The CCS charging converter of Tesla is now available on the company’s official South Korean website, which is also the only official Tesla website to be selling the particular converter.
The specifications of charging connectors become increasingly complex alongside the additional availability of EV models. Tesla’s official South Korean website started offering this CCS converter on the 19th for the first time, which allows Tesla owners to charge at “non-Tesla” charging stations. The converter is priced at KRW299K (approx. NT$7,000).
This TCP to CCS1 converter allows Model 3/Y owners to utilize the equipment of other charging service providers, including DC fast charge and AC slow charge (destination charging), which offers a significant level of charging flexibility for car owners.
South Korea has many Tesla Superchargers, though the distance between one another is still quite far for concentrated areas on the whole, thus an availability of a converter that allows car owners to use CCS1 chargers from other auto manufacturers and charging service providers will become one of the major incentives.
Having debuted in South Korea, the CCS converter will be sold at the official US site next, since there are many charging service providers in the US who have also adopted the CCS1 specification, and it wouldn’t be a bad thing for another option in chargers. However, the converter may not be sold in Europe, as EU Tesla and chargers have completed adopted the CCS connector.
What if the converter is being offered in the Taiwanese market? Tesla Taiwan announced in the second quarter this year that all new vehicles will be switched to the CCS connector, and the existing TCP charging stations will be gradually changed to CCS simultaneously, with a target of 50:50 for both specifications.
The implementation triggered a significant controversy. Car owners who made a purchase prior to the second quarter this year are now left with less charging options. For example, many old car owners are forced to charge somewhere else now that a certain US wholesale hypermarket has fully adopted the CCS connector. For old car owners who often charge outside using the TCP specification, this official CCS converter may be a good purchase.
(Cover photo source: Tesla)