Tesla launches a new home charger that works with all electric cars

Today, Tesla is launching a new home charger that comes with a J1772 plug, which works with all electric cars in North America – not just Tesla vehicles.

As of late, Tesla appears to be making a lot of moves to service electric vehicles beyond the ones that it makes itself.

We just reported earlier today that Tesla started to open the first Supercharger stations to electric vehicles produced by other automakers.

That’s a move that has been anticipated for a while, but now Tesla is doing something more surprising.

Today, the automaker launched a new Wall Connector, Tesla’s home charging station, but unlike its usual Wall Connector, it is equipped with a J1772 connector:

“Charge your electric vehicle at home with the J1772 Gen 2 Wall Connector, a convenient home charging solution for electric vehicle owners. Simply plug in overnight and charge while you sleep.

Providing up to 9.6 kW (40 amp) power output for a single vehicle, the J1772 Gen 2 Wall Connector includes a 24-foot (7.3 meter) cable length, multiple power settings and a versatile indoor/outdoor design.”

It’s the first time that Tesla is selling a charger without its own proprietary connector in North America.

This charger is designed to mainly work with non-Tesla vehicles – though Tesla vehicles can still use it with an adapter.

Tesla still recommends Tesla vehicle owners to use the regular Tesla Wall Connector:

“For Tesla vehicle owners, we recommend a Wall Connector for the most seamless home charging experience. The J1772 Gen 2 Wall Connector requires an adapter for Tesla vehicles.”

At $415, it’s also a relatively cheap level 2 charger, but it’s Tesla’s Gen 2 charger.

Unlike its latest Gen 3 charger, it doesn’t have Wifi connectivity.

Electrek’s Take

It’s not clear what Tesla’s goal is with this new product. There are already a lot of level 2 home charging options out there for non-Tesla EVs.

One thing I thought about is that Tesla might be producing those for its own Destination Charging network, which sometimes includes non-Tesla connectors.

Tesla has been installing chargers from other companies at some of those locations.

It would make sense to use its own charger with just a J1772 connector.