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Failed Attempt to Charge w/A2Z Typhoon Adapter

Danface

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Hi all,

I was using the A2Z adapter at a location that the Tesla showed as being usable for the Lightning and all I got was charging failures at several stations. I was using the Tesla app and tried several different ways to get the session started (plug adapter into NACS then into the truck and vice versa and start session before and after plugging in etc etc) to no avail. I did get a blue connection light on the truck once and the truck showed as being connected but it later failed.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!
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TheBigBezo

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Were you getting charging faults? Most of the time people report this it's because they did not engage the lock on the adapter enough. The first times you use it, it's surprisingly hard to engage. It gets much better over time. But you must ensure the NACS end is all the way in the adapter and the lock on the bottom is engaged correctly or the charger will fault out and stop the session.
 

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I’ve learned there is a very specific sequence of actions you need to do for this to work. At least in my own experience:
1. Truck off
2. Open tesla app and find the charger location and select it to begin the charging session (I don’t have plug and charge so I can’t do that yet)
3. Take the tesla charger handle off the hook and then put the A2Z adapter on nice and snug.
4. Slide the lock into place on the adapter. Again nice a snug.
5. plug the adapter into the truck and make sure the top hook clicks in fully.
charging should then start.
 

marc_hanna

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Were you getting charging faults? Most of the time people report this it's because they did not engage the lock on the adapter enough. The first times you use it, it's surprisingly hard to engage. It gets much better over time. But you must ensure the NACS end is all the way in the adapter and the lock on the bottom is engaged correctly or the charger will fault out and stop the session.
Yes, I had the same issue. The tolerances are pretty tight on this adapter and particularly with new Tesla stations or ones that don’t get much usage, it’s very hard to get the adapter to insert properly and fully lock. I actually filed the corners off locking pin a little bit so that it would engage a little better.
The first time I used it, I almost gave up because I couldn’t get the lock to engage. It was a solid ten minutes of fiddling with it before I could get it to work.
 
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Danface

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Thanks for the info, I wasn't sure if it was the plane or the pilot :)
 

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Basalt

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Thanks for the info, I wasn't sure if it was the plane or the pilot :)
Both. The first time, I almost hammered the Tesla plug into the adapter. Pressing the plug into the adapter using the tire as a stop, rocking it up and down and side to side repeatedly, resulted in a discernable click. Then, the thumb latch on the Typhoon slipped to lock easily. The next time was easier, but still very snug. Once you are successful, you'll know what to do.
 
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Danface

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Were you getting charging faults? Most of the time people report this it's because they did not engage the lock on the adapter enough. The first times you use it, it's surprisingly hard to engage. It gets much better over time. But you must ensure the NACS end is all the way in the adapter and the lock on the bottom is engaged correctly or the charger will fault out and stop the session.
Were you getting charging faults? Most of the time people report this it's because they did not engage the lock on the adapter enough. The first times you use it, it's surprisingly hard to engage. It gets much better over time. But you must ensure the NACS end is all the way in the adapter and the lock on the bottom is engaged correctly or the charger will fault out and stop the session.
Sometimes it was just the grey light on truck spinning in a circle, once it turned blue and just sat there, a few times it went right to orange. I was trying a lot of different permutations of chargers and plugging in techniques mixed with some sleep deprivation and some general frustration so ...
 

hturnerfamily

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with my LECTRON, I've found not issues other than early on feeling like the Tesla NACS cable' did not want to 'detach' from the Adapter... but, overall, it's worked flawlessly at every CCS Activated TESLA Superchargers...

now, yes, your Supercharge HAS to be enabled to CCS - not all are.
also, the other day, charging faults occurred using two different units at a Supercharger...well, come to find out, the whole location was DOWN due to a failed transformer(I saw it happen, like LIGHTNING(!) suddenly above the roadway, where the pole was that had the transformer hanging on it)....
 

RickLightning

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I’ve learned there is a very specific sequence of actions you need to do for this to work. At least in my own experience:
1. Truck off
2. Open tesla app and find the charger location and select it to begin the charging session (I don’t have plug and charge so I can’t do that yet)
3. Take the tesla charger handle off the hook and then put the A2Z adapter on nice and snug.
4. Slide the lock into place on the adapter. Again nice a snug.
5. plug the adapter into the truck and make sure the top hook clicks in fully.
charging should then start.
This, but step #1 is unnecessary. And make sure the A2Z adapter slide is UNLOCKED before putting it on.
 
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The Weatherman

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A good way to id version 3 Tesla charges is by their alphanumeric designation. V3’s will be like: A1, A2, A3, A4, B1, B2, B3, B4, C1……and so on.
Now there is still a chance that they haven’t been updated to latest software yet.
 

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TheBigBezo

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Sometimes it was just the grey light on truck spinning in a circle, once it turned blue and just sat there, a few times it went right to orange. I was trying a lot of different permutations of chargers and plugging in techniques mixed with some sleep deprivation and some general frustration so ...
Did you get a charge fault error in your dash or in Ford pass?

I ask because not locking the adapter is one of the most frequent issues when using NACS for the first time. But I have also encountered another error, might be the only one, where there was a communication issue using the adapter where the truck and Tesla could not connect and it wouldn't initiate a charge. It was an odd issue and fortunately A2Z replaced it quickly for me and I've had no issues sense. I bring it up only because if your issue is similar than the solution is a warranty replacement, but more often than not it's not necessary.
 

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There are also a lot of Tesla posts that are inoperable. Sometimes the Tesla app indicates if a post is out of service, but not always. One way people seem to indicate that the post is out of service is to lay the charge cable on the ground or otherwise not replace in into its port.

Also, double check the pins in the Tesla charge cable. I've run into several that were missing a pin. They seem to work with Tesla vehicles, but not with the charge adapters.
 

jimallen

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I'll add one more recent experience. After successful plug and charge with the official Ford/Tesla adapter more than two dozen times on a long road trip, we hit one where P&C would not work. I had to initiate the charge with the Tesla app.
 
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Danface

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I think I will contact A2Z, I spent about an hour try different stations and the closest I got to charging was when I pull the NACS plug a 1/32vof an inch out of the adapter after unlocking it and the blue light went on and went grey after 15 seconds. The truck did at times show it was plugged in but after 30 seconds or so it faulted.
 
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Danface

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Did you get a charge fault error in your dash or in Ford pass?

I ask because not locking the adapter is one of the most frequent issues when using NACS for the first time. But I have also encountered another error, might be the only one, where there was a communication issue using the adapter where the truck and Tesla could not connect and it wouldn't initiate a charge. It was an odd issue and fortunately A2Z replaced it quickly for me and I've had no issues sense. I bring it up only because if your issue is similar than the solution is a warranty replacement, but more often than not it's not necessary.
The fault was on the truck, I was using the Tesla app, I didn't accept the new (total lack of) Privacy Policy on the Ford app
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