Tesla friends – it’s time for a little heart-to-heart.

Superchargers are great. I mean, charging over 200 miles in just 15 minutes is nothing short of remarkable. BUT how many Superchargers are actually available?  

If you live in LA, SF, or another EV-centric city, you might be ok. But what about when you travel off the beaten path? What about the coast-to-coast road trip? Can you really rely on Superchargers as your go-to?

There are only around 1,200 Superchargers across the US. Currently, Tesla drivers have exclusive access to the Supercharger network. However, if Tesla opens them up to other EVs, you’ll soon find a lot more competition for that coveted Supercharger slot. 

CCS fast chargers, on the other hand (the other major DC fast charging standard), are a lot more plentiful – double the amount of Tesla Superchargers across the country. 

Unfortunately, Tesla’s unique charging standard makes it difficult for Tesla drivers to access CCS fast chargers.

What are CCS connectors?

CCS stands for Combined Charging System.

It’s the international standard used by all EV manufacturers in the world (CHAdeMO, the once touted standard by Japanese EV makers, is on its way out, so I’ll only mention it here in this aside).

As its name suggests, CCS combines the low-power, slow-charging Type 2 charger with two DC power lines which have higher voltages compared to the standard DC charger.

The AC pins in a CCS connector ensure safe charging, while the two large DC pins make fast charging possible—the best of both worlds!

A CCS connector can supply between 25 kWh and 350 kWh of power, meaning you can charge your EV from zero to 80% in under an hour.

Using a CCS adapter for your Tesla

I mentioned above that it was difficult for Tesla drivers to use CCS fast chargers, but it’s not impossible. 

Lectron makes a CCS Charger Adapter for Tesla, allowing Tesla drivers to take advantage of the more extensive CCS fast charging network. 

This thing packs a punch too. Small enough to fit in your glove box, but powerful enough to allow up to 500V and 300A of charging power. 

That means no more lining up for the nearest Supercharger!

But before anything else, check whether your Tesla model is compatible with CCS charging or not.

To do this, go to the main menu, Control>Software>Additional Vehicle Information> CCS Adapter Support-Check If Enabled.

(If your Tesla model isn’t compatible, there’s still hope, as a retrofit is coming out next year).

Final thoughts

The best way to avoid range anxiety is to always be prepared. While Superchargers are amazing, they are not as widespread as they need to be to support the growing EV market. What’s more, if Tesla opens them up to non-Tesla EVs, you’ll be hard-pressed to find an available spot. 

With the Lectron CCS to Tesla adapter, you get complete fast charging freedom. The way EVs are meant to be.

Lectron is Leading the Charge

Lectron is on a mission to make electric vehicle charging fast, easy and affordable for all EV drivers. We offer a wide selection of convenient and easy-to-use EV charging stations, chargers, and adapters. Lectron is pioneering ways of eliminating range anxiety and compatibility issues for both Tesla and J1772 EV drivers by making it easier and more reliable than ever to charge EVs at home and on the road.