Teslas from the United States differ from their European counterparts in a number of ways. This is not only optics, but above all – a way to charge a car.
How can you charge a Tesla from the United States if you are going on a trip to Europe or even intend to use it in Ukraine? Read about it in the material below!
Which adapters should you use?
European Teslas are equipped with Type 2, CCS Combo and sometimes Chademo ports. In order to charge the “American” in Europe, you will need adapters for Type 2 and Supercharger.
This adapter must be unlocked. Tesla repair specialists can unlock it through Factory Mode. And it’s better not to waste money on this before a long trip, otherwise the trip risks turning into a headache.
As an alternative, you can use Chademo. There are enough of them in Ukraine, especially on the E40 in the Kyiv-Lviv direction. But they have a limit on the charging speed – 50 kW/hour. The same CCS produces up to 200 kW/hour, and with Supercharger this value reaches 300.
How to charge Model S from America
These vehicles, if manufactured before 2015, have a free Supercharger. But since there are still no charging stations of this type in our country, you will need an adapter to charge it. It costs about $700: by paying once, you can charge for free for life.
How to charge Model X from the States
You can use an adapter from Tesla to CCS2 – on Xs it is supplied without a block by default.
How to charge Model 3 from the States
Here it’s the other way around: in order to be able to use the CCS2 adapter, you will need to change the unit. The fact is that American Troikas use a D-Charger unit. It “understands” Chademo, but will not charge via CCS2. In the same Tesla services, they can be replaced with a block from European dismantled cars. In this case, you will be able to charge from CCS2, but Chademo will not be available to you. There are now more than enough stations with CCS2 adapters in Ukraine and they have no speed restrictions, so such a replacement for your Tesla Model 3 is quite appropriate.