Level 2 NACS Adapter recommendations?

[moosetags]

I am looking for recommendations for Level 2 adapters to use a level 2 NACS plug with my Rivian R1T. My understanding is that many of the public level 2 chargers are equipped with NACS plugs.

Brian

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[MidnightRivian]

I was debating between the 48 amp Lectron or 80 amp A2Z for slightly lower price after "Riv" coupon code.

I personally like A2Z AC adapter over others because of the higher amperage limit, smaller compact size, pricing and the built in lock.

TeslaTap 80 was overkill for my use and that's why I decided to save the money and still get 80 amp A2Z for futureproofing.

I only wanted to stick with well known brands/models like A2Z, Lectron or Teslatap for my level 2 adapter. I would research all three and decide which one fits your use-case the best.

I received my bundle AC + DC Tesla charging adapters from A2Z this week.

I’ll make a review this weekend on the stellar AC plug that you can use with Tesla home chargers or destination chargers up to 80 amps.

I’ll share the rest of the review in a new thread for everyone.

Stellar adapter is the smaller one pictured on the right labeled "NACS to J1772 Adapter"

A2Z EV Link - Tesla to J-1772 80 A / 20 kW adapter

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[Dave Cundiff]

TeslaTap recommends that you follow the same "80% of rated load" for adapters in continuous charging. That's a good argument for a 60-amp or greater adapter.

 

[brancky3]

I was debating between the 48 amp Lectron or 80 amp A2Z for slightly lower price after "Riv" coupon code.

I personally like A2Z AC adapter over others because of the higher amperage limit, smaller compact size, pricing and the built in lock.

TeslaTap 80 was overkill for my use and that's why I decided to save the money and still get 80 amp A2Z for futureproofing.

There really aren’t even any EVs that support 80A, not to mention chargers. I have the 48A Lectron adapter and it works flawlessly charging at 48A.

 

[MidnightRivian]

There really aren’t even any EVs that support 80A, not to mention chargers. I have the 48A Lectron adapter and it works flawlessly charging at 48A.

Ford lightning supports it, Lucid supports it, Porsche supports it, Lyriq supports it and Hummer EV.

Here is the charger and PDF for some of them.

You will have to pick the option / trim that has that charger plus buy the 80 amp charger from Ford, Porsche or Lucid.

I also shared an article for 19.2 kW chargers for Porsche / Lucid.

Edit: Here is an example of 2 - 19 kW Tesla destination charger in your town Greenville, SC where you would use the 80 amp Tesla to J-1772 adapter with the Hummer EV, Lyriq, Porsche, Ford Lightning, Lucid, etc.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a42691039/ev-charging-level-2-porsche-wall-connector/

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a41766177/lucid-air-ev-home-wall-charger-price-specs/

https://newsroom.porsche.com/en_US/...ard-charger-reduces-charging-times-30721.html

https://store.lucidmotors.com/lucid-connected-home-charging-station/

https://chargers.ford.com/ford-charge-station-pro

https://www.cadillac.com/support/quick-start-guides/lyriq/ev-charging

https://www.gmc.com/electric/ev-charging-overview#home

 

[electruck]

I went with A2Z, couldn't justify the price of TeslaTap for my infrequent usage. The A2Z seems well built and works flawlessly.

 

[brancky3]

Ford lightning supports it, Porsche supports it, Lyriq supports it and Hummer EV.

Here is the charger and PDF for some of them.

You will have to pick the option / trim that has that charger plus buy the 80 amp charger from Ford, Porsche or Lucid.

I also shared an article for 19.2 kW chargers for Porsche / Lucid.

Wow crazy detailed response, thanks for the info! I only remembered that Tesla dropped 80a charging and didn’t realize it’s coming back.

 

[140 degrees]

I am looking for recommendations for Level 2 adapters to use a level 2 NACS plug with my Rivian R1T. My understanding is that many of the public level 2 chargers are equipped with NACS plugs.

Brian

I think almost everyone understands what you are asking for here, but for anyone who doesn't, it is probably worth clarifying.

NACS is a DC fast charging standard that uses the physical connector of the old Tesla Charging Standard and the low voltage signaling of CCS. Tesla vehicles built prior to 2021 are not compatible with NACS. The level 2 adapters you are asking about are based on the old Tesla standard.

The reason this is important is that the level 2 Tesla adapter can be physically attached to a Tesla DC fast charger. I don't know if there is a fail-safe in the design that prevents the high voltage DC from being applied to the AC input of your CCS vehicle. I guess this is a long way of saying that I don't think we should refer to the level 2 adapter as a NACS adapter. It is very easy to mix them up.

I have a Lectron level 2 Tesla to J1772 adapter. I use it for hotels that offer free L2 charging. It works a little more than half the time. Apparently there is an internal switch inside Tesla destination chargers that can be set to prevent non-Tesla charging. I suspect this might be the cause of my low success rate.

I found reference to the IMPORTED version of the TesaTap mini that people say will still allow charging, even if the switch is set to reject non-Teslas. In the specs I found '- Contains TeslaTaps proprietary bypass circuit so you can use chargers set to Tesla Only mode unlike the competitors'.

At $170, this adapter isn't cheap. Does anyone have experience with it? If it could increase my success rate on Tesla destination chargers, it would pay for itself.

Finally, one could argue that if a destination charger is set to Tesla-only, one should respect the wishes of the property owner. Charging is a privilege after all. I have talked with people at the hotels, and they have had no knowledge that the switch even exists. I think the setting is left up to the installer or the factory default. I feel like the property owners usually haven't a clue as to why non-Teslas won't charge. I don't feel like I am violating the owner's wishes if I use this device to enable my vehicle to charge.

Is my poor success rate with hotel Tesla destination chargers typical of other's experiences?

 

[Autolycus]

The reason this is important is that the level 2 Tesla adapter can be physically attached to a Tesla DC fast charger. I don't know if there is a fail-safe in the design that prevents the high voltage DC from being applied to the AC input of your CCS vehicle. I guess this is a long way of saying that I don't think we should refer to the level 2 adapter as a NACS adapter. It is very easy to mix them up.

The fail-safe should theoretically be that DC power should never be passed across the pins without the vehicle and charger communicating according to the correct protocols. The AC and DC communications are radically different. That said, sometimes stuff happens, so there's no guarantee. It should be extremely unlikely to ever happen, but I will certainly be VERY careful and double-check what I'm doing before plugging a NACS DC fast charger into my Rivian.

 

[Ohm Boy]

Moose, this one is excellent quality and works great. I’ve used it at Tesla destination chargers while traveling without fail. It’s also considerably less expensive than others.

https://a.co/d/3ifGjdE

Link copied from my Amazon app. Or search for GearIT Tesla to J1772 Adapter for EV.

Ohm Boy

 

[sub]

It is probably worth clarifying. NACS is a DC fast charging standard.

It is worth clarifying that the NACS standard covers both AC and DC charging. It is in no way a DC only thing.

Do you really think that next year when Rivian/Ford/everyone is selling vehicles with only a NACS port that they will not support AC charging?

Tesla removed the specs from their website the standard after SAE started selling the specs so I can't link directly to the NACS specs but the description on SAE's cover page is pretty clear.

https://www.sae.org/standards/content/j3400_202312/

NACS Electric Vehicle Coupler J3400_202312
This document covers the general physical, electrical, functional, safety, and performance requirements for conductive power transfer to an electric vehicle using a coupler, which can be hand-mated and is capable of transferring either DC or AC single-phase power using two current-carrying contacts.

 

[HaveBlue]

Grizzly or however they are spelled is coming out with an 80A 19kw unit that will also do billing.

 

[ryunited]

Lectron 48 has worked seamless on my Tesla Wall Connector (also 48).

I get 28M/H.

 

[140 degrees]

It is worth clarifying that the NACS standard covers both AC and DC charging. It is in no way a DC only thing.

Do you really think that next year when Rivian/Ford/everyone is selling vehicles with only a NACS port that they will not support AC charging?

Tesla removed the specs from their website the standard after SAE started selling the specs so I can't link directly to the NACS specs but the description on SAE's cover page is pretty clear.

https://www.sae.org/standards/content/j3400_202312/

I stand corrected on the scope of the NACS specification. The point I was trying to make was that the NACS adapters we are going to receive from Rivian are for DC fast charging only. The L2 adapters that are being discussed in this thread are for AC charging only and they generally were designed before J3400 was approved.

I'm not sure I understand your point about next year's Rivian/Ford NACS vehicles not being able to AC charge. We will all be very disappointed if they are not backwards compatible with legacy Tesla L2 destination chargers that pre-date j3400.

In the future, we'll likely be buying reverse adapters so we can use existing home and destination CCS EVSE equipment.

 

[camrunr]

I use the Shockflo "Tesla to J1772 Adapter, Max 48A 250V J1772 EVs Adapter, Tesla Charger Adapter with Anti-Drop Lock, Tesla High Powered Wall Connector, Destination Charger, Mobile Connector"

Works fine.

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