Tesla has significantly reduced the price of the CCS Combo 1 (CCS1) charging adapter in the United States and Canada.
The adapter allows charging of Tesla cars (natively equipped with Tesla’s proprietary charging inlet, recently named NACS) at CCS1 chargers, operated by third-party charging networks.
When it was launched in September 2022 (in South Korea sales began in October 2021), the price was $250. Now it’s $175 (- $75 or 30 percent less), which probably will prompt more Tesla drivers to order one just in case they need to use a CCS1 charger.
Drive Tesla Canada reports that the price in Canada also decreased, from $340 to $240.
According to Tesla’s website, the device will be shipped within two weeks of order placement and it will enable to recharge at up to 250 kilowatts (kW).
Tesla charging adapter (DC): CCS Combo 1 to Tesla proprietary standard
Not all Tesla vehicles are compatible with the adapter – older ones might require a retrofit. As far as we know, cars produced before 2020 (and some in 2020) do not have the hardware to support the CCS’s communication – most likely they don’t have the Power Line Communication (PLC) chip, shown here – which is required to use the adapter.
The company stated in 2022 that it “will be adding retrofit eligibility for Model S and Model X vehicles and older Model 3 and Model Y vehicles currently designated as requiring a retrofit.” The retrofit is expected to be available in early 2023.
Whether or not a Tesla car is compatible with the adapter can be checked in the Controls / Software / Additional Vehicle Information menu: “Enabled” or “Not installed.”
In the not-too-distant future, Tesla is expected also to open its Supercharging network for non-Tesla electric cars, although first the chargers (or cars) would have to be equipped with an opposite adapter – between CCS1 and Tesla’s proprietary charging plug (NACS).
This move is also related to a potential unlocking of federal funds for Tesla’s charging infrastructure.
