This new charger lets all EVs plug in without an adapter

The Omni Port has a Tesla-style J3400 plug as well as a CCS1 plug.

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[evan_s]

Leaf owners who need ubiquitous quick charging now have a couple CCS->ChaDeMo adapter options on the market. They are around $1,000 since they require active electronics and expect relatively low-volume sales, but they are available and found to work with many current networks.

https://www.autoblog.com/2024/02/06/chademo-ccs-charging-adapter-nissan-leaf/

I know some people won't agree but I really don't think much is being lost for CHAdeMO users. Gen 1 Leafs are almost pointless to quick charge. Relatively slow quick charging and limited range make quick charging really unpractical even if you do actually have the charging port, which was optional for the entire life of the Gen 1. Even the Gen 2 Leaf + just make it up to the passable level in good situations. 200+ nominal range so 150+ mile quick charge stops are possible but topping out at ~70kW it's still going to be 30 -45 minute stop for that charging.

Leafs have a lot more limitations in quick charging than just the availability of chargers and an adapter doesn't solve any of those. Low max charging rate makes for a pretty slow, quick charging experience and the ratio of drive time to charge time pretty poor. It's pretty much the road trips sucks example, along with the Bolt, that EV haters use. Add on top of that the lack of thermal management for the battery and you are both risking battery damage long term from the heat of quick charging and potentially even pushing the car into turtle mode (limited power) while driving and/or ending up with your second or third quick charge stop for the day maxing out at 20kW or something low like that to keep battery temperature happy. The slow quick charge stops are bad enough but when they get even slower because of battery temperature it's even worse.

IMO if you are even considering the 1k adapter you have vehicle really poorly suited for your needs. You don't spend 1k on something you might use at some point or just in case you need it. You spend 1k because you know you will need it and use it with some regularity which means somewhat regular fast charging and the Leaf just isn't a great car for that. We love ours. It's a great little car and perfect for our local needs but it is a local only car.

 

[evan_s]

What about the other CCS charging standard in Europe that Tesla uses there?

CCS2 is the "other CCS charging standard". Both CCS1 and CCS2 are 2 DC Fast charging pins added to the local fast AC charging standard. Europe's AC charging standard is different because 3 phase power is common and AC charging needed to support that which means more pins for AC charging.

 

[evan_s]

The "road trips suck" is FUD for vehicles like the Bolt. While I don't think you'd want to take it for a coast-to-coast trip, most trips aren't that. I took mine to see the eclipse and to a wedding. Both trips didn't involve that much charging time, outside not having a hotel with a L2 charger for the eclipse.

I know it adds about 20 minutes on a trip to my parents, where I start full, and end with 10% left. I have one charging stop in the middle, which replaced a refueling and bathroom stop. Sometimes more coming back, but that is because I only have L1 charging at my parents, so I can't always get a 100% charge on a weekend trip. So for something like this a Leaf I'm sure does fine.

Now, the lack of better thermal management is a problem for the Leaf. But if it is good enough for someone's long distance needs, then it is good enough for their long distance needs. Not everyone can afford multiple vehicles.

There is nothing else new right now in that price range, at least until the generation 2 Bolts come out.

Sounds like you parents house is ~300 miles or so miles from your house. Just close enough that one relatively quick partial charging stop gets you enough to get there. That isn't bad for a Bolt and probably works well enough for a Leaf, as long as there is a charger you can hit. Only needing a partial charge does give you a bit more flexibility in the charging stop. Add another 50 miles to the trip or your trip home where you aren't able to start out at 100% and it's not as nice. You now need a longer charging stop at the right spot to allow you to get more charge in that one stop or a second 20 minute stop in 5-6 hours of driving. Make that 500 miles or a round trip in the same day to your parents and the experience is going to be pretty unpleasant compared to an ICE or a better BEV. 300 miles to the parents house might not be local but one quick partial charging stop isn't really a road trip either.

 

[evan_s]

This. People forget that NACS/J3400 is not the same as the original Tesla spec, even though they both use the same physical connectors. The former uses IEC 61851 for communications, same as CCS, while the latter uses a Tesla proprietary CANBus protocol.

While you are correct that NACS is basically a Tesla connect using the CCS standard, which is why passive adapters are possible, it really isn't relevant to the Telsa should have used a standard discussion. Tesla's original fast charging standard was out before CCS and they increased the power quicker than other standards. Once CCS caught up they added the ability for their vehicles to speak CCS so Tesla owners could use the sort of cheap passive adapter that CCS vehicles are now able to use for NACS.

 

[evan_s]

You don't seem to understand what a "standard" is. NACS is a standard, being taken over by a neutral 3rd party, and further refined. Tesla proprietary charging predates NACS by a decade, and CCS by about a year, but is not and never was a standard.

Something doesn't have to be open or managed by a neutral 3rd party to be a standard. IIRC Tesla did even offer up their old charging protocol for others to implement if they wanted to but the terms were not palatable for anyone. Again, nitpicking about if tesla's old charging protocol is a standard or not, has nothing to do with tesla should have used a standard that didn't exist when they first started building their vehicles and charging network.

 

[evan_s]

Having an adapter to allow charging a Bolt at a Tesla site would help with road trips, no question, but not having one doesn't prevent doing road trips. It just makes them inconvenient because of the charging time, and all that having Tesla available would do is fill in a few holes in the overall charging network. As a practical matter, most (certainly not all) Bolt owners probably are or were like me: 90%+ of charging sessions on 120V or Level 2 at home or at work. Road trips requiring charging stops away from home or work are extremely rare, and can be planned for. Most of the time, they work without resorting (or potentially resorting) to use of Tesla chargers*. Yes, "drive for 2 hours, charge for 1" is a good rule of thumb for planning those trips (EPA range is 259 miles, but practical freeway cruising range keeping up with traffic is more like 160-180), but how often do you have to deal with that? If it's more than once a year, you probably need something that's Not A Bolt.

*Note: one exception is vacation trips where the hotel only has Tesla destination chargers. Those usually are in places with limited or no alternatives. Luckily, adapters for use of destination chargers by J1772-plug cars have been around approximately forever.

The difference is that a Tesla to J1772 and NACS to CCS adapter together are about 1/4 to 1/3 the cost of the CHAedMO adapter and they don't still have the downsides of Leaf quick charging. Potentially damaging your battery health long term and resulting in turtle mode (limited power while driving) or even slower charging if you need to make a second charging stop. In the best case scenario where you've got a more powerful charger available and the battery temperature is under control a Leaf + can be better than a Bolt for a long road trip but the worst case scenario can be pretty bad.