GM EVs Now Working At Tesla Superchargers! – CleanTechnica – TechnoNews

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Phrase on the road is that GM is about to announce that the Tesla Supercharger community is open to the corporate’s EVs. The rumored value for the adapter is $225 from some sources and $26 from others, so we’ll have to attend for an official announcement earlier than we cross judgment. Pricing apart, the people who find themselves saying it’s about to open up did give us a rumor we are able to take a look at for ourselves: that the vehicles at the moment are working.

So, that’s precisely what I did. Lengthy story brief: it really works!

Not Formally Open But

As of this writing (which may very well be outdated inside mere hours), GM has not formally introduced that the community is open. Tesla’s app additionally doesn’t present V3 and V4 stations working for GM autos until the station has Magic Dock functionality. So, to see if a GM car can cost at a Supercharger, it’s a must to trick the Tesla app by telling it that you’ve got a Ford or a Rivian. This enables the session to begin for now whereas we’re ready for an replace to the app that lists stations open to GM autos.

Official GM adapters are additionally not out there but, and even as soon as they announce, they most likely gained’t be fast to get. However high quality adapters from firms like A2Z and Lectron, in addition to adapters bought for Ford and Rivian autos, ought to all work the identical. The adapters aren’t “smart” and solely bodily join totally different pins collectively. NACS charging periods all use the CCS protocol CCS vehicles are used to, so so long as the adapter is made effectively, it makes no distinction.

It Was Form Of Boring (& That’s A Good Factor!)

Right here’s the factor: I’ve had a number of attention-grabbing tales from charging stations. Typically they’re flaky. Typically it’s a must to plug them in 2+ occasions for the charging session to begin. Different occasions there’s a billing error, the charging is slower than it must be, or worst of all, you may’t get a cost in any respect. Are these issues attention-grabbing? Positively. Is it the form of attention-grabbing we wish to see with charging? Completely not!

Once I arrived on the Supercharger, I received my adapters out, plugged considered one of them into the tip of the Supercharger’s cable, after which plugged it into the automotive. Simply the identical as at CCS stations, the Bolt EUV’s charging gentle on the dashboard turned orange. I then received into the Tesla app, chosen the situation, picked a charger quantity, after which advised it to begin charging. And it did precisely that: began charging.

About the one approach it may be much less attention-grabbing is that if GM allows some type of Plug&Cost with Tesla. For instance, my Bolt can merely plug in at an EVgo station and it begins up charging after a brief delay. I don’t know if Tesla’s software program or GM’s app are able to doing one thing like that, however that might be about the one solution to make the method seamless and completely painless.

My Two Adapters

Whereas I used to be ready for GM and Tesla to allow charging at Tesla stations, I had two firms ship me CCS-to-Supercharger adapters for evaluation. Sadly, I’ve been unable to evaluation them, as a result of I don’t personal a suitable automotive. It appeared like my lowly Bolt would get charging fairly shortly after Ford did, however that merely hasn’t been the case. I did take a look at them for mechanical match, however I couldn’t actually be certain they labored.

The primary one I attempted was the A2Z adapter. It’s the smaller of the 2, however comes with the quirk of needing to push a swap on the underside of the unit to safe it to the Supercharger cable. However, if to do this, it’s an important adapter. It doesn’t stick out very far, it’s compact, and it doesn’t weigh lots. It additionally is available in a pleasant little carrying case that protects it from dings, scratches, and drops. This makes it simpler to simply drop in a trunk or frunk and never fear about.

The Lectron unit, alternatively, is constructed like a tank. It’s massive. It’s cumbersome. However, it’s additionally powerful. You possibly can really feel the burden of it in your arms and it’s apparent that it’s not going to be straightforward to interrupt. Not that the A2Z adapter isn’t powerful (I’m certain it’s), however the Lectron is only a heavy responsibility piece of apparatus. However, it’s powerful in one other approach as effectively: powerful to take away. The Supercharger deal with suits very tightly into the adapter, and it’s simpler to take away should you unplug it whereas the adapter remains to be plugged into the automotive.

Remaining Questions

Relating to charging GM EVs at Supercharger stations, there are a number of massive open questions remaining that ought to hopefully be answered within the coming days.

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First off, we haven’t heard from GM on adapters but. Some sources are saying the adapters shall be out there at GM sellers for $26. Others are saying that the adapter shall be over $200. There are ups and downs to every, however I’ll say that if the adapter is simply too costly or if it takes too lengthy to get, EV drivers shouldn’t hesitate to go together with a high-quality third social gathering adapter or purchase one from Ford, Rivian, or anybody else who’s promoting an official adapter. The one factor to keep away from is junky import adapters. At all times learn critiques.

The subsequent query is software program. I used to be in a position to make use of the Tesla app to provoke a cost, however solely by mendacity to it and telling it I had an F-150 Lightning. This didn’t work earlier this 12 months, so Tesla is clearly permitting GM vehicles on the community now, but it surely’s not official and within the open (at the very least as of this writing). GM is more likely to enable some type of charging activation within the GM-branded apps, like myChevrolet, and this would possibly embody some type of Plug&Cost finally.

Lastly, we don’t but know whether or not the rollout goes to occur slowly. The unofficial entry might finish earlier than coming again, because it may very well be in some type of testing proper now.

Limitations

Personally, I see the Supercharger community as being an important backup and a good way to get entry to some extra locations. I do know there are non-Tesla EV homeowners who will begin utilizing Superchargers solely and by no means look again, and I completely get that. However I’d wish to encourage extra firms to remain within the recreation and turn into higher. Nonetheless, if I can’t cost with another person for no matter purpose, I’m positively glad to have the choice to Supercharge.

No matter the way you’re going to make use of it, it’s essential to understand that solely V3 and V4 Superchargers assist CCS autos. These are straightforward to determine on charging maps as a result of they’ve 250+ kW speeds. Some apps, like PlugShare, additionally filter out stations that gained’t work on your car. Simply don’t assume that the numerous V2 chargers are going to work until you have got a Tesla!

All photos by Jennifer Sensiba.