shpub
Established Member
FAQ 3 - How to get a charge at a Tesla Supercharger
Can I charge at any Tesla charger?
No is the short answer. Tesla provide two types of chargers: DC rapid and AC fast.
Let's get the lesser known one out of the way first: AC chargers use the car's onboard charger and are like OHME, Zappi and other home chargers. Tesla white AC chargers can be used by anyone. Red ones are Tesla only.
Tesla call these destination chargers; they are not superchargers. They still exist but when someone refers to a Tesla charger they usually mean a supercharger.
The Tesla Supercharger is the Tesla proprietary DC rapid charger that Tesla cars used and to be honest it was the envy of many other manufacturers. Tesla started opening them up in late 2021/early 2022 to benefit from very large grants (7.5B$ has been reported). In Europe they used the Type2 Combo plug which meant that the connector was already compatible. So you could physically plug it in but nothing worked. Tesla changed this when they went open.
So while many Superchargers are open i.e. allow non Tesla cars to CCS charge, not all do. So it is important to check either through the Tesla app or a charging map like Zapmap that the Tesla charger you want to use is "open"!
Also bear in mind, it has been reported that some open chargers appear to be out of service for non-Tesla cars yet allow Tesla cars to charge. Whether this is just a "glitch in the matrix" or something that will be incorporated in the next conspiracy theory is unknown.
It's worth trying other stalls and checking it is the right charger just in case.
Are the latest V4 chargers all open?
Another definite maybe. Generally they are but as Tesla have V2, V3 and V4 chargers operating as "open" and some V2, V3 and V4 chargers that are Tesla only, assume nothing. Check with the Tesla app or charger map. Zapmap chat can be useful as often people will describe faults or charge successes.
Are they all contactless?
No. Some are... some are not. The best thing to do is download the Tesla app. Link it to a credit card and provide a billing address to ensure payment before using it in anger just in case there are issues as delays can cause problems with getting a charge. There is nothing like tapping on a phone screen trying to get a charge to raise blood pressure.
Is my MG5 compatible?
The answer is complex and it is best referring to FAQ 2 in this series. FL should be, PFL need upgrading.
Is there an etiquette for supercharging non-Tesla cars?
There most certainly is and that mainly concerns the fact that stalls power share and the charging leads are short.
Most of it is common sense and is covered in FAQ 4 because there are restrictions caused by the fact that many supercharger installs were never designed for non-Tesla cars.
So what is the easiest process?
Leave the car at the charger when it is finished, otherwise it can cost money!
'The Tesla app allows owners to remotely monitor their vehicle, alerting them when their charge is nearly complete and again once fully charged. For every additional minute a vehicle remains connected to the Supercharger, it will incur an idle fee. If the vehicle is moved within five minutes, the fee is waived. Idle fees only apply when a Supercharger station is at 50% capacity or more. Idle fees double when the station is at 100% capacity. To be clear, this is purely about increasing customer happiness and we hope to never make any money from it.'
It doesn't work!
Try other charger units first as it is possible you have plugged into the one unit that has failed.
Is it really an open supercharger? Check with the Tesla app or Zapmap or equivalent.
Call the Tesla helpline - the number is normally on the charger somewhere - and ask if there is a problem.
If the car is not recognised then it is possible the car has not been upgraded. See FAQ 2.
Can I charge at any Tesla charger?
No is the short answer. Tesla provide two types of chargers: DC rapid and AC fast.
Let's get the lesser known one out of the way first: AC chargers use the car's onboard charger and are like OHME, Zappi and other home chargers. Tesla white AC chargers can be used by anyone. Red ones are Tesla only.
Tesla call these destination chargers; they are not superchargers. They still exist but when someone refers to a Tesla charger they usually mean a supercharger.
The Tesla Supercharger is the Tesla proprietary DC rapid charger that Tesla cars used and to be honest it was the envy of many other manufacturers. Tesla started opening them up in late 2021/early 2022 to benefit from very large grants (7.5B$ has been reported). In Europe they used the Type2 Combo plug which meant that the connector was already compatible. So you could physically plug it in but nothing worked. Tesla changed this when they went open.
So while many Superchargers are open i.e. allow non Tesla cars to CCS charge, not all do. So it is important to check either through the Tesla app or a charging map like Zapmap that the Tesla charger you want to use is "open"!
Also bear in mind, it has been reported that some open chargers appear to be out of service for non-Tesla cars yet allow Tesla cars to charge. Whether this is just a "glitch in the matrix" or something that will be incorporated in the next conspiracy theory is unknown.
It's worth trying other stalls and checking it is the right charger just in case.
Are the latest V4 chargers all open?
Another definite maybe. Generally they are but as Tesla have V2, V3 and V4 chargers operating as "open" and some V2, V3 and V4 chargers that are Tesla only, assume nothing. Check with the Tesla app or charger map. Zapmap chat can be useful as often people will describe faults or charge successes.
Are they all contactless?
No. Some are... some are not. The best thing to do is download the Tesla app. Link it to a credit card and provide a billing address to ensure payment before using it in anger just in case there are issues as delays can cause problems with getting a charge. There is nothing like tapping on a phone screen trying to get a charge to raise blood pressure.
Is my MG5 compatible?
The answer is complex and it is best referring to FAQ 2 in this series. FL should be, PFL need upgrading.
Is there an etiquette for supercharging non-Tesla cars?
There most certainly is and that mainly concerns the fact that stalls power share and the charging leads are short.
Most of it is common sense and is covered in FAQ 4 because there are restrictions caused by the fact that many supercharger installs were never designed for non-Tesla cars.
So what is the easiest process?
- Drive up to Tesla charging bay. Get the front of the car as close to the charger unit as possible. This is normally nose first.
- Switch off the car.
- Fire up the Tesla app and make sure that that you have submitted and Tesla has accepted, a valid credit card and billing address. The app will complain if you haven't done this.
- Get out of car and plug in. The screen then shows a connected but not charging message.
- Using the app identify which charger you are using and press the start charge button.
- App comes back with an authorising message and then ....
Charging starts. The charging rate will slow down as it approaches 80% SOC. This is normal.
To stop the charge use the app again and then you can unplug and go on your merry way.
Leave the car at the charger when it is finished, otherwise it can cost money!
'The Tesla app allows owners to remotely monitor their vehicle, alerting them when their charge is nearly complete and again once fully charged. For every additional minute a vehicle remains connected to the Supercharger, it will incur an idle fee. If the vehicle is moved within five minutes, the fee is waived. Idle fees only apply when a Supercharger station is at 50% capacity or more. Idle fees double when the station is at 100% capacity. To be clear, this is purely about increasing customer happiness and we hope to never make any money from it.'
It doesn't work!
Try other charger units first as it is possible you have plugged into the one unit that has failed.
Is it really an open supercharger? Check with the Tesla app or Zapmap or equivalent.
Call the Tesla helpline - the number is normally on the charger somewhere - and ask if there is a problem.
If the car is not recognised then it is possible the car has not been upgraded. See FAQ 2.
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