this assumption, then do you think it is possible to:

(i) Change the onboard charger at a Tesla Service Center in Europe for the European version?

(ii) If the onboard charger is changed, would this give me access to the Tesla Superchargers? If not, what can be done concerning the Superchargers?

(ii) For DC charging as long as I have a CHADEMO adapter bought here I should be OK, at least from what I read above, right?

(iii) For the SIM, would it be possible to swap it at a Tesla Service Center in Europe?

Thanks for any help with this!

 

[MP3Mike]

@ltorgo The main thing you are missing is that the warranty doesn't go with you. So if anything breaks on your car you are on your own to get parts and fix it. (Or you can bring your car back to the US to have them fix it.) From the warranty:

What Vehicles are Covered?

This New Vehicle Limited Warranty applies to Model 3 vehicles sold by Tesla in the North America
Warranty Region. For purposes of this New Vehicle Limited Warranty, the Tesla North America
Warranty Region is defined as all 50 states of the United States of America, the District of
Columbia, and all 13 provinces and territories of Canada, provided that you must return to the
North America Warranty Region in order to receive warranty service. Any subsequent purchasers
or transferees must return to the North America Warranty Region in order to obtain warranty
service regardless of the country in which such purchaser or transferee may have purchased the
vehicle.

Tesla will tell you not to take a US car to Europe. They will not support it. (They will not swap SIM/charger/charge port/software/etc.)

The Model 3 doesn't currently support CHAdeMO so you would have no DC charging.

 

[oliver4ever]

did any one try this adapter ?
EVHUB-SuC-A Supercharger EU\US Type2 to US