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by NotSammyHagar 552 days ago
There's only 3 plug formats that matter. J1772 for AC charging, the Tesla plug (called NACS), and CCS, the other main standard. It may look messy but it's trivial in practice, once you can use superchargers.

Once you have access to superchargers you can just drive. I've driven across the country 3 times in a Tesla, now I have a different EV with a CCS plug and access to superchargers with an adapter, I'm free to go where I want.
1 comments
wlesieutre 552 days ago
It's not only the plug shape though, it's also the language the plug speaks. Newer Tesla chargers (I think supercharger v3 and up) will be able to talk CCS over the NACS connector for wide compatibility, but the older ones will look the same and only charge a Tesla because they don't communicate with CCS.
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NotSammyHagar 552 days ago
That "old superchargers don't work with CCS" is true yet it's not really a problem. First, the software sites that show you chargers know about the different versions. Tesla and even Rivian show you only the superchargers you can use.

The old superchargers (called v2) used the original protocol (CANbus) which is different than CCS's protocol. Newer Tesla superchargers speak the original proto and the ccs wire protocol. All new chargers uses the new protocol. Tesla is slowly replacing their chargers as they age out. At the same time this transition helps reserve a few chargers for teslas (the older v2 ones).

What this means is you use your incar app or a phone app to find chargers, and you only see the ones that you can use. This works for Rivian, Tesla, but also GM and Ford. It's a messy issue for sure, but it's turns out not to be an issue.

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Schiendelman 552 days ago
Everyone's car already knows what chargers they can use. The card doesn't route you to incompatible chargers. This is a solved problem. It sounds like you just don't have an EV.
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wlesieutre 552 days ago
I'm aware of that, thanks.

It's more a note for any apartment dwellers thinking "I see Tesla chargers all over town, I could buy a 2025 Equinox (or whatever) with NACS and swing through the one on next to my office when I need to. If it's a v3 or v4 that's true, if it's an older station it's still only for Teslas.

So if you buy a new EV thinking "I know where the nearest Tesla chargers are" you could be in for some disappointment. Check the map first: https://www.tesla.com/findus?filters=nacs_superchargers

It's a worse problem in some areas than others. For example, all 9 supercharger locations in South Dakota are Tesla Exclusive.

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Schiendelman 552 days ago
Anyone buying an EV learns this in like five minutes before they buy, honestly.
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wlesieutre 548 days ago
I think you're overestimating normal car buyers, as EVs continue to shift from early adopter novelties into the mass market. People will see a charger and expect to be able to pull up and charge there, like they've been doing with gas stations for decades.

SAE is thankfully working on universal plug and charge standards which will be a huge help for the other problem - the mess of different apps for each charging network. Because just providing a credit card reader like every gas pump ever was too hard.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sae-industry-techno...

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greenthrow 552 days ago
Yeah the V2s are also slow enough most people wouldn't want to use them anyway. They are already drastically outnumbered too.
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