18000 DCFC fast chargers in N America unlocked!

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woodgeek

woodgeek

Minister of Fire
Hearth Supporter
Jan 27, 2008
5,630
SE PA
It finally happened! The Tesla Supercharger network got opened to all GM EVs last Wednesday. I ordered an adapter (A2Z Typhoon Pro, $167 w/discount code) and got it Thursday. This Saturday I tried it out at the local IKEA and grabbed a (vegan) meatball lunch, w/lingonberries.


[Hearth.com] 18000 DCFC fast chargers in N America unlocked! [Hearth.com] 18000 DCFC fast chargers in N America unlocked!

The whole process was completely uneventful with my '22 Bolt EV 2LT. Charging was started using the free Tesla app (which was very seamless) and bought 16 kWh for about $7, or 43 cents/kWh. The cord is a bit short, so I had to park funny with the driver side wheel pointed at the charger.

The backstory is more interesting. Tesla announced that it would open to other makes early in the year. Ford and Rivian quickly announced they would send their owners a free adapter, and did so in a month or two. GM made a similar announcement, being cagey about the price of the adapter. A listing for a GM adapter went live back in the spring, with a $30 price tag and a bunch of folks placed orders. GM then said that the link was a mistake, and no adapters were available, and the price was not correct. After a big stink, GM promised to honor the $30 price, but only for folks that ordered it in the spring 'by mistake'.

And we all waited. And waited. Until this week.

GM is selling an OEM adapter for $225. You can only order it within the myChevy (or myGMC) app. It turns out that if you don't pay $40/mo for OnStar, then the purchase link does not show up! So this is another way for them to squeeze money out of you (through OnStar).

Turns out that the OEM adapter they sell is backordered indefinitely. And is clearly identical to a 3rd party adapter (Lectron) with the GM logo slapped on it (made in China). You can buy a third party adapter for <$200, including one that is identical to the GM one, but GM really doesn't want you to. They imply that using a 3rd party adapter will void you vehicle and battery warranty.

Bwahahahaha!

I am convinced that the ENTIRE 6 mos delay getting GM unlocked was GM trying to figure out how to monetize us for using Tesla DCFCs. So forcing us to use OEM chargers, and thus OnStar, is the best they could come up with. With an obv illegal threat to void all vehicle warranties.

Here is a map of GM open locations.

[Hearth.com] 18000 DCFC fast chargers in N America unlocked!


The other thing I find interesting is that only US makers have been unlocked so far... Ford, Rivian, GM.

I think this is a 'conspiracy' between Tesla (Elon) and the Feds (Joe). Elon is happy to take Fed money to unlock superchargers, but reserves the right to leave some stations locked. These turn out to be in high Tesla traffic areas... so Tesla is taking care of their customers. They also don't want to open to everyone, but ofc the Feds (Biden admin) isn't going to fight to get Volkswagons and Kias onto the Tesla network (they DO want to give the US legacy makers a boost).

I won't hold my breath waiting for non-US makers to show up on the Tesla network.

But for me, driving a non-Tesla EV for more than 10 years now, it is a new day. I can now drive away from the I-95 corridor if I want, and don't have to worry (much) about lines at DCFC during my holiday trips. And if Elon and Joe have a deal to keep ID4s and EV5s from choking up my Tesla spots (like they do my EA spots) then right on!
 
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The network is now also open to new Hyundais and soon will include Kias. New Ioniq5s and next quarter, new EV6s & EV9s will have the NACS port. The short charger cord is an issue for many vehicles causing some drivers to have to straddle 2 spaces in order to charge. I see a market in NACS extension cords happening as a result.

For cars with an 800v battery system, it's a slower charge compared to a 350kW fast DC charger, but the large number of charging stations in the Tesla network greatly expands options along a route. If this takes a bit of pressure off of the EA and EVGo chargers and frees up spots at them, all the better.
 
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After I parked and got out of my Bolt, and before I could even plug in, a helpful Tesla driver sitting two spots over rolled down her window to tell me that I was at the wrong charger, and needed to go to an EA or EVGO station. I thanked her for the information, but showed her my new adapter.
 
That scenario is likely to repeat a lot now.
 
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Looks like KIA will be sending us an NACS adapter soon. Their EVs will be eligible for charging on the Tesla network by Jan 15h, 2025.
 
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Lot's of recent reports of GM playing shenanigans. When people use the myChevy app to start charging at a Tesla station, their CC number gets shared with OnStar and they get autoenrolled in OnStar!

Given the effort GM made to build customers for EVs, they seem eager to throw it all away. $40/mo for a buggy app (and routing software) that doesn't work reliably, reporting drivers data to insurance companies without permission (for moeny), forcing (or trying to force) OnStar to use NACS adapters. Bleh.
 
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Hmm, I can see the concern. I would only use the Tesla app for charging. Likewise, for Electrify America I would only use their app, not the Kia Connect app which is a subscription service too.
 
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Welcome to 2014 Tesla owners experience;) kidding aside it’s a really big deal.

I read it’s only available on V3 Tesla chargers. It really going to hurt Tesla sales. My V1 150kw station won’t get any more crowded.

That and Elon I’m predicting a huge over supply of new Teslas in the next 12 months.
 
EbS-P said:
Welcome to 2014 Tesla owners experience;) kidding aside it’s a really big deal.

I read it’s only available on V3 Tesla chargers. It really going to hurt Tesla sales. My V1 150kw station won’t get any more crowded.

That and Elon I’m predicting a huge over supply of new Teslas in the next 12 months.
Click to expand...

I can use V3 or V4 stations, I believe. I am happy with the fraction that are open.... its >3X the number of EA stalls in my area. Several times I have been waiting in line at an EA station, with many open Tesla SCs within view.

I'd bet that Tesla is keeping out CCS vehicles from stations with lots of congestion. Why not?
 
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I still haven't ordered the adapter. So far in my limited experience I use DCFC so rarely that I'm not ready to drop $200 even on an aftermarket adapter that I might use. I'll probably order one at some point though especially as my kid gets older we may do some longer trips. I like my current setup where I just charge at home, all the time.
I am hoping that the availability of superchargers to GM vehicles will abate some of the congestion at the non-tesla DCFC as well.
 
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Yeah, me getting one for a Bolt EV lease is a bit of an extravagance. I might use it a couple times before I return the Bolt.

But I plan on giving the adapter as an Xmas 2025 gift to my frugal brother with a Bolt.
 
Looks like EVGo just got a substantial govt. loan to install a ton more charging stations. Their stock jumped 50%.

EVgo Receives Conditional Commitment for DOE Loan

Guarantee of up to $1.05 Billion to Accelerate Buildout of Public Fast Charging Across the U.S. Access to low-cost financing is expected to support construction of approximately 7,500 new EVgo DC fast charging stalls in community locations
www.evgo.com
 
I read a piece about a GM EV owner trying to charge at Supercharger site where they had issues with the length of the cable. They had to park in an adjacent spot which is bad form in the EV world. Version 4s address this issue with longer charging cables, 9 ft. IIRC.

We recently stayed at an Air B&B that offered a Tesla NACS EVSE. Frustratingly, I found myself without the adapter needed to connect my RAV4 Prime. I'm planning to order one compatible with our J1772 port.
 
semipro said:
I read a piece about a GM EV owner trying to charge at Supercharger site where they had issues with the length of the cable. They had to park in an adjacent spot which is bad form in the EV world. Version 4s address this issue with longer charging cables, 9 ft. IIRC.

We recently stayed at an Air B&B that offered a Tesla NACS EVSE. Frustratingly, I found myself without the adapter needed to connect my RAV4 Prime. I'm planning to order one compatible with our J1772 port.
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Yeah, this is a well known problem among non-Tesla EV owners. Basically the cable is too short to reach any car but a Tesla without taking up two spots.
 
gthomas785 said:
Yeah, this is a well known problem among non-Tesla EV owners. Basically the cable is too short to reach any car but a Tesla without taking up two spots.
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Agreed. Or you can take the rightmost spot, and take up an non-EV space.

Some sites are also pull through, and this is not a problem.
 
I won't need to deal with this until at least next spring. The EV6 charge port is at the rear, but on the opposite side as Teslas.
 
woodgeek said:
Agreed. Or you can take the rightmost spot, and take up an non-EV space.

Some sites are also pull through, and this is not a problem.
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The obvious answer is longer cables or two spaces per charger but then us Tesla owners would need our spots marked for us so we didn’t pull into the wrong one.
 
EbS-P said:
The obvious answer is longer cables or two spaces per charger but then us Tesla owners would need our spots marked for us so we didn’t pull into the wrong one.
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Or a certified extension cable.
 
gthomas785 said:
I think the higher watt cables are liquid cooled. Making an extension cable capable of the same amps that is also portable could be a tall order.
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Good point.
 
Saw my first V4 (I think) supercharger, the ones with the really long cable. It should reach both sides.
 
EbS-P said:
Saw my first V4 (I think) supercharger, the ones with the really long cable. It should reach both sides.
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The v4 chargers are easy to spot because it's a solid U shaped white front instead of having a U-shaped hole in the middle.
 
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