After a very long wait, Tesla has finally brought the CCS adapter to North America, adding it to the Canadian and US versions of their online shop today.
The CCS Combo 1 adapter was first released in South Korea in October 2021 for ₩299,200, or about $312 CAD or $250 USD.
Now owners in Canada and the US can now purchase it for $325 CAD or $250 USD. According to the production description the adapter can offer charging speeds up to 250kW.
This speed will however will vary depending on the speed of the CCS charger you are plugging in to, as most max out at 150kW.
Not all Tesla owners will be able to use the CCS adapter though. To know if your vehicle can support it, go to the main menu on your in-car display and tap on Software > Additional Vehicle Information. If yours says “CCS Enabled” you are good to go.
If yours says “Not Installed,” you will need to upgrade your charge port ECU to the latest version. A retrofit kit has appeared in the Parts Catalog, but customers have not been able to purchase it yet.
However Tesla has said on the product listing it will be available for all Tesla models in early 2023.
Tesla 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. Please check back in early 2023 for availability.
If you purchase the adapter, you won’t be the first to try it out on a CCS charger in North America. Since its release last October, many owners have been able to get their hands on the adapter, either by purchasing while in South Korea or through a friend who lives there, or from resellers who have started offering them in recent months.
These owners have reported that the adapter can reach speeds over 150kW, a welcomed improvement over the CHAdeMO adapter that was limited to a peak speed of just 50kW.
The adapter opens up a number of new charging station options, like from the Electrify Canada, Electrify America, Petro-Canada, and other major charging network with CCS plugs. It will also give flexibility to owners who want to travel to areas without Superchargers.
