Charging My 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 at a Tesla Supercharger with the CCS Magic Dock!

[@BensEcoAdvntr]

I was fine using CCS for my Bolt EUV, but now that GM announced NACS, the days of the CCS standard seem numbered. With GM, Ford, and Tesla representing ~70% of the US EV market, I’m betting it’s a matter of time before others switch.

[@midwest_ev]

There have been many new announcements regarding NACS since this video was recorded and went live. It will be interesting to adapt to NACS in the future.

[@automatix5]

Here in Europe Teslas and the Superchargers have CCS2. And Non-Teslas can also charge at most of the Superchargers without an adapter. That's way better than this mess with these different connectors.

[@Paul-cj1wb]

Europe has the advantage of 240v by default so CCS2 is better than CCS1 and far more natural. It also had the advantage of requiring Tesla to use CCS2. But because Tesla is the company that took EVs mainstream, meaning none of this Nissan Leaf or EV1 kinds of EVs, but actual EVs everyone wanted, and they happen to be American, they had to design their own port, and build their own infrastructure. Which eventually led them to make it the best one, with the simplest and most reliable connector. But because they had to begin with North America, it gave Europe the time to begin with CCS2 before Tesla could roll out much over there. In America, however, because the Tesla port is proprietary, CCS1 had to be created to allow others to have a standard. But because of the 120v North American standard (thanks Edison for electrocutions that led America to go with a lower voltage) it's a very poorly built standard compared to CCS2. Once everyone is allowed to use most of the Supercharger network, all manufacturers will go with NACS and will likely be better even than CCS2. Even EA will have to switch one of their two cables to NACS. And if they don't fix their reliabilities issues immediately, they are going to be history. They will likely be taken over by someone who can actually run a charging network. There's a lot of money to be made with it.

[@midwest_ev]

One connector certinaly simplifies things. Hoping NACS makes things easier, but I wish we had everything standardized and regulated here already.

[@PurpleSideBlack]

@Paul-cj1wb Fast forward nearly a year and in North America, as of 2024.03.20, V3 Superchargers are now open to Ford, Rivian, and Polestar with an approved Tesla-made adapter. Furthermore, Rivian unveiled their R2 and R3 vehicles due out in a few years and they had NACS as their native port (unfortunately on the wrong side of the vehicle, which I think they'll change in the production models). One port for all is the way to go. I would have been almost as happy (as a Tesla owner) with CCS1 becoming the standard, as long as all cars including Tesla switched; however, I am {Shocked} and super-excited that NACS is now the standard port going forward here in North America and also that Tesla Superchargers V3+ are opening up to non-Tesla EVs. It's the right thing to do.

[@JohnRoss1]

​@@Paul-cj1wbThe standard 240 voltage is not the reason. They have a CCS2 standard plug as it could use three phase instead of the single phase for AC charging uses. You will get 22 kW AC charging if your car accepts 3 phase from a level 2 charger. The early Renault Zoe had 22 kW AC, no DC. It will only do a third of that connected to a single phase evse. . The AC pins differ between 1 and 2. Plus you have to carry your own cable with you. 😂😂

[@KineticEV]

I think you can setup your credit card info prior to charging that way you're not doing it on the fly standing at the stall. As far a if the MD will continue even though Ford and GM are converting I think the answer is yes. Cars with CCS would either need an adapter or the stall would be the MD stall with the adapter built in for those cars that continue to be on the road with CCS. But like you said, using the Tesla cable and even with the MD adapter attached is a much lighter weight cable than the thicker ones found on CCS cables. Now on the the ironic part. You were complaining about the Tesla app, which is by far a much easier and simpler app the use than others, but it was kind of funny when she sat in the driver's seat and the infotainment screen locked up. Kind of par for the course with the VW ID4 though.

[@midwest_ev]

We had input our information a week prior in anticipation of stopping at these chargers. We are unsure why it did not save into the app. And for the VW software... It sucks. Nothing we can do about that except complain to VW. We have an appointment for our 30,000 mile check-in and VW corporate customer care is aware of our situation. Hopefully it can be resolved soon.

[@wendellcrim8647]

Just found Magic Dock in Forks, WA. It's a very remote location. Check it out on the map to see just how far out it is.

[@archibaldcrane]

Hell yeah UW-Milwaukee represent!

[@midwest_ev]

Go Panthers!

[@myteslaconviction2856]

a quick check on Chargefinder... EA in Fredonia is $0.48 per kWh, Tesla is $0.40 per kWh for registered members (not only Tesla Owners), and $0.50 for drop-in Guests. At $0.40 it is $0.1 per mile (for Model 3 and Y average 250mwh per mile). At AC home charging prices, it is probably anywhere from $0.17 to $0.22 per kWh after fuel and taxes (I am in Florida, paying less per kWh, but the average Power bill with Taxes divided by kwh is $0.205 per kwh). That is up to $0.05 per mile. Compare to an Ice car, let's say Accord, you get 32 MPG average at $3.70 per gallon which means $0.12 per mile all the time.

[@midwest_ev]

The price savings with an electric vehicle are great. We wish a lot more consumers understood how charging worked so they could realize this too!

[@haselhofler]

This solution is so smart. I always wondered how the heck are they gonna offer CCS at their stations...

[@midwest_ev]

The magic dock is a great idea! It will be interesting to see if they continue to roll this out after all the NACS announcements in the last two weeks.

[@hemanthshenoi546]

I love it. Everything that people bitch about EA happened at the “super” charger. 10% of cabinets down, onerous log in process and bonus…. $0.50/kwh. The Magic Dock alone is not the solution. Longer cables are a must and there is no sign Tesla will do this. Basically the same cluster F Tesla usually provides…. Over promise and under deliver.

[@BenefitOfTheDoubtInquiry]

V4 Chargers have 10ft cables and will be rolled out over the next year as they prepare for the others.

[@midwest_ev]

Plug & Charge is the answer to make everyone's life easier. This was supported on CCS, but not all charging networks nor car manufacturers implemented it. I do agree about the need for longer charging cables. Not every car has their charging port in the same location as Tesla, which doesn't work with the shorter cables.

[@Croix98101]

Do all the Tesla stations have magic dock does the app tell if the Tesla station have magic dock

[@BillB33525]

Hopefully Tesla will market a CCS to Tesla adapter quickly and allow anyone to charge on their dispensers. We visit an area where there are 3 Tesla SuC and no CCS FC. Would love to be able to charge on the Tesla network when visiting this area.

[@sandpine]

I think the adapter they are making for Ford and GM will be for sale on their website for everyone. The only question is how many stations will they make available to non Ford/gm…. But I think everyone will make the switch by the time the adapter is available.

[@midwest_ev]

We agree! Although, since recording and posting this video there has been a lot of news regarding NACS. Time will tell exactly which direction Tesla and other charging networks take.

[@midwest_ev]

We think that Kaitlin will get an adapter for her Chevy Bolt, but there has been no information recently about this!

[@kmcgill88]

You should do a video on how to setup car scanner. I’d love to see that data but have no idea what I am doing or what I need.

[@midwest_ev]

Great suggestion, I will add that to my list! Now that we're back from international work trips and soon to be closing on our first house, I'm looking forward to having the time and space to routinely make videos :)

[@donovanSMMsvlog1583]

Just a quick comment, we here in Europe charge all cars at the supercharger and some use adaptor any ware in Europe. ID-4 in EU use CCS .

[@midwest_ev]

Yes, in Europe all vehicles use CCS Type 2. In the United States, Tesla was the only one to use NACS and everyone else used CCS Type 1. It seems like the industry is shifting completely to NACS to standardize.

[@jamesheigh9565]

Is this a documentary of a day in the life of an android user?

[@thomasjacques5286]

The genius of this is that Tesla will get all the Biden Bucks wether or not CCS cars use them or not. Bravo Elon.

[@midwest_ev]

We will have to see how the government adjusts regulations because I think currently it requires CCS. I'm sure that will shift, following the industry, to NACS.

[@Paul-cj1wb]

Unfortunately, there are not going to be more of these now that Ford and GM have decided to use NACS and will get access a year from now with an adapter. Tesla will slowly reel in the rest of the automakers one by one. CCS will only be used for 800v 350kw charging, including the Cybertruck, until Tesla can roll out their V4 superchargers. EA and other CCS providers now have no choice but to install ONLY 800v 350kw chargers, and most importantly, fix their reliability issues RIGHT AWAY. They no longer have time to fiddle around like they have been doing until now.

[@midwest_ev]

We are very interested to see how NACS will be implemented into the new EVs, new charging stations, and if it will become the new charging standard based on the US government policies.

[@karlInSanDiego]

I know EA is currently free for you, but for historic reference, you should indicate how much EA charges paying customers.

[@johng3574]

EA from 2% to 80% is less than $12

[@midwest_ev]

Thank you for pointing this out! Typically, our videos show the cost for charging at EA stations, but since we did not include our EA session during this charge we failed to mention it. We went over to the EA across the street and it was $0.48/kWh. We had no problems initiating a charging session and charged at slightly higher speeds. The full video will be included in our road trip which is being edited right now!

[@89five3five]

You should’ve added your credit card info prior to this. Also if you become a Tesla subscriber, the rate is lower. BTW to your question of why would you use SC if EA is across the street. The answer is: EA has proven to be unreliable. Tesla SC is about 98% reliable.

[@midwest_ev]

Eray has input his information prior to charging at this site so we are unsure if the app glitched and removed the information or if it timed out when he had downloaded the app a week prior to the road trip. We actually did go across the street to the EA where the price was $0.48/KWh and we received slightly better speeds. That video is shown more in our road trip video which is coming out soon!

[@89five3five]

@@midwest_ev there is no doubt EA has faster speeds. It is just their reliability of working when you pull up to a station that is the issue. Sega Dreamcast by the specs alone was way better than Sony PlayStation 1. Dreamcast had crappy offering to customer. PlayStation gave users a better offering. No one should ever not know a DC fast charger is not working properly before they get there. Today, because Tesla put in the hard work and built a reliable system, no owner worries if they want to take a long road trip. They don’t even have to leave their house with a full charge. Just get in and go. With CCS cars, the owners have to plan. They need to have multiple apps with account loaded. They probably should check Rate Your Charge to see if any stations on their route has been reported not working. That’s taking us back to early days of the automobile where long trips needed a lot of planning. Crazy! CCS operators could’ve solved this by having a unified system to find and pay the individual operators. They are all part of the same consortium, so why did they miss such a critical opportunity to make a rival to Tesla’s navigation?

[@myteslaconviction2856]

$0.50 per kWh in New York will only be considered expensive if you let us know how much is Electrify America across the street, Also is this with the membership or just as a guest?

[@midwest_ev]

Great point! EA across the street was $0.48/kWh at the time of recording. We did complete our charge at EA and that video is included in our road trip video which will be posted soon. When we plugged into the EA charger right across the street it worked flawlessly the first time and we got slightly better speeds.

[@mukamuka0]

Magic dock is useless if all car has native NACS port. Also there will be new adapter coming. So, I don't think Tesla will eager to refit them on Supercharger anymore. We'll just uses adapter until 2025 then transition to NACS

[@midwest_ev]

We are also curious on if the magic dock roll out will continue or not. There have been a lot of announcements already about NACS after we filmed and posted this video.

[@robert5008]

I believe the adaptors are limited to 150 kW, that would be the bottle neck.

[@midwest_ev]

Thank you for letting us know this!

[@4rwayner7]

Not many cars will take over 150 kw. VW is about 158.

[@suresh_elonbro]

Wondering if card and address is for first time only.

[@89five3five]

It’s to verify the card. And you only do it once.

[@midwest_ev]

We actually had already input this information a week before the trip in anticipation of stopping here. Not sure why it did not save!

[@midwest_ev]

This was the second time we had to put the card and address in. We have initially put this information into the Tesla app prior to leaving Milwaukee.

[@EnzroGreenidge]

I know that spot very well.

[@midwest_ev]

We were excited to check it out!

[@BenefitOfTheDoubtInquiry]

Tesla put the magic dock near to EA to get the users charge data.

[@BenefitOfTheDoubtInquiry]

Complains about software in new experimental feature of Tesla app, car screen glitches.....

[@midwest_ev]

Car screen ended up being a hardware defect. The screen was replaced under warranty the other week and works perfectly now. I know Teslas have their share of hardware issues too.

[@lapd509509]

Are you the guy from the movie "OFFICE SPACE"?😂

[@technicallybetter]

Looks like you have some buggy VW software in that car.

[@midwest_ev]

Defective touch screen - got it replaced under warranty and now works perfectly.

[@benjaminwallace457]

ID.4 has a notoriously bad infotainment system xD

[@Longsnowsm]

I have a dream, yes a dream, one day an EV driver will be able to just drive up to a charger, present payment, charge, and leave and not need a membership, payment on file, an app, a phone, nothing.... You know, like you can at a "gas pump"? I know, it is a crazy dream. Tesla doesn't even give you any of that as an option. Tesla opening up is great, but I don't like the games we have to play. GM already announced they are going to NACS. That announcement was yesterday. CCS days are now numbered. I would just plan to use Tesla as an emergency backup.

[@eddieke4751]

Then buy a Tesla. You just drive up to a charger, put the cable in and voila. No need for an app, present payment, flag membership card at a screen which most of the time doesn’t recognizes it. At a gas pump you need to take out your credit card, put it in a reader, tap in your PIN code, wait for confirmation and then you can pump gas. Pffft boring…

[@Longsnowsm]

@@eddieke4751 I will take the gas pump model any day. No payment methods on file. No permissions based charging. Just pull up, present payment, charge. The data mining nonsense needs to be addressed with legal protections. That is what we deserve. If you like the Tesla model great. I don't. The only thing I like about the Tesla "model" are the number of chargers and they are expanding quickly. They are reliable. That is it. I don't care for the data mining, gate keeping that goes on with Tesla and sadly all the other companies are trying to mimic. Consumer rights and choices are being removed from them without even a whimper. It is just sad. The current mantra: Give me convenience and I will give up everything for it.... LOL Enjoy your Tesla.

[@lawrencewittenbergii4309]

I'm a big fan of the Tesla model. Park, plug-in, verify it's charging and walk across the parking lot to the restroom. Tesla motto is "The best process is no process, the best part is no part". No card readers, buttons or screens to malfunction. Maybe EA, EVGO and others can do a hybrid system where they can charge any EV like a Tesla, but you'd have the option to "pay-at-the-pump". Might come in handy for car/truck rentals or a if a family member or friend is using your car for a while.

[@midwest_ev]

I'm hoping that NACS improves things and makes payment much easier than it currently is. In my opinion, CCS should be just as easy but it's charging networks and car manufacturers who aren't quite at Tesla's level for ease of use.

[@ultrastoat3298]

2:30 I do kinda relish in Android user’s misery in how their apps often make them 2nd class citizens 😂. They don’t know how bad it sucks to develop and maintain Android apps. I’ve worked for 2 separate companies that wouldn’t develop an Android app if you put a gun to their head. They developed the iOS app in house and outsourced the android app to India. Man, sucks to suck don’t it?