Tesla launched a new level 2 home charger today called the Tesla Universal Wall Connector and it can do something that no other charger can - it can charge any electric vehicle sold in North America without the need of an extra adapter.
That's because The Universal Wall Connector uses an AC version of its Supercharger Magic Dock to allow the charger to release a built-in J1772 adapter when the user needs it. That will charge vehicles that use the new North American Charging Standard, or NACS, as well as those that have an EV with a J1772 inlet, which has been the standard in North America since 2011.
Better solution
The Universal Wall Connector went on sale today at Best Buy and the Tesla Shop for $595.00. That's a very reasonable price and fits in line with Tesla's other home charging offerings, considering that the Tesla Wall Connector now costs $475.00, and the Tesla J1772 Wall Connector costs $550.00. Tesla told me customers will be able to order the charger today, but that deliveries wouldn't begin until October.
Tesla Universal Wall Connector Specs:
- Up to 44 mi of range added per hour at 11.5 kW / 48 amp output
- Integrated J1772 magic dock adapter can charge any electric vehicle
- Auto-sensing handle to open a Tesla charge port
- Monitor and manage your charging schedule and usage from the Tesla app
- Wi-Fi connectivity for over-the-air updates, remote diagnostics, and access controls
- Versatile indoor/outdoor design
- Variable amperage configurations depending on installation location
- Power-share with up to six Wall Connectors
- 24-foot cable length
- Four-year warranty (residential use)
As the industry here in North America transitions from the J1772 connector to the NACS, those getting an EV now are going to be torn between which type of charger to buy. Should they purchase one with a J1772 plug and just use an adapter in the future when they have an EV with the NACS? Or, should they buy a charger with a NACS plug and use an adapter now, figuring that at some time in the future they will have an NACS-equipped electric vehicle?
To me, this seems like such a better solution than having to use an adapter if your EV has a different charging inlet than the connector on your charger. It's going to be especially helpful for those that have two EVs in the household and one uses the NACS connector, and the other uses J1772. Adapters can get lost, mishandled, and broken and the Universal Wall Connector will keep the adapter safe and secure inside the body of the unit when not in use.
New app functionality - coming soon
In addition to the launch of the Universal Wall Connector, Tesla announced today that it will be sending out an update to its mobile app very soon. The update will allow for much greater functionality of the app and activate features including scheduling your charging session and viewing data from past charging events. We'll report more on the new app features once we have them.
So check out our first look video above and let us know what you think. Are you as excited as I am about the new Universal Wall Connector? Let me know in the comment section below and if you have any questions, drop them there also and I'll try to get the answers.
