r/electricvehicles • u/LmfaoAFrog • 1d ago
Question - Tech Support Should a NACS to CCS1 Adapter Lock if Not Connected to Supercharger?
My friend is trying to use his Ford Lightning with a Tesla Supercharger. He bought a NACS to CCS adapter but when the adapter is plugged into the car it doesn’t really lock in place despite having the latch on the top. Does the adapter need to be connected to a Tesla supercharger to lock or is the lock purely manual where it will lock even if the car is turned off?
The nearest supercharger is quite far away so he can’t test this and just wants the adapter for a summer road trip
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u/PM_me_Tricams 1d ago
It should latch. What brand is it?
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u/LmfaoAFrog 1d ago
One of those third party Amazon ones. It does have 5 stars though which makes me think it’s unlikely to be faulty but I guess still technically possible
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u/PM_me_Tricams 1d ago
It's pretty dangerous if it doesn't latch, when you say it doesn't lock, what exactly do you mean?
Source: I design these things for a living
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u/LmfaoAFrog 1d ago
We plug the adaptor into the car (car is turned off and supercharger is not connected to the adaptor) and the adaptor can jiggle around or can be easily removed from the charge port. I am wondering if there’s some sort of electrical/mechanical lock on the adapter that will lock only once the adapter is connected to a supercharge?
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u/PM_me_Tricams 1d ago
There are 2 things on the CCS1 vehicles.
There should be a mechanical latch on the adapter (same as the one on a charging handle) that goes into a detent in your car. If you plug it in and this engages, you shouldn't be able to just pull the adapter out without pressing the release for this latch.
During charging the vehicle will also automatically put a pin overtop of this latch so that you can't remove it.
Do you have a link to the device he bought? I'm curious.
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u/LmfaoAFrog 1d ago
Yes there is a mechanical latch on the top which is sort of like a lever but for some reason it doesn’t lock into the charge port when the connector is inserted. I’m not sure if the latch isn’t reaching all the way in or what but the car does seem to have a spot for that lever latch to grip on to.
I’m not sure if you can post links here but if you search Amazon.ca for the following you will find it being sold by a company called LJH for $199.98 CAD
LJH NACS to CCS1 Adapter for Tesla Supercharger 500A 1000V Fast Charging Connector - SAE J1772 & CCS Compatible Charging Stations with Ford/GM EVs
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u/PM_me_Tricams 1d ago
Yeah that latch should definitely securely latch into the port on your vehicle. The ford lightning should definitely have a spot for it, are you sure you are inserting it all the way in? The latch is on all j1772/ccs1 chargers so whenever your friend is charging their lightning it should be latching with those latches.
And honestly I have torn down a lot of these Chinese no name adapters and most are pretty poorly made and dangerous. The lectron one is significantly better and they have actually done a decent amount of testing on it.
The Tesla one (the one I designed) is good too if you can find it.
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u/LmfaoAFrog 1d ago
Yeah the ford lightening has a spot for the latch, it just doesn’t lock when the adaptor alone is plugged in. And yeah we are inserting it all the way. We tried with quite a bit of force.
Do you think it’s still safe to use since you said there will be a second locking mechanism that holds the adaptor in place during charging?
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u/PM_me_Tricams 1d ago
No, not really and I would return it. The secondary locking mechanism relies on that latching to work, it essentially makes it so you can't remove the latch by pressing the release button. If the latch itself doesn't work the locking pin will do nothing.
The risk if it falls out or gets yanked out during charging is having a "live disconnect" event. This causes significant arcing and can cause arc flash which is basically an explosion of metal. I've already seen it happen with CCS1 adapters on Teslas and it's not pretty.
For context the power going through these adapters is equivalent to the power a mid size Walmart uses, we are talking serious power levels.
I would return it and either buy the one from Ford or the lectron device.
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u/forestEV 1d ago
A lot of those Amazon chargers are full of fake reviews. I had a pretty crappy Amazon one for my Rivian that I returned. Good reviews, kept failing to charge.
Have your friend get an A2Z Typhoon Pro instead. Much better and more reliable. It's even better than the official Rivian-branded adapter, which I have as well but never use.
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u/Nounf 1d ago
Ya get the a2z. Your going to plug an unknown part into the most expensive part of your 50k USD or so truck and run 150kw through it, all to save 50 bucks?
Even the a2z is a little tricky to sequence to make sure it unlocks right. Mine took a couple practice attempts for me to pin down. Edit i should be clear the unlocking part was the confusing part for me.
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u/forestEV 1d ago
The real benefit of the A2Z is that you put the adapter in the car first, then insert the NACS cable. Then vice versa when finished.
Both Ford adapters and the official Rivian adapter (made by Tesla) make you attach the adapter to the cable first. You take cable+adapter out of the charge port together, and disconnect the two parts holding them in midair. Risk of dropping the adapter if it's wet out is much higher.
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u/dravik 1d ago
Does the adapter need to be connected to a Tesla supercharger to lock or is the lock purely manual where it will lock even if the car is turned off?
He needs to read the instructions for the adapter. The adapters I'm familiar with are supposed to be placed onto the charging cable before insertion into the vehicle.
These aren't like the plug in the wall at your house. There is a sophisticated negotiation that goes on between the charger and the vehicle to determine the voltage and current rates that are acceptable to both the car and charger. The charger won't unlock until the charging has stopped and it's safe to disconnect.
If you plug in the adapter by itself then there's no communication, so it shouldn't lock.
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u/Aeropilot03 1d ago
Plug the SUC into the adapter, then plug the adapter into the truck, which will then sense the charger and latch to the adapter.
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u/Salty_Leather42 ‘18 Model 3 1d ago
I don’t think it’s an adapter thing, I expect it to be a question of whether the ford locks to chargers . I’d wager they lock to the charger when the vehicle locks.