Tesla Adapter

[jjsv1]

Hello everyone, look what came back up. I'm considering this. Thoughts?

http://shop.quickchargepower.com/JDapter-Stub-Tesla-Charge-Station-Adaptor-JDPTRSTB.htm

https://electrek.co/2017/06/20/tesla-j1772-adapter-electric-cars-destination-chargers/

 

[Pearl]

I'd love to have one, so I can charge at Destination Chargers and also at my friend's house who only has a Tesla 40A EVSE. Unfortunately It's a bit pricey for the few times a year I would do that.

 

[jjsv1]

I would love this for a great backup. Also, there is a great destination at the beach I'd love to use next to a pier. It's always empty.

 

[EVA]

Ahhhh, I'm not so sure. I wouldn't mess with something like this. Guess I'm too cautious when it comes to 240V and 20, 30, or 40 amps. The risk of fire or something else evil just doesn't seem worth it to me.

The list of NOTS is really important. And there is NOTHING in the adapter that prevents you from doing the NOTS. As in, I'm guessing really bad things happen if you try to use this with a supercharger (DC charging - they can supply 100Kw to your car - 400 Volts at over 200 amps). And there are a lot of destination Tesla chargers (the type at hotels) that are above the 40 Amp limit you should use for charging an FFE or other car. Not sure what happens when the Tesla charger tries to push 80 amps at your car. I'm sure it wouldn't be pretty.

The other side of it - why would you risk destroying a car with this device? The risk just seems far too big for the benefit.

The article got things a lot wrong also. Those destination chargers are not necessarily free. Most require you to be a customer at the location - meaning you have to eat there or stay there overnight. Pulling up to the valet station in an FFE and saying, hey bud let me use your Tesla charger with my adapter, is probably not going to work.

And I would be super cautious of anything that isn't UL or another agency approved for use. Again, the high voltage and current - why take all that risk?

Oh, and the number of destination chargers - way fewer than anything in Chargepoint or Plugshare. There are far more level 2 stations around than the destination chargers.

Remember - don't go counting the superchargers in this list. You can't use a supercharger with this device.

Sorry to rain on the parade.

 

[jjsv1]

Yes, I agree about the strength of those chargers - seems scary. Lately i've been coming across so many Chargepoints being ice'd or used by a volt, just left there and often the Tesla Destination chargers have capacity.

Really, I just wanted this for backup and also to use at some destination locations. I know this isn't for DC.

Either way $400 seems a little cost prohibitive and I was seeking opinions/if anyone has experience with the product potentially.

 

[triangles]

Ahhhh, I'm not so sure. I wouldn't mess with something like this. Guess I'm too cautious when it comes to 240V and 20, 30, or 40 amps. The risk of fire or something else evil just doesn't seem worth it to me.

The list of NOTS is really important. And there is NOTHING in the adapter that prevents you from doing the NOTS. As in, I'm guessing really bad things happen if you try to use this with a supercharger (DC charging - they can supply 100Kw to your car - 400 Volts at over 200 amps). And there are a lot of destination Tesla chargers (the type at hotels) that are above the 40 Amp limit you should use for charging an FFE or other car. Not sure what happens when the Tesla charger tries to push 80 amps at your car. I'm sure it wouldn't be pretty.

EVA, there really is no risk. The tesla destination chargers (EVSEs, not really 'chargers') follow the J1772 spec closely if not exactly except for the plug of course. The destination charger advertises a maximum current to the FFE's onboard charger so it will only use up to the max advertised by the EVSE or the maximum it can draw 27-29A (6.6kW). So even the high amperage destination charges present no hazard. It would be like plugging your FFE into an 80A J1772 EVSE where the FFE is never going to pull anything more than it's rated 6.6kW.

Don't quote me on this because I'm not 100% certain how the superchargers work but I'm 99% certain there's some communication that needs to happen between the car and supercharger before the supercharger would supply any HV DC. So if some idiot did something as stupid as trying to plug their FFE into a supercharger with the adapter I'm 99.9% certain that absolutely nothing would happen. Well absolutely nothing other than the person looking like a fool for trying to plug their FFE into a super charger.

 

[EVA]

Of course Triangles you could be right, no risk. I'm still not convinced that adapter is worth the risk.

The only thing I'm not certain of is the strict J1772 adherence in the Tesla EVSE's (you're right, not really chargers). The only reason I say that, the boxes Tesla build are tiny compared to anything anybody else is making for J1772 charging. I just can't imagine all the same components and logic are inside that tiny box. It seems to me, the Tesla handles a lot of the switching inside the car compared to what a straight J1772 EVSE does.

Somebody with way more knowledge would have to look over the full charging system.

It's clear Tesla designed their system to allow for J1772 and CHamedo (or however you spell that thing) input. It isn't as clear to me they designed things the other way around - the direction this adapter is trying to work out. I'd just be concerned there is some safety thing missing in the whole adapter loop.

 

[WattsUp]

The only reason I say that, the boxes Tesla build are tiny compared to anything anybody else is making for J1772 charging. I just can't imagine all the same components and logic are inside that tiny box.

All these EVSE enclosures are way over-sized. If you open any one of them up, you will find a lot of empty space and a circuit board much smaller than the box it is mounted in.

It's all kinda silly really. I have no idea why they make them so big. I guess they think people want to feel like they have a "gas pump" type of thing, with some substantial size to it. But, really the electronics need to be no bigger than what you see with the Tesla units -- just "half a shoe box" or smaller.

For compact J1772 examples, take a look at the nice, small units produced by ClipperCreek.