What happens when there are only SC.

[X.l.r.8]

With the world turning to the M3 as their saviour and every where going super charger crazy, where does that leave the humble roadster. I see there are many SC locations but as far as I am aware they are no use to the roadster, there is no adaptor that can be used to allow the roadster to use the superchargers even at reduced wattage. Is there something I’m missing? Do super chargers have a separate charger for those not looking for the higher wattage?

 

[dhrivnak]

We unfortunately are mostly left out. But with the 3.0 battery and HC Sharp's CAN-SR there are many destination chargers that can work. A good 80 amp destination charger can give the Roadster over 60 miles an hour. So doing 400 miles day is possible now on one.

 

[ViperDoc]

And of course there is the Chademo set-up that is available from a third party vendor for the Roadster. Mine is sitting in my garage and should be installed this summer!

 

[X.l.r.8]

That’s not the answer I was looking for lol. The 3.0 is a fraction of a marginal group of Tesla vehicles. The 2 roadsters I am looking at both have good original battery’s. I think I may have resigned myself to waiting until I move south of the boarder until I buy the roadster. Patience is not something I have a lot of.

 

[hcsharp]

Sometimes it's harder now to make road trips than it used to be. Not many people bother to register on PlugShare anymore because they assume everybody can use superchargers. We used to have a 70A Roadster charger 150 - 200 miles north, south, and east of us. All 3 are gone. When you contact someone on PlugShare they're almost surprised to hear from you. Home chargers are generally less powerful than they used to be because nobody needs 80A anymore. The Destination chargers are helping us but most of the hosts say that it's for patrons only. Having a meal in their restaurant doesn't always qualify you, although most around here are nice. We still make road trips but it's not necessarily easier than it used to be.

 

[DeedWest]

I think it's safe to say that the Roadster will likely never be able to use Tesla's superchargers.

The upside is this: thanks to @hcsharp and his CAN Sr., every Tesla Destination wall charger that gets installed is yet another win for us Roadster owners. I used one over the weekend and it gave me the full 70A current on my Roadster, which I've only experienced once before. It's incredibly fast, and it makes long distance travel possible. I wouldn't count on destination chargers going anywhere ANYTIME soon.

 

[ViperDoc]

Sometimes it's harder now to make road trips than it used to be. Not many people bother to register on PlugShare anymore because they assume everybody can use superchargers. We used to have a 70A Roadster charger 150 - 200 miles north, south, and east of us. All 3 are gone.

Fortunately Henry, the 70A Roadster charger the is to your WEST is still here and will be for quite a while (at least until I figure out how to replace mine with a Roadster 2020!), and you are always welcome to use it (as are other Roadster owners).

 

[hcsharp]

Fortunately Henry, the 70A Roadster charger the is to your WEST is still here and will be for quite a while (at least until I figure out how to replace mine with a Roadster 2020!), and you are always welcome to use it (as are other Roadster owners).

 

[Uncle Paul]

When I was at the Supercharger in Kettleman, they had an individual charger near the front door that was not a Supercharger plug.
Perhaps that was for early Roadsters. Did not look at the plug configuration.

 

[supersnoop]

There are a whole lot of other electric cars that aren't Tesla's and aren't able to use Tesla's charging infrastructure. There will never be a day when there are "only SC."

 

[TigaFF]

Are there still problems with Roadsters connecting to new versions of the Tesla destination chargers? I seem to remember a thread that discussed problems with newer versions. I change at home with @hcsharp's Can Sr and and HPWC. When I first plug it in the VDS shows an error momentarily and then connects. Now that the weather is improving, my wife and I would like to take some road trips and will base the plans to some extent on destination chargers. Just wondering what to expect.

 

[DeedWest]

Are there still problems with Roadsters connecting to new versions of the Tesla destination chargers? I seem to remember a thread that discussed problems with newer versions. I change at home with @hcsharp's Can Sr and and HPWC. When I first plug it in the VDS shows an error momentarily and then connects. Now that the weather is improving, my wife and I would like to take some road trips and will base the plans to some extent on destination chargers. Just wondering what to expect.

I just charged using one last weekend, and it was at a very new hotel outside of Dallas. I'd have to imagine the HPWC I used was new, though I don't know for sure. Either way, it charged fantastically like it always does with the CAN Sr. - initial error message and all.

 

[hcsharp]

@TigaFF The newest versions behave like yours does. Initially it faults but don't touch it and it will self-correct and start charging. There was a period of time when the QC wasn't very good and a few chargers were installed that didn't work with Roadsters. Most of those have been replaced. If you find a destination charger that doesn't work with your Roadster, report it to Tesla's Destination charging team and they will contact the host to get it replaced.

 

[Frisco-Dad]

If you find a destination charger that doesn't work with your Roadster, report it to Tesla's Destination charging team and they will contact the host to get it replaced.

I found a destination charger that didn't work with my Roadster. PlugShare - Find Electric Vehicle Charging Locations Near You

On my road trip from Dallas to Houston, I made a dogleg to this charger since it was 80 amps. Imagine my disappointment when I plugged in and got nothing but RED lights on the HPWC! My observation is that the newer destination chargers all work with the Roadster. This was the first HPWC that I encountered that didn't work with my Roadster and the CAN SR. It looks like an older charger with people checking in on Plugshare since 2014.

I will report this to the Tesla destination charging team and hopefully they will be able to work with the host to get it replaced.

Here's a picture of the serial numbers if anyone is interested. I'm not sure if it is possible to tell if the HPWC will work or not based on serial number. I didn't see a date of manufacture.

 

[gregd]

I found a destination charger that didn't work with my Roadster. PlugShare - Find Electric Vehicle Charging Locations Near You

On my road trip from Dallas to Houston, I made a dogleg to this charger since it was 80 amps. Imagine my disappointment when I plugged in and got nothing but RED lights on the HPWC! My observation is that the newer destination chargers all work with the Roadster. This was the first HPWC that I encountered that didn't work with my Roadster and the CAN SR. It looks like an older charger with people checking in on Plugshare since 2014.

I will report this to the Tesla destination charging team and hopefully they will be able to work with the host to get it replaced.

Here's a picture of the serial numbers if anyone is interested. I'm not sure if it is possible to tell if the HPWC will work or not based on serial number. I didn't see a date of manufacture.

View attachment 293719

How long did you wait after attaching the cable? There have been reports of a back-off and retry protocol that these newer units use, where if they don't get the "proper" signaling from the car, the HPWC will back down to a different protocol and try that. The Roadster can't provide the new signaling, since it pre-dates that spec. I think it takes about 30 seconds before this kicks in.

 

[TigaFF]

My wife and I are heading to an inn on the Blue Ridge Parkway that has a Tesla destination charger and a Clipper Creek charger. I have both Can Sr and Jr. with me. The total trip is 175 miles and there a brewery @ 135 miles from home (Silver Spring) on the way there that also has a destination charger and some form of a J1772. I plan to range charge just before we leave and stop at the brewery. First trip beyond the usual run to work.
Thanks all for the assistance. Will send some pics. The weather if finally getting nice on the East coast..

 

[Frisco-Dad]

How long did you wait after attaching the cable? There have been reports of a back-off and retry protocol that these newer units use, where if they don't get the "proper" signaling from the car, the HPWC will back down to a different protocol and try that. The Roadster can't provide the new signaling, since it pre-dates that spec. I think it takes about 30 seconds before this kicks in.

Hi Gregd. I'm familiar with the retry protocol. I use the newer Tesla Wall Connector as my daily charger at home for the roadster, and every time I plug in, I get the warning on the VDS and charging starts up 30-60 seconds later. The destination charger that failed immediately turned all indicator lights red on the HPWC as well as the charging port on the Roadster. I had to hit the reset button on the HPWC to get the lights to go back to green.

To quote my check-in on plugshare. "The HPWC was not compatible with my Roadster. I kept getting the “red ring of death” even after resetting the HPWC a few times. This is the first HPWC I’ve encountered that didn’t work with my roadster."

 

[gregd]

Ah, ok. This isn't a good sign... Hope it's just a one-off failed unit!

 

[Frisco-Dad]

This isn't a good sign... Hope it's just a one-off failed unit!

It still works for Model S/X, based on people who check-in via Plugshare. It just failed with my Roadster.