A2Z NACS extension cable for supercharging (and AC)

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

LOL.
Go ahead and waste your money if you like, but don't give me this crap about how I'm taking up "two" stalls. If the Tesla station is designed poorly (not all are, and most new ones are designed better), then a Tesla parked in one of those stalls blocks the adjacent one for Rivian drivers. Teslas don't have any more rights to use those chargers than Rivians do. Get over it and deal with it the same way all CCS vehicles do at EA chargers where we ALWAYS have a mix of vehicle charge port locations - we share and juggle and co-operate to make the best of the poor station layout. Anyone who doesn't do that is a poor excuse for a human being.

Right. This used to be a concern for me in the early days of Supercharger access. But after seeing Tesla owners leave their cars in spots and not charging multiple times, I don't feel bad at all about taking up two spots when it's what I must do to be a paying customer.

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[zefram47]

They say it's rated for 350A, but it's not limited to 350A but rather temperature. So it'll do 500A for 10-15min, which may be enough to cover a lot of the 200kw curve in real life.

Temperature de-rating is a big question for me, too, they've said they've tested it in the Texas summer without issue, but we'll see.

I agree it's a hefty price to pay, especially if it's not full speed....

When I did charge testing on my truck it has never pulled 500A for more than 15 min. The ramp down to 140 kW or less took longer though, so it may still have an impact. I've done probably 25 charges at Tesla sites so far and only once have I had anyone even say anything negative about my being there, but I haven't experienced any full sites either. One thing I have noticed is even at the V3/V4 sites the Tesla folks try to keep separation that isn't needed and this results in them using the far-right unit first. This isn't ideal for NACS-allowed sites as that first unit is often then only one non-Teslas can use to avoid taking up extra spots. Furthermore, if all the non-Teslas with the "wrong" port location cluster together it takes up only one extra spot for all of them rather than one extra for each vehicle. The Tesla folks just need to start understanding some of this and working with us rather than against us. Hopefully Tesla actually upgrades sites to the V4 cables so it becomes less of an issue with time. But historically, they haven't upgraded sites, only added new stalls with newer hardware.

 

[Grabs10]

Don't put words in my mouth. You're deliberately mis-stating my position. There is NOTHING in my post that suggest I think I have a "right" to take up two spots. JUST THE OPPOSITE - I went out of my way to say that everyone should co-operate to make the best use of the poorly designed stations. At no time did I say I'm going to park wherever I want and damn everyone who doesn't like it.


The "attitude" I was replying to was this statement of YOURS that says there is one and only one "proper" spot to use, with the implication that everyone not using the "proper" spot was behaving badly. I even quoted your statement to make it clear what I was replying to.

That is not the case. There is NO "proper" spot, and EVERYONE will obstruct the use of a charger for vehicles that are not like theirs, whether they are Teslas or Rivians or Fords or Kias, etc.

Fact is, MOST EV models have the charger port on the front left or rear right. Tesla models are in the MINORITY. Although in actual vehicle numbers, Teslas are still the majority, that has been rapidly changing over past few years as Tesla loses market share and an ever increasing number of other models hit the market.

So while *Tesla* owners may feel outrage about others using their stations, there is no reason at all that all the rest of us should feel like we have to kowtow to anyone else at a supercharger. We have just as much right (not more) to use them as they do. If someone asks, I will gladly swap spaces at a supercharger so that BOTH of us can charge at the same time, just like I would do (and have done) at an EA station. But I will NOT vacate my space just to give it to someone else who thinks they have a greater right to use it than I do.


These (Tesla drivers) are the ones who are exhibiting bad etiquette. Sorry if they have to re-learn and adapt now that the superchargers are open, but they're the ones at fault because THEY are blocking half the spaces that others could be using. If I get to a supercharger and Teslas are parked every other spot, I will ask one (probably the one on the end) to move over a spot so we can both charge at the same time. Everyone wins. And like I said I would gladly move over a spot myself if it would accommodate both of us.


Let the waffling begin ... You originally stated that there was one and only one "proper" spot, and that was the reason to buy this extension. Now you're doing the "weave" and trying to portray this as something other than Tesla-owner entitlement. I'm not buying that.

Rivian is moving to left rear charging ports, Volvo’s are left rear, gm pickups including Hummer are left rear. Porsche I think runs left year. Lucid gravity moved to left rear. 2025 Kia ev6 moved port to left rear I think. Cadillac Escalade I think is left year. Probably forgetting models that are left year or are moving ports to the left rear

I think most will move to left rear charge port location as time progresses which will ultimately be better for the public charge network.

 

[VSG]

When I did charge testing on my truck it has never pulled 500A for more than 15 min.

In those 15 minutes you can fill 40% of your battery. And that's equivalent to charging for 30 minutes at a slower speed. So it does make a difference when you're at a low SoC.

But yes, I think your point is a 150kW (or 140kW in this case) charger is almost as good as a 350kW charger in most cases, especially when you're already above 50% SoC. The EA 150kW chargers can actually deliver ~190kW, so there's basically no difference. And the EA 150kW chargers tend to work more often than the 350kW ones, so I never mind using the 150kW chargers.

So I don't think the current limit is a major problem. I just don't think the cable is necessary for most people. I personally have never encountered a situation where I wish I had an extension, or where an extension would have helped. Your experience may be different.

 

[VSG]

Rivian is moving to left rear charging ports, Volvo’s are left rear, gm pickups including Hummer are left rear. Porsche I think runs left year. Lucid gravity moved to left rear. 2025 Kia ev6 moved port to left rear I think.

I think most will move to left rear charge port location as time progresses which will ultimately be better for the public charge network.

https://www.gridserve.com/where-is-the-charge-port-on-my-electric-car/

A full TWO-THIRDS of all models currently have charging ports in the "wrong" location (if you believe it's possible to have a "wrong" location).

While that may change in the future, Tesla's new generation of chargers support *all* locations, and even many of the old V3 chargers have pedestals centered on the stall rather than on the line between stalls. I believe that will be the way of the future.

I see the charging stations getting better and being able to accommodate all vehicle types, regardless of where charger ports are located.

 

[TexasBob]

Not now, not ever. As a Rivian and Tesla owner, it is my view that it is Tesla's responsibility to upgrade the stations to accommodate the vehicles of its customers. I pay Tesla for Supercharging (including a membership fee) on our Rivian. I also bought into the Tesla program through our Model S purchase (and the two Model 3s before then). I am not paying to solve Tesla's problem, and I would note that this would already be half done if crazy Elon had not fired Rebecca Tinucci.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

But historically, they haven't upgraded sites, only added new stalls with newer hardware.

Soon after the entire Supercharger team was axed, Tesla itself issued statements saying they're halting expansion, choosing to update/upgrade existing sites instead. Electrek has coverage of it.

 

[mkhuffman]

Well, I seem to be one of the few who is really interested in an extension cord. I do not like taking up two spaces, but I do like using the SC network.

I want to have the flexibility to park in any space, just like a Tesla can. There could be multiple open spaces but none of them will reach. I would have to wait for someone to leave and then pull into that space, taking up two spaces so the next two people have to wait. I don't want to be that person. It isn't the fault of Tesla car owners that I have access, so I don't want to penalize them by taking up two spaces.

I would rather have use of the SC network now instead of waiting until all the V3s have been upgraded. It seems like many people feel we should not have access until the cords can reach our charge ports. Not me.

The cost of the cable is very reasonable, IMO. So I am getting one.

 

[richguess]

Boys, boys! You must have better things to do!

I had a Tesla M3 L/R, and now have an Equinox EV, awaiting a R2. I mostly charge at home, but do like the Tesla superchargers for convenience on a road trip. I try to use only one space (some places have a space behind the charger, rather than in front) but I agree Tesla opened them up to a lot of others, took their money, and then stood back and let the fur fly. So, I think we should do our best to be courteous, but do what we need to do to get the amps in the tank.

 

[bigsky]

Very interesting:


For $280 you get a 5ft cable that supports 350A (140kw) and allows you to take one stall (the proper one).

Definitely some tradeoffs, but potentially allows you to charge (or to avoid drama) in cases where you otherwise can't. Is this interesting to anyone? At the proposed price?

Hmm. Shell out however much for an extension cable just to solve a problem ( taking two stalls with my R1S) that Tesla was quite aware of when opening up the network to other EVs, and that this happens through no fault of my own?
Not for me. Free, sure.

 

[ElGuano]

I agree it's mostly on Tesla, but ALSO on the other car makers. They're the ones who whole-heartedly jumped on board the "largest charging network in the world" and enabled it for their cars (this sells them more cars), while leaving the driver to deal with the fallout of the short cables. Whether we feel the blame is on Tesla, or on Rivian/Ford/etc., in the end it's the consumer that is faultless and "loses" (and here I'd include Tesla drivers who have to deal with other cars taking up 2-3 spots).

For $300, I probably won't buy one. But I can foresee in 6 months, I might take a road trip and have some horrible experience at a SC (either waiting an hour, having a bad encounter, giving up and driving to/near empty to get to another station, etc.) that just makes me say "the principle of who's to blame doesn't matter, $300 is a steal to just be able to charge when I need to without hassle." Kind of a water in the desert thing.

 

[runwithscissors]

I don't really care about taking up 2 spots at this point. Tesla people want to park on the far right end to charge so they can be away from everyone so I don't have much of a choice. Never had anyone say anything yet and I'd politely say, talk to Elon about it.

 

[SwampNut]

Boys, boys! You must have better things to do!

Nope!! Sitting here in front of the computer in my home shop, waiting for an 8:45 meeting to start and/or a Rivian part to finish in the 3D printer. I have nothing else to do with my time right now, besides read here and maybe get into some arguments. What are you gonna do about it?

Oh yeah, no on the cord, probably, UNLESS maybe it can solve the trailering annoyances. I have never needed this cable at all. I almost never need two spaces because I can take the ends/back side, and Tesla people seem to avoid ends. But if it could let me charge without trailering, maybe. Now I need to go look at satellite pics of the places I normally charge with a trailer.

 

[Jonger1150]

Tesla needs to replace all their cables with ones that are 3 feet longer. All problems solved.

 

[BigBambu]

I have charged my R1T at a supercharger. I like the idea but a 6' cable might be a better choice. I would definitely consider it.

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