Should I buy one, or both, of these Tesla charging accessories?

Homer said:

My Model S should be in my garage in about a month so I've started thinking about a weekend drive. I've had a look on Plugshare and I can see some local businesses with J1772 chargers in some of the places we might drive to. I don't want to buy and carry a bunch of unnecessary cables and adapters though. So...what's "the thing" to do?

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For J1772 you will need an adapter such as this one (which is the one I bought): http://evnomics.com.au/j1772-to-type-2-adapter-rated-32a/

For the others you mentioned, it all depends on where you drive and prevalence of CHAdeMO chargers (very few on the east coast) and type 2 outlets (a few, but not many). I didnt bother to get either of these. What I did get was a good 22kW EVSE with tails for 15A single phase and 20A and 32A 3 phase. 22kW is only of use though if you have dual chargers in your car, otherwise you are limited to half that. I also got extension leads (32A 3 phase and 15A single phase) - useful when the charging outlet is not right next to where you can park the car (happens a lot).

Homer said:

Thanks Colin. Do you have a URL for the EVSE that you bought? And can you give me an example of the charging situation that would require it?

Edit: Actually please ignore that link question Colin as I can see them on the Evnomics site.

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What do people think about ChargePoint membership to access some of the J1772 chargers? Worthwhile? Essential?

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Chargepoint membership is free and required. If you only have one charger, get the Euro 3 phase adaptor from Tesla for $130 + Ship and a Euro to Oz 3 phase adaptor.

raynewman said:

Chargepoint membership is free and required. If you only have one charger, get the Euro 3 phase adaptor from Tesla for $130 + Ship and a Euro to Oz 3 phase adaptor.

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I agree with Ray (assuming you did not get dual chargers). EVnomics also sell the adapters you'll need in addition to the Euro adapter Ray mentioned for 3 Phase (16A max) to attach to your UMC: EVnomics Adapter Twin Pack

If you do get twin chargers, then I wouldnt bother with any of that as the EVSE you buy does all of that and more, and you can benefit from the higher rate charging off 3 phase. I got this one: Maxicharger

Website is all in French, but the contact guy there speaks good english and you can communicate by email (can give you details on request). I believe Tim from EVnomics is negotiating distributorship of them here, which would be much easier, so check in with Tim if interested. I like it more than the E-Station EVR3 as the tails are much better designed, and he sells an Australian version for our power ratings including a 15A single phase option (the others just do 16A), as well as the usual 20A 3P and 32A 3P.

I like it more than the EVR3 as the tails are much better designed, and he sells an Australian version for our power ratings including a 15A single phase option (the others just do 16A), as well as the usual 20A 3P and 32A 3P.

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From my experience (and Marc's), it appears that the 32 AMP 3 Phase connector is the main one out there (of the order of 95%).

This means the NEED list is:

1. Either EVSE or Tesla Euro 3 Phase with 32 AMP connector.

2. (Obviously) Carry the 10 AMP connector supplied by Tesla.

3. The J1772 adaptor from Evnomics (don't get this elsewhere if you only have one charger). Chargepoint membership card to access J1772 access points.

4. If you will be going near a CHAdeMO charger, the adaptor from Tesla. There are none between Sydney and Brisbane.

5. Plugshare and Chargepoint Apps for your phone/pad.

Read some of the charging threads in this area of the forum also.

Homer said:

Thanks for all the help guys. I have been reading the charging threads here but I still wasn't completely clear on a number of these points. I'm a lot clearer now. I've signed up for Plugshare and Chargepoint and I have their apps. I won't worry about the CHAdeMO adapter but I will order the J1772 adapter from Evnomics.

But...I'm still confused about the Tesla Euro 3 Phase with 32 amp connector. So, to clarify, I get the Tesla Euro 3 Phase adapter from Tesla at St Leonards and then I buy this: Tesla UMC Adaptor - Twin Pack - 20A + 32A - EVnomics ?

I appreciate the knowledgeable help, experience and patience of the members of this forum.

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That's about right if you have a single charger (as I do). Only possible modification is to get the http://evnomics.com.au/tesla-umc-adaptor-32a/ instead of the twin pack; I've never needed the 20A adaptor but having said that the first 3 phase source you encounter will be 20A :scared:

Homer said:

Thanks for all the help guys. I have been reading the charging threads here but I still wasn't completely clear on a number of these points. I'm a lot clearer now. I've signed up for Plugshare and Chargepoint and I have their apps. I won't worry about the CHAdeMO adapter but I will order the J1772 adapter from Evnomics.

But...I'm still confused about the Tesla Euro 3 Phase with 32 amp connector. So, to clarify, I get the Tesla Euro 3 Phase adapter from Tesla at St Leonards and then I buy this: Tesla UMC Adaptor - Twin Pack - 20A + 32A - EVnomics ?

I appreciate the knowledgeable help, experience and patience of the members of this forum.

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Spot on Homer - the adapter is about $130 from Tesla I think. They can deliver it with your car.

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So to be clear... the Euro adapter plugs into your Tesla supplied UMC (comes with the car, everyone gets it), then the EVnomics tail(s) plug into that.

Homer said:

OK got it! Though now I have a follow-up if I may... This particular arrangement, i.e. Tesla UMC -> Euro adapter -> Evnomics 20a or 32a adapter, is for situations where I am in a place (e.g. a carpark) with a higher amp socket on the wall? And how do I know whether to use the 20a or 32a adapter? Are the sockets different?

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Exactly - 20A socket is different to the 32A socket. You rarely see the 20A sockets, but as Ray said... the way to guarantee seeing one is to not get the 20A tail ;-)

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ColinA said:

Exactly - 20A socket is different to the 32A socket. You rarely see the 20A sockets, but as Ray said... the way to guarantee seeing one is to not get the 20A tail ;-)

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This is really useful: http://www.jetcharge.com.au/news/2016/1/4/tesla-charging-options-in-australia

Homer said:

Excellent. I think I'll chance it and just get the 32a adapter rather than the twin pack. It's not the cost saving but the reduction in cables/complexity that appeals to me.

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Sounds good. Being in Sydney, you will probably usually charge at home or a SuperCharger; these other things are largely for emergency but don't forget to test them

Homer said:

Yep. I'm just wanting to have some options for weekends away, etc.

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I reckon you should get the car and understand it's range and time limitations before you buy too many extra charging bits. If your weekends away are only 2-3 hours drive, it's likely your umc supplied with the car will be sufficient.

Why is it that Tesla don't make a plug attachment for the umc to suit 30 amp plugs. The 10 amp Australian 3 prong plug attachment can be unplugged from the umc and it would seem to be a simpler and less expensive option to have 30 amp plug to replace it rather than having to buy a tesla European attachment and a third party adapter. One would think that given how slow tesla is to roll out the superchargers and the slow uptake of destination chargers, these 30 amp points which are already in caravan parks, show grounds and workshops across Australia would be a ready made charging network.

Homer said:

That sounds like a sensible approach. If I was to choose just one adapter - so that I had a "plan B" in case I needed more charge, more quickly than the standard UMC will give me - would it make more sense to choose the J1772 adapter or the 32a UMC adapter?

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Both - they are in different types of places.

BenT said:

Why is it that Tesla don't make a plug attachment for the umc to suit 30 amp plugs. The 10 amp Australian 3 prong plug attachment can be unplugged from the umc and it would seem to be a simpler and less expensive option to have 30 amp plug to replace it rather than having to buy a tesla European attachment and a third party adapter. One would think that given how slow tesla is to roll out the superchargers and the slow uptake of destination chargers, these 30 amp points which are already in caravan parks, show grounds and workshops across Australia would be a ready made charging network.

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It's worth pondering - good question. After reading many forum reviews concerning charging and questioning those in the know, it seems to me that the charging accessories offered by Tesla aren't the ones you should buy.