If you want to charge your Tesla at a EV charging station such as EVgo or Electrify America, then you’ll want to use a Combined Charging System (CCS) for faster charging. However, you must use a Tesla CCS Adapter.
With a CCS charger, the Tesla can get up to 250kW, which is much higher compared to the standard J1772 Level 2 charger.
Tesla CCS Combo 1 Adapter is available in the US on the Tesla Website.
I created a Youtube video about the CCS Adapter that you can watch:
Is your Tesla compatible?
The newer Teslas are compatible with CCS charging.
However, you can quickly check by going into “Software” → “Additional Vehicle Information“, and it should say “CCS adapter support: Enabled.”
Cost
The Tesla CCS Adapter costs $250 on the US Tesla Website. However, it is often sold out.
Lectron offers their own CCS Adapter for a cheaper price. I’ve tested theirs out and it functions the same as Tesla’s.
How Fast Does the Tesla CCS Adapter Charge?
Tesla cars can support up to 250kw of charging power, but only if the battery is super low, typically~10%. Anything above that, it throttles lower.
When I arrived at an EVGo, 350kW charging station. I had 17% Tesla battery, and charged up to 47%, and it took 9 minutes. The maximum charge my car got was 189kW, which is pretty good.
TIP: Tesla will not precondition the battery if you input the GPS destination to a CCS station. I recommend finding the closest Tesla supercharger, and inputting the destination, so the Tesla can precondition the battery. This allows your battery to charge faster when you arrive at the CCS charging station.
Final Thoughts
Tesla Superchargers are vastly available so for the most part, I rarely have to charge at a 3rd party charger.
However, having the Tesla CCS Adapter is helpful back up in case there is no Tesla Supercharger nearby.
DISCLAIMER
The opinions and views expressed on this blog are solely personal by Everyday Chris. Everyday Chris is not affiliated with nor endorsed by Tesla. It is neither inferred nor implied that products recommended by Everyday Chris nor recommendations given by Everyday Chris are authorized by or in any way connected to Tesla. See Terms & Conditions below for further information.
