Tesla to J1772 adapter

[Adoepner]

Hi everyone,

I recently purchased one of these: https://www.amazon.ca/Lectron-Tesla-Charger-J1772-Adapter/dp/B07V7V2QT8

Unfortunately, I am having a fair bit of trouble getting the car to actually charge with it. Have any of you had success with this or similar adapters? Most of the places near me that I would want to hang out while waiting for a charge have Tesla destination chargers.

Andrew

 

[JoeS]

I've been using this one from EVSE Adapters for a few years, primarily with my own HPWC, with no problems.

https://www.evseadapters.com/products/tesla-to-j1772-adapter/

I seem to recall when they first came out that there were compatibility issues because the HPWC could be programmed to defeat this adapter and IIRC there was a discussion of how to reprogram it (had to take it apart). My memory of this is hazy but I thought this was discussed on TMC (and perhaps had something to do with which generation HPWC?) but I couldn't find it now when I looked briefly https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/

Perhaps a search of the Leaf or Bolt or one of the other EV forums might shed light on any issues.

Conversely, I can't charge my Tesla using my Mitsu EVSE!

Edit 30 July 2020

Correction, what I have is a TeslaTap unit. This Tesla Tap description has a link to an article further describing the interface -

http://www.umc-j1772.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=50

I see that there are now many such adapters on the market, with prices lower than what I originally paid for mine.

Here's an InsideEVs article, and in the comments section Tony Williams discusses the HPWC settings for J1772 compatibility. Also depends on the HPWC version.

https://insideevs.com/news/335895/o...-at-a-tesla-destination-station-sure-you-can/

Over on one of the Bolt forums was a comment that some adapters can be a sticky fit and need to have the Tesla connector firmly shoved into them in order to work..

 

[Adoepner]

Thanks Joe. I’m not getting a lot of support from Lectron to help troubleshoot my unit. I have now tried 3 different wall connectors (following their instructions) with no luck. I bought it on amazon and will be returning it.

My next thought would be to purchase and try a TeslaTap. I’m glad to hear you have one. Any issues with it?

 

[JoeS]

Sorry to hear that Lectron wasn't responsive.

Regarding any adapter, I'm concerned that the public HPWC installations may have the HPWC configured in such a way as to preclude use of the adapter. I'll look around to see if there are any accessible public HPWCs in the area (almost all wineries with tasting rooms have them) and I'll take my i-MiEV over to them and try out my adapter. Will post here what happens.

Perhaps worth looking around the EV forums as I distinctly recall a post somewhere whereby a non-Tesla EV driver was desperate and actually opened up the HPWC (requires a tamper-proof Torx bit) and changed the settings so he could charge.

 

[JoeS]

One more correction: what I have is a Duosida Tesla-->J1772 adapter, and not the TeslaTap. Strangely, my eBay purchase order labels it as TeslaTap, but looking at the connector it says Duosida. Go figure.

OK, ran down to the local high school which has three Tesla HPWCs, in addition to one CHAdeMO/CCS DCFC and 26 J1772s. Here's the i-MiEV successfully charging using the black Tesla HPWC:

The only problem I ran into is that the Tesla plug was very hard to both insert and extract into/outof the adapter. Somebody screwed up, but I think that perhaps the black (not silver) Tesla plug, sitting in the hot sun, had expanded ever-so-slightly. In this climate, why in the world would you not make the casings white? ... grrr, probably the graphics design people overriding the engineers. :twisted:

While we're at it, here are a few photos of the high school parking lot. Behind the blue screen is a huge battery storage system for mitigating the abominable utility demand charges. To the left of the i-MiEV is the DCFC station. You also get a glimpse of some of the massive solar arrays. Funding was supplemented by grants from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District - as I understand it, the school district did the math and it made sense as the local utility's (PG&E) tariffs are awfully high, and I'd be willing to bet that with the school closures they've amortized everything this year (as i presume they can sell the clean kWh at a decent rate) and, for this year at least, have become a profit center! As a side note, very many of the teachers have now switched over to electric cars.

Drove over to a nearby elementary school on the way home for a quick CHAdeMO top-up in the shade- they only have eighteen J1772 stations and one 25kW CCS/CHAdeMO combo. All of the J1772 stations at these schools are remotely controlled and load-balanced with very sophisticated and adaptable algorithms to ensure the cars finish charging at the time needed without overloading the system. Nice app to input one's needs. This photo gives some idea of the charging stations and solar arrays.

Sorry for going off-topic... but, dang, I'm proud of our environmental progress here! :mrgreen:

 

[Adoepner]

That looks like a Tesla Tap. Duosida makes the J1772 handle part.

I actually tried opening up a HPWC near me and dialing back the current to below 40A as per Lectron’s instructions. No luck. I also tried 32A, no luck. It took two different-sized Torx bits.

Thanks for the info. I am more confident now in the Tesla Tap and will proceed to purchase one.

Andrew

 

[JoeS]

Adoepner, before ordering I'd poke around and ask questions and see if anyone else had the problem of separating the Tesla plug from this particular adapter, as I was in serious trouble for a short while. The next time I go down there I'll put a tiny dab of silicone grease on the body of the Tesla connector and the insides of the adapter (and a paper towel to clean things up afterwards) to see if that solves the problem. The connector was so difficult to extract that I was already considering alternatives...

 

[Adoepner]

Oh no!

 

[JoeS]

Oh no!

I wouldn't worry about it if you've already ordered it. First off, mine is one of the very first ones made as I bought it when they first became available (my collection of adapters is second-to-none). If there was a problem, I'm sure they would have changed the tooling by now. Although a tight fit, it's been working just fine with my silver Tesla HPWC plug at home. After being homebound for the last five months, it's a good excuse to take a drive and explore a bit and not only go back down to the high school but also up into the hills as there's a winery not far from here that has a Tesla destination charger. I'll try the silicone grease trick and report back.

 

[JoeS]

Note: HPWC = Tesla High Power Wall Connector = 240vac Tesla EVSE = 240vac Tesla Charging Station = Tesla Destination Charger

OK, took a drive -

Short Version
This adapter works with the three black Tesla HPWCs at the high school. Silicone grease did not help and the adapter was a VERY tight fit with all three Tesla plugs (which were hot, exposed directly to the sun). The HPWC at the winery was inaccessible due to pandemic.

Long Version
As the crow flies the winery is 7.4 miles from my house, and I keep forgetting that the online version of PlugShare shows that whereas the app shows the driving distance, I think ...
Wife was happy to get out of the house and go for an i-MiEV joyride so we left home with about ten bars and first drove down to the high school, put some silicone grease on the body of the HPWC connector and mated the two with difficulty. Plugged in the i-MiEV and after the initial 'whoosh' it started charging normally and then.... the red light lit up on the HPWC and no charging! :shock: This is the same HPWC that worked just fine yesterday! Unplugged the car and with great difficulty separated the adapter from the plug. Moved the car to the HPWC next to it and did the silicone grease coat and plugged in the adapter (it went in a bit easier) and plugged in the car and it worked great. Same for the third HPWC at the high school. Suspect I had not properly mated the first HPWC. Need to read the manual as I think the HPWC has a reset button, in which case I'll drive down there today and reset it. Anyway, left the school with nicely cleaned connectors on their HPWCs.
Drove up heading for the winery on a very circuitous uphill road .... and drove, and drove, and drove.... arrived at the winery with two bars flashing and RR= 6 miles. The gate was open, but the elderly gentleman at the gate said that the winery is only open by reservation and we couldn't go on the premises as they are restricting attendance to only 22 people. I pleaded my case about now only wanting to test my adapter on their Tesla HPWC (my wife and I had talked about perhaps purchasing a bottle of wine if they were socially distanced), but no go. All very cordial and we didn't have a problem and appreciated their sticking to their guidelines.
The reason I didn't have a problem is that I knew it was all downhill from there - an example of a situation where an EV newbie would have been totally freaked out. By the time we got down the hill RR was up to 19 miles and we had five bars (I keep telling people how I love it when the fuel gauge goes UP) and we stopped at yet another local school for a quick CHAdeMO boost to 60% and meandered on home. For us it was a pleasant diversion, and the view of Silicon Valley going up to this winery was spectacular, and the first time I've seen the distinctive Apple spaceship from a distance.

Bottom line: hope TeslaTap has modified their mating connector for easier insertion/extraction. I still am not convinced that what I have is a genuine TeslaTap as I bought it on eBay, at the time not realizing that TeslaTap was selling it directly.

Adoepner, if you'd like, send me a PM with your email address and I'll send you a copy of the pertinent pages of my Tesla HPWC manual relating to its configuration setting.

 

[Adoepner]

Thanks! PM will be sent shortly. Wasserstein, the vendor that sold me the Lectron adapter on amazon.ca, issued me a refund last night. They made no mention of wanting their adapter back, so I may have the opportunity to experiment with it further.

I just ordered a 50A TeslaTap direct from the website. I know the i-MiEV won’t draw anywhere near 50A, I just wanted to future-proof myself and the added cost over the 40A model was only $10.

Hopefully mine isn’t as tight as yours.

I experienced the solid red light on every Tesla EVSE I tried with the Lectron adapter.

 

[Adoepner]

Update: Lectron doesn’t want their adapter back. I’ll play with the HPWC DIP switches some more to see if I can get it to work.

 

[Adoepner]

My 50A TeslaTap arrived. I went to the nearest Tesla gen II HPWC to test it out. It worked like a dream. I was almost surprised it worked after all the trouble with the Lectron unit!

So, for anybody else looking to use an adapter: go with TeslaTap.

Andrew

 

[JoeS]

Andrew, great news that TeslaTap works without needing to modify the HPWC :!:

Now, what plans might you have for the inoperable Lectron unit?

 

[Adoepner]

The owners of my fave coffee shop will let me play around with the DIP switches in their HPWC to see it I can get the Lectron unit to work. If I can, and if switching DIP2 from Tesla to J1772 still allows Teslas to charge, I’ll leave the HPWC on J1772 and give the Lectron unit to the coffee shop for other non-Tesla owners to use.

Andrew

 

[JoeS]

The owners of my fave coffee shop will let me play around with the DIP switches in their HPWC to see it I can get the Lectron unit to work. If I can, and if switching DIP2 from Tesla to J1772 still allows Teslas to charge, I’ll leave the HPWC on J1772 and give the Lectron unit to the coffee shop for other non-Tesla owners to use.

Terrific! Hope the reprogramming works. Teslas should be able to charge, irrespective of the DIP switch settings.

 

[Adoepner]

The Lectron adapter works like a charm once DIP2 in the Tesla HPWC was flipped to the other position (was in position 2, moved to position 1). I donated the Lectron adapter to the Brake Room coffee & bike shop in Belleville, Ontario. I don’t want to have to open up every Tesla HPWC I encounter. I’m glad I now have a TeslaTap that just works!

Just in case, though, I may put a few Torx bits in my kit in the car .... just in case!

Andrew

 

[JoeS]

The Lectron adapter works like a charm once DIP2 in the Tesla HPWC was flipped to the other position (was in position 2, moved to position 1)....

Adoepner, thanks for this information. I also have a Lectron which worked with the Tesla HPWC and my Kona Electric but not the i-MiEV, until I took the HPWC apart and flipped Dipswitch2 DOWN, labeled as "Legacy" position (the Tesla HPWC manual says to always keep that switch UP). It's complicated, and my understanding is that this controls whether the Tesla plug first tries to communicate using a CAN bus before then switching over to the J1772 protocol, whereas the DOWN position simply forces it into J1772. That Tesla plug (now called NACS) sure has a lot of capabilities!

I got tired of retrieving the Lectron adapter from the Kona each time I wanted to charge it (the Kona charges at 32A on the HPWC compared to my other EVSEs which are 16A as the i-MiEV only draws 13A) and purchased a Seguma 80A adapter as a $70 Black Friday deal - all of a sudden there are many such adapters out there for <$100. What a change from a few years ago when the going price for an adapter cable was $250!

What's interesting is that the Lectron and Seguma adapters both work great with the i-MiEV and the Kona when using the Tesla Mobile Connector. I do not recommend the Seguma for the i-MiEV (I now store it in the Kona) as the handle is so short that the back of our hand can easily get cut on the i-MiEV door flap hardware (ask me how I know).

If one is desperate, what's needed to gain access into the Gen2 Tesla HPWC is a Torx10 security bit for one access screw underneath to remove the front cover (pry off the sides), and then a normal Torx20 bit to remove the remaining six screws. Just remember, those wires inside carry a potentially lethal voltage if you can't turn off the HPWC circuit breaker...

 

[jpev]

Ok so. I got frustrated after bringing my I-MiEV to Belgium and finding the Tesla gen2 destination charger would always error when I plugged in.

Came back, ordered a gen2 Tesla wall connector on ebay and got to fiddling with the dip switches. In J1772 compatible mode, the unit always works with I-MiEV. In Tesla mode, you need to wait for the fallback from SWCAN to J1772---- BEFORE plugging in, otherwise it will fail.

How do you make sure the J1772 communication is happening? Take one of the above-listed adapters, plug it into the Tesla wall connector and then wait 30-60 seconds BEFORE plugging into the I-MiEV. Once you make the last connection, should be happy and charge normally.

This is based on my experience in Europe, but hopefully it helps. I ordered an American tesla converter because they don't exist in Europe and a pile of converters to make it all connect.