CCS connectors coming to Tesla supercharger stations in the US, says Elon Musk

[bobrosco]

Tesla will add CCS connectors to Supercharger stations in the US, says Elon Musk - Electrek

Hopefully this will be a positive for everyone.

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[sotek2345]

I will believe it when it happens and not before.

Would be great though.

 

[hturnerfamily]

after just returning from the FORD DRIVE event in San Antonio, in a Tesla Model 3, and stopping at no less than 8 superchargers along the way there, and back, Tesla owners will NOT by happy.

Tesla does a GREAT job with their own charging infrastructure. It is EASY. it is QUICK. There is NO screen to contend with. You just park and plug in. Period.

On the other hand, if 'other' vehicle makes and models start showing up, I would suspect that Tesla owners will feel as though they have lost their 'edge' with Tesla, and may find themselves feeling bitter and downgraded. But, I also suppose that, over time, future owners of Teslas will be more understanding and less aggravated.
Tesla superchargers can be VERY popular in some locations - my stops at Lake Charles, LA(twice) never had any less than 4-5 Teslas charging at an 8 station lot, with vehicles constantly coming and leaving, I assume from the popular travel lanes of I10, just like me.
What Tesla has done, though, is 'shared' the ~125kw power between two vehicles, meaning that you always want to 'skip' a parking space and get a FULL 125kw to yourself, otherwise if someone pulls in right next to you, you may only get HALF of the power you think you should, especially during the FAST CHARGING profile minutes from 20-80%, etc.
This may also be the case with other manufacturers, like CHARGEPOINT, where their dual CCS/CHAdeMO pedestal will 'share' with the next pedestal, but it's not likable no matter - if you expect 125kw charging when you arrive, you might be very disappointed if the lot is full. You'll need a much longer lunch.

All in all, though, hopefully it's a positive move - but Tesla will have to certainly provide some type of 'APP' or payment system application in order for this to work. If Ford LIGHTNING has the 'plug and charge' application ACTIVE, then maybe their systems can tie together and make it work, billing to either FORD'S Blue Oval Charging Network, or directly to the owner. There are no 'screens' on superchargers, nor any credit card 'swipe' option - it would ALL have to be done automatically, which I actually REALLY like : )

 

[Sklith]

The only thing that concerns me about non-Tesla cars charging at Superchargers is that a lot of cars will have to park in weird ways to get access to the cables, and that'll mess up the parking arrangement.

 

[Easycamper]

Sounds great! But I hope this isn’t one of his aspirational remarks that we aren’t supposed to take literally just because our minds are too feeble to understand his genius.

 

[hturnerfamily]

Tesla superchargers also require their cars to BACK IN to most of their pedestals, while the LIGHTNING will be able to pull IN...

 

[VTbuckeye]

Tesla superchargers also require their cars to BACK IN to most of their pedestals, while the LIGHTNING will be able to pull IN...

Lightning can pull in, but will be lined up in the wrong stall.

 

[rlbussard]

Musk has been saying this for months now. I'll believe it when it happens.

 

[jefro]

Tesla has a huge ev charge network. They want to get money back on it and I don't blame them. Some supercharger locations are always busy but adding in CCS and charging those users a different price will deter those that want to charge and those that NEED to charge. Come on three rivers!!! I need that location.

 

[Vorador]

Musk said something like this during the Q2 earnings call in 2020. It still hasn't happened and likely won't for a long time. Tesla superchargers aren't setup for anything other than Teslas. The charging cables are way too short, and every manufacturer seems to be putting the charge door in a different area.

 

[beatle]

On the other hand, if 'other' vehicle makes and models start showing up, I would suspect that Tesla owners will feel as though they have lost their 'edge' with Tesla, and may find themselves feeling bitter and downgraded.

Tesla stopped caring about their existing customers ~2 years ago so I don't think they're too concerned about this if the price is right.

 

[Shrike]

People like me have been typing "bUt ThE iNfRaStRuCtUrE" as a main selling point for Tesla since 2015. If this actually gets done, Teslas will instantly be totally interchangeable with all other EVs, and in some cases inferior. I hope they plan some other upgrades to stay competitive if this is really going to happen.

 

[GDN]

after just returning from the FORD DRIVE event in San Antonio, in a Tesla Model 3, and stopping at no less than 8 superchargers along the way there, and back, Tesla owners will NOT by happy.

Tesla does a GREAT job with their own charging infrastructure. It is EASY. it is QUICK. There is NO screen to contend with. You just park and plug in. Period.

On the other hand, if 'other' vehicle makes and models start showing up, I would suspect that Tesla owners will feel as though they have lost their 'edge' with Tesla, and may find themselves feeling bitter and downgraded. But, I also suppose that, over time, future owners of Teslas will be more understanding and less aggravated.
Tesla superchargers can be VERY popular in some locations - my stops at Lake Charles, LA(twice) never had any less than 4-5 Teslas charging at an 8 station lot, with vehicles constantly coming and leaving, I assume from the popular travel lanes of I10, just like me.
What Tesla has done, though, is 'shared' the ~125kw power between two vehicles, meaning that you always want to 'skip' a parking space and get a FULL 125kw to yourself, otherwise if someone pulls in right next to you, you may only get HALF of the power you think you should, especially during the FAST CHARGING profile minutes from 20-80%, etc.
This may also be the case with other manufacturers, like CHARGEPOINT, where their dual CCS/CHAdeMO pedestal will 'share' with the next pedestal, but it's not likable no matter - if you expect 125kw charging when you arrive, you might be very disappointed if the lot is full. You'll need a much longer lunch.

All in all, though, hopefully it's a positive move - but Tesla will have to certainly provide some type of 'APP' or payment system application in order for this to work. If Ford LIGHTNING has the 'plug and charge' application ACTIVE, then maybe their systems can tie together and make it work, billing to either FORD'S Blue Oval Charging Network, or directly to the owner. There are no 'screens' on superchargers, nor any credit card 'swipe' option - it would ALL have to be done automatically, which I actually REALLY like : )

You are describing the v2 Supercharger with the shared power. There are also "Urban" Superchargers where each pedestal delivers 75kWh I believe, but it is dedicated to that pedestal.

Bottom line is that both of those are yesterday's technology. Yes they still exist, but everything installed for the last 2 years are v3 Superchargers. Each pedestal is a dedicated 250kWh. They do not share power. There are a ton of those around now. The Tesla charging maps identify them and when you are at the pedestal if you are familiar with the charging cable - the newer v3 are actually thinner and are liquid cooled. So that is how you tell the difference.

As a current Tesla owner I'm OK if they open it up. I think the non-Tesla rates will be high enough it will just help pay for more stations and there just aren't that many other EV's out there that can take advantage yet. The Superchargers will also have to be updated with CCS cables or adapters sold, which is doable. Also the other brands- Ford, VW, GM, etc will have to implement Tesla's communication as the pedestals have no card reader or input. They are strictly integrated to a Tesla car/account to make the experience seamless.

As a soon to be Lightning owner I hope they open them and frankly I don't care how expensive they are as they are where I would need them. That is absolutely key - it needs to be where you need it and no other true fast chargers are there today.

 

[Mr. Flibble]

People like me have been typing "bUt ThE iNfRaStRuCtUrE" as a main selling point for Tesla since 2015. If this actually gets done, Teslas will instantly be totally interchangeable with all other EVs, and in some cases inferior. I hope they plan some other upgrades to stay competitive if this is really going to happen.

I think that the fact that Ford has been the first company to truly have your EV function as a powerwall for load sharing/power outages - which is something that has been discussed as being needed for the grid for a really long time is going to be the killer app.

If you have CCS everywhere, like you say - why buy a Tesla at all? Ford will actually be helping with the power infrastructure; and the charging infrastructure is only going to get better. People forget how rare gas stations were when cars were first starting out. Same goes for EV infrastructure. 10 years from now, it will be a very different world.

 

[sotek2345]

I think that the fact that Ford has been the first company to truly have your EV function as a powerwall for load sharing/power outages - which is something that has been discussed as being needed for the grid for a really long time is going to be the killer app.

If you have CCS everywhere, like you say - why buy a Tesla at all? Ford will actually be helping with the power infrastructure; and the charging infrastructure is only going to get better. People forget how rare gas stations were when cars were first starting out. Same goes for EV infrastructure. 10 years from now, it will be a very different world.

I agree on the backup power being a great thing, they just need to get the cost down. I was all in on that function, but once the costs came out, I realized I would have to pass. We only lose power for a few hours a year. $7k (+/-) to cover that just isn't worth it. I wish Ford would have used the onboard inverter instead of requiring you to purchase another one.

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