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First look at Tesla’s highly-anticipated CCS adapter

Electrek got a first look at Tesla’s highly-anticipated new CCS adapter that should enable Tesla owners to get access to many more charging stations around the world.

Tesla has always used its own proprietary charging connector in its vehicles to work with the Supercharger network in North America.

In Europe, the company was using the Type 2 connector, but Tesla switched to a CCS plug for Model 3.

In December, the automaker started retrofitting European Supercharger stations with “dual charge cables” to support the existing connector and CCS standard.

This gave an advantage to the Model 3 since it would be able to use both Tesla’s Supercharger network — as the company retrofits more stations —  and new CCS charging networks such as Ionity or Fastned.

But at the time, Tesla also reassured Model S and Model X owners that a CCS adapter was coming for their vehicles.

An anonymous tipster has now sent Electrek a first look at Tesla’s CCS adapter being used with a Tesla Supercharger CCS connector:

The specs and availability of the new Tesla CCS adapter are still not clear. We contacted Tesla about the status of the adapter, but the company has yet to answer our inquiry. We will update if we get an answer.

In February, Tesla updated its charging connector support page in Europe to show that the new CCS adapter is standard on “all custom order Model S and Model X vehicles from February 1.”

CCS ADAPTER STANDARD WITH DELIVERY MAX. CHARGE RATE AND ADDED RANGE PER HOUR**
Yes, for Model S & Model X*** Up to 120 kW or 400-500 km
Model 3 is equipped with a CCS port so no adapter is needed
Note: the charge rate is limited by the car and not the adapter.
CCS is the most common charging standard for European fast charging. Third parties operate public pay-to-use charging networks across Europe.
The charge stations are equipped with a fixed cable, which can be directly plugged into Model 3. Model S and Model X need an adapter to connect to a CCS charge station. More info on CCS charging can be found in the Supercharger FAQ.

But after we reported on the update, Tesla reached out to say that it was a mistake and they have been removed the page.

Before removing the page, Tesla noted that owners are going to be able to charge at up to 120 kW with the adapter, or with the CCS port when it comes to Model 3, and that the limitation is “by the car and not the adapter.”

The update happened before Tesla released the new Supercharger V3 and therefore, the specs could likely be different now.

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Avatar for Fred Lambert Fred Lambert

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