Comparison of Mobile Connectors (for those new to Tesla)

The longstanding Tesla Generation 1 Corded Mobile Connector (CMC) now seems to be officially and truly dead (on the Tesla-USA website). While TMC members are generally knowledgeable about such things, I've seen a great deal of misunderstanding about the various Tesla mobile connectors among the general (e.g., Reddit and Craig's List) population. This post can serve as a handy Internet information source to educate people claiming, for example, to have a CMC for sale (when indeed they do not), and for those readers new to the whole Tesla charging-cable experience.

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The following table provides a comparison of the mobile connectors offered by Tesla-North America over the years.

Notes:

• (Gen2 MCs may also be referred to as "UMCs," but I chose to limit the use of the "UMC" acronym solely to the Roadster and Gen 1 devices, for convenience and to reduce confusion.)
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• This information assumes that the mobile connectors are unmodified (in stock condition) and are not attached to any kind of (aftermarket) wall-outlet-changing adapters or extension cables. (As pointed out in Post #3 below by @Rocky_H, a CMC could probably be used to charge with 120-yolts AC if some sort of adapter were employed. But that kind of defeats the whole purpose of the originally quite expensive and somewhat faster charging 240-volt CMC though, correct?)

Comparison of Tesla North American Mobile Connectors

Click on the Table to enlarge.
(For more on history of Tesla charging equipment, see this post.)


Photos

Original Roadster 240v MC (~2009)
Notice one-piece design, NEMA 14-50 (Hubbell-
manufactured?) plug. (An early precursor to the later CMC?)

Original Roadster UMC (~2010)
Notice two-piece design, beefy (also
Hubbell-manufactured) NEMA 14-50 plug.

Gen1 UMC
Note adapter plug type, slightly different controller appearance,
and circular bag (underneath) as compared to Gen2 MC.

So to further help differentiate CMCs from Gen2 MCs:

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[tps5352]

Uh-oh. Is the coveted Corded Mobile Connector officially dead?...

Uh-oh is right. That doesn't look good.

I have to say though: While I prefer that the CMC be available, if Tesla was going to keep listing it as "Out of Stock," better to just pull the plug and remove it entirely, rather than keeping everyone (who wanted one) in suspense.

I wonder if Tesla was having trouble (a) with finding a reliable supplier (seems unlikely), (b) overcoming some reliability issue at 40a (see Post #11), or (c) keeping the cost down to only $200? None of those potential problems seem insurmountable/likely, though. Maybe it was just plain old insufficient demand?

It also appears that the general trend over the years for Tesla home (AC) charging has been to dial the power back somewhat (to 32 amps, max). (Those wanting 40a or 48a can use a wall connector with the properly-installed circuitry.)

 

[cdub]

Ok... I feel like a moron.... I put in my 6-50 adapter and want to switch back to the 110 plug.

Do I just yank hard? I tried to yank a little and it didn't want to budge. Don't want to break it. I don't see a release button?

 

[E90alex]

Yank hard

 

[zroger73]

When I was a kid, my mom got on to me for yanking plugs out of receptacles using the cord. Decades later, Tesla forces me to do it.

 

[Earl]

Ok... I feel like a moron.... I put in my 6-50 adapter and want to switch back to the 110 plug.

Do I just yank hard? I tried to yank a little and it didn't want to budge. Don't want to break it. I don't see a release button?

14-50 and 6-50 plugs are hard (and dangerous) to pull out. You need to get a good grip (without your fingers wrapping around and touching the contacts and getting electrocuted) so you can pull very hard.
Although getting hard to find, (Coil N' Wrap Plug Dog Electrical Connector Separator Tool 50 Amp https://www.amazon.com/Coil-Wrap-01...words=Coil+n'+Wrap&qid=1695334269&sr=8-2&th=1) I recommend using a Plug Dog. These are available for 14-50 plugs but may be tailorable to fit a 6-50.
They are a nylon strap that you can connect to the plug that provides a handle from which to grip the plug to pull it out.

 

[cdub]

14-50 and 6-50 plugs are hard (and dangerous) to pull out. You need to get a good grip (without your fingers wrapping around and touching the contacts and getting electrocuted) so you can pull very hard.

Dangerous??? To be specific I'm talking about changing the adapter on the mobile connector from 110 to 220 and visa versa.

 

[Earl]

Dangerous??? To be specific I'm talking about changing the adapter on the mobile connector from 110 to 220 and visa versa.

Sorry, misunderstood. For that just pull. Not dangerous since nothing is live.