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0 pointsfastball5y ago0 comments

You seem to be attributing to an attempt at vendor lock-in what can be more easily attributed to the fact that these other "standards" were not common at all when Tesla started building their supercharger network, and once you have inertia it can be hard to stop.

It's like people complaining that Apple doesn't use USB-C in their phones, forgetting that when Apple made the switch to Lightning, USB-C didn't exist.

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2 comments · 1 top-level

vel0city5y ago· 1 in thread

CCS started production in 2013, it was a written standard a little before that. They've had roughly 7 years to work on adopting the standard plug and are only just starting to make upgrade kits to use CCS plugs with pass through adapters. They're still not able to use all of the power of the CCS connectors though. In the US they still don't have a single charger with a CCS connector on it.

I realize USB-C didn't exist when they made Lightning. It still doesn't make sense why they have not migrated to USB-C either, other than continued vendor lock-in/control over the accessory market. With practically all MacBooks and many iPads being on USB-C, it makes less and less sense to have Lightning and USB-C at the same time. There's a standard out there they've halfway adopted, but they choose to not commit to it. All of their portable devices could charge off USB-C, and sell small USB-C to Lightning tips for the brief transition.

I agree, Tesla is in somewhat the same situation. They could start producing CCS compatible cars in the US, they could retrofit ends on their chargers with J1772/CCS plugs, but instead they continue to build proprietary stations and proprietary cars.

You're right both companies are in the same boat and do a similar thing in relation to connector standards. This doesn't make these actions good though.

labcomputer5y ago

CCS didn’t even exist, except on paper, until after Tesla deployed enough public Superchargers to drive between Tahoe, the Bay Area and LA. Seriously: the first public CCS charger outside a lab was almost a year later and only half the power.

It wasn’t until VW started thinking about the Taycan and eTron that anyone actually deployed CCS chargers with more than about 50 kW in California (while Tesla customers were enjoying 120-150 kW). And most of the of public DCFC before about 2017-2018 in the US were actually Chademo, not CCS (which is why there is a Chademo adapter for Teslas).

Up until a few years ago, people were saying that Tesla should adopt Chademo because it was a common standard and offered more power than CCS (at the time) and there were more public chargers. Today, there are still more cars on the road in North America that can use Chademo than CCS. CCS is not commonly used in either China or Japan.