Is there a combo DCFC charger to regular J1772 adapter?

14750 Views 5 Replies 5 Participants Last post by llninja, May 9, 2017

PrivatePilot

Discussion Starter · May 8, 2017

So, we went to Ikea today in Toronto - they have a bank of EV chargers with everything from CHAdeMO, to Combo J1772/DCFC plugs, to regular old J1772 level 2's.

Problem is they only have 2 level 2 chargers which were occupied with 2 Teslas when I arrived, while the 2 other chargers next to them (with Combo plugs) sat unused.

I looked at the plugs themselves on the charger (this is all still a bit new to me) and if I'm not mistaken the top half of the combo plug is basically just a regular J1772, correct? The 2 additional ports on the bottom are the DCFC.

Of course the combo plug won't fit into the charge port on the Volt because of the bottom DCFC portion of the plug...but I was wondering, if it *did* fit, would it have worked, or do the combo chargers operate differently enough that connecting only the J1772 part of the plug (without the DCFC pins connecting to anything?) would cause issues?

Of course a car with a combo plug can use a regular level 1/2, but it doesn't seem that a car with just a regular J1772 port can do things vice versa and use a combo plug as the DC pins are in the way. Unless there's some sort of adapter/passthrough sleeve out there that just makes the gap bigger so it DOES fit?

It was frustrating to see the Combo plugs sitting there without any use when it seemed to me that if there was some sort of adapter they could be used for just regular level 2 charging instead.

FWIW I came back out about 30 minutes later and one of the Teslas had left so I was able to scoop a Level 2 (and charge for free), but it got me thinking about next time.

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jsmay311

· #2 · May 8, 2017 (Edited)

Pretty sure the answer is 'no'. I believe the Combo connectors are only wired for DC and the 2 AC line ports are unused. I don't think it would make any sense to include the extra wires and sockets to enable AC charging.

I'm honestly not feeling ambitious enough to check the actual J1772 standard, but, for what it's worth, just looking at photos online of Combo connectors, I can't find any that show the metal sockets in the AC line ports.

(For comparison, a L2 connector with clearly visible sockets)

Moreover, the Type 2 (European) Combo connector doesn't even include the ports for the AC line sockets, which would also indicate they aren't used on the Type 1 connector either.

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saghost

· #3 · May 8, 2017

There's no technical reason that someone couldn't set a system up to allow that, but as far as I know no one does.

CCS uses the J1772 Pilot to start digital communication with the car and needs the Ground/Proximity pins for safety, but as the other response noted, the typical CCS charger doesn't have connections in the two line inputs of the J1772, let alone current through them.

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ianjay

· #4 · May 8, 2017

Thanks for checking out the IKEA chargers. I have seen the signs and based on your experience will now just leave them for the poor old Teslas. Congratulations on being able to find your way out of the store in 30 minutes.

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PrivatePilot

Discussion Starter · #5 · May 8, 2017

saghost said:
CCS uses the J1772 Pilot to start digital communication with the car and needs the Ground/Proximity pins for safety, but as the other response noted, the typical CCS charger doesn't have connections in the two line inputs of the J1772, let alone current through them.

Aha, understood - I hadn't actually looked in the pins themselves to even take note that there was no physical conductors in them.

Bummer, it seems that with not much more wiring/hardware (and an adaptable plug in some fashion) the DCFC installations could do double duty as level 2 units for those without fast charge capabilities like our Volt.

In the case of the Ikea there was basically 4 unused chargers when we arrived, but no level 2's. An i3 was pulling out when we were leaving so he had been using one, but the Level 2's seem to be in highest demand due to the highest compatibility.

ianjay said:
Congratulations on being able to find your way out of the store in 30 minutes.

Hahah....yeah, it wasn't easy, and getting back in and trying to find my family again wasn't easy either.

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llninja

· #6 · May 9, 2017

ianjay said:
Thanks for checking out the IKEA chargers. I have seen the signs and based on your experience will now just leave them for the poor old Teslas. Congratulations on being able to find your way out of the store in 30 minutes.

Wow, 30 minutes huh? For me it's usually an all day event that costs at least $1k.

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