[Daekwan]

The v2 dispenser only supports the proprietary protocol. Older Tesla EVs need a hardware upgrade to support CCS. So, there are a small population of Tesla EVs that can only use the Tesla communication protocol at all stations.

ga2500ev

It's not even a small population of Tesla's. My 2021 Model supports CCS charging with no modifications, but there are a lot of 2021's that didn't. I would imagine any Tesla older than 2022 has questionable CCS charging support. That said Tesla makes it incredibly easy to check. Just go to the car's main menu on the touchscreen in the vehicle, click on Software>Additional Vehicle Information>CCS adapter support: Enabled (or not installed).

If it says enabled you are good to go.. just get the adapter and you should be able to charge at any CCS DC fast charger.

If it says not installed.. then you need to buy the hardware upgrade kit.

As for when does VW get access to the Supercharger network, I'm still hoping it happens THIS month. Im so excited for my wife's ID.4 to access the Supercharger network that I've already bought the A2Z NACS-to-CCS1 adapter and the A2Z NACS-to-J1772 adapter so we can access Tesla destination chargers at hotels. Both A2Z adapters were delivered last night and we have plenty of trips planned this summer where Im anxious to use them.

If the official announcement doesn't happen soon I'm willing to drive the 50 miles to the closest V4 Supercharging location which has a Magic Dock, just to give the A2Z NACS-to-CCS1 adapter a try before the return period expires on the purchase.

 

[Daekwan]

Don’t hold your breath… so many brands ahead of VW on the list! BMW was promised it for “early 2025” and they haven’t got it yet… I suppose firing the entire supercharger team set things back, and their CEO has been distracted lately

I wouldn’t even get excited until VW moves up towards the top of the “Coming soon” list on this page…

https://www.tesla.com/NACS

You actually make some great points about the firing of the Supercharger team and the distracted CEO slowing things down

Let's say this doesn't happen in June. Do you think I should keep the NACS-CCS1 adapter? From what I've read they are all built the same, primarily by two different companies: Lectron and A2Z. The Lectron one is rebranded & resold as OEM by quite a few auto-manufacturers (ex.. Ford).. but the A2Z seems to be more popular and have less issues.

The more I think about it, if I just want to test the functionality of the adapter I can probably find a DC fast charger that has a NACS connector close by. I believe EVGo has DCFC with dual cables/ports.. one for CCS and one for NACS. I'm sure you guys have also heard about the new DCFC being installed on the NJ turnpike with dual cables/ports that have replaced the previous Superchargers:

 

[Daekwan]

Anybody try to charge at Supercharger again lately? Got this weird email from A2Z this morning saying VW works:

 

[Daekwan]

Bought one a few weeks ago; used it already at IONNA just to be sure it worked during the return period. Might also come in handy at other locations that have dedicated J3400 plugs where most people probably won't be using them for a while, since Tesla nav still favors their own chargers.

I meant to do this last weekend while driving 350 miles in the ID.4. I bought the A2Z NACS adapter and want to test it at a NACS DC fast charger before the return window closes. While I'm 99% it's going to work exactly as advertised.. you never know.. until you know. And you definitely don't want to discover that 1% when you are pulling into a charger with a critically low amount of charge and hoping & praying things work.

I've also heard good things about IONNA.. and would love to give them a try. So far I've really only use Superchargers (for my Tesla.. excellent!!!), EA (Tesla & VW.. very good), Pilot Flying J/GM (excellent!!), and ChargePoint (terrible.. they always seems have more broken chargers, than working chargers). I've also been wanting to try EVGo.. but I haven't heard good things about them: Largest DC Fast-Charging Networks in the US: December 2024

 

[Daekwan]

Pretty sure Pilot Flying J/GM is powered by EVGo ...

The ones I use in VA have a disclaimer saying they are not part of the EVGo network.

Granted I'm still able to use the EVGo app to initiate a charging session (thank you PlugShare!!). With the huge GM Energy sign all over them.. I just figured they were GM Energy branded chargers that were absorbed into the Pilot + Flying J + GM + EVGo charging partnership that was created a few years ago:

Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Across the Country | Pilot

Recharge your electric vehicle with EV charging at Pilot. Find an electric vehicle charging station near me or a CCS charger. Use an EV charger at Pilot today!

pilotflyingj.com

There is nothing on the machine to even suggest they are EVGo. But the charging session definitely works with the EVGo app.

 

[Daekwan]

I got super excited until I read that first reply

 

[Daekwan]

So, that's actually an interesting piece of information. It seems that it may be possible to test your own adapter at at Magic Dock Tesla station. I may do that as there's 2 or 3 Magic Docks here in the Metro Atlanta area.

ga2500ev

I plan to do exactly that this weekend. Test my A2Z adapter at a Supercharger w/MagicDock

 

[Daekwan]

A fringe benefit of carrying the adapter is that if you go to a Magic Dock Supercharger with numerous docks that fail to release (looking at you, East Point GA) you can still charge.

Was able to try this for the first time last night. Didn’t work the first time.. but immediately worked the second time. So I’m thinking I didn’t push it in completely. Will say I’m very impressed with the build quality of the A2Z NACS adapter. It feels very solid.

 

[Daekwan]

i am sorry but i am lost now. are you saying you can charge the id4 at the tesla magic doc with the A2Z adapter TODAY?

Yes. That is exactly what I was doing is testing the functionality of the A2Z adapter. Although the adapter was not necessary to charge the VW as this specific site.. as all MagicDock equipped Superchargers have a built-in CCS adapter. There was also a Honda Prologue plugged in at the same Supercharger location while I was charging our ID.4.

So think of it like this.. all of the Tesla Suoerchargers equipped with MagicDock are ‘unlocked’ and will charge any EV physically capable of being plugged into the Supercharger.. regardless of adapter or not.

The remaining non-MagicDock Superchargers in North America are either ‘locked’ specifically to Tesla made EVs.. or some will charge non-Tesla made EVs that have a pre-established agreement with Tesla. A CCS adapter may or may not be required as some non-Tesla made EVs now come with a native NACS charging port.

Everyone in this thread is still waiting for VW & Tesla to formally announce their agreement to allow VW made EVs to access the Supercharger network. Meanwhile Rivian, Ford, GM, Hyundai, etc have had SC access for quite a while now.

 

[Daekwan]

Superchargers with Magic Docks are open to all cars with a CCS port and always have been.

All you need is a Tesla account, and anyone can charge there. The Magic Dock is the adapter. (see below)

All @Daekwan is trying to say is that the Lectron and A2Z adapters are essentially dumb pass-through adapters just like the Magic Dock adapters, so it's a useful way to test if your adapter works by going to a Magic Dock location.

Volkswagens still can NOT charge at non-Magic Dock Tesla locations.

Yep. Sorry for any confusion my post may have caused. And THANK YOU for understanding & explaining what I was attempting to do.

• Yes.. I used a MagicDock Supercharger
• Yes.. I was only testing the functionality of the A2Z adapter
• Yes.. the MagicDock is already a CCS adapter (no need for anything else)
• Yes.. the MagicDock equipped Superchargers are open to ALL non-Tesla EVs
• Yes.. you need to create a Tesla account first, then add a credit card to use a Supercharger
• No.. VW still does not have official access to the Supercharger network

Hopefully this clears everything up.. for everybody. FWIW.. I bought the A2Z adapter last month on the promise that VW would get access to the whole Supercharger in June. Since that still hasn’t happened yet.. I simply wanted to test the functionality of the A2Z adapter before the 30-day return window period expired on the device. Who wants to be stuck with a $150 adapter with no idea if it even works or not.

I had no idea sharing that information would cause Pooge30 to have a heart attack. Especially in a thread that already has 776 posts.. and VW still doesn’t officially have access to the Supercharger network. But some how I’m now the bad guy lol

 

[Daekwan]

While I can certainly applaud the effort of anyone who does not want to spend another dollar helping Musk get richer.. at the end of the day DC fast charging is really about three things: Convenience, Price & Fast Charging Speeds.

I will use a Supercharger over anything else as long as it’s more convenient (closer or less busy), cheaper, or faster than any surrounding DC fast chargers. Now I must admit having recently charged our VW ID.4 at 250kW MagicDock Supercharger (hope this makes you happy Pooge30 lol).. I was shocked to see Supercharger price for non-Tesla’s was $0.56 cents per kWh in NJ. Meanwhile the 400KW AppleGreen DCFC along the NJ Turnpike were $0.35 cents per kWh if you had the app. I should also mention that these AppleGreen DCFC stations replaced ALL of the Tesla Superchargers along the various rest stops along the NJ turnpike.. because you do not need an app to start a charging session (you can just swipe a credit card just like you would at any gas pump).

So the point of this post is to remind people to shop around.. even though you have NACS adapter. Use the PlugShare app to quickly glance at what DCFC are around you and check the rating & price. Superchargers may work well.. but you will certainly pay a premium to use them. I‘ve also had great experiences using the 350kW Pilot Flying J GM chargers in VA which were $0.48 per kWh.

 

[Daekwan]

I think some people are forgetting EA never wanted to build a charging network. VW was pretty much forced to build the EA network as punishment for diesel-gate emissions cheating scandal. This was an entirely different motivation & business strategy from Tesla.. as Tesla needed a nationwide charging network to attract customers to purchase their vehicles.

As someone with a Model Y & ID.4 in my garage for the past 4 years and has used both charging networks extensively.. that motivation & strategy shows in the overall charging experience. Now I will say most of the problems I’ve had with EA chargers can be easily solved by properly using the app. It will identify which chargers are unused, in-use or broken.. before you ever arrive at the charging site. I’ve also found that initiating the charging session with the app BEFORE plugging in makes everything else happen smoothly.

That said as much as I’d like to say EA has improved over the past couple years.. the reality is the last two EA charging sites I’ve visited had pretty serious issues. 2 out of 4 chargers were broken during my last session.. and it meant waiting in line to use the charger. Thankfully I only needed to plug in for 10mins to charge enough to make it home.. so about 30 minutes total time was needed to charge, including the waiting.

 

[Daekwan]

As @Nai3t has emphasized more than once, both CCS1 and NACS vehicle owners are going to want to carry an adapter to use all the chargers at future sites such as Ionna where there are a mix of plug types. You can forego that but if all the plugs of your type are busy and the other not, you’ll have to needlessly wait.

This is exactly what I do. I keep the CCS1-to-Tesla & J1772-to-Tesla adapters in my Model Y at all times. I keep the NACS-to-CCS1 & NACS-to-J1772 adapters in my wife's ID.4 at all times. As long as the L2 or L3 charger is "open" to charge any EV, then I can pretty much plug-in and charge anywhere. And its more awesome than you think.. just last month coming back south from Upstate NY I stopped to use the new 400kW Applegreen chargers on the NJ Turnpike and sure enough the only free charger was a NACS. I watched the Polestar in front of me stop and consider using it.. but then move forward to wait in line for one of the CCS1 chargers to free up. I pulled into the NACS charging space with my wife's ID.4.. whipped out the adapter and the car was charged back up to 80% before the guy in the Polestar ever plugged in.

The L2 adapters are just as helpful as many hotels & restaurants will have either Tesla destination chargers.. or J1772 L2 chargers. I also carry mobile chargers in both vehicles as I consider them your emergency lifeline. Anything happens where you can't make it to a public L2 or L3 charger.. then all you need to do is find the nearest outdoor 120V outlet. It can be the difference between you waiting on a tow truck.. vs you plugging in for an hour and then being able to make it to next charging location. Even without the drama the 120V mobile charger is awesome.. the hotel where we stayed in Upstate NY didn't have EV chargers but I was able to find an outdoor outlet and able to plug-in overnight adding about 60 miles of range before heading home the next day.

One thing that has always puzzled me about the EV community is how tightfisted some people become when it comes to charging. They have no problem first throwing $50K at a new EV.. but then either refuse to install a proper 240V charging solution at home.. or purchase additional adapters to allow them to access as many public chargers as possible. It gets even crazier when you look at how many will people will then throw money at cosmetic upgrades like PPF, ceramic coatings, colored wraps, etc.

IMO the best thing you can do for an EV.. is be able to charge whenever, wherever.. and do so as quickly, cheaply & efficiently as possible. Good charging experiences is the most important part of the EV experience. Bad charging experiences is the most dreadful part. Good vs Bad charging experiences is often the deciding factor of getting people to switch from ICE to EV.. or even from EV back to ICE.

 

[Daekwan]

This is the way!

After reading so many horror stories of Tesla's stuck on the side of road waiting for a tow truck.. I bought a $25 plug kit off Amazon & leave a cordless 18V Ryobi air compressor in my Model Y at all times. Granted I've never actually gotten stuck due to flat tire (or dead battery). But I have now used that plug 7 times in the past 4+ years between our two vehicles. It has saved me so much time & money in buying replacement tires or paying a tire shop to fix those punctures. We have a combined 148,000 miles on this two vehicles and live in a newer neighborhood with lots of new construction.. so it happens way more often that I ever imagined.

 

[Daekwan]

But do people want to carry multiple adapters and be forced to bring one less suitcase on vacation to make room for them?

All my charging adapters & mobile chargers are stored 24/7 in the sub-floor of the hatchback for each vehicle. The sub-floor is what's underneath the main floor, and is located where the spare tire typically goes in older vehicles. You wouldn't even know that sub-floor storage was availalble, until you started pulling the carpeted floor panels up to reveal that extra storage.

As you can see from the pictures below, anything stored in those locations have zero effect on your ability to carry any suitcase. Or any item in the main cargo hold. Most people probably never bother looking in these locations for any reason.

ID.4 sub-floor

Model Y sub-floor

 

[Daekwan]

I think most ID.4 owners know about the under-floor storage and might be using it for emergency items already. But it's not at all where I'd want to store a charging adapter. Can you imagine going on vacation and having to unpack the car just so you can get the adapter to charge it? Not realistic, IMHO.

Okay now you are being ridiculous. Have you actually seen the size of the adapter? It is can be stored practically anywhere in the vehicle. Hell it might even fit in the glove box.

I don’t know why you are obsessed with this crazy idea that carrying a charging adapter is going to ruin your vacation lol

 

[Daekwan]

Don't make stuff up, please. I never said carrying an adapter would ruin my vacation. I said having to unpack the car to fish it out of the under floor storage is not what I would want to do on vacation. There are other things in the glove box already. And it's not "an adapter"... it's two adapters per your post on the previous page.

If you are so convinced carrying an adapter the size of a soda can in your vehicle is such a hassle.. why even participate in a thread about VW gaining Supercharger access?

Surely you understand that adapter is required to access any non-Magic Dock Supercharger.

 

[Daekwan]

I carry my adapter in the sub trunk and have had to pull suitcases out of the trunk to get the adapter late at night at the hotel. Not fun. If I remember I will put the adapter on the floor behind the drivers seat.

If I’m going on a long trip and know using the adapter is necessary I would do the same thing. Just put it underneath the drivers seat or inside the drivers door pocket.

That said I was still able to pretty easily access the adapter in the sub-floor of the hatch even with suitcases in the car during my last trip. It just flips open right near the latch. There’s also 2 side pockets in the rear hatch of the ID.4 that are a great location for storage of small items.

 

[Daekwan]

Here's the Lectron NACS to CCS adapter in a 2021 First Edition glove box. TONS of extra room.

And on this note...VW, I'm ready. LFG!

View attachment 39224

Wow that thing is even smaller than I remember. I would consider putting ours there.. that said it’s my wife car an the glove is full of things like baby wipes, sunglasses and lotion bottles lol

 

[Daekwan]

I have several adapters as well as the VW portable charger all riding comfortably in the frunk where they are easy access. VW Archive - frunk.at

I was going to say that I didn't think the ID.4 had a trunk.. thats pretty awesome. And yeah I agree thats the best place for it. Easily accessible, never in the way and it's always with the vehicle.

That said Im not paying extra for the frunk. The car should have came that way.