CHAdeMO Charging the Model 3

Last night I received the 2019.24.4 software update for our Model 3. So this morning I tested Tesla’s CHAdeMO adapter to determine the rate of charge, and see how many miles I’d get and how long it would take to charge from a given SOC. Summary: 45 minutes gave me 139 miles of rated range and cost $8.69. Tesla’s CHAdeMO adapter is easy to use and provides more charging options for the Model 3.

A DC charger at a charging station in Sacramento.

This site where I charged has one DC charger with dual plugs to charge EVs with either CHAdeMO or CCS charging ports. It can charge one car at a time, delivers a maximum of 125 amps, and provides maximum power approaching 50 kW depending on factors such as state of charge, battery pack temperature, etc. I arrived at the station with 126 miles of rated range – 39% SOC – in our long range RWD Model 3.

I arrived at the station with 126 miles of range / 39% SOC.

If you haven’t used CHAdeMO chargers before the plugs are substantial, and by that I mean big. But using the adapter, while not dead simple like a Supercharger, was straightforward and easy: I removed the CHAdeMO plug from its holster on the charger, connected it to Tesla’s CHAdeMO adapter, and plugged the adapter into the Model 3’s charging port.

This station is operated by Greenlots. To start a charging session you either call their 1-800 number, use the Greenlots phone app, or a Greenlots RFID card. I have a Greenlots account and their RFID key fob so I held the key fob next to the labeled sensor on the charger and it verified my account. The charger provides you with easy to follows instructions. I pressed the button to select the CHAdeMO plug, and then pressed the button again to start the charging session.

I connected Tesla’s CHAdeMO adapter to the charger plug, plugged the adapter into my Model 3 charge port, and used an RFID card to start the charging session.

The charger delivered 22.8 kWh in the first 30 minutes, providing about 90 miles of rated range.

This DC charger sent 23 kWh to the Model 3 in 30 minutes, adding 90 miles of rated range to the pack.

The session started with the charger delivering 42 kW when the battery pack was at 39%. The power slowly increased, hitting 49 kW when the battery pack reached 80% SOC. I didn’t charge long enough to see where the taper would begin, but I’m guessing that would be in the range of 80-85% SOC.

It took a total of 45 minutes to go from 39% to 81% SOC. This included the time it took me to plug in and initiate the session. In 45 minutes the charger delivered 33.7 kWh (according to Greenlots), adding 139 miles of rated range to the pack.

The charging session started with the charger delivering 42 kW at 39% SOC, and the power slowly increased hitting 49 kW when the battery reached 80% SOC.

At this location Greenlots charges 25¢ per kWh, plus taxes and a 35¢ session fee. Total cost for this charge was $8.69, so just under 26¢ per kWh, which is comparable to the cost of using a Supercharger. The cost of using CHAdeMO chargers varies depending on the network that operates the station.

CHAdeMO charging stations are not Superchargers, yet. Some of the new stations coming online provide more than 125 amps, but I believe Tesla’s current CHAdeMO adapter will accept no more than 125 amps (please correct me if I’m wrong). CHAdeMO chargers don’t span the entire country, and generally don’t have as many charging stalls per site compared to most Supercharger locations. But some regions of the country have a good number of CHAdeMO charging locations that support EV drivers. So while 139 miles in 45 minutes is slower than a Supercharger, it’s better than L2 charging. Most importantly this gives us more charging options for road trips and regional travel.

I’ve used this station before to charge our 2012 Toyota Rav4 EV, thanks to Tony Williams’ CHAdeMO charging port, JdeMO. Adding the CHAdeMO charging port to our Rav4 EV expanded the horizons of that car, and I expect the CHAdeMO adapter to come in handy for our Model 3. I don’t expect to use it for local charging, but plan to use the adapter on longer trips we have planned.

Quick charging my 2012 Rav4 EV at this station several years ago.

If you are new to EVs and want to know how to find CHAdeMO charging stations, Plugshare is a very good resource. Go to that website (or download the phone app), click on the filter tab, and select CHAdeMO (or any other type of charger) to find charging locations near you.

Screen shot from the Plugshare.com website showing the location of CHAdeMO charging stations in the Atlanta area.

Final note: In the United States the two non-Tesla DC charging standards are CHAdeMO and CCS. The CHAdeMO charging standard was designed and promoted by Japanese power companies and auto manufacturers including Nissan and Mitsubishi. The Nissan Leaf, which came on the market in 2010, is the best selling EV with the CHAdeMO port. Other auto manufacturers use the CCS DC charging standard. Cars with the CCS port include the Chevy Bolt EV, BMW i3, VW e-Golf, and other European made EVs coming on the market. Ultimately cars with a CCS port will outnumber those with CHAdeMO. At some point Tesla may sell a CCS adapter for use in the United States, but there’s no indication of that yet.

This guest post from Steve Noctor originally appeared on his blog It’s Electric. 

 

[Jeff Hudson]

Am I a member of a (Tesla?) minority when I state that in the US I do not believe the CHAdeMO standard will last for long? If I understand the state of charging plug standards correctly then the CCS standard should eventually win the day since it allows both AC and Fast DC charging similar to the US Tesla proprietary plug standard but just in a less elegant manner.

 

[craigcabrey]

Am I a member of a (Tesla?) minority when I state that in the US I do not believe the CHAdeMO standard will last for long? If I understand the state of charging plug standards correctly then the CCS standard should eventually win the day since it allows both AC and Fast DC charging similar to the US Tesla proprietary plug standard but just in a less elegant manner.

You aren’t alone, but it’s the only 3rd party option we have for those with the Tesla connector inlet.

 

[Jeff Hudson]

You aren’t alone, but it’s the only 3rd party option we have for those with the Tesla connector inlet.

To be perfectly clear, CHAdeMO is the only US third party L3 DC Fast Charging option.

Do you think Tesla or have you read anywhere if Tesla is trying to develop a L3 CCS adapter for the S, X and 3? I might be interested in that.

 

[craigcabrey]

To be perfectly clear, CHAdeMO is the only US third party L3 DC Fast Charging option.

Do you think Tesla or have you read anywhere if Tesla is trying to develop a L3 CCS adapter for the S, X and 3? I might be interested in that.

I’m pretty confused by your reply. Yes, Chademo is the only third party option we currently have, that’s what I said.

But that’s not true for Europe, where the 3 has CCS and there is a CCS adapter for the S and X.

 

[Jeff Hudson]

I suppose the point and question I was trying to make is whether or not Tesla is working on a US version of an L3 Fast Charging CCS for the Model S, X and 3. And while it is on my mind, why is an adapter Tesla Model specific?

 

[Saghost]

Am I a member of a (Tesla?) minority when I state that in the US I do not believe the CHAdeMO standard will last for long? If I understand the state of charging plug standards correctly then the CCS standard should eventually win the day since it allows both AC and Fast DC charging similar to the US Tesla proprietary plug standard but just in a less elegant manner.

The settlement terms require EA to install both, so there will be a viable network of CHAdeMO stations for a while - much better than what there is today, actually.

But EA is installing single 50kW CHAdeMO cords along with groups of six or eight stalls of 150kW CCS, so the experience isn't at all comparable.

It really depends on the cars. Right now, I think the 60 kWh Leaf version is the only ~200 mile EV with a native CHAdeMO port, while all of the new "Tesla killers" (that Tesla is vastly outselling) are CCS.

If that trend continues, there won't be much motivation for expanding or maintaining the CHAdeMO network.

The cost and complexity advantage of CCS over CHAdeMO is trivial, a few dozen dollars per car. The market volume advantage may well be insurmountable.

 

[ewoodrick]

Am I a member of a (Tesla?) minority when I state that in the US I do not believe the CHAdeMO standard will last for long? If I understand the state of charging plug standards correctly then the CCS standard should eventually win the day since it allows both AC and Fast DC charging similar to the US Tesla proprietary plug standard but just in a less elegant manner.

Yep, CHAdeMO is the DC fast charging option for the Leaf, so lots of folks use it and lots of CHdeMO chargers out there. They are generally a lot more urban and CHAdeMO sites outnumber Superchargers. But usually only 1 or 2 pedestals, which is why Superchargers outnumber CHAdeMO chargers.

 

[Jeff Hudson]

Also worth noting is the CHAdeMO adapter is $450 US.

Anybody want to comment about why it is so large rather than an adapter plug similar to a larger J1772 which I hope is more along the lines of a L3 CCS Tesla adapter will look like.

 

[Saghost]

Also worth noting is the CHAdeMO adapter is $450 US.

Anybody want to comment about why it is so large rather than an adapter plug similar to a larger J1772 which I hope is more along the lines of a L3 CCS Tesla adapter will look like.

Mostly because the J1772 and CCS plugs are dumb adapters that are just connecting certain pins of the car's chargeport with certain pins of the other plug - no electronics at all. All of the conversions have to happen in the chargeport hardware (which is why the EU CCS adapter requires a chargeport replacement for all but the newest cars.)

The CHAdeMO adapter has a bunch of electronics onboard to convert the signals from the 10 CHAdeMO pins into something the Tesla can understand. That why it's more expensive, too.

 

[Jeff Hudson]

I think I understand but only partially. Surely there is some communication going on between the vehicle/battery and the L3 charge station?

 

[Eno Deb]

Anybody want to comment about why it is so large rather than an adapter plug similar to a larger J1772 which I hope is more along the lines of a L3 CCS Tesla adapter will look like.

There is a circuit board with a CPU and some other electronics in the Chademo adapter (see here). The European CCS adapter is passive and much smaller; if they release a US version, it'll probably be similar.

 

[Saghost]

I think I understand but only partially. Surely there is some communication going on between the vehicle/battery and the L3 charge station?

Yes, there's extensive digital communication between the L3 DCFC station and the car - in a different format for each of the various standards.

With the Supercharger, the car speaks the car's native language to the Supercharger, which is built to understand and speak the same thing - a variant of CANBus as I understand it.

The the CHAdeMO adapter, the car speaks the car's native language to the adapter, which interprets it and speaks through the plethora of pins to the CHAdeMO station, and the adapter interprets the response back to Teslaspeak for the car.

With CCS, Tesla created a version of the chargeport hardware that can speak the CCS native PLC for the EU Model 3, and created a version that can speak either for the S/X - so the adapter connects the pins, and the car natively speaks in CCS or Supercharger as needed.

 

[Jeff Hudson]

Thanks for that expanded explanation Saghost. Now I am beginning to understand. Also, based on your explanation I think I will probably never need either a CHAdeMO or a CCS adapter. Don't get me wrong, the topic is interesting but in a way not so much now after reading your explanation.

 

[Saghost]

Thanks for that expanded explanation Saghost. Now I am beginning to understand. Also, based on your explanation I think I will probably never need either a CHAdeMO or a CCS adapter. Don't get me wrong, the topic is interesting but in a way not so much now after reading your explanation.

As you choose. I think I've used my CHAdeMO adapter four times total - and only one of those was a case where I really needed to use it (and even then, I could have gone J1772, but it'd have added some hours to my trip.) And that was before a lot of the Superchargers we have now were opened.

Despite that, I'll probably buy a CCS adapter if Tesla offers one in the US - I was a good Boy Scout once, and have alternatives for contingencies is always good.

 

[Jeff Hudson]

I was a good Boy Scout once

LOL, I know what you mean. I'll most likely wait a little to see which way the connector war goes before I'll buy one. I'll probably jump all over a CCS adapter if the cost isn't as prohibitive as the CHAdeMO connector cost.

 

[dennisma]

My adapter arrives on Monday. Thanks for the post.

 

[Peter Lucas]

Long article could be summarized as: The Chademo charger delivered electricity at 45kW. That's about half (or less than half) of what you would get from a Tesla supercharger.
The cost of $0.25 per kWh is a typical full retail price for electricity (retail electricity prices around the country vary widely).

 

[pinball_player]

I have the CHAdeMO adapter and have used it a few times in my Model S previously. The reason I have it is because there are some areas where I go that do not have Super Chargers. New London, CT, and Nashua, NH are no mans lands for super chargers. I go to the New London area 5-6 times a year and prefer not to have to wait for a 7 kW charger to work. There is a 50 kW (which on my 75D Model S charges at 40 kW) in New London that I have used. The price is not cheap, but it is better than waiting for 5-6 hours for a J-1772 charge to finish.

I used it with my wife's Model 3 LR AWD and it works perfectly.

I am planning a long trip up through the Canadian Maritimes where Super Chargers are still far apart. I know that I can get from A-B, but I will be stopping and staying overnight where J-1772 are not available.

So for me, the convenience of the CHAdeMO is worth the price. And there is a 50 kW CHAdeMO charging station near my house that is free. Compared to paying for a Super Charger for my Wife's 3, free beats anything.

When people post things like 'I have used it only x number of times' or 'there was a super charger across the street from my hotel', that is something that I wish people would understand.... Not everyone goes the same places or has access to the same infrastructure.

 

[Ulmo]

Also worth noting is the CHAdeMO adapter is $450 US.

Anybody want to comment about why it is so large rather than an adapter plug similar to a larger J1772 which I hope is more along the lines of a L3 CCS Tesla adapter will look like.

The CHAdeMO adapter has to do more than the European CCS adapters for S & X.

CHAdeMO Adapter Tear Down

Tesla should also make a CCS adapter for USA Tesla cars. And it should go to 350kW, not the paltry 125 Amps of the Chademo adapter.