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Charger and adapter options
As I plan my Aptera road trips I have noticed that there are a number of level 3 chargers that take a J1772 combo adapter. We don’t know what kind of charge port will be on the Aptera but I cannot find a J1772 combo adapter for sale at all. Some of these adapters are $300 to $400 so a person would want to get the right one. Any ideas?
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Charger and adapter options
updated 11 months, 1 week ago 22 Members · 35 Replies -
The Aptera is going to use J1772 for Level 2 charging and CCS1 for DC Fast charging. At home you’ll want to install a J1772 EVSE. I have a ClipperCreek HCS 40 which utilizes a 240V/40A line to deliver 32A (7.2KW) J1772 charging. The Aptera will have a 6.6KW charger so an EVSE of this size would be perfect.
There are a lot of good J1772 EVSEs on the market. I can recommend the ClipperCreek, it’s built like a tank and it’s built in America.
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Tesla plug has NOT been confirmed at this time.
Most likely Aptera will use J1772/CCS. You most likely won’t need an adapter for J1772. CCS is J1772 Combo (plus 2 high voltage pins.) You most likely won’t need an adapter for CCS.
If you want to buy a Teslatap to allow non-teslas on J1772 plugs to use tesla destination chargers, that’s not a bad idea. I bought one for my Kia EV and haven’t used it in 6 months yet despite many road trips. I also got a 40 foot extension cord (J1772) because I thought I’d need to get around iced chargers. Again, never used it yet. Save your money and buy stuff when you’re ready for it.
Keep an eye out in case Tesla opens their supercharger network – If they do, try to get a Tesla CCS adapter as soon as possible to allow non-tesla vehicles to charge at the tesla network.
(Currently only an adapter to go the other way is available).
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@larry kaiser
1. As of this point in time, Aptera does not have a contract with Tesla to allow the use of either the Tesla charging port or the Supercharger network.
2. Aptera has stated – repeatedly – that the Aptera vehicle will have CCS charging: This means it will have a CCS port.
3. The Aptera Alpha prototypes were constructed using a number of salvaged Tesla parts.
4. Tesla’s portable EVSE is capable of charging at 110 V and at 220 V, using interchangeable dongles to plug into various NEMA receptacles.
5. At present there is no reliable adapter that allows a CCS connector to plug into a Tesla port, just as there is no reliable Tesla connector into a CCS port. We’re told that Tesla is testing one in the Asian and Euro markets but they limit charging to 50 kW, the same as Tesla’s ChaDeMo adapter.
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I have 2 teslas and one is in the shop due to a car accident. I’m now driving a Vovlo Polestar as a rental. I have 2 Tesla HPWC installed in my garage, and since the Polestar uses J1772, I bought an adaptor. I use my Tesla wall chargers to charge the Polestar through the adaptor. My concern is that EVs before Tesla didn’t cool their batteries, and this resulted in the battery quickly degrading. If the Aptera uses CCS and they don’t actively cool the battery, it will likely quickly lose range (see Nissan Leaf).
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The only car still on the market with no battery cooling that I’m aware of is the Leaf and the sibling EV Van the NV200.
It’s not a Tesla thing, everyone uses liquid cooling now. Including Aptera, Kia, Hyundai, Polestar, Volvo, Geely, Fiat, Chevy, Ford, Lucid, Rivian, Fisker, Atlis, Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, etc.
In Aptera the warm coolant goes to the belly pan instead of a radiator, but it’s definitely active cooled.
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Will we receive a charger with our Aptera?
I have heard Tesla has discontinued including a charger with their vehicle. Is this true?
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@Pistonboy Delux Yes, that is true: Tesla no longer includes a Mobile Connector with their vehicles.
I doubt that Aptera will include a cable (Kia doesn’t, either – at least not in the EV6…) .
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Including a mobile EVSE with the car is wasteful. I’ve never removed my mobile Tesla EVSE from the frunk. When I got my first EV, a Volt, in 2016 I used the included EVSE for about a week until my ClipperCreek was installed. Mobile chargers are a pain because you have to put them away when you aren’t using them and then get them out when you want to charge. Having a permanently installed EVSE is vastly more convenient. I also had a problem with my Volt’s portable EVSE, it popped the GCFI on my outdoor outlet, I ended up running a heavy duty outdoor extension cord from my dining room which is not recommended but it did the job for the short time I needed it.
It would make sense for them to offer a mobile EVSE as an option, first time EV owners might feel more comfortable if the EVSE came with the car. However just having a set of recommended EVSEs with links to the purchase sites would also solve that problem.
If they end up using the Tesla connector then you’ll have to buy a Tesla EVSE if you don’t already have one. If they end up with CCS1 then there are many good J1772 EVSEs on the market.
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I own a tesla and use the included cord daily. Mounted it to the wall of my garage and take it with me whenever I take a long trip.
Hopefully aptera includes a mobile charger and if they don’t Hopefully aptera is compatible with the tesla mobile connector.
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I just bought my first EV, a Kia EV6, and it didn’t come with a charging cable. I was initially disappointed at this until I educated myself about all the different charging options, plugs, power levels, and smart features. These are not exactly cheap either, it’s not like buying a simple extension cord.
Everyone’s use case is different so it doesn’t make sense for manufacturers to assume that a portable level 1 EVSE fits the need for every buyer, so why waste the money on something that may never be used. In my case I don’t ever seeing myself charging at level 1, but others may find a need for that however infrequent.
If you make the jump to level 2 there are even more particulars in terms of plugs and power ratings. So even harder to find the one-size-fits-all EVSE. Most people will be in this space after vehicle purchase.
Bottom line, buy the EVSE(s) of your choice after purchase.
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Does Tesla make a smart home charger? Can their home chargers be installed outdoors? Has anyone had any actual experience with a home smart charging station? Inquiring minds want to know. Thanks.
Fair winds and Smooth sailing,
Lawrence Leonard
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No info myself on the full charger being outside, I have seen one, near where I live, where the owner has cut a hole through the wall next to their garage door jamb, and runs the charging cable end out to the Tesla he parks in the driveway.
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I have a Clipper Creek EVSE, but I have it mounted inside my garage that I will use on my Aptera.
Below is what they have to say about installing it outside.https://clippercreek.com/ev-charging-indoor-vs-outdoor-weather-concerns/
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My Tesla Wall Connector is outside, it’s been through three New England winters without a problem.
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Lawrence, this should help answer some of your questions:
https://www.tesla.com/support/installation-manuals-wall-connector#install
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@Lawrence Leonard Right now the Tesla Wall Connector and the Tesla Mobile Connector are two of the highest-quality and lowest-priced units of their kind. Direct from Tesla, the former is $400 USD and the latter $200 USD.
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My budget is middleclass retired fixed income. I would like to prepare for my upcoming Aptera (or if an Aptera isn’t available) by budgeting ahead of time for my EV by installing my residential charger now. What charger would you all recommend to purchase and maybe why.
I’m sure I’ll receive advice to wait awhile longer to see what develops and I will heed good advice. I live in Gulfport, FL. a small town surrounded by St Petersburg, FL.
I live in a small home that has several locations for convenient access to a charger. Also my home has solar panels on the roof. One last piece of information: there are 2 city chargers 1 mile away from my home in our beach park. Maybe I should just use those public chargers in the beginning and let the charger tech develop more?
What are your thoughts?
And thanks in advance!
Scooter-n-okie
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I’d wait till you’ve decided on the specific EV you’re purchasing. Especially since you’ve the luxury of existing nearby charging stations.
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Jeff,
Since you can recharge overnight with more then 100 miles of range simply by plugging into a 110 outlet in your wall you may want to avoid the added expense.
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You can start educating yourself by watching this youtube channel. Tom reviews a lot of EVSEs showing you the good and bad. https://www.youtube.com/@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney/videos
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There is a lot of good advice already given here, so I will just add a couple of things. Generally, it is not a good idea to spend money early before you can actually use an item. This is especially the case for an accessory. Before I ever invested in a charging system (I have 2 EVs), I would actually buy the car and use it for a month before deciding what you need (I did not buy anything. I use 110v wall outlet and use “free” level 2 charging 1/2 mile from my house if I need to charge faster. Your needs might be different between an Aptera and whatever other vehicle you might be considering. It also depends on how big your battery will be. So keep saving and spend only when you know what you need.
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@Jeff Siddons all AC charging is handled by the vehicle’s on-board charger: “Residential Charging Stations” are just fancy 220V electrical outlet – there’s no tech in them to develop: They are what they are.
EVSE’s (their official name – Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) come in a variety of capacities and can be either portable or wall-mounted. Some are internet-enabled and others are not – because all EVs have most of the same functions built in, like setting charging times, etc., you may not need a “smart” unit.
If you use a portable EVSE all you’ll need is access to a NEMA 14-50 receptacle, the sort used by most electrical clothes dryers.
At-home charging it the least-expensive option for most EV owners, especially if you have time-of-day savings plans where you live. Public charging stations can be free but many now cost more than charging at home.
The difference between AC charging and DC charging comes down to cost and time: AC charging can take many hours or days to charge a vehicle while DC charging can take less than an hour. (BTW, there’s no such thing as a commercially-available home DC charger – so there’s nearly ALWAYS an expense involve in DC charging – just like using a gasoline pump.)
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Does anyone know if the charger adapters for the Tesla work with the Aptera? I’m especially curious about the CSS2 and CHAdeMO DC chargers. The others, eg SAE J1772, appear to be simple pass-thru.
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A related question is since the Aptera will have the NACS port and DCFS, will Aptera Co. include a CCS2 to Tesla adapter.
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Technically should work (most likely) but another vendor such as Lectron may be needed.
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I don’t think we know enough yet to answer with confidence. But we can attempt informed speculation…
The Tesla-CCS2 adapter is passthrough, so it should work *as long as* Aptera includes the necessary communication/handshake capabilities. I’d assume Aptera would do this, but my assumptions with Aptera often turn out wrong, so who knows.
Tesla Superchargers and CCS chargers use different communication protocols (CAN and PLC, respectively, IIRC). Aptera would have to include the capability to use both to be compatible with both. (Only Teslas built in the last couple years are compatible with the Tesla-CCS2 adapter. Older Teslas require an onboard charge controller to be swapped out with a newer version in order to use the CCS2 adapter.)
I’d speculate that the Chademo adapter would/could work as well. But that’ll fall squarely into the “who cares” category for the vast majority of people. The Chademo adapter costs too much, and Chademo stations are too few for most people to care about.
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Thank you all for the responses I own a 2020 Tesla so have the adapters and am planning on updating the car for CSS2 compatibility, when available. Of course, when I get the Aptera, my wife gets the Tesla and I get the Aptera 🙂
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At some point Aptera is going to release a wall-mounted L2 EVSE for home installation. So what will it be: Will they rebrand a Tesla Wall Connector? Will they add an Aptera glogo to the front of a Lectron V-Box? Will they design an L2 EVSE all their own from scratch?
Whatever they offer, I hope it has integrated cord wrapping, a built-in holster, the option to hard-wire or use a NEMA 14-50 connector and at least 18′ of cable.