How to enable CCS1 adapter/NACS support on older Model 3/Ys now without waiting for Tesla

As of March 10, 2024, Tesla's official retrofit is now available. You can either schedule the retrofit via a service request or do this DIY retrofit. The Tesla's retrofit is $350 and includes the CCS1 adapter. The DIY retrofit can be a little as $175 for Retrofit B ($125 for Retrofit A), if you can find an used Gen4 ECU 1537264-00-B for $75 on eBay and third-party CCS1 adapters can be found for under $50. This is especially attractive if you are planning to use CCS1 infrequently such as for backup or if you don't wait for Tesla or having to go to a nearby Tesla Service Center is inconvenient. Furthermore, Tesla's retrofit requires you to buy the CCS1 adapter, but since many, if not all CCS charging stations will be retrofitting to a NACS connector only (by 2025 or 2026) while still using the CCS communication protocol, the CCS1 adapter will soon be unecessary. This mean your could spend as little as $125 to get your Telsa CCS1 capable and charging at all non-Tesla DC fast chargers in the future. Our retrofit solution is a proven solution with over 2000 successes over at least a 2 year period. It will only take 10 minutes to complete once you get all the parts.

Below are more details of what, why and how with new retail pricing with Tesla parts.

In order to use non-Tesla DC fast chargers from networks such as Electrify America or ChargePoint, your older Model 3/Y will still need to have CCS enabled (i.e. CCS1 retrofit) regardless if the plug is NACS or CCS1. Only difference is the CCS1 Adapter is not needed if it is a NACS plug. This is because the communication behind the NACS plug is still CCS (PLC) and not Tesla (SWCAN). This is mentioned in section 4.5 of the Tesla NACS Technical Specifications document.

This easy DIY retrofit will allow you to buy the CCS1 adapter from the Tesla store.

There are 2 types of DIY retrofits for the Model 3/Y either A or B. Estimated install time: 10 minutes - Level of difficulty: Easy

Retrofit A. If your EV is a North American (NA) Model 3 and made AFTER October 4, 2020 (built with black trim, heat pump and refreshed dash) or a NA Model Y, all you need to do is swap out the charge port controller (ECU) to the full-featured Gen4 ECU which is Tesla part number 1537264-00-B.

1. Purchase 1537264-00-B from a Tesla Service Center for $140 + sales tax. This is not a restricted part so there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to purchase it. You may need to be assertive.

2. Remove your existing ECU and install the new one (see this video on how to swap out). Per the service manual, there is no need to disconnect any power (12V or main traction).
   

Retrofit B. If your EV is a NA Model 3 and made BEFORE October 5, 2020 (built with chrome trim), all you need to do is swap out the charge port controller (ECU) to the Gen4 ECU which is Tesla part number 1537264-00-B and add a third party wire harness called "A Bundle of Wires with a Board" in line with the Gen4 ECU.

1. Purchase 1537264-00-B from a Tesla Service Center for $140 + sales tax. This is not a restricted part so there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to purchase it. You may need to be assertive.

2. Purchase "A Bundle of Wires with a Board" less than $50 either here or on Ebay or you can build your own with instructions in this post.

3. Remove your older Gen3 ECU and install the new one along with "A Bundle of Wires with a Board"(see this video on how to swap out). Per the service manual, there is no need to disconnect any power (12V or HV).

NOTES:

1. The service manual recommends reinstalling the software as soon as possible to prevent excess drain on the battery.

2. Once your EV supports the CCS1 adapter, you may want to buy the CCS1 adapter from the Tesla store in order to use non-Tesla DC fast chargers with CCS plugs. You might need to wait a day before ordering so that the store is updated with the change in CCS adapter support status to allow you to buy it.

3. For support and questions, check out the Community Forum.
   

Q: Is this retrofit still needed for non-Tesla DC fast chargers with the NACS plug?

A: Yes. Behind the NACS plug is still CCS so your Model 3/Y will still need to be CCS enabled in order to communicate to any non-Tesla DC fast charger.

Q: Are these safe retrofits?

A: Yes. Both retrofits use Tesla's Gen4 ECU and there has been over 2000 "A Bundle of Wires" sold in the last 26+ months without any confirmed problems or charging limitations due to the retrofit. Since there are no high voltage or high current circuits in the ECU, it is not necessary to touch any of the high voltage or high current components (including the thick orange wires) in either retrofits, making it completely safe for a DIY project. In fact, the Tesla service manual doesn't require the vehicle to be powered down or 12V disconnected when swapping out the ECU.

Here are some detailed reasons why this is a safe retrofit:

The Gen4 ECU supports the CCS protocol plus some Gen4 charge port hardware specific features (port heater, an internal cover, different thermistor type, and built in proximity resistor). The Gen4 charge port hardware is installed in all the Model Ys and Model 3s built after Oct 4, 2020 while the older Model 3s (built before Oct 5, 2020) use the Gen3 charge port hardware.

The Gen4 ECU and Gen4 charge port hardware were originally released together to support CCS but due to some supply chain issues, Tesla made a version of the Gen4 ECU (1537264-80-B) without CCS support and started using those whenever they needed to deliver cars but didn't have enough of the fully populated Gen4 ECUs. This is why the Retrofit A is very safe and is just as Tesla designed and released.

However, Retrofit B is a little more challenging because it reuses the Gen3 charge port hardware by using "A Bundle of Wires with a Board" to feed the proper signals into the Gen4 ECU by remapping matching wires and adding 4 resistors. The resistors help tune the low voltage logic level signals to be similar or equivalent to the expected signals in order for the Gen4 ECU to work properly with the Gen3 charge port hardware.

Q: Does this void my warranty?

A: The technical answer is no. However, if you have a failure in the charge port, Tesla could claim it is not covered because of the added board and wires with the Gen4 charge port ECU, but Tesla will need to provide backup.

In the US, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act prohibits product manufacturers like Tesla from conditioning consumer warranties on the use of any original equipment part or service. Furthermore, a manufacturer can only deny warranty coverage if it can demonstrate that a non-original equipment part or related service caused a defect to occur in the original product. In other words, they can't just say it but rather have the burden of proof. Other countries have similar consumer protection laws such as the Canadian Consumer Protection Acts.

The schematics to this retrofit is publicly readily available. Anyone who is in the trade can do the analysis and will conclude this retrofit is safe and 100% compatible with the existing design. The analysis shows that this retrofit is extremely unlikely to cause any damage if correctly or incorrectly installed or even if there was a quality defect. There are also over 26+ months of additional real world use data out there with over 2000 retrofits with no issues caused by this retrofit.

In addition, troubleshooting is easy because this modification is fully and easily reversible without leaving any physical signs that it was ever done. So if you have a charge port failure, reverse the retrofit (reinstall your original ECU, remove "A Bundle of Wires ...", if applicable, and reinstall the software) and if it still doesn't work then it's not the retrofit causing the failure.

Q: Will this retrofit allow me to still use Superchargers and CHAdeMO adapters?

A: Yes, this retrofit will not reduce or remove any existing charging options already available on your vehicle.

Q: It says it is a DIY solution. What does this mean?

A: You will need to install this yourself as this not a Tesla offered solution. It is as easy as changing out a battery or tire, but a lot less work.

For Retrofit B, for example, you will need a 10 mm socket wrench and a screw driver or trim fastener removal tool. Remove 2 fasteners on the trunk trim, pry open the carpeting behind the charge port while disconnecting the trunk light, unscrew 1 bolt holding old ECU, install new ECU along with "A Bundle of Wires with a Board", reassemble in reverse, and reload software. It should take about 10 minutes of your time not including time for a software reload. See latest video here.

If you want to know even more details on Retrofit B, you just need to read the first post in this long TMC topic.