CCS2 - Chademo adapter information

[GentleGiant]

Hi, my name is Ian and I dont actually own a Leaf; I DO have a question about the CC2-Chademo adapters though; and the Leaf being the most popular car using CHADEMO (I own a Kia Soul); I thought this was the most likely place to find an answer.

I have been trying to find an up to date list of tested and compatible chargers for the original "longgood" made adapters; the Alibaba page's list has not been updated all year, and neither has the list on the various UK/EU resellers that I have found (several of whom look extremely dodgy).

Could anyone owning the adapter give me the website details of where their firmware comes from, so I can see if there is a list there? Or does anyone know of a community list I can download.

My area doesnt have the best coverage for DC chargers, so I dont want to blow effectively £1,000 and find none of the few within 20 miles will actually work (I live on disability payments, but missed out by 2 points on getting a Motability car).

 

[cornbinder89]

I DO own a Leaf, and having owned it for a while, I would say if you are thinking of depending on these adapters for your charging needs all the time, then I would suggest that the Leaf is not a good fit for you. DC Fast charging is ok occasionally, but not all the time. I have never (as of now) used the Chademo on my Leaf, but might if they were more available.
From what I have read, and what has been discussed here, I wouldn't want to "count on" the adapters being sold currently. They may or may not work and may or may not last long. People have had problems.
Even if one was given to me free, I would think of it as a last resort, if I was on a trip and there wasn't a CHademo plug around or working where I thought there might be, then I would try the adapter on a CSS.
If you have access to a level 2 charger and don't often travel beyond what a Leaf can reasonably do, then I think a Leaf is a good car.
Before buying a Leaf carefully and honestly access your needs for the car.
I bought a 2015 with 9 bars, and never have come close to not making it back home, but my trips rarely exceed a 20 mile radius from home, most operate within 13 mile radius. It is a great car for that service as I can charge at home cheaply. I also have another car that can make longer trips (gasoline powered).\
IF the Leaf is going to by your only car, be very careful that it will meet your needs, the CCS - Chademo adapter would be the least of my worries, and will not make the car's shorter range "go away".
Is your Kia Soul the EV version or ICE powered? If you already own an EV then you are aware of the problems and can ignore most of what I wrote.

 

[GentleGiant]

As I said, I dont own a Leaf; I looked at one, but the seats dont offer enough lateral support for my broken back; I own a similarly Chademo equipped Kia Soul EV - range is roughly 90 miles before it really starts nagging for a charge (96.8% SOH)

As Chademo chargers become fewer, I worry about the road trips I need to make to London 1-2 times per year; currently there is a big gap in coverage through the Cotswolds - only one location unless I divert to Brize Norton; also, there are also NO chademo chargers at Heathrow; which is a real PITA (tonnes at Gatwick); meaning I have to have a 100% top up at Reading to make it to Heathrow and back.

The adapter is supposed to be getting regular updates and more charger compatibility, but nowhere can I find a list of these tested chargers - at least, not for the UK; there is a US guy testing sites in Florida.

Due to Universal Credit induced poverty (you cant have more than £6K in savings); it is unlikely I can afford to upgrade to a newer EV any time soon.

 

[cornbinder89]

Ahh, ok. I have thought about renting a car for longer trips and get rid of my gasoline cars. I don't go on long trips but once a year, would that be something that could work for you?
Right now, what I read about the adapters is not encouraging, and the price off-putting.
$1000 or British Pounds would pay for a fair bit of car rentals I would think.

 

[GentleGiant]

Yeah, £1000 is far too much; but it is down from £1500 (+ vat and any import duties) at launch; so there is hope it will reach a sensible price eventually.

I HAVE seen someone advertising them for £550, but they had naughtily not included VAT, and there were issues with both their physical address and website that put me off (1 day serviced contract office and website up for sale).

Car rental is tricky for me, apart from limited mobility (Blue Badge holder); I am also 2m tall; I dont physically FIT in many cars; as long as it is in the UK, I will try and womble along in my EV, stopping every 80ish miles to top up.

My next disability assessment is early next year, maybe I will get "lucky" and make up those 2 points; and get a nice new EV via Motability.

 

[BillAinCT]

Right now, what I read about the adapters is not encouraging, and the price off-putting.

What are you seeing specifically about the A2ZEV adapter? These seems to be referred to as if they are the same as the AliExpress units. But their site clearly states "Designed in North America" and assuming that is true, I don't see how that can be the same unit. Plus it has overtemp shutoff which I didn't see or read about the Ali unit having. I see too many posts assuming theirs is the Ali unit and I'd like to see proof either way.

 

[GentleGiant]

It could be a different design, or it could just be a custom decaled version of the Ali Express one, and they are lying.

The main UK seller claims it is their own design and build, but their safety certs all have the Chinese manufacturer's name on them

 

[marshallinwash]

Hi, my name is Ian and I dont actually own a Leaf; I DO have a question about the CC2-Chademo adapters though; and the Leaf being the most popular car using CHADEMO (I own a Kia Soul); I thought this was the most likely place to find an answer.

I have been trying to find an up to date list of tested and compatible chargers for the original "longgood" made adapters; the Alibaba page's list has not been updated all year, and neither has the list on the various UK/EU resellers that I have found (several of whom look extremely dodgy).

Could anyone owning the adapter give me the website details of where their firmware comes from, so I can see if there is a list there? Or does anyone know of a community list I can download.

My area doesnt have the best coverage for DC chargers, so I dont want to blow effectively £1,000 and find none of the few within 20 miles will actually work (I live on disability payments, but missed out by 2 points on getting a Motability car).

I don't know how up-to-date this is but here is a link for you.

 

[GentleGiant]

Thank you; this is what I have been looking for; it is a pity the manufacturers havent been updating their own lists.

Now I need to go through it and see which chargers are used along the routes I need to take, and compare charging success rates.

For some reason; even though I am subscribed to his channel; I didnt get notified of this video..... YT has been VERY glitchy recently; I dont think their new ad insertion system likes my script blockers.

 

[Michiel Brumsen]

Hi, my name is Ian and I dont actually own a Leaf; I DO have a question about the CC2-Chademo adapters though; and the Leaf being the most popular car using CHADEMO (I own a Kia Soul); I thought this was the most likely place to find an answer.

I have been trying to find an up to date list of tested and compatible chargers for the original "longgood" made adapters; the Alibaba page's list has not been updated all year, and neither has the list on the various UK/EU resellers that I have found (several of whom look extremely dodgy).

Could anyone owning the adapter give me the website details of where their firmware comes from, so I can see if there is a list there? Or does anyone know of a community list I can download.

My area doesnt have the best coverage for DC chargers, so I dont want to blow effectively £1,000 and find none of the few within 20 miles will actually work (I live on disability payments, but missed out by 2 points on getting a Motability car).

 

[woeful]

This doesn't help with an adaptor, but I'd suggest that, for now at least, the supply of CHAdeMO chargers in southern England is improving, not going down. I recommend the free Android app WattsUp to show a live map of chargers, and I see plenty for a 90-mile-range car travelling through the Cotswolds to Heathrow. Just one example: ev point at EG Heathrow North, Shepiston Lane, Hayes UB3 1LL has 3 x CHAdeMO and costs "only" 65p/kWh -- a few hundred yards off the M4 at junction 4. According to another app, at this moment two of those are charging and one's free.

I too, with a non-LEAF CHAdeMO car, am thinking that if the adapter price drops significantly it should be worth buying. But for now, I can plan routes without needing it. This does mean not looking at Ionity, Tesla or Applegreen sites, and being cautious about some of the other operator brands. Here's a screen shot from WattsUp aroung Heathrow, showing the sites with at least 1 Chad.

 

[GentleGiant]

Interesting, Back last year, ZapMap was saying those at Heathrow were Taxi Only; and it now says there are 6 chads (not 3) open to the public.

I tend to ignore single charger locations when planning a route; the one and only time I relied on one, an old Leaf 2011 was blocking it for an hour AFTER hitting 90%.

So what I should have said was, there were no multi-charger locations - except that x6 one is now public.

Without checking again, there were no multi Chads on/near the M4/M40/M25 between Oxford/Reading and Gatwick, although Gatwick itself has a large number; when I had to go down there at Easter.

A417 has a nice set of 3 near Elkstone, or though they are slightly difficult to navigate to; and Brize Norton has some very recently installed; however if the A417 is shut - as it was a couple of weeks after Easter, getting to London become a challenge (I ran into 11 closed roads, and only one had a posted diversion).

 

[woeful]

I see 4 multi-CHAdeMO charger sites a short way off the M4 junction 6 (Windsor): one MFG, one Gridserve, one Instavolt, one Shell. I agree the problem now in London and the home counties is that the chargers are often occupied, rather than that they are few.

My range is a little more than yours (125 miles in perfect spring weather, so 70 to 100 miles between charges). I still think the CCS2 adaptor needs to halve in price to £500 or so, or the chargers have to become much rarer, before I'd think about buying one.

 

[LEVE]

Hi, my name is Ian and I dont actually own a Leaf; I DO have a question about the CC2-Chademo adapters though; and the Leaf being the most popular car using CHADEMO (I own a Kia Soul); I thought this was the most likely place to find an answer.

I have been trying to find an up to date list of tested and compatible chargers for the original "longgood" made adapters; the Alibaba page's list has not been updated all year, and neither has the list on the various UK/EU resellers that I have found (several of whom look extremely dodgy).

Could anyone owning the adapter give me the website details of where their firmware comes from, so I can see if there is a list there? Or does anyone know of a community list I can download.

My area doesnt have the best coverage for DC chargers, so I dont want to blow effectively £1,000 and find none of the few within 20 miles will actually work (I live on disability payments, but missed out by 2 points on getting a Motability car).

Take a look at this from "The Nomadic Hippie":



I'm saving my pennies for an adapter, likely I'll buy in the next couple of months. The company's adapter is priced at about $750 (USD). Will they have a "Christmas Discont Sale"? Your guess is as good as mine, but the price looks good to me.

 

[GentleGiant]

I see 4 multi-CHAdeMO charger sites a short way off the M4 junction 6 (Windsor): one MFG, one Gridserve, one Instavolt, one Shell. I agree the problem now in London and the home counties is that the chargers are often occupied, rather than that they are few.

My range is a little more than yours (125 miles in perfect spring weather, so 70 to 100 miles between charges). I still think the CCS2 adaptor needs to halve in price to £500 or so, or the chargers have to become much rarer, before I'd think about buying one.

There do appear to be a number of new sites popping up over the last 4 months; ZapMap now shows them, but they werent shown when I had to go to Gatwick a few months ago.
It is encouraging; although all the pundits said CHAdeMO was done, and the numbers would decline - various networks are still installing new ones.

£500 was my trigger point as well; which is why I got all excited about a London outfit advertising £550 this week - until it turned out they hadnt included VAT and somehow managed to get it up to £885 with "Free" delivery; quite how 20% VAT = £325 is beyond me.

Anyway, with the new chargers around London, thisngs dont look so desperate for the few trips I make per year, so I will probably hold off even longer.
90 miles is my "Safe" range btw, I can usually do that, and get into a charger with ~12-17 miles of claimed range left; not bad for a 2016 car with a claimed range when new, of 92 miles; under the W-whatever-it-is, standard.

 

[GentleGiant]

Take a look at this from "The Nomadic Hippie":



I'm saving my pennies for an adapter, likely I'll buy in the next couple of months. The company's adapter is priced at about $750 (USD). Will they have a "Christmas Discont Sale"? Your guess is as good as mine, but the price looks good to me.

I have watched it, but the US has a different spread of charger manufacturers to Europe; and the charger he is using is from the slightly dodgy seeming people in London.

(Look up their address on Google Street View).

 

[Chad E. Mo]

Meh... everyone has to start somewhere. It's not like he's gonna be a stocking distributer.

Most of the chargers in the table are CCS2, the EU version.

I'd like to see a US distributer for the CCS1, but may opt for the UK dude if the Hippie or another brave soul doesn't step up.

Spendy? Yes, but there is like ONE chademo location between me and Chicago... a CCS1 backup would make the difference between going or not.

 

[GentleGiant]

Meh... everyone has to start somewhere. It's not like he's gonna be a stocking distributer.

Most of the chargers in the table are CCS2, the EU version.

I'd like to see a US distributer for the CCS1, but may opt for the UK dude if the Hippie or another brave soul doesn't step up.

Spendy? Yes, but there is like ONE chademo location between me and Chicago... a CCS1 backup would make the difference between going or not.

Is it worth you saving up for a boot mounted range extender?

yeah, He may be a one kid band and be honest in what he is doing; but if the exchange rate goes against him - bearing in mind he has to be ordering around £10K's worth at a time then it could all south very quickly.

 

[Chad E. Mo]

Range extender is not for me. I prefer to pick up electrons along the way, if the hoses are conveniently located. And that seems to be improving, but maybe not so much for CHAdeMo connectors. A fully functional adapter could fill the bill... maybe better than a conversion to CCS1 (which doesn't exist AFAIK).

 

[GentleGiant]

Range extender is not for me. I prefer to pick up electrons along the way, if the hoses are conveniently located. And that seems to be improving, but maybe not so much for CHAdeMo connectors. A fully functional adapter could fill the bill... maybe better than a conversion to CCS1 (which doesn't exist AFAIK).

New chargers with CCS2 and Chademo are still appearing in the UK; and there is at least one UK company retrofitting CCS2 connectors alongside Chademo on Nissan Leafs and the NV200 vans.

EDIT.

I did bookmark it after all https://www.muxsan.com/English/products.html#ccs-upgrade

Obviously impractical for you; but it shows that it is technically possible; perhaps some local EV enthusiast garage might contact them and enquire about shipping a CCS version in kit form with an explanation of how to install them, as they are doing with the battery replacement and auxiliary range extender batteries.

(As I understand it, there isnt much difference between CCS1 and CCS2).