Lectron vortex adapter (level 3 supercharger to CCS)

[Gee Bee]

Thanx , seller was able to not ship

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[Michal]

Has anyone received theirs yet? Is this the best option for DC charging for now?
Am I correct to say that Supercharger(DC) and Level 1/2 charging will require two separate adapters?
Also how does Lectron compare to N2Z Supercharger adapter?

 

[Joseph D]

Has anyone received theirs yet? Is this the best option for DC charging for now?
Am I correct to say that Supercharger(DC) and Level 1/2 charging will require two separate adapters?
Also how does Lectron compare to N2Z Supercharger adapter?

1. Has anyone received theirs yet?
Maybe a handful of people, not large scale yet. (the a2z adapters have been shipping for weeks though)

2. Is this the best option for DC charging for now?
The "official" best option is the tesla adapter. However both Lectron and A2Z are making their adapters to be in spec with the UL2252 certification that is still being worked out (at this time no adapter meets the UL2252 certification, even teslas, as the certification is not complete)

3. Am I correct to say that Supercharger(DC) and Level 1/2 charging will require two separate adapters?
Yes, this adapter is ONLY for DC Fast Charging. For AC charging at home/tesla destination chargers/ect (level 1/2) you will want a tesla to J1772 adapter for J1772 vehicles like Rivian.

4. Also how does Lectron compare to N2Z Supercharger adapter?
Size, locking mechanism, company that makes it. For more info I would watch State of Charge's videos on the adapters on youtube.

 

[LivingInKaos]

Has anyone received theirs yet? Is this the best option for DC charging for now?
Am I correct to say that Supercharger(DC) and Level 1/2 charging will require two separate adapters?
Also how does Lectron compare to N2Z Supercharger adapter?

Just some notes:

I have the A2Z and have been charging with it as much as possible for the past (almost) 2 weeks. Works as expected and no concerns regarding temp, locking, etc.

I ordered the Lectron back in Nov '23, talked with them about early delivery for review, paid for expedited shipping and still have not gotten a shipping notice. Just an FYI.

I've held the Lectron and it is a bit longer. The only issues I see with that are - in some SC parking situations, you may need every inch of cable to make it to your port with the adapter in so does this extra length make that a problem? It also creates a little more "moment" hanging out there so any downforce by say, stepping on/over the cable, could more easily cause damage to the adapter or the port.

 

[nc10]

Update 7.4.24: I've used my Lectron ccs to supercharger adapter again, this time in Fort Mill, SC. Prior, I traded emails with Lectron, who promised to replace my adapter if I could not remove it. This time the adapter worked completely as promised and expected. Good charge rates. Charging started without use of any app. My initial experience still worries me, Lectron suggested it might be due to worn parts on the Tesla charger. But I am pleased it worked great the second time.

I recently used a Lectron Vortex adapter at a Tesla supercharger station on NC-127 in Hickory, NC. Overall OK experience, far from perfect. 11 chargers, 2 were in use. I did have to pull into the "wrong space" for my charger due to the short charging cord, but not a problem since most chargers were idle. I could see this being a big problem at busy chargers. The chargers are installed in between the parking slots, rather than at the end of the parking slot, so there's no way to take up only one slot and not block a 2nd charger. This is In a strip mall with a nice Lowes grocery story, Autozone, a few other things, but no restaurant or convenience store.

Took several tries to get the charging started at the TESLA station. Used the TESLA app. Initially reported my truck was not capable of charging with the Tesla charger. So disconnected and retried a couple times, and it finally worked. Not sure what the trick was. The lectron adapter temp might have risen slightly during charging, but if so, wasn't much.

I added 48kwhr in 18 minutes, 160kw/hr (about 30% to 70%, dont' remember the exact numbers). Similar to what I've gotten in RAN chargers, recently added 57 kwhr in 21 minutes, 163kw/hr at a RAN charger in Blowing Rock, NC where the starting point was ~ 27%. I had routed to both using the NAV software, so batter was pre (This RAN has worked great the last few times, and is in a nicer location, small outlet mall with places to get somewhat pricy and food and/or visit a few somewhat interesting stores)

Cost was $0.53/kwhr. Highest I've ever paid. the RAN chargers in Blowing Rock less than an hour away are $0.36/kwhr.

Getting the Lectron adapter uncoupled from the supercharger cord after charging was $(#*&$!!. For a while I thought was going to have to leave it. I don't think there is any trick to doing this, other than squeezing the button on the bottom, but it absolutely should slide off more easily. I can't imagine expecting my wife to be able to do this. At this point I can't recommend the Lectron adapter.

 

[JoulesVerne]

I ordered mine on May 27 and it shipped today, June 4. Eight days.

 

[ATL_Canes]

Getting the Lectron adapter uncoupled from the supercharger cord after charging was $(#*&$!!. For a while I thought was going to have to leave it. I don't think there is any trick to doing this, other than squeezing the button on the bottom, but it absolutely should slide off more easily. I can't imagine expecting my wife to be able to do this. At this point I can't recommend the Lectron adapter.

I was just watching a review on State of Charge (as someone recommended above), and they indicate the order of operation when plugging in is first plug the Lectron adapter into the car, and then the NACS plug into the adapter. When unplugging, first remove the NACS cord from the adapter, then remove the adapter from the car.

Was yours stuck/hard to remove following this order? Or did you remove from the car first, and then try to remove the adapter. The CEO of Lectron on the podcast acknowledged that if you do the latter, it will be hard to remove.

I just received my shipping notification yesterday so curious what I'm in for (or if I should even keep it). If it's going to be a PITA either way, then it may not be worth it.

 

[nc10]

The CEO of Lectron on the podcast acknowledged that if you do the latter, it will be hard to remove.

Thanks! I had watched State of Charge's review a while back, but had not watched the 2nd more recent video with the CEO. I wasn't aware of the recall till reading here yesterday.

I'm not 100% sure what I tried first. Had the instructions. I think I tried it the right way first, but then pulled the assembly out of my truck so I could get a better grip. I then eventually plugged it back in, restarted charging, and then stopped and tried to do it the correct way for sure, but was still really hard to separate. (I emailed Lectron for advice.)

Being a design engineer myself, though in a completely different industry, I've learned many times over how important it is not to build in traps to any operation. For me this is just a backup option, I'll bet I don't more than a couple times/year, but want to have the option. Will I remember this detail every time? Will my wife? Sigh....

 

[Mandarin]

I just received my shipping notification yesterday so curious what I'm in for (or if I should even keep it). If it's going to be a PITA either way, then it may not be worth it.

I was trying to get in touch with them to find out the lead time. The email is dead and their chatbot says 1-2 business days from order to shipping. What is the real situation?

 

[ATL_Canes]

I was trying to get in touch with them to find out the lead time. The email is dead and their chatbot says 1-2 business days from order to shipping. What is the real situation?

Just my experience - ordered on 5/13, received “shipping” notification yesterday (but it’s just a printed label at this point, so unclear of when it will be delivered).

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

I recently used a Lectron Vortex adapter at a Tesla supercharger station on NC-127 in Hickory, NC. Overall OK experience, far from perfect. 11 chargers, 2 were in use. I did have to pull into the "wrong space" for my charger due to the short charging cord, but not a problem since most chargers were idle. I could see this being a big problem at busy chargers. The chargers are installed in between the parking slots, rather than at the end of the parking slot, so there's no way to take up only one slot and not block a 2nd charger. This is In a strip mall with a nice Lowes grocery story, Autozone, a few other things, but no restaurant or convenience store.

Took several tries to get the charging started at the TESLA station. Used the TESLA app. Initially reported my truck was not capable of charging with the Tesla charger. So disconnected and retried a couple times, and it finally worked. Not sure what the trick was. The lectron adapter temp might have risen slightly during charging, but if so, wasn't much.

I added 48kwhr in 18 minutes, 160kw/hr (about 30% to 70%, dont' remember the exact numbers). Similar to what I've gotten in RAN chargers, recently added 57 kwhr in 21 minutes, 163kw/hr at a RAN charger in Blowing Rock, NC where the starting point was ~ 27%. I had routed to both using the NAV software, so batter was pre (This RAN has worked great the last few times, and is in a nicer location, small outlet mall with places to get somewhat pricy and food and/or visit a few somewhat interesting stores)

Cost was $0.53/kwhr. Highest I've ever paid. the RAN chargers in Blowing Rock less than an hour away are $0.36/kwhr.

Getting the Lectron adapter uncoupled from the supercharger cord after charging was $(#*&$!!. For a while I thought was going to have to leave it. I don't think there is any trick to doing this, other than squeezing the button on the bottom, but it absolutely should slide off more easily. I can't imagine expecting my wife to be able to do this. At this point I can't recommend the Lectron adapter.

Important to note, for those not aware, we should only charge at sites Tesla has opened to us, not just any Supercharger. And not all V3 and V4 sites are open to us.

Second, you do not need to initiate charging with the Tesla app. Part of the arrangement between Tesla and Ford/Rivian is that we could just plug and charge, seamlessly. The only scenario where we need to initiate through the Tesla app is if we subscribe to their $12.99/mo membership, for a lower $/kWh rate (ballpark 20% discount). In which case, we initiate through the Tesla app before plugging in. If we plug in first, plug and charge would be in effect, so would the standard non-Tesla upcharge.

I was just watching a review on State of Charge (as someone recommended above), and they indicate the order of operation when plugging in is first plug the Lectron adapter into the car, and then the NACS plug into the adapter. When unplugging, first remove the NACS cord from the adapter, then remove the adapter from the car.

I'm not 100% sure what I tried first. Had the instructions. I think I tried it the right way first, but then pulled the assembly out of my truck so I could get a better grip. I then eventually plugged it back in, restarted charging, and then stopped and tried to do it the correct way for sure, but was still really hard to separate. (I emailed Lectron for advice.)

I think the reason they recommend that particular order so that one would have more leverage... especially for those of us who aren't gym rats. With the adapter attached to the vehicle, it's like having a 7k+ lb bench vise, so you can focus your efforts on the release lever free the Supercharger plug. With the plug and adapter locked together but not attached/secured to anything else, it's harder and more awkward to unlock and pull apart at the same time. Before my A2Z adapter loosened up, I considered doing the same. But... I personally don't feel comfortable applying/transferring force to the charge port. But, if Lectron recommend it, they must think the Rivian charge port is stout enough to handle it. If not, I guess you have them and their official recommendation to point your finger at.

Being a design engineer myself, though in a completely different industry, I've learned many times over how important it is not to build in traps to any operation. For me this is just a backup option, I'll bet I don't more than a couple times/year, but want to have the option. Will I remember this detail every time? Will my wife? Sigh....

Could user-experience of either adapter be more resistance-free? Sure. But they are what they are at this juncture. And everything new has a learning curve. Some worse. Some less. Practice makes [memorization] easier.

 

[ForeverOnTheWaitlist]

What's the max current supported by the Rivian supplied NACS adapter ? The lectron says 500A. The Rivian listed spec doesn't say, only says it "supports" level 3 so perhaps that implies 300A.

 

[Autolycus]

What's the max current supported by the Rivian supplied NACS adapter ? The lectron says 500A. The Rivian listed spec doesn't say, only says it "supports" level 3 so perhaps that implies 300A.

Should be 500A. Ford has specified 500A on theirs, which is identical -- one caveat wrt Ford is that the Lightning can only actually charge at 500A for a 10 minute "burst" and then it drops to 300A. That's not a limitation of the adapter. The same behavior occurs with native CCS charging stations.

 

[nc10]

Important to note, for those not aware, we should only charge at sites Tesla has opened to us, not just any Supercharger. And not all V3 and V4 sites are open to us.

Good point. The Rivian mapping lets you know which ones you can use and if an adapter is required.. I didn't try extensively, but it looks like non - compatible chargers don't show on the Rivian maps.

Second, you do not need to initiate charging with the Tesla app. Part of the arrangement between Tesla and Ford/Rivian is that we could just plug and charge, seamlessly.

Another good point, when I restarted the charging session while troubleshooting I did this without recognizing at the time, so pretty seamless. I got a email from Rivian summarizing the 2nd charging session when I did this way.


I emailed Lectron about my experience. Their response was:


We're sorry to hear about your experience.

Could you please try this:

Push the charger into the adapter then press the latch, this way you should not have any issue with the worn out Tesla Supercharger couplers which is what is possibly causing.

Attached is a short video showing that it's coz it's actually securely locked in which is why you have to push it into to make it easier to unlock.

Please let us know how it goes.

Could user-experience of either adapter be more resistance-free? Sure. But they are what they are at this juncture. And everything new has a learning curve. Some worse. Some less. Practice makes [memorization] easier.

This is is probably something I'll only use a couple times a year, also definitely a peace of mind thing. For me, it will take a while before the right technique becomes a habit......

 

[JoulesVerne]

I ordered mine on May 27 and it shipped today, June 4. Eight days.

I spoke too soon. The notification was for a label being generated. It has not been picked up by USPS yet.

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