FREDONIA, N.Y.– Tesla opened a little component of its Supercharger network to non-Tesla automobiles a number of weeks back, and also as quickly as the information hit, we downloaded and install the Tesla application and also searched for a suitable battery charger near our editors in Detroit and also Los Angeles. Blunder! There were no Superchargers open up to non-Teslas in the higher Los Angeles location neither the whole state of Michigan at the time of this post’s posting. The closest suitable battery charger remained in … Fredonia, N.Y.
That’s around a five-hour drive from residence, so we placed in movement strategies to arrive and also attempt it out. The horse? Our long-lasting 2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line. It’s currently confirmed to be an amazing electrical journey friend, providing rapid fee rates and also a reputable variety in between fees.
The prep job to bill a non-Tesla at a Supercharger resembles that of numerous electrical billing applications like Electrify America or EVGo. Download and install the application, make an account and also go into in a charge card. Tesla makes starting simple with clear triggers in the application, and also it’s a rapid and also seriously glossy application at that.
When points are most likely to go laterally,
Getting here at a suitable Tesla Supercharger area is. The very first trouble is basic auto parking logistics. Tesla created its battery chargers to collaborate with the fee port area of Tesla automobiles, which gets on the driver-side back quarter panel beside the taillights. The cables were just ever before made enough time for a Tesla to back right into an area and also securely reach this area. By our estimate, you’re most likely to battle unless your non-Tesla EV shares the Tesla’s fee factor area (Polestar 2 and also Hummer EV), lies at the really front of the automobile (Kia Niro EV, Hyundai Kona EV) or possibly the front traveler side (Porsche Taycan and also Audi E-Tron GT). That’s very few autos; most various other EVs have a various area.
For instance, the Ford F-150 Lightning and also Mustang Mach-E, Cadillac Lyriq, Rivian R1S and also R1T, and also Lucid Air all have their own on the vehicle driver side, however at the front– the cable certainly will not get to if you back them in, and also there’s a great chance you’ll encounter the battery charger’s concrete bollards must you attempt to inch close sufficient moving forward.
Our EV6 has the various other typical area, on the passenger-side back, which provides a somewhat various concern. Parked side-by-side with one more Tesla, both of you will certainly wind up defending the very same plug. Almost talking, us being connected know the “incorrect side” with our EV6 makes one of the billing rooms ineffective for a Tesla proprietor that might come. Unless there are great deals of open places, this certain appears rude, and also we do not motivate it. Queue the mad social media sites messages in 3, 2, 1 …
Once you obtain the logistics of the circumstance arranged, starting a cost session is basic and also done 100% with the application. Simply bring up the Supercharger terminal you go to within the Tesla application, faucet on the details battery charger you’re mosting likely to connect into (they’re plainly identified by number and also letter), and afterwards touch the huge blue switch that claims “unlock adapter.” This opens the “Magic Dock” that Tesla has actually mounted at these battery charger terminals. The Magic Dock is needed since it includes the adapter from Tesla’s (NACS) port to the CCS (Integrated Charging System) port utilized by the EV6 and also most various other EVs– this is why just particular places are offered currently, since Tesla requires to mount Magic Docks all over it means to enable non-Teslas to bill. It just takes a 2nd after striking this switch for the adapter to unlock, and also when it’s done so, you go order the port, press in, and also the battery charger with the CCS adapter befalls. Afterwards, it’s as simple as connecting in your automobile. Tesla claims that it can take as long as 2 mins for crediting start, however it just took around 5-10 secs in our experience.
When you’re done billing, you return right into the Tesla application and also faucet “quit billing.” You can after that disconnect and also place the Magic Dock back where you discovered it. We billed our EV6 at this specific area on 2 different celebrations, and also the starting/ending procedure was absolutely smooth without a solitary misstep.
Leading right: billing efficiency at Supercharger; Base right: billing efficiency at Electrify America battery charger
! There’s one (large) trouble with billing some non-Tesla EVs on Tesla Superchargers: fee rate. The optimum fee rate we saw on both celebrations billing our EV6 was 42 kW, which is an unlike the 235 kW speeds our EV6 can. Why is the EV6 so slow-moving on the Tesla Supercharger? It boils down to the electric design of the automobile. The EV6 (and also every various other E-GMP system automobile from Hyundai) uses an 800- volt electric design that is created to be fast-charged with 800- volt battery chargers. The Porsche Taycan, Rivian R1T/R1S and also a couple of others can do the very same. Teslas all make use of a 400- volt electric design and also Tesla Superchargers are 400- volt battery chargers. In optimal problems, the very same battery charger that our EV6 can just draw 42 kW from can bill a Tesla at as much as 250 kW.
Non-Tesla EVs with a 400- volt electric system– like the Ford Mustang Mach-E, VW ID.4 therefore numerous others– will certainly make out better at Tesla Superchargers than automobiles like our EV6, however there’s a lot more to it than that. The 800- volt Porsche Taycan uses as an alternative an onboard 150 kW/400- volt DC battery charger choice. This permits the Taycan to bill at 150 kW when linked into a 400- volt battery charger like a Tesla Supercharger. It’s not rather the 270 kW the Taycan can on an 800- volt battery charger, however it sure will certainly speed up the procedure up dramatically from the around 50 kW rates you’ll see or else.
An Additional 800- volt EV that is created to approve 400- volt battery chargers is the GMC Hummer EV, which GM claims is created to assistance 400- volt billing facilities without a converter box or devices. We have actually yet to evaluate a Hummer on a Supercharger, however, so its best fee efficiency stays to be seen.
We asked Kia concerning this billing dilemma and also obtained the complying with in return. “Kia understands some problems with the EV6 billing on Tesla Superchargers and also is functioning to fix the concern.”
The best verdict we can pertain to right here is that Tesla opening its Supercharger network is an advantage for just some EV proprietors. As opposed to lingering an hour-plus for the Supercharger to bill our EV6, we stood out over to the Electrify America nearby and also quickly drew 230 kW fee rates. It went from 10-80% in simply 20 mins. That’s definitely much more attractive than throwing away a number of hrs waiting on slow-moving charging. Since we understand the fact of billing our EV6– a truth that probably relates to system friends like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and also Genesis GV60, as well– on a Tesla Supercharger, there’s a great chance we will not be returning.
For those with EVs that are far better geared up to bill on Superchargers, the rollout of added open terminals will certainly be a big and also to the possession experience. Beyond autos that use Plug-and-Charge innovation, the Tesla Supercharger experience with non-Teslas is both faster and also much easier than connecting in anywhere else. And also, Superchargers have actually confirmed to be much more dependable than the often-broken Electrify America or EVGo network stretched throughout the nation. Offered a suitable automobile and also the selection in between a Supercharger or various other battery charger, authorize us up for the Supercharger every single time.
Associated: I have actually had an electrical automobile for 4 months and also not utilized a public battery charger when
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