NACS Extension Cable Coming From Tesla

[dbsb3233]

• Their dispensers are extremely robust and seem to hold up very well over time
• Their schemes for prefabbing the installations and other shortcuts aid in more rapid deployment
• Because of the 2 above, their cost structure is such that they are the least expensive AND YET most reliable equipment
• By keeping the cable lengths short they didn't have to mess with retractors/coilers breaking and/or cables being damaged when run over by cars
• In addition to the retractors breaking, they put lateral stress on the connector

Exactly. They did what no one else could come close to: got the costs way down and succeeded in making DCFC profitable rather than the money pit it is for all the rest. They did so by optimizing for it's intended customer base (Tesla vehicles). That was a big part of how they got the costs down.

Just turned out they also made a far superior (dependability-wise) product at the same time. Which many owners of non-Teslas were jealous of and desperately wanted access to. As the saying goes... beggars can't be choosers.

Sponsored

 

[kodiakng]

Exactly. They did what no one else could come close to: got the costs way down and succeeded in making DCFC profitable rather than the money pit it is for all the rest. They did so by optimizing for it's intended customer base (Tesla vehicles). That was a big part of how they got the costs down.

Just turned out they also made a far superior (dependability-wise) product at the same time. Which many owners of non-Teslas were jealous of and desperately wanted access to. As the saying goes... beggars can't be choosers.

definitely agree.

one other point regarding supercharger "reliability": they deploy a very high number of dispensers to each site so that if a few of them are offline it isn't as noticeable and they are pretty good about indicating which ones are down on the app (assume in the car as well but don't have a lot of seat time there).

in my few charging sessions at the boardman, oregon magic dock supercharger showed as many as 2 of the 8 dispensers offline. that's 25% of the station out of service but the station never had a line because sessions started easily and consistently and delivered all the power the car wanted.

 

[Krom2040]

It's stunning how easy it is to tell someone else that "they did it wrong" after the fact, given that you don't have to face the consequences of "yeah but that would cause this worse problem". Decisions made about the SC installations went beyond the scope of "what might happen if somehow we open the network to other manufacturers who don't follow our lead".

To be completely fair to Tesla (whose CEO I have no respect for as a human being)

• Their dispensers are extremely robust and seem to hold up very well over time
• Their schemes for prefabbing the installations and other shortcuts aid in more rapid deployment
• Because of the 2 above, their cost structure is such that they are the least expensive AND YET most reliable equipment
• By keeping the cable lengths short they didn't have to mess with retractors/coilers breaking and/or cables being damaged when run over by cars
• In addition to the retractors breaking, they put lateral stress on the connector

But, if you're unhappy with using the Tesla network you have the freedom to exercise the right not to.

No doubt that Tesla has done plenty of things well, but whatever simplicity they gained from a cable that’s just barely long enough for their primary automobile design, they’ve obviously shot themselves in the foot in a way that literally no other charger manufacturer has, and for a use case that’s both obvious and that plenty of Tesla fans have claimed has been their plan all along.

I’m just not inclined to think that every move Tesla makes is some galaxy-brain plan.

 

[dbsb3233]

No doubt that Tesla has done plenty of things well, but whatever simplicity they gained from a cable that’s just barely long enough for their primary automobile design, they’ve obviously shot themselves in the foot in a way that literally no other charger manufacturer has, and for a use case that’s both obvious and that plenty of Tesla fans have claimed has been their plan all along.

I’m just not inclined to think that every move Tesla makes is some galaxy-brain plan.

I think you're confusing "shot themselves in the foot" with making a conscious priority choice that paid off extremely well for them. They prioritized getting a cost-efficient widespread DCFC network built as fast as possible to help sell and charge their own vehicles.

Which they later had the luxury of opening up to non-Teslas to make extra revenue. Win-win.

The fact that many non-Tesla owners (and manufacturers) are falling all over themselves to get access to it suggests just the opposite of "shot themselves in the foot".

 

[timbop]

No doubt that Tesla has done plenty of things well, but whatever simplicity they gained from a cable that’s just barely long enough for their primary automobile design, they’ve obviously shot themselves in the foot in a way that literally no other charger manufacturer has, and for a use case that’s both obvious and that plenty of Tesla fans have claimed has been their plan all along.

I’m just not inclined to think that every move Tesla makes is some galaxy-brain plan.

Neither do I, so let's put away the reductio ad absurdium. Most of the time Musk is full of crap, but in this case I don't think it was he who made the mistake.

The point is: the cables not being long enough isn't because they are incompetent or dumber than you. Every design decision is a compromise, and that one is causing an issue now that they probably discounted based on the information they had at the time. I don't recall the exact year, but in the 2010's Tesla tried to give away licenses to their connector in an effort to get their way to be the standard. Their licensing requirements were ridiculous and no one took them up on it, so the sudden shift last year was unforeseen by anyone designing the V3's. The only reason that Farley and then the rest of the industry cut a deal is because EA and the rest are such a hot mess it was killing car sales beyond early adopters.

Let me say that again: the ONLY reason Ford and the rest of them are abandoning CCS is because those networks whose decisions you feel are superior screwed up so badly.

 

[JohnFoxeSheets]

No doubt that Tesla has done plenty of things well, but whatever simplicity they gained from a cable that’s just barely long enough for their primary automobile design, they’ve obviously shot themselves in the foot in a way that literally no other charger manufacturer has, and for a use case that’s both obvious and that plenty of Tesla fans have claimed has been their plan all along.

I’m just not inclined to think that every move Tesla makes is some galaxy-brain plan.

I can think of so many EA stations where one or more towers are unusable because the cables aren't long enough for a given car. I've parked in very awkward positions at EA to get the cable to reach. I honestly don't see the Tesla SC situation as any worse (and it could very well be better).

Tesla has made it clear that it's ok to park to the right of a V3 charger in order to make the cable reach to a non-Tesla.

And to be 100% crystal clear, I have zero aloha for Musk and refuse to buy their cars. That said, I do plan to use their SC network as needed when on road trips since sometimes you just gotta get some electrons.

 

[Timelessblur]

they designed cables for their proprietary chargers to have enough length to reach all models of their cars long after everyone else ha

It is poor design as it worked great for them then but now that they want to open it up it is time to revist and do a better solution of longer cables. It was a short term thing but long term it is not a solution that works.
Also Telsa own charger cable has issue with the Tesla Truck hence it needs a better solution. They already are going to a longer version cable in V4 and the v3 they are opening up they should go back and retrofit a longer cable.

 

[dbsb3233]

It is poor design as it worked great for them then but now that they want to open it up it is time to revist and do a better solution of longer cables. It was a short term thing but long term it is not a solution that works.
Also Telsa own charger cable has issue with the Tesla Truck hence it needs a better solution. They already are going to a longer version cable in V4 and the v3 they are opening up they should go back and retrofit a longer cable.

I think the "retrofit" of V2s and V3s is likely to be replacement with V4s. But it'll take years.

I'm hoping replacement of the V2's comes first. We can't use those at all, regardless of any cable length inconvenience.

 

[SWO]

I'll be surprised if Ford doesn't eventually move the charge port to the R front from the L front. During the switch to factory-installed CCS would be the logical time to re-tool that. That will make many of our garage setups a drag for L2 charging but oh well.

As a dedicated hot rodder, I'll just bide my time until I can go to a junkyard and get a used right front fender from a '26 and slap it on my '22. I'll be the only guy on the block with dual charging ports. Problem solved!

Why compromise how you charge 95% of the time for V3 superchargers that are going to be phased out?

 

[SWO]

That would be amazing, but I don't think that's what they'll do unless they add it as a $3000 option.

Plus didn't they already change their tooling to remove the passenger side faux charge port cover?

 

[mkhuffman]

Why compromise how you charge 95% of the time for V3 superchargers that are going to be phased out?

My dude, it will be 10+ years before the V3 chargers are phased out. In fact, they are still installing new ones even today. The V3 chargers are strong enough to charge our cars at the full charging speed. So why would Tesla replace them? Answer: they won't. I bet in 10 years most of the V3s will be still in operation.

 

[SWO]

My dude, it will be 10+ years before the V3 chargers are phased out. In fact, they are still installing new ones even today. The V3 chargers are strong enough to charge our cars at the full charging speed. So why would Tesla replace them? Answer: they won't. I bet in 10 years most of the V3s will be still in operation.

Maybe?

1. What is the lifespan of a V3 dispenser? Less than 10 years for sure. Whether they're upgraded or not is up to Tesla, but why not? If Tesla is still rocking V3s everywhere a decade from now, they'll be behind competitively.

2. Lots of V2s which will need replaced as well.

If EVs become mainstream, it seems obvious we'll go to a gas pump model. Arguing over standardization of chargeport location seems like a waste of time

 

[Billyk24]

Did a search here and did not find this Tesla NACS extension cord developed by EVSE Adapters this would be the specific link: Tesla Supercharger High Power NACS Fast Charger Extension Cord – EVSE Adapters There are reviews on the website and a 4 foot length exists at $349.00 Not sure if it is certified by any "group". Any reports from elsewhere?

Sponsored