Model 3 Battery Pack Charging (outside of auto)

[TessieCat]

I’m a Newbe:

I am re-powering a catamaran with two 2022 Tesla Model 3 motors/LFP battery packs.

The only battery charging I expect to use is from 240v 40 amp AC “shore power” and/or generator receptacle.

I have a M3 HV Busbar connector/cable attached to the HV atop the battery’s penthouse.

Do I need the Tesla “fender mount” plug-in port, attached ECU circuit board and mobile connector accessory to charge the battery?

I would like to join the busbar cable directly into a 50 amp power cord to plug directly into a “dryer type” N14-50 240v receptacle.

I am using EV-Control’s T2C controller.

Thanks for any referral or assistance you may offer.

Have a blessed day,
Steve Campbell
Steve@teamameritest.com

[P.S.Mangelsdorf]

I would like to join the busbar cable directly into a 50 amp power cord to plug directly into a “dryer type” N14-50 240v receptacle.

Let's back up. Any sort of shore power or "dryer type" receptacle, i.e. anything providing grid power, is providing alternating current (AC) power. You cannot feed the battery AC power directly. You must use an onboard charger. If you have the entire M3 pack, that may have included the Power Conversion System (PCS) which is both the onboard charger and DC-DC converter.

I am using EV-Control’s T2C controller.

I am not familiar with the T2C, so I don't know if it can control the PCS. If it can, you should be able to provide AC power to the AC power plug on the PCS (the 4 pin orange plug). That would not require the original Tesla plug (as far as I know).

If you were to use an Open Inverter / EVBMW controller for the PCS, that is set up to handle a J1772 charge port (non-Tesla Level 1 and 2 charge port). I don't know if you can just provide the AC straight up. What I would do would be use a J1772 port, and carry a J1772 charge cable with the plug for the receptacle you plan to use. An additional benefit would be that you could have multiple plug adapters for that cable to charge from pretty much any grid power source.

[TessieCat]

Thanks very much for your reply. HV Model 3 batteries are unopened, rescued from 2021 and 2022 automobiles and both are the new LFP chemistry… I replaced one blown pyro-fuse and tested each to about 355v. Tesla literature says the PCS is a component of the DC-DC charger in the penthouse. I saw some conversation about tesla mobile charge cord sending messages to identify power source info.

I’m hoping to find someone who has made a N14-50 (240v 50a) connection directly to the battery’s charge port connector on the penthouse. Any suggestions or referrals would be appreciated.

[P.S.Mangelsdorf]

I’m hoping to find someone who has made a N14-50 (240v 50a) connection directly to the battery’s charge port connector on the penthouse. Any suggestions or referrals would be appreciated.

That is possible, but it won't get you charging without a method to control the PCS. You can't just connect power and let it do it's thing, you have to tell the PCS what to do.

I saw some conversation about tesla mobile charge cord sending messages to identify power source info.

Yes, whether Tesla's port or J1772, there is a signal that tells the car how much power is available, but you need something that can interpret that signal, identify that its plugged in, and tell the PCS to charge. The PCS is one of the more complex to control onboard chargers.

Any suggestions or referrals would be appreciated.

I suggest you read through the wiki and watch the videos linked there to understand how the PCS functions and is controlled.
https://openinverter.org/wiki/Tesla_Mod ... %22PCS%22)

[gigawatts]

In the end of 2020 Damien had a handful of videos on Model 3 charge port hacking. The idea was the vehicle and evse communicate to the charge port controller which communicates to the pcs. He dropped the effort and started work on i3 lim hacking and then circled back around and used some of the work for the pcs control board.

It makes sense that if all you had was a pcs charger and battery, then you need a controller to bypass everything and just communicate to the pcs. But, if you have a whole battery with penthouse, then it would be better to use the bms, and penthouse parts with a charge port so you can ccs fast charge and AC charge with an evse. Does anyone know of any documentation on that effort or a continued effort to communicate with the charge port controller?

[gigawatts]

I found the model 3 charge port hacking thread!
viewtopic.php?t=1040