CHADEMO Adapter Worth It?

Are there stations along routes that you would use? It's nice to have but if you can't come up with a case where you'd use it might just be worth holding off and seeing how useful it would be before ordering.

My two cents - I'd hold off. It's pretty expensive IMHO and unless you know you will need it, I'd probably skip it. My limited experience with public charging - CHADEMO and J1772 - has been very hit or miss. I'd rather slow down a little and make it to the next SC than mess with a public CHADEMO.

I have one and I've never used it, I take many road trips with the car and I try to remain on the SC network, sometimes when off the SC routes I stay in hotels with tesla or j1772 chargers so I can charge up overnight and then continue my journeys, I have never seemed to need the chademo converter and would sell it if I could.
YMMV

Depends on how much/where you travel, but take a look at plugshare.com and filter by only CHAdeMO. There aren't many where you are, but there are boatloads around you (which is presumably where you'd be traveling long distance).

I have one and can say I certainly use it much less than I did a year ago but I still find places where it is indispensable. Some locations I use now have adapters they lend to Tesla drivers, acting further to decrease the need. I still would buy one, mostly because there are still quite a few places where a Nissan dealer or other CHAdeMO is the only Fast Charging option. Traveling in the Northwast US or almost anywhere in Canada having a CHAdeMO option is a major convenience.

that said, two years from now I doubt any of us will think that adapter is worth the cost. In the meantime...

cgiGuy said:

Depends on how much/where you travel, but take a look at plugshare.com and filter by only CHAdeMO. There aren't many where you are, but there are boatloads around you (which is presumably where you'd be traveling long distance).

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I would never trust Plugshare. Not for a critical road trip. And where friends live there are at least 6 on the map that were never fired up.

Just rely on SC's.

I've had one for a while, and while I use it less frequently with each passing month, when you need it, you need it. Having the adapter really makes the MS a go anywhere without worrying option. If you want to minimize limitations, travel long distances over new/unfamiliar/relatively remote distances, in regions where there are CHADEMO stations, then go for it or find a friend who is willing to loan you one

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GreenT said:

I would never trust Plugshare. Not for a critical road trip. And where friends live there are at least 6 on the map that were never fired up.

Just rely on SC's.

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You can minimize (not by any means eliminate) the plugshare risk by calling ahead, and by all means have a plan B and maybe even a C or D

I have one. I have never used it, but before I got it, there were a couple of time in central VT I had wished I (or my daughter) had it. It really depends on where you drive and where the SCs are in your area. I think of it as an "insurance" policy—just another charging option that might bail me out one day (or simply get me home faster).

GreenT said:

I would never trust Plugshare. Not for a critical road trip. And where friends live there are at least 6 on the map that were never fired up.

Just rely on SC's.

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Did you do the right thing and report the inaccuracies on Plugshare so they could be corrected? I've had very good luck with Plugshare. I especially appreciate that EV owners can comment and contribute information. Like anything else, trust but verify.

If you are in the U.K. with a Tesla, the Chademo adapter is a must. There are relatively few Superchargers, but Chademo points are everywhere. Electric car growth along with public charging points have rapidly expanded primarily due to the Nissan Leaf which is built in the U.K. This can be charged in under 30 minutes using Chademo, hence the attraction.

Definitely worth it. I have used it more often than I care to admit.

Now, is that second onboard AC charger worth it? Why the heck not?

I have over 70K behind the wheel of a Model S and the CHADeMO adapter is a great tool when you need it. The CHADeMO network is spotty - many times the output is greatly reduced and no faster than HPWC. I prioritize SuperCharger then 80AMP HPWC and then CHADeMO due to the poor maintenance of many of the locations here in Virginia.

The one time you don't have the CHAdeMO adapter and need it, the $450 is nothing.

I've had my car not quite a year and never had any need for CHAdeMO. I nearly took one trip that would have required it, but ended up changing plans for other reasons. That trip is now Supercharged if I ever change my mind back in the future.

It's a similar story for a second AC charger. I only once encountered a charger that would even take advantage of it, and a single charger was still enough to get me what I needed in the time I had.

Both will depend greatly on your individual circumstances. Look at where you're likely to go, look at PlugShare, and see what's right for you. My approach to both questions has been to wait and see, and order them only when the need presents itself. So far it hasn't.

Good to have in an emergency, yes. Financially good to use? TBD. The other day I went to just test my adapter at a near by plug but their rates were .49 cents per KW which means if the battery was dead to full it would cost about 35-40 bucks (imagining some efficiency loss there) At that price I'm paying more than gas in any car I've ever owned. There's network in the northwest at if I ever run into them which is only 7.50$ per session or you can buy a 20$ a month unlimited use membership. That last part doesn't really apply to you but getting back to it, it will be good to have but myself, I'd only use it in emergencies if the cost to charge is going to be overly inflated.

+1 for buy.

I have 9 months with one (got same time as car). I have a public free chademo 3 miles from my house. Great coffee shop there. Restaurants that we frequent anyway. So free electrons there. But if I forgot to plug in or the power was out at my house (3 weeks ago for 24 hours - first time in years), it gives me an option. Runs 100 mi/hr.

Next - our Sheetz gas stations have chademo. $10 for 30 min. So crappy but I almost used in a pinch. Had to go one way 30 miles and then 160 miles another way. Didn't want to be close so my plan B had a stop at Sheetz - got a 120 at my stop and didn't need it.

I've used it for a more convenient lunch stop than the SC from Williamsburg to Raleigh. It has been my plan B a few times.

David - the Wake County Sheetz have chademo but don't provide adapters?

I've got one in each car. I wouldn't have picked up a second one except I was able to acquire one at a reduced price.

I've used the adapter ~five times. 4 occasions the trip would not have been possible without it. The fifth I probably would have been fine, but it was tight so I stopped for a top off.

It it worth it? It completely depends on your driving patterns as it relates to the locations of superchargers and CHAdeMO chargers. I suspect over time, on well traveled roads, it will become less useful as the supercharger network expands.

cgiGuy said:

Did you do the right thing and report the inaccuracies on Plugshare so they could be corrected? I've had very good luck with Plugshare. I especially appreciate that EV owners can comment and contribute information. Like anything else, trust but verify.

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Too many inaccuracies (for a voluntary, free, "buyer beware" system) to provide feedback for every one of them. Don't have the time. I don't want to be a Plugshare "cop".
What I do instead is help out Tesla with problems with their SC map or destination charging map. Very different animal.