Ford makes deal with Tesla to share its Supercharger network

It does sound impressive but without a Tesla plug ... no interest. In 11 days, I will drive to the Munro Open House with no worries about Supercharging on the way.

Bob Wilson

The EX30 already has the charge port in the proper location. They'll be able to switch to NACS easily enough.

They definitely should...
 
The EX30 already has the charge port in the proper location. They'll be able to switch to NACS easily enough.

They definitely should...
Would China allow a connector whose name begins with "North American?" Do Chinese Teslas have NACS connectors? If all Chinese cars go NACS, Geely/Volvo will be swept along in that wave.
 
Would China allow a connector whose name begins with "North American?" Do Chinese Teslas have NACS connectors? If all Chinese cars go NACS, Geely/Volvo will be swept along in that wave.

I meant that they should switch to NACS for vehicles built for North America. There is no way that the rest of the world will change anyway. :)
 
People making cars for North America will fit whatever connector that the importers ask them to.
The signalling and electronics are actually all pretty standardised.
 
It does sound impressive but without a Tesla plug ... no interest. In 11 days, I will drive to the Munro Open House with no worries about Supercharging on the way.

Bob Wilson
Enjoy the Open House. That sounds awesome.
Re EX30, there's a chance it will come with native NACs. I've little doubt Volvo/Polestar will go NACS for North America, it's a question of how fast can they change this element on the production vehicles already engineered.
 
>Then enjoy the pleasures of CCS-1 charging.

Y'know, Bob, on further reflection, that's pretty insulting. It sounds like
you'd rather retreat behind the fanboi wall, rather than actually help move
things forward. If you're warm and happy in your pile of crap, I hear you
saying, then have fun with that and keep your mouth shut, kthxbai.

Look, I try to see big-picture and where things can improve across the
industry. Tesla has great infrastructure, I'll be among the first to agree
with that, but I want them to make it more publicly *accessible* without
compromising peoples' privacy, either through themselves or third-parties,
just to be able to play. "Download our app from google" does not qualify.
That's disingenuous and rude to those not-so-few of us left who actually care
about these things. Tesla needs to start offering alternatives.

And I've been agreeing all along that CCS has its many warts, be it 1 or 2,
and maybe should never have been pushed forward as it stands as "the standard",
but basically I just want it to work right. The percentage of CCS, especially
in the US, which doesn't work right on a regular basis is a miserable
indictment of that sector.

I don't want to hear Musk telling me "sorry, you bought the wrong thing, because
now that I'm king I say so". He needs to cooperate, not simply compete and
ignore large swaths of people with similar goals. Ultimately I want to be able to
freely drive up to and use rapid-charge equipment with CCS *or* Not (yet) A Charging
Standard output, in a way that my present vehicle understands, preferably
having set myself up so that any candidate network knows about my theoretically
Autocharge-compatible car and can easily find my payment deets.

Most of this is a matter of software, along with a few connector fixups, and
shouldn't really be that hard to proceed with on all fronts once the political
impediments fall. Will they ever? I have no idea. I had to buy into the
EV market at *some* point, and to be told a very few years later that I made
the wrong decision is effing INFURIATING. How many people ragged on you in
the early days for buying a Prius? How did that make you feel?

_H*
 
We've known each other for more than 10 years and I have great respect:
that's pretty insulting. It sounds like
you'd rather retreat behind the fanboi wall, rather than actually help move
things forward. If you're warm and happy in your pile of crap,
So you think I'm a 'fanboi'? I thought you knew me better.
"Download our app from google"
It is called a disposable phone. There was about 3-4 hours on January 6, 2021 when there was no Trump phone records even from his official cell phone. Many of us suspect he had a 'throw away' phone that has long since passed through a shredder. Disposable cell phones are amazingly cheap and the credit card used at a CCS-1 charger would work too. A skeptic might wonder if some want a coin operated payment device be put on or at every CCS-1 and/or Supercharger.
The percentage of CCS, especially
in the US, which doesn't work right on a regular basis is a miserable
indictment of that sector.
I tried them with her BMW i3-REx and it was 4x more expensive than gas and the benchmark trip time more than twice as slow. My first CCS-1 experiences, only 2 of 3 attempts worked even after 45 minutes of debugging each time including with support on the cell phone.
He needs to cooperate,
Elon uses the free market. The customers decide.
How many people ragged on you in
the early days for buying a Prius?
With one exception, none to my face. After a demo drive, an 'earth mother' woman told me that Prius were running down the blind, pedestrians, and bicyclists. A year or so later, she was the only other employee with a Prius that she used to commute and work on her 'project farm.' She once had three bales of hay in her car in the parking lot but would not put on a receiver hitch and a trailer.

In my Prius days, I found critics in news articles and had to hunt down their original work. Then it was like 'field dressing' game to cite and correct their mistakes. The same exists today in the EV market but I learned a valuable lesson ... post only about something that has my finger prints on it.

The most disappointing case was buying an SAE paper from University of Georgia that mentioned quantifying 'hypermiling' only to realize they had made a fundamental mistake and also an understatement (i.e., not usable in traffic.) I had done my own benchmark comparing pulse and glide versus cruise control and found the improvement was about 15% for the same average speed.

I'm doing some Tesla Model 3 benchmarks Saturday/Sunday. I may repeat the same protocol 'pulse and glide' vs cruise control at the same average speed.

Bob Wilson
 
Last edited:
A clarifying analogy, perhaps: Most of my "device" and computer and related gear is still micro-USB-B. I have
cables to deal with that. I have recently acquired a couple of USB-C devices, and am building a small collection
of cables to deal with that ... but for the most part, those two flavors of cables go back to a bog-standard full
size USB-A connector at the other end, so for the most part I'm able to plug together anything I have and at
least charge it, if not actually shoot data across. At that level it all boils down to 5V across the power leads,
and whatever happens outside of that is up to protocols. If two connected devices understand a better
quick-charge protocol, great, that's maybe like pulling up to a newer charger with an 800V car and having
both ends understand that. But it doesn't leave other users high and dry, it simply falls back to something
more common.

Now, things are eventually moving to an all-USB-C ecosystem, but not in an exclusionary way. USB A
and B aren't dead, they will just get adapted to where needed. Vehicle fast-charging needs to maintain
a similar philosophy and make it work.

_H*
 
Tesla charging acceptance would be a lot higher if they let CCS cars charge at stations other than the half dozen with the magic-dock.
Teslas can charge at any CCS station, but CCS cars are locked out of almost all superchargers.
If Musk wants everyone to use Tesla, he needs to let everyone use Tesla.
With the current clusterpuck that is the CCS network, he could kill it off just by opening up his superchargers.
 
Tesla charging acceptance would be a lot higher if they let CCS cars charge at stations other than the half dozen with the magic-dock.
Teslas can charge at any CCS station, but CCS cars are locked out of almost all superchargers.
If Musk wants everyone to use Tesla, he needs to let everyone use Tesla.
With the current clusterpuck that is the CCS network, he could kill it off just by opening up his superchargers.
There currently 11 locations with Magic Dock.

You don't change everything at once. You start with a small amount, test, and improve it if there is a demand for the product. So be patient.
 
CharIN responds (leading global association with over 300 members) dedicated to promote interoperability based on the Combined Charging System (CCS) as the global standard for charging vehicles of all kinds.

"The global EV industry cannot thrive with several competing charging systems. CharIN supports global standards and defines the requirements based on the input of its international members. CCS is the global standard and therefore focuses on international interoperability and, unlike NACS, is future-proofed to support many other use cases beyond public DC fast charging. Early, unconsolidated announcements of changes create uncertainty in the industry and lead to investment obstacles.

Further, CharIN also does not support the development and qualification of adaptors for numerous reasons, including the negative impact on the handling of charging equipment and, therefore the user experience, the increased probability of faults, and effects on the functional safety. There are also a variety of technical challenges related to lower current ratings, variations of electrical requirements, and mechanical loads caused by the weight of the adaptor which may lead to wear and mechanical malfunctioning of the vehicle inlet."

Not exactly supporting the NCAS standard especially with the comments following:

"For example:

  • More than 300 domestic and international CharIN members are using or investing in CCS.The majority of major domestic and international automakers are using and supporting CCS, including Audi, BMW, Daimler, Ford, General
  • Motors, Honda, Hyundai/Kia, Lucid, Lotus, Mazda, MAN, Mercedes-Benz, Navistar, New Flyer, Nikola, Nissan, PSA Groupe, Proterra, Renault, Rivian, Scania, Stellantis, Subaru, Suzuki, Tata Motors, Tesla, Toyota, Volvo, and Volkswagen.
  • In the U.S., CCS is used in over 50 passenger vehicle models, with more coming soon. The anticipated volume of these vehicles will exceed a single NACS supplier volume soon.
  • Charge point operators, infrastructure/component suppliers, electric utilities and oil companiesrely on CCS with high open market dynamics.
  • The charging ecosystem is still nascent and requires certainty around CCS to be confident ininvestments. Every deviation from CCS will impact market traction.
  • The Combined Charging System can connect to all AC charging stations without an adapter viathe J1772 standard.
  • Worldwide, there are 81,000 DC fast chargers using the CCS connector, compared to 45,000Tesla Superchargers according to data published by CharIN and Tesla.
  • In North America (including the U.S. and Canada) there are 22,262 CCS connectors compared to22,128 Tesla Supercharger connectors and 204,253 J1172 connectors compared to 16,009 Tesladestination connectors, according to recent PlugShare data (includes public and restricted use).
  • CCS cables and connector assemblies are NRTL recognized, which makes it easier for EVSEmanufacturers to adopt the standard and build equipment.
  • The CCS standard has been developed with full backward compatibility ensuring earlyinvestments are relevant to the growth of the industry, unlike other proprietary standards,including NACS.
In addition to the global dominance of CCS, it is important to note three additional facts:

1) NACS is not a standard

NACS is not a published or recognized standard by any standards body. For any technology to become a standard it has to go through due process in a standards development organization, such as ISO, IEC, and/or SAE. Such a process is collaborative and enables all interested parties to contribute their ideas.
The current CCS standard, including connectors and related communications protocols, is a true international standard that has gone through the standardization process. Any newly introduced idea, including a mechanical improvement to the existing CCS connector design, would have to follow the same process before the industry can safely adopt it. There is a significant chance that what is ultimately approved in the standards development process may not align with what is currently proposed.

2) This announcement is a proprietary implementation between two automakers and should not re-open eligibility decisions on public infrastructure funding

Public funding must continue to go towards open standards, which is always better for the consumer. Public EV infrastructure funding, such as the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program, should continue to only be approved for CCS-standard-enabled chargers per federal minimum standards guidance.

3) Recent activities and announcements will address concerns about charger reliability

CharIN joined the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation and the National Laboratories to support the launch of the National Charging Experience Consortium. The Consortium will address charger interoperability and reliability issues in public CCS deployments, which is appropriate to address jointly as an industry. Additionally, CharIN will announce other major interoperability initiatives in the coming weeks, including upcoming interoperability testing events. The entire EV industry should double down on activities to support public fast charging for the long-term."

Absolutely. As a consumer I am following the standards set by government when I make major purchasing decisions.
Yes the Tesla charging may seem better at the moment but I don’t have that many problems with EA either, except some congestion recently but for now Im staying the course and eventually things will get better … Europe is a perfect model.
Elon is clearly focused on eliminating competition and I can’t see how Ford and GM are benefiting from this.


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
 
I can’t see how Ford and GM are benefiting from this.
  1. Less cost, the Tesla socket is smaller and less expensive than CCS-1.
  2. Fewer customer complaints.
Understand I have no problem with those who choose to stay on CCS-1. It is a free country and you can always call 'the government' if there is a problem. In fact, you should call your congress critters every time there is a CCS-1 problem.

Bob Wilson
 
  1. Less cost, the Tesla socket is smaller and less expensive than CCS-1.
  2. Fewer customer complaints.
Understand I have no problem with those who choose to stay on CCS-1. It is a free country and you can always call 'the government' if there is a problem. In fact, you should call your congress critters every time there is a CCS-1 problem.

Bob Wilson

No need, I don’t see either US or Canada changing their plans to subsidize NACS exclusively anytime soon and they’ve already stated that the subsidies are dependent on adding a CCS connector.
Tesla wants government subsidies while using it as a tool for controlling the market.
In a year or so I’m sure US and Canada will be at the level Europe is today.


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
 
I don't need a magic dock, if I have an adapter and protocols that are smart enough to figure out what's
going on and charge my car. "Call the government", my BUTT. If that carried any water, the charging
industry would already be heavily regulated.

_H*
 
I failed to find a non-copyright imaged so made these:
upload_2023-6-10_17-44-30.webp
  • Top is 350 kW rated CCS-1
  • Middle is 9.6 kW rated J1772
  • Lower is 9.6 kW rated Tesla portable plug
upload_2023-6-10_17-48-47.webp
  • Top is 9.6 kW J1772 plug
  • Middle is 250 kW Tesla Supercharger plug
  • Bottom is 9.6 kW Tesla portable plug
I will be resizing the photos to make both to scale. I didn’t photograph the CHAdeMO plug.

Bob Wilson
 
Back
Top