NACS Extension Cable Coming From Tesla

[stealthytolkien]

That would likely cost Tesla millions to do, not sure they will be up to it.

Tough choices for Elon. Use his money to help friends pay fines or invest that money to make superchargers great again!

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[ArthurDOB]

Extension cable? Tesla knew that their cables were too short for other manufacturers' vehicles when they opened them up. Now they want me to buy an extension cable? No thanks. I will have to take two spaces should I ever need to use their superchargers because I'll have no other choice. How about they refit their chargers with longer cables?

 

[markboris]

Any mention of what speeds they expect to achieve?

No we never discussed that. I was mainly concerned if the cord would be long enough to allow the Mach-E to charge without taking up two spaces, realistically when they thought it would be ready for shipping and would it be flexible enough to store under the cargo floor (yes).

 

[redgrandam]

No we never discussed that. I was mainly concerned if the cord would be long enough to allow the Mach-E to charge without taking up two spaces, realistically when they thought it would be ready for shipping and would it be flexible enough to store under the cargo floor (yes).

Awesome. Will be nice to have some options for this, although at $400CAD it’s a pretty tough sell. But I get why it would be that much. If someone supercharges their Mach E a lot or often at busy locations it might be essential.

 

[Glen Boise]

Could it be vaporware? It will take time to design. Yet, it announcing it will deflect complaints. They can say to Tesla drivers and Mach-E drivers that they are working on a solution so be patient.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Can you explain that? I would think the the connection to the liquid cooled cable would act more like a heat sink than a source of additional heat.

The end connected to the Supercharger cable would get some cooling from the Supercharger side, yes. But the other end would not. If you take a look at this thermal image, you can see the cable next to the plug and socket connection is warmer. Connections are warmer because they usually have increased resistance compared to the cable itself. So in that case the cable is acting as a heat sink for the plug connection. The average heat dissipation per inch of cable is higher near the connection.

 

[dbsb3233]

The end connected to the Supercharger cable would get some cooling from the Supercharger side, yes. But the other end would not. If you take a look at this thermal image, you can see the cable next to the plug and socket connection is warmer. Connections are warmer because they usually have increased resistance compared to the cable itself. So in that case the cable is acting as a heat sink for the plug connection. The average heat dissipation per inch of cable is higher near the connection.

I hadn't realized that until I started researching a little, but it makes sense that the liquid cooling is more about the connector than the cable itself. Weakest spot, and also where we have to grip it. Don't want the handle getting uncomfortably hot.

Ran across a sample video that shows an animation...

 

[dbsb3233]

 

[hartmms]

No we never discussed that. I was mainly concerned if the cord would be long enough to allow the Mach-E to charge without taking up two spaces, realistically when they thought it would be ready for shipping and would it be flexible enough to store under the cargo floor (yes).

I agree with others, there is no way that cord would allow full DCFC. Let me explain my thoughts so it might help you and others.

Red flag #1: The website states that cable itself has a temperature sensor and will disconnect the power if it gets too hot. How can it do that? I guess they could put a micro controller (computer chip) to act as a "man in the middle" to tell the charger to stop the current flow. I highly doubt they did that. And that NACS "socket" is not large enough to house an appropriately sized relay to safely connect/disconnect a 300-400Amp DC load from a super charger.

Red flag #2. the whole product description reeks of being generated by AI. Consider the last paragraph:

In summary, the A2Z EV NACS DC extension cord offers a balanced blend of safety and compatibility. The incorporation of temperature monitoring, active locking mechanisms, and temperature sensor switches assures users of a secure charging experience. Our unwavering commitment to transparency and accuracy underscores our dedication to ensuring the safety and trust of our users when utilizing our extension cords for their electric vehicle charging needs.​

Google Gemini AI nearly always ends it's answers to me with "in summary" just like the above. If they are so transparent, why don't they publish what the AWG of the cable is? They can claim all day it supports 1000V, but without a current rating or AWG posted, that's meaningless.

For what it's worth, I am an electrical engineer. I may not have high voltage AC or DC expertise, but conductor current requirements are fairly straightforward. Max Tesla model 3 charge rate: 170kiloWatts. Telsa 3 battery pack voltage = 350volts. Power = Volts * Current (amp) . 170kW = 350V * 485amps. You better have a liquid cooling and something like 4/0 AWG or larger copper conductor (cable) for that. Anything larger that 4/0 is going to start to behave like a rigid pole instead of cable you can coil up.

This product looks suited to be a Level 2 charger extension cord only. Level 2 chargers means 11.5kW = 240V * 48Amps. The picture doesn't give the scale, but it looks roughly similar diameter to my RV 240v, 50Amp AC extension cord.

 

[dbsb3233]

I agree with others, there is no way that cord would allow full DCFC. Let me explain my thoughts so it might help you and others.

Red flag #1: The website states that cable itself has a temperature sensor and will disconnect the power if it gets too hot. How can it do that? I guess they could put a micro controller (computer chip) to act as a "man in the middle" to tell the charger to stop the current flow. I highly doubt they did that. And that NACS "socket" is not large enough to house an appropriately sized relay to safely connect/disconnect a 300-400Amp DC load from a super charger.

Red flag #2. the whole product description reeks of being generated by AI. Consider the last paragraph:

In summary, the A2Z EV NACS DC extension cord offers a balanced blend of safety and compatibility. The incorporation of temperature monitoring, active locking mechanisms, and temperature sensor switches assures users of a secure charging experience. Our unwavering commitment to transparency and accuracy underscores our dedication to ensuring the safety and trust of our users when utilizing our extension cords for their electric vehicle charging needs.​

Google Gemini AI nearly always ends it's answers to me with "in summary" just like the above. If they are so transparent, why don't they publish what the AWG of the cable is? They can claim all day it supports 1000V, but without a current rating or AWG posted, that's meaningless.

For what it's worth, I am an electrical engineer. I may not have high voltage AC or DC expertise, but conductor current requirements are fairly straightforward. Max Tesla model 3 charge rate: 170kiloWatts. Telsa 3 battery pack voltage = 350volts. Power = Volts * Current (amp) . 170kW = 350V * 485amps. You better have a liquid cooling and something like 4/0 AWG or larger copper conductor (cable) for that. Anything larger that 4/0 is going to start to behave like a rigid pole instead of cable you can coil up.

This product looks suited to be a Level 2 charger extension cord only. Level 2 chargers means 11.5kW = 240V * 48Amps. The picture doesn't give the scale, but it looks roughly similar diameter to my RV 240v, 50Amp AC extension cord.

That picture is simply a mirror image of their 48A L2 cable on the same website. That in itself is pretty misrepresentative. It's not the actual product, which probably doesn't even exist yet.

 

[Billyk24]

Maybe the cheapest solution is to move the charging port location for future vehicles? Current ccs1 non Tesla vehicles will slowly wear away and be replaced by friendly Tesla port locations.

 

[markboris]

I agree with others, there is no way that cord would allow full DCFC. Let me explain my thoughts so it might help you and others.

Red flag #1: The website states that cable itself has a temperature sensor and will disconnect the power if it gets too hot. How can it do that? I guess they could put a micro controller (computer chip) to act as a "man in the middle" to tell the charger to stop the current flow. I highly doubt they did that. And that NACS "socket" is not large enough to house an appropriately sized relay to safely connect/disconnect a 300-400Amp DC load from a super charger.

Red flag #2. the whole product description reeks of being generated by AI. Consider the last paragraph:

In summary, the A2Z EV NACS DC extension cord offers a balanced blend of safety and compatibility. The incorporation of temperature monitoring, active locking mechanisms, and temperature sensor switches assures users of a secure charging experience. Our unwavering commitment to transparency and accuracy underscores our dedication to ensuring the safety and trust of our users when utilizing our extension cords for their electric vehicle charging needs.​

Google Gemini AI nearly always ends it's answers to me with "in summary" just like the above. If they are so transparent, why don't they publish what the AWG of the cable is? They can claim all day it supports 1000V, but without a current rating or AWG posted, that's meaningless.

For what it's worth, I am an electrical engineer. I may not have high voltage AC or DC expertise, but conductor current requirements are fairly straightforward. Max Tesla model 3 charge rate: 170kiloWatts. Telsa 3 battery pack voltage = 350volts. Power = Volts * Current (amp) . 170kW = 350V * 485amps. You better have a liquid cooling and something like 4/0 AWG or larger copper conductor (cable) for that. Anything larger that 4/0 is going to start to behave like a rigid pole instead of cable you can coil up.

This product looks suited to be a Level 2 charger extension cord only. Level 2 chargers means 11.5kW = 240V * 48Amps. The picture doesn't give the scale, but it looks roughly similar diameter to my RV 240v, 50Amp AC extension cord.

I am NOT an electrical engineer but I do understand your comments and build questionability for this extension cable. If and or when I receive this cable, I will try to answer your concerns about it the best I can.

 

[Mike G]

v2 Superchargers are 150 kW and their cables aren't liquid cooled. They're just thick.

I suspect if Tesla actually releases an extension, it'll be limited but I'd expect something in the 100-150 range. It'll just be bulky and expensive. And probably a bit too short in an attempt to keep the cost down.

...and since the max the MME and Lightning are engineered to accept is 150 kW I guess we're all good....

 

[mkhuffman]

Some interesting information:

750 kcmil wire:

 

[Mach1E]

I was thinking the extension cable would be both very short and smaller gauge than the water cooled counterpart -- thus very thick, heavy, and annoying to work with. I guess we'll see what they come up with... No matter what it is, it will be less than ideal. (See below.)



Fully agree with you. Though retrofitting 15,000 cables (or whatever the number is) would require a lot of Tesla's $$$.

Maybe they can use the half a billion dollars in Cybertruck deposits to pay for it. ?‍

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