I recently had the opportunity to test out the new Vortex plug adapter from Lectron, which enabled me and my CCS-equipped Rivian to access the Tesla Supercharger network. In my opinion, a NACS to CCS adapter is a vital tool for any BEV owner, and this one from Lectron is simple and effective to utilize.
While EV automakers transition to the North American Charging Standard (NACS) championed by Tesla, there remains a massive amount of current and upcoming models that utilize the now lame duck CCS plug for past charging.
While CCS-equipped EVs have a growing number of available public fast chargers at their disposal (depending on where they live, of course), such technology disallows access to the Tesla Supercharger network – the largest and arguably most dependable in the US.
While many automakers transition to NACS, they are providing new customers with Tesla to CCS adapters. But what about the rest of us? I drive a Rivian R1S and mostly charge at home, plus I have a Rivian Adventure Network hub about 20 miles away.
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However, Tesla Superchargers are much closer and more abundant, especially on road trips, hence the desire for a charger adapter to enable access to my CCS-equipped SUV.
To aid in my daily charging practices, Lectron sent me its Vortex CCS adapter plug to test out at my local Tesla Supercharger. My thoughts are below.
Source: Scooter Doll
Testing the Vortex Tesla to CCS adapter from Lectron
Lectron is a charging technology specialist that provides Level 1 and Level 2 EV chargers and a slew of adapters for Tesla to CCS, and vice versa. After leasing my Rivian R1S a couple of months ago, I was set on buying a NACS to CCS adapter from the automaker’s Gear Shop.
Before I could do so, Lectron offered a sample of its new Vortex plug, so I jumped at the opportunity to test it. As you can see from my images above, the Vortex plug is a quick and straightforward unboxing. It’s essentially just the adapter and some literature, so it’s plug and play all the way.
This adapter, designed for CCS BEVs, is compatible with all Tesla DC Superchargers (V3 and V4). It is rated for up to 500 amps and 1,000 volts, so if you find a super fast Tesla plug and your EV can support 350 kW fast charging, you can take full advantage of super quick charge rates.
Quite literally, after filming the unboxing (see my video review below), I drove to my nearest Tesla Supercharger to test this adapter plug out for myself and it could not have been easier.
The charging process is exactly the same as all sessions. In this instance, the Tesla app is required alongside a credit card to pay for the charging session, but that’s an easy process as well. I simply pulled into an open spot, chose my available charger in the Tesla app and exited the R1S to plug in.
To begin charging, I plugged the Tesla NACS plug into the Vortex adapter, then into the CCS port of my Rivian. It’s as simple as that. My EV has Plug & Charge capabilities, so the charging session initiated on its own as soon as everything was connected. Zero hiccups.
When I plugged in, my battery was already pretty full (again, I couldn’t wait to test it), so I couldn’t speak to the top charge rates at this particular location. Additionally, the LFP cells in my Standard R1S can only handle up to 200 kW, but other BEVs, like the Hyundai IONIQ 5, for instance, should be able to charge much faster.
The rate always depends on your vehicle architecture and the specific charging pile you’re on. Still, the Vortex adapter from Lectron will enable your CCS EV to achieve the highest charge speeds at a Tesla charger without compromise.
Source: Scooter Doll
Overall, the Vortex adapter from Lectron is a simple and effective tool for gaining access to Tesla’s Supercharger network if you currently drive an EV with a CCS plug. There are plenty of options out there, and if the automaker you’re buying or leasing from offers a complimentary one, by all means, take it.
You can shop around, too, to find the best deal. That said, the Vortex is currently on sale for $185, marked down from $250, so now’s an excellent time to buy. It’s important to note that the Lectron Vortex is currently only compatible with specific BEV models, including Rivian, with access soon coming to Audi, BMW, Honda, Jaguar-Land Rover, Kia, Porsche, Subaru, Toyota, and Volkswagen.
It is incompatible with Mazda, MINI, Stellantis, or Chrysler models. That’s understandable, haha.
Check out my full video review of the Vortex plug in action in my video below.
Over the weekend, Tesla began offering many Cybertruck trade-in estimated values above the original purchase price, apparently due to a glitch in its system.
Tesla offers online trade-in estimates for individuals considering purchasing a vehicle from them.
Over the last few days, Cybertruck owners who submitted their vehicles through the system were surprised to see Tesla offering extremely high valuations on the vehicle, often above what they originally paid for the electric truck.
Here are a few examples:
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$79,200 for a 2025 Cybertruck AWD with 18,000 miles. Since this is a 2025 model year, it was eligible for the tax credit and Tesla is offering the same price as new without incentive.
Here Tesla offered $118,800 for a 2024 Cybertruck ‘Cyberbeast’ tri-motor with 21,000 miles.
In this example, Tesla offers $11,000 more than the owner originally paid for a 2024 Cybertruck.
So, trade in the Foundation Series Cybertruck AWD for $11k more than I paid for it originally, re-buy an AWD with FSD for $79,490 after the tax credit.
I’d lose free supercharging for life, Cyberwheels, and white interior.
The trade-in estimates made no sense. Tesla has been known to offer more attractive estimates online and then come lower with the official final offer, but this is on a whole different level.
Some speculated that Tesla’s trade-in estimate system was malfunctioning, while others thought Tesla was indirectly recalling early Cybertrucks.
It appears to be the former.
Some Tesla Cybertruck owners who tried to go through a new order with their Cybertruck as a trade-in were told by Tesla advisors that the system was “glitching” and they would not be honoring those prices.
Tesla told buyers that it would be refunding its usually “non-refundable” order fee.
Electrek’s Take
That’s a weird glitch. I assume that it was trying to change how the trade-in value would be estimated and the new math didn’t work for the Cybertruck for whatever reason.
It’s the only thing that makes sense to me.
The Cybertruck’s value is already quite weird due to the fact that Tesla still has new vehicles made in 2024, which are not eligible for the tax credit incentive, while the new ones made in 2025 are eligible.
There’s also the Foundation Series, which bundles many features for a $20,000 higher price.
All these things affect the value and can make it hard to compare with new Cybertrucks offered with 0% interest.
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Like a 90s “gifted” kid that was supposed to be a lot of things, the electric Jeep Wagoneer S never really found its place — but when dealers started discounting the Jeep brands forward-looking flagship by nearly $25,000 back in June, I wrote that it might be time to give the go-fast Wagoneer S a second look.
Whether we’re talking about Mercedes-Benz, Cerberus, Fiat, or even Enzo Ferrari, outsiders have labeled Jeep as a potentially premium brand that could, “if managed properly,” command luxury-level prices all over the globe. That hasn’t happened, and Stellantis is just the latest in a long line of companies to sink massive capital into the brand only to realize that people will not, in fact, spend Mercedes money on a Jeep.
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That said, the Jeep Wagoneer S is not a bad car (and neither is its totally different, hideously massive, ICE-powered Wagoneer sibling, frankly). Built on the same Stellantis STLA Large vehicle platform that underpins the sporty Charger Daytona EVs, the confusingly-named Wagoneer S packs dual electric motors putting out almost 600 hp. That’s good enough to scoot the ‘ute 0 to 60 mph in a stomach-turning 3.5 seconds and enough, on paper, to convince Stellantis executives that they had developed a real, market-ready alternative to the Tesla Model Y.
With the wrong name and a sky-high starting price of $66,995 (not including the $1,795 destination fee), however, that demand didn’t materialize, leaving the Wagoneer S languishing on dealer lots across the country.
That could be about to change, however, thanks to big discounts on Wagoneer S being reported at CDJR dealers in several states:
Jeff Belzer’s in Minnesota has a 2025 Wagoneer S Limited with a $67,790 MSRP for $39,758 ($28,032 off)
Troncalli CDJR in Georgia has a 2025 Wagoneer S Limited with a $67,590 MSRP for $42,697 ($24,893 off)
Whitewater CDJR in Minnesota has a 2025 Wagoneer S Limited with a $67,790 MSRP for $43,846 ($23,944 off)
Antioch CDJR in Illinois has a 2025 Wagoneer S Limited with a $67,790 MSRP for $44,540 ($23,250 off)
“Stellantis bet big on electric versions of iconic American brands like Jeep and Dodge, but consumers aren’t buying the premise,” writes CDG’s Marcus Amick. “(Stellantis’ dealer body) is now stuck with expensive EVs that need huge discounts to move, eating into already thin margins while competitors focus on [more] profitable gas-powered vehicles.”
All of which is to say: if you’ve found yourself drawn to the Jeep Wagoneer S, but couldn’t quite stomach the $70,000+ window stickers, you might want to check in with your local Jeep dealer and see how you feel about it at a JCPenneys-like 30% off!
Jeep Wagoneer S gallery
Original content from Electrek; images via Stellantis.
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Multinational equipment brand SANY just launched a clever new 50-ton reach stacker that pairs gravity and an F1-style KERS system to generate electricity, improve operating efficiency, and reduce costs. The best part: they’re putting that smart tech to work by helping clean up (and shore up) the grid.
Short for Kinetic Energy Recovery System, KERS was a staple of Formula 1 in the late aught and 2010s. Essentially an advanced form of regenerative braking, KERS captured the kinetic energy of a car at speed that would normally be lost as heat when the brake pads pressed against the brake discs. Instead of heat, KERS converted that energy into electricity (storing it in a battery or flywheel), to be deployed later.
Sebastian Vettel explains KERS
4x WDC Sebastian Vettel explains KERS.
In practice, KERS gave drivers an extra boost of horsepower at the push of a button, enabling them to attack or defend their position on track and adding a fresh strategic element to the sport. In SANY’s case, that stored power is fed back into the reach stacker’s electric hydraulic system, reducing pressure loss across the high-pressure setup by 50%, and lowering the machine’s overall energy consumption by more than 60%.
Energy recovery is a key feature. The potential energy of the boom, lifting gear and energy storage cabinets during the boom’s descent can be recovered efficiently with an overall recovery efficiency of over 65%. That means every 1 kWh of consumption in lifting can be recovered by 0.4 kWh during descent.
The 50t reach stacker is available with a 512 kWh swappable battery pack that’s compatible with other SANY heavy equipment assets, and supports both DC fast charging when swapping isn’t practical or (for whatever reason) desirable.
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On a single charge and backed by the onboard KERS, that’s good enough for the machine can lift and move containers for more than 7 continuous hours, which SANY claims significantly reducing downtime for charging compared to other, similar equipment assets.
The new SANY reach stacker can stack six 50-ton containers, greatly enhancing a site’s container and battery storage density within a limited space. The first units will reach unnamed customers building out a utility-scale energy storage project by the end of this month.
Regardless of which one you choose, it seems like the available options for reach stacker operators are just getting better and better!
SOURCE | IMAGES: SANY.
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