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> but Tesla's connector is 10x better. People used to say the same thing about Betamax. The Tesla plug and cable weigh significantly less than the standard one

> but Tesla's connector is 10x better. People used to say the same thing about Betamax. The Tesla plug and cable weigh significantly less than the standard ones. Enough so that elderly people will have a hard time using standard vs Tesla plugs. On the technical side, the standard involves a bunch of unnecessary complexity like power-line communication ICs and TCP/IP (note, that data does NOT go over the high power conductors in the cable). >> CCS's pins appear larger, which means that they will always be able to handle more current, and thus a CCS connector will ultimately be able to charge faster than Supercharger. CSS is rated to 200A, and I believe Tesla is too. To get higher power Tesla is going to higher voltage battery with the same charging current - same conductors. This seems to be a trend as well. CSS really is crappy, but it looks like that's what we're stuck with for now.

clouddrover 4y ago
> CSS is rated to 200A The current CCS standard is 500 amps and up to 1000 volts, so in principle up to 500 kW. Typically the fastest CCS charger you'll see these days is 350 kW. ABB's newer chargers are up to 360 kW: https://insideevs.com/news/583774/abb-installed-first-terra-360-chargers/ https://insideevs.com/news/583774/abb-installed-first-terra-... Alpitronic's new charger is up to 400 kW: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6931968770349441025/ https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6931968... Zerova's future chargers will be 480 kW: https://newatlas.com/automotive/zerova-prototype-10-minute-ev-charger/ https://newatlas.com/automotive/zerova-prototype-10-minute-e... You need an 800+ volt EV and a battery chemistry capable of taking the faster charge rate to take full advantage of the maximum kilowatts offered by these chargers. A 400 volt EV will charge at up to around 200 kW on a CCS charger (500 amps times 400 volts). The area under the charge curve tends to matter more than the peak charge rate.
- phkahler 4y ago
  >> The current CCS standard is 500 amps and up to 1000 volts, so in principle up to 500 kW. Yes, with liquid cooled cables, which are even heavier.
Dylan16807 4y ago
> The Tesla plug and cable weigh significantly less than the standard ones. Enough so that elderly people will have a hard time using standard vs Tesla plugs. The plug is pretty negligible. For the cables, that's entirely up to the installer whether they want to use active cooling to make things lighter. > CSS is rated to 200A, and I believe Tesla is too. They both have versions that go to 500 amps. > To get higher power Tesla is going to higher voltage battery with the same charging current - same conductors. This seems to be a trend as well. Many other cars have beat Tesla on that front, doubling their voltages to 800-ish, which is close to the max of CCS.
- Fatnino 4y ago
  You know what's heavier than any plug I've seen? Gas pump nozzles. Never noticed an elderly person struggling with one, and if someone is in such an advanced state of decline that they can't lift a pump nozzle they probably shouldn't be behind the wheel either.
  - phkahler 4y ago
    >> You know what's heavier than any plug I've seen? Gas pump nozzles. You haven't tried some of the level 2 CSS charger plugs.
    - Fatnino 4y ago
      I have seen some with very thick cables. Gas hoses are still thicker (though not full of copper). I'll allow that the heaviest plug I've ever come across may be slightly heavier than the lightest gas pump nozzle I've seen. But most pump nozzles in California are big hefty things with some kind of vapor capture system. Filling up your car doesn't subject you to a facefull of gasoline fumes the whole time. Unlike a gas station I had the misfortune to use in Illinois.

clouddrover 4y ago

> CSS is rated to 200A The current CCS standard is 500 amps and up to 1000 volts, so in principle up to 500 kW. Typically the fastest CCS charger you'll see these days is 350 kW. ABB's newer chargers are up to 360 kW: https://insideevs.com/news/583774/abb-installed-first-terra-360-chargers/ https://insideevs.com/news/583774/abb-installed-first-terra-... Alpitronic's new charger is up to 400 kW: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6931968770349441025/ https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6931968... Zerova's future chargers will be 480 kW: https://newatlas.com/automotive/zerova-prototype-10-minute-ev-charger/ https://newatlas.com/automotive/zerova-prototype-10-minute-e... You need an 800+ volt EV and a battery chemistry capable of taking the faster charge rate to take full advantage of the maximum kilowatts offered by these chargers. A 400 volt EV will charge at up to around 200 kW on a CCS charger (500 amps times 400 volts). The area under the charge curve tends to matter more than the peak charge rate.

phkahler 4y ago
>> The current CCS standard is 500 amps and up to 1000 volts, so in principle up to 500 kW. Yes, with liquid cooled cables, which are even heavier.

Dylan16807 4y ago

> The Tesla plug and cable weigh significantly less than the standard ones. Enough so that elderly people will have a hard time using standard vs Tesla plugs. The plug is pretty negligible. For the cables, that's entirely up to the installer whether they want to use active cooling to make things lighter. > CSS is rated to 200A, and I believe Tesla is too. They both have versions that go to 500 amps. > To get higher power Tesla is going to higher voltage battery with the same charging current - same conductors. This seems to be a trend as well. Many other cars have beat Tesla on that front, doubling their voltages to 800-ish, which is close to the max of CCS.

Fatnino 4y ago
You know what's heavier than any plug I've seen? Gas pump nozzles. Never noticed an elderly person struggling with one, and if someone is in such an advanced state of decline that they can't lift a pump nozzle they probably shouldn't be behind the wheel either.
- phkahler 4y ago
  >> You know what's heavier than any plug I've seen? Gas pump nozzles. You haven't tried some of the level 2 CSS charger plugs.
  - Fatnino 4y ago
    I have seen some with very thick cables. Gas hoses are still thicker (though not full of copper). I'll allow that the heaviest plug I've ever come across may be slightly heavier than the lightest gas pump nozzle I've seen. But most pump nozzles in California are big hefty things with some kind of vapor capture system. Filling up your car doesn't subject you to a facefull of gasoline fumes the whole time. Unlike a gas station I had the misfortune to use in Illinois.