The new Tesla J1772 wall charger requires an adapter to charge its own companies vehicles but can be used to power other EV makes and models. | Image: Tesla
Tesla has launched a new J1772 wall charger that can be installed into homes and used with other brands of electric vehicles (via Electrek). The charger is capable of adding up to 44 miles of range per hour and features a 24-foot cable and can power-share to maximize electrical capacity, allowing you to charge multiple vehicles at once.
Tesla owners can also use this new charger, but it will require the adapter that comes bundled with their vehicles. Still, this is a decent compromise for households that may have several different models of EV; otherwise, Tesla owners are better off purchasing Tesla’s original Wall Connector for $400, which comes already equipped with Tesla’s proprietary plug.
Image: Tesla
A full shot of the Tesla J1772 wall charger, featuring its 24-foot long cable.
The new J1772 Wall Connector is available to buy for $550 through the Tesla website. While Tesla vehicles will continue to use a proprietary charger in the North American market, this isn’t the first time that Tesla has launched an at-home charger for other EVs. The company launched its first J1772 charger (otherwise known as a Type 1 connector) last year with a more affordable $415 price tag, though the product didn’t stick around for long.
Image: Tesla
The Type 1 connector head may be the industry standard right now, but some EV owners think that Tesla’s own proprietary charger is superior.
It isn’t entirely clear why Tesla pulled its first J1772 charger from the market, but we have seen some calls to replace the current CCS industry-standard charger with Tesla’s own variant, with the likes of Aptera co-CEO Chris Anthony claiming that Tesla’s design is superior and that the standard CCS is “big, clunky, and it looks like a hairdryer.” Tesla has also already started to open up its proprietary Supercharger network to non-Tesla EVs, but we’re currently still a way off from seeing a more unified approach to EV charging.