CHAdeMO Initial Impressions...

[Dave EV]

it sure does appear the chademo station tried pumping in power at voltages over 120v HIGHER then my pack is rated at.

You were probably seeing the isolation check process. I'm not sure why the car displayed it, but it happens before all chademo sessions. The contactors stay open, and the station applies voltage to see if any current leaks. If anything leaks, there is a compromise in the circuit isolation, and it prevents the session from continuing.

That's the most likely scenario. There's no way the station is even capable of pushing 120V over the pack's voltage and if the car sees anything funky at all it should immediately open the contactors.

 

[brianman]

Agreed. Or, more likely, you're just seeing the difference between something that was designed by engineers vs. something that was designed by designers.

Hey. Don't bad-mouth engineers. Regulations, committees, politics, and agendas are more likely the culprit for the design aesthetic fail here.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

Is firmware in the CHAdeMO adapter upgradable? If so, how?

 

[tcampos]

Is firmware in the CHAdeMO adapter upgradable? If so, how?

According to the manual: Because continuous improvement is an ongoing goalat Tesla, and is necessary to ensure compatibility withas many models of CHAdeMO stations as possible,both present and future, Tesla reserves the right tomake product modifications at any time. As a result,your CHAdeMO adapter may require an occasionalfirmware update. Firmware updates are performed byTesla Service.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

According to the manual: Because continuous improvement is an ongoing goalat Tesla, and is necessary to ensure compatibility withas many models of CHAdeMO stations as possible,both present and future, Tesla reserves the right tomake product modifications at any time. As a result,your CHAdeMO adapter may require an occasionalfirmware update. Firmware updates are performed byTesla Service.

So it sounds like you have to take it in and can't get an OTA update if the adapter is attached to the vehicle. OH well.

 

[RandyS]

Yes, my understanding is that you have to take it into the service center for any sw updates...

 

[cwerdna]

I haven't time to read this thread and don't know if these has been posted, but for the uninitiated, two of the early (but still in wide use) Yazaki handles are of crap design and not intuitive to operate. They're #1 and 2 below. One needs to read the instructions or watch a video/animation. They're not that hard to use, just unintuitive.

The heavy connector and cable adds to the awkwardness.

Below are some useful instructional videos. I have a Leaf and have never used #1 and #3, only #2. There are plenty of Blink DC FCs with #1 around here and some have #3 now.

#1: How To Use a Yazaki CHAdeMO Connector - YouTube
#2: Using Yazaki connector/handle on Nissan-branded CHAdeMO DC fast chargers - YouTube - you may not see the tip text if you don't watch using a computer
#3: Blink DCFC Yazaki Next Generation Connector - YouTube - best design, even though I've never used it.