\nThe decision to call this out specifically and require \u201cAuthorized Adapters\u201d is for safety reasons \u2013 we have seen unauthorized adapters for CCS to NACS not contain a locking mechanism for the latch, which would allow removal during a charge, which is a serious safety concern for arc flash. There is also concern of the quality of construction of these unofficial adapters, as neither the vehicle or the charger are aware of the presence of such an adapter and will not limit the current because of it (Tesla\u2019s adapter is rated at the full current and charge curves of their vehicles). A poorly made adapter could be at risk of thermal overload (or worse) if it is subjected to high currents for extended periods.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Second email:<\/strong><\/p>\n\nEVgo approach on adapters basically follows the CharIN published approach that allows for adapters only made by the vehicle manufacturer for use with their vehicle. EVgo also investigates the adapter before approval, including teardown and written report to manufacturer. To date we have approved only 3: Tesla AC adapter, Tesla Chademo Adapter, and Tesla CCS1 adapter.<\/p>\n
There is considerable activity in industry right now around adapters.<\/p>\n
The traditional IEC approach has been to forbid use of adapters with CCS, this is due to multiple safety concerns.<\/p>\n
However simply saying in a standard it is not allowed, does not prevent its existence.<\/p>\n
Now we have multiple automakers announcing intent to produce and at least one state proposed legislation requiring NRTL approval of the adapter that comes with vehicle.<\/p>\n
So there is now activity for standards bodies to address adapters specifically so they can be evaluated properly by third party NRTL.<\/p>\n
EVgo employees are involved in SAE and IEC activity on this topic.<\/p>\n
EVgo is also involved with the ChargeX consortium of national labs that is addressing this problem with a special group. A draft of an FMEA was circulated last week by the group. (Failure Mode Effect Analysis.)<\/p>\n
Thanks for working on this topic. Although we have a policy that forbids use of unapproved adapters, we have no way to enforce, and there is not general awareness of the issues involved.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Both companies cited that they are concerned with the potential safety risks associated with customers using non-automaker-supplied adapters and establish that if a customer uses a non-approved adapter and the use of such causes damage or injury, the network will not be responsible. <\/p>\n
But the question becomes, is this a valid concern, or are the networks being unnecessarily cautious? The answer is probably a little of both.<\/p>\n
There are a lot of adapters on the market now that allow Tesla owners to charge from a J1772 AC charging source as well as from CCS1 DC chargers. Doing a quick search on Amazon, I found the least expensive one to be $59.99 and the most expensive one to cost a whopping $5001.71. There’s a large gap in quality as well as how much power the adapters can safely accept. <\/p>\n
Without a proper safety certification and without testing by the OEM that produces the vehicle, it’s impossible to know which adapter is made to withstand the power that will be flowing through them at high-powered DC fast charge stations. <\/p>\n
Additionally, some adapters are designed without proper safety systems that prevent disconnecting the adapter from which power is flowing through them, which is a really dangerous thing when you’re charging at 400 volts to 800 volts and pumping 500 amps from the charger to the vehicle. <\/p>\n
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Rivian charging at EVgo station<\/p>\n