Tesla CCS Charging Adapter Report

Republished By Plato

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Sometime in the near future, Tesla will offer an adapter that allows its owners in North America to charge their Model 3 sedans and Model Y SUVs using a CCS charging cable. There has been a lot of speculation about the adapter and whether it will significantly reduce charging power. According to the specs, it is capable of working at up to 500 V and 300 A for a theoretical maximum of 150 kW. This is not the same adapter available in Europe for Model S and Model X vehicles.

It is available now in South Korea, so a couple of intrepid Tesla owners there decided to find out. [Note: the adapter does not work with Model S or Model X vehicles.] They made a video of their experiments, which you can view in its entirety below. InsideEVs has abstracted the results for those of us who don’t speak Korean, and here they are:

2021 Tesla Model 3 Long Range charging test:

Charger #1 (400 V, 120 A, 48 kW) result: 41 kW
Charger #2 (400 V, 120 A, 48 kW) result: 38 kW
Charger #3 (450 V, 110 A, 50 kW) result: 40 kW
Charger #4 (500 V, 200 A, 100 kW) result: 74 kW
Charger #5 (1000 V, 350 A, 350 kW) result: 108 kW

2019 Tesla Model 3 SR+ charging test:

Charger #7 (500 V, 200 A, 100 kW) result: 47 kW
Charger #8 (1000 V, 200 A, 200 kW) result: 66 kW

The takeaway? The CCS adapter definitely slows down the charging process, but if you are stuck someplace far away from the nearest Supercharger location and need to plug in, it could be the difference between getting to your destination and watching your beloved Tesla going down the road on the back of an AAA tilt truck.

Results will vary, of course, depending on ambient temperature, battery state of charge, and the size of the battery pack. The Long Range model with the larger battery pack is always able to charge faster than the standard range model with its smaller battery pack. The point is: until Tesla and the rest of the world agree on a common charging standard, the CCS adapter is a useful tool for Tesla drivers to carry around with them — just in case.

According to Slash Gear, the adapter should be available to order from Tesla beginning this week. The anticipated cost is $250 — a relatively small price to pay for peace of mind.

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