Some people are reporting that 4m cables are on the short side so I imagine a 2.5m coiled cable fully stretched is only going to suit very particular situations. It may match a nicely lined up home charge point but you can't guarantee the orientation when out and about. Having said that I've had the car 6 months and never had to use the Type 2 cable for anything as I have always had tethered at home and at any other chargers.
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What Charge Cables Are Supplied With The Car?
- Thread starter Krazymuthafuka
- Start date
Some people are reporting that 4m cables are on the short side so I imagine a 2.5m coiled cable fully stretched is only going to suit very particular situations. It may match a nicely lined up home charge point but you can't guarantee the orientation when out and about. Having said that I've had the car 6 months and never had to use the Type 2 cable for anything as I have always had tethered at home and at any other chargers.
Never had an issue when out and about. The cable that Tesla supply is also in the boot under the floor in case of "emergencies"
MrBadger
Badger out
I'm impressed with the grey 4m 3-phase cable supplied with ours. I originally asked if it could be swapped for a longer 'blue' cable which didn't seem an issue if we wanted to wait a bit for them stock wise. But we were recommended to stick with the 'better quality' cable we had. Certainly nice and flexible for such a 'robust' cable.
However, as we were deciding whether to keep the original cable, I left it unopened in the boot. Until one wet night, we were visiting a car park with some chargers so decided to see how car fitted in the bays then make assessment on whether 4m would be a problem.
As it happened, 4m would be just fine (car is just under 4m so certain orientations are not possible) so went to charge.
tl;dr. Just make sure you unpack your type 2 cable before you need it in anger. Whilst we eventually fought our way through the vacuum packed bag, the cable ties were an insurmountable problem with the 'tools' that we had with us.
Thankfully the coiled up cable still reached, very well in fact, but had we needed it in an emergency, we would have been stuffed.
However, as we were deciding whether to keep the original cable, I left it unopened in the boot. Until one wet night, we were visiting a car park with some chargers so decided to see how car fitted in the bays then make assessment on whether 4m would be a problem.
As it happened, 4m would be just fine (car is just under 4m so certain orientations are not possible) so went to charge.
tl;dr. Just make sure you unpack your type 2 cable before you need it in anger. Whilst we eventually fought our way through the vacuum packed bag, the cable ties were an insurmountable problem with the 'tools' that we had with us.
Thankfully the coiled up cable still reached, very well in fact, but had we needed it in an emergency, we would have been stuffed.
Interesting... when I used mine the first time at a Source London charger, I was able to use it fine, so either the cable ties weren't as strong as yours, or it didn't have any.
MrBadger
Badger out
type 2 may not be blue - so don't use that as an identifier
16A is 6A more than the 10/13A connector on the UMC - so if you don't have a charge point and want to use UMC, getting a 16A commando socket may be a useful upgrade. 16A commando is also used for campsite hookups. Unfortunately different versions of commando are not compatible (size/phases/voltage) so if you have to buy, wait till you know exactly what one you need.
CCS is the standard now for DC rapid charging, so CCS alternatives even more likely than just Chademo in UK. Personally I wouldn't bother, but if you are desperately short on battery and you barely make it to a charge point that only Chademo is available, that advice may be called into question. Personally I would call AA in that situation.
16A is 6A more than the 10/13A connector on the UMC - so if you don't have a charge point and want to use UMC, getting a 16A commando socket may be a useful upgrade. 16A commando is also used for campsite hookups. Unfortunately different versions of commando are not compatible (size/phases/voltage) so if you have to buy, wait till you know exactly what one you need.
CCS is the standard now for DC rapid charging, so CCS alternatives even more likely than just Chademo in UK. Personally I wouldn't bother, but if you are desperately short on battery and you barely make it to a charge point that only Chademo is available, that advice may be called into question. Personally I would call AA in that situation.
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You get what's known as the UMC (Universal Mobile connector) .. I think that's what you are describing as "normal Tesla wall plug". The UMC can have a range of different adapters attached to it. You now just get the 13amp plug adapter for the UMC supplied free (charges at 10amps). The Type 2 cable may be any colour (normally grey or blue and usually 4 metres). You don't necessarily need anything else. If you find that you have access to a "commando" socket in the future you can buy the appropriate adapter for the UMC. If you don't know what that is then you almost certainly don't need one ... but you could investigate that further because it can give useful options beyond the 10amp limit that presently have.
All the above are related to AC charging. "Rapid" charging (e.g. Superchargers) uses DC charging this is where CCS and Chademo comes in. The Model 3 in UK/Europe uses CCS for its rapid DC charging. Chademo is a completely different standard and connector. I haven't yet heard of anyone with a Model 3 getting a Chademo adapter. I don't even know if CCS to Chademo adapters exist. Tesla Chademo adapters are for Model S/X that didn't come with CCS. I haven't come across a public charger that only has Chademo though I believe they do exist.
NoUserName7
Member
I'd second that. I didn't have the cable with my car, asked the guy about it and he went off and brought me one. Very glad that I watched a "checklist" video. Other than that, the car (and delivery) was spotless. And loving the car.
I'd third that. My car also didn't have the cable, so I requested the cable to the staff. He brought one within 5 minutes.
WannabeOwner
Well-Known Member
Tesla have phased that out and no longer include it with car. When I got my first MS it came with Gen1 UMC and that had a 32 AMP Commando connector. I've used that in a number of places, and (personally) I've never seen a 16 AMP Commando socket anywhere that I have parked, so I'm not sure whether 16 AMP Commando (rather than 32 AMP) would actually be useful. Other folk will know I expect?
Only (I think?) works on MS / MX. I have one because 4 years ago that was my fall back. New MS / MX come with a CCS adaptor, and I suspect that anywhere (i.e. 3rd party charging) I stopped now would have CCS as well as CHAdeMO. However, I have seen them on different/adjacent stalls, so i suppose having both CCS and CHAdeMO might avoid having to wait, or solving a "stall not working" issue. Fairly long odds I would guess ...
if you reckon CHAdeMO might be useful then perhaps worth a look on eBay.
if you think you might use Commando then you can buy either the 16 AMP or 32 AMP adaptor. (I put in a Commando Socket at home,a s well as the wall charger, and I did have a problem with wall charger and at that time the Commando was a blessing
if you think you might use Commando then you can buy either the 16 AMP or 32 AMP adaptor. (I put in a Commando Socket at home,a s well as the wall charger, and I did have a problem with wall charger and at that time the Commando was a blessing
Yes, I temporarily wired up a 16amp commando socket that I only ended up needing to use for a few days before the charge point was installed ... but it gave a very useful boost over the 10amp rate you get with the "13amp" plug adapter. I believe 16 amp commando sockets are common on camping/caravaning sites.
The confusion arises because the 32A commando adapter charges at 32A wheras the 16A commando adaptor only charges at 16A.
What is obvious is that the 13A charges at 10A.
What is obvious is that the 13A charges at 10A.
MrBadger
Badger out
What is also obvious, but only when you see them in the flesh, is that a 32A and 16A commando, whilst both being blue for single phase/230v, are very different in size.
WannabeOwner
Well-Known Member
Yes. My car charges same rate on wall charger or 32 AMP Commando.
3-Phase wall charger would be faster ... UMC 3-Phase needs Red Commando connector (16A 11kW I think) - and Model-3 isn't going to take much advantage of 3-phase, compared to MS / MX
Yes, the 32 amp adapter for use with the UMC is £32 from your local service centre, so long as they have them in stock. The 16 amp adapter for the UMC is a smaller version of the same thing and used to be supplied as standard with the M3. I would guess it costs the same as the 32 if someone has to pay for one. The 32amp will enable you to use the supplied UMC to charge at the same rate as a full blown home charge point. The drawback is that the UMC is really for carrying around in the boot for emergencies so not so convenient if you are using it as your main charge point at home.
PaulIOM
Member
This is so confusing, so if I install a 32a commando socket in my garage (I have a spare 32a MCB in my consumer unit) can I get a cable which will allow the standard charger which comes with the car, to charge at 32a.
Louis0w
Member
Yes. The UMC, that comes with the car, is capable of charging at 32a; you’ll just need to purchase the blue 32a adapter from a service centre. I’ve been charging using this method for 6 months; no problem. Longer term will purchase Tesla’s new ‘smart’ wall connector for the garage; but as yet they’re not available in the UK.
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