Charging the Roadster

malcolm · 09-14-2008, 04:18 AM

I know that the Tesla Roadster has an optional "Storage" setting where the car is left connected to the grid and maintains electrical charge (and presumably system cooling) at a level which is conducive to better battery calendar life. (Can owners do this with the mobile charger as well?)

Tim M · 09-14-2008, 05:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by malcolm

Thanks for the link:-

I know that the Tesla Roadster has an optional "Storage" setting where the car is left connected to the grid and maintains electrical charge (and presumably system cooling) at a level which is conducive to better battery calendar life. (Can owners do this with the mobile charger as well?)
.

Malcolm,

Many people make the mistake in thinking that the charger for the roadster is in the connector. It is not. There is only one charger for the car regardless of the connection. It is the onboard charger.

So to answer your question, yes, the owner has full function of the car's onboard charger regardless of 70 amp garage installed connection or any other connection being used to feed the car an electric current of any value.

This is what has been explained to me by the Tesla staff.

Tim

vfx · 09-14-2008, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim M

... the owner has full function of the car's onboard charger regardless of 70 amp garage installed connection or any other connection being used to feed the car an electric current of any value.

Then I would ask (of anyone who knows) what's all that stuff in the Home Unit. We have seen pictures of it open and there are circut boards and elecrtic do-dads and gizmos a plenty.

If it is simply a "dumb" unit, would it not look like the inside of a 220V breaker box?

malcolm · 09-14-2008, 07:44 AM

Hi Tim

Yup, I know that the charging control electronics are in the car, I was just wondering if the take-anywhere mobile charger cable is also appropriately rated to maintain Storage Mode battery pack temperatures and charge levels.

Given the size of the cable, I can't imagine that it cannot, but it would be useful to know the power the Tesla requires "in Storage". Is it always a fixed value or does the power demand vary in order to get the pack to the right levels within an hour or two?

What happens if you put the car into Storage when it has a higher-than-optimum charge level? Does it run off surplus energy and if so, how? Or can Storage mode only be engaged when the pack charge is below a certain level?

Anyhoo, apologies for drifting off-topic.

DaveD · 09-14-2008, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vfx

Then I would ask (of anyone who knows) what's all that stuff in the Home Unit. We have seen pictures of it open and there are circut boards and elecrtic do-dads and gizmos a plenty.

If it is simply a "dumb" unit, would it not look like the inside of a 220V breaker box?

Here's a wiring diagram of the Tesla High Power Connector:

The Disconnect Switch (circuit breaker), GFCI and Contactor (heavy-duty relay) all conduct the 70A (max.) current, and so are fairly bulky. The overall dimensions of the HPC are 12 x 15 x 6 inches. As the diagram indicates, the Smoke Detector is a separate unit from the HPC, connected to it by a cable. The Smoke Detector is supposed to be mounted a small distance from the ceiling above the space containing the HPC and Roadster.

TEG · 09-14-2008, 09:06 AM

My RangerEV is sortof the same. The charger is in the vehicle, and the PCS ("Power Control Station") on the wall (that many mistakenly call the charger) is really mostly safety interconnect stuff. It has a signal handshake with the charger to make sure it only activates current if it knows it is linked with a good charger that wants power. It also has a clock built in to disconnect power if you only want to charge at certain times of day. Some other public PCS I have used have voice prompts and will tell you stuff like how many kWh was used during the last charge.

In the case of the RangerEV there is only one level of current (amps / volts) that the Ranger charger will ever take, so all the PCS output the same current. In the case of Tesla they support different types of voltage & amp interconnects so the Tesla charger and interface must have a more complicated interface that lets the charger know how much current it can draw from the currently connected cable. The extra little box inline on the Tesla mobile charger cable must contain the signalling equipment to handshake with the charger in the Roadster and let it know how many watts it can pull from the line.

vfx · 09-20-2008, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TEG

The extra little box inline on the Tesla mobile charger cable must contain the signalling equipment to handshake with the charger in the Roadster and let it know how many watts it can pull from the line.

That thing looks stupidly fragile to me. Even if the plastic is Lexan I would still think a heavy rubberized case would be better.

Of course Martin said he does not have his yet so the ones we are seeing might just be prototypes.

dpeilow · 09-22-2008, 01:53 PM

I was told at the London event that those ones are prototypes / design for quick modification at various locations. The customer ones are or will be different.

malcolm · 09-26-2008, 11:35 AM

Tesla Motors Seattle Road Show - Tom's Blog

Thanks Tom.

Quote:

However, it turns out that there are regulatory roadblocks to Tesla Motors selling an EV power cable with a 240V/50A connector. Basically, it's illegal.

The existing EV owner community knows that the best way to charge their car on the road is to find an RV park and use one of their 240V/50A plugs, so obviously RVs have these types of connectors. When we had our RAV4-EV charger installed in our garage, we had the electrician install a 240V/50A outlet and put the corresponding plug on the charger. So, if we ever want to take it on the road, we just unhook the charger from the wall, put it in the back and map out stops at RV parks. No problem.

Unfortunately, there are laws that restrict the types of plugs that EV manufacturers can sell, but these laws don't apply to RVs. Tesla Motors considers it absolutely essential that owners have a way to charge from these 240V/50A sources and will find us a solution, but it's not here yet.

Let me get this straight. Tesla cannot sell a 240V/50A mobile charge cable, but an RV manufacturer or supplier can?

That's nuts!

How about Tesla just sells an adapter (assuming one will be needed between the car and the cable) and directs owners to a suitable cable product from a national RV supplier?

Or is that illegal too?

Does this sort of nonsense apply in the EU?

doug · 10-08-2008, 11:31 AM

Think this photo might be staged?? There was an article in ABG where the author got a test drive shortly after the LA store opened. He took a photo of the Roadster parked next to a charging station even though the connectors were incompatible. Is the Roadster in this photo actually getting a charge?