So Kia's Tesla Supercharger Access is Gone... What Happened?

Has anyone else experienced this? I noticed Kia users have lost access to Tesla superchargers. It was working earlier but now I get an error when trying to charge. Anyone know what’s going on?

It’s not VIN limiting, it’s based on the MAC ID

Raven said:
It’s not VIN limiting, it’s based on the MAC ID

I didn’t know that, so my NACS adapter should be able to spoof the MAC address. Seems like there’s potential for profit there, especially since the president just pardoned Ross Ulbricht.

Raven said:
It’s not VIN limiting, it’s based on the MAC ID

I think it’s possible to spoof this to a valid ID with a custom adapter.

Neve said:

Raven said:
It’s not VIN limiting, it’s based on the MAC ID

I think it’s possible to spoof this to a valid ID with a custom adapter.

Back in 2013, yes! But now network security has improved, especially with German and American cars.

To access Tesla SC, you’d need a signed, time-limited certificate, and the cars would use rolling MAC IDs to prevent scams. This is causing delays with the Kia rollout.

EVgo autocharge could be impacted too, or you’d have to manually plug and unplug to reset the default settings.

To answer your question, yes, it’s possible, but for someone skilled, it’s not really worth the hassle.

@Raven
What did hobbits ever do to deserve this?

Raven said:
It’s not VIN limiting, it’s based on the MAC ID

That’s correct

Alden said:

Raven said:
It’s not VIN limiting, it’s based on the MAC ID

That’s correct

If you think about it, Kia America still needs to do more testing, right? So maybe on certain days, like Wednesdays or Thursdays, Kia vehicles might still be able to charge?

Source: I’ve been charging my EQE at Tesla SC for the past few months :wink:

So, I decided to test it again after a few people mentioned that it wasn’t working. Unfortunately, I couldn’t access it. I tried at the same station and received an error after it tried to start charging. Hopefully, the issue will be fixed soon with a software update, as we’re expecting one soon that might include superchargers in the maps.

@Alden
I thought Tesla chargers used VIN-limiting, and they just de-listed Kia VINs for now.

Maybe Kia is waiting to issue a mandate for North America once access is restored. Otherwise, the update could lead to unavailable chargers for some people.

@Kiran
Yes, we didn’t have access, but it was enabled on January 15th if you used a different vehicle. Now, access is removed again. It seems to be an issue on Kia’s side, since they don’t have the adapters, and superchargers aren’t on the navigation. This also means battery conditioning won’t work with navigation, and they won’t add them to routes.

@Alden
I think nothing changed on the car side, though. Tesla probably opened the communication for Kia and Hyundai VINs, then closed access for Kia VINs while the car protocol stayed the same.

Kiran said:
@Alden
I think nothing changed on the car side, though. Tesla probably opened the communication for Kia and Hyundai VINs, then closed access for Kia VINs while the car protocol stayed the same.

The handshake is IP-related. Every car has its own IP address.

@Drew
You mean MAC address. IPs aren’t tied to hardware.

Jai said:
@Drew
You mean MAC address. IPs aren’t tied to hardware.

Okay, let’s get specific…

Drew said:

Jai said:
@Drew
You mean MAC address. IPs aren’t tied to hardware.

Okay, let’s get specific…

IPs aren’t permanent identifiers, whereas a MAC address is.

@Alden
Right. So, you only had access if you faked it. Kind of like fraud. When Kia gets legal access, it should work fine.

I had a feeling this would happen.

I just bought the NACS adapter last night, and now this happens…

Magdalina said:
I just bought the NACS adapter last night, and now this happens…

Same here…