Does anyone have suggestions for an at-home/mobile charge cord (level 1 and level 2 capable) that isn’t Tesla’s model (since they are sold out and not including anymore)? I see a lot of reviews of Lectron or Megear versions (using the SAE J1772 adapter of course). Anyone have experience with these or another model that they would recommend? I have a performance model 3 for reference
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Mobile Connector Alternatives
- Thread starter Finley&OtisDad
- Start date
Can you not get the wall connector for home? I do like the flexibility of the Tesla mobile connector for the road and being able to buy the adapter bundle vs a preselected connector on the 3rd party ones. Not sure if any are modular like the Tesla one.
I would probably wait and get the Tesla one when it's available. hmm wonder if you can use Harumio to buy it from KR Harumio - Korea Forwarding Service? Like we did with the CCS1 adapter. I see that they're in stock in KR. Universal Mobile Connector
The process was super simple with the CCS1 adapter so I'm sure it would be the same with the mobile charger.
Took about 10days to get the CCS1 adapter.
ATPMSD
Active Member
Assuming you have not already installed a 14-50 outlet, then:
The 14-50 option is the cost of a commercial grade outlet, GFCI breaker, mobile connector, adapter and some sort of cable management system, which totals $425-$505, and perhaps more. The cost for the wall connector option is $400 + $10 for a breaker = $410. So the wall connector is the cheaper option. You can always add a mobile connector to keep in the car later, if you want one. Advantages of the wall connector:
- The wall connector will charge at 40A on a 50A circuit, the mobile connector is limited to 32A
- If you upgrade to a 60A circuit the wall connector will charge at 48A
- The cable for the wall connector is 24’ versus 20’ for the mobile connector
- The wall connector is water proof
- The wall connector allows you to restrict who can use it (useful for outside installations)
- If you add a second wall connector in the future, the wall connector has power sharing built-in
- The wall connector’s firmware is updated via the internet. The two items noted above were added via firmware updates.
- Having both a wall connector and mobile connector means you can keep the mobile connector in the car, as opposed having to remember to take it with you when needed
- The wall connector requires only 2-conductor wire while the 14-50 option requires 3, so you can save some money there
AlanSubie4Life
Efficiency Obsessed Member
You can always look at the large online auction site for new or used UMC (Tesla Mobile Connector) if that is what you want. They seem to be readily available. Buyer beware of course - UMCs can malfunction.
I just keep mine in the trunk and I do use it a couple times a year so it is not unusual to want one. I would hard wire a solution at home though. It should take less than 5 seconds to plug in the car and dealing with cable at all is a hassle (no wrapping around or extending/uncoiling the cable to reach the car; ideally close enough to reach with a single loop), so plan carefully to realize such a setup if it is possible for you.
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What outlets do you anticipate needing to use on the road?
Looks like the Tesla Mobile Connector at $200 is by far the least expensive mobile EVSE which is capable of both 120V 15A charging and 240V 32A charging, and it has numerous plug adapters available (for more than just 5-15 and 14-50 outlets and their associated voltage and current levels).
Some OEM EVSEs (e.g. Ford, Audi, some very recent GM) have 120V 15A (5-15) and 240V 32A (14-50) capability, but not necessarily any other outlet capability, and cost significantly more than the Tesla Mobile Connector. Maybe you might get lucky in a salvage yard...
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Gauss Guzzler
Safety Score = 42
Just order the Tesla one. They are in/out of stock all the time - you'll have it in a few weeks. I recommend the wall charger for a new install and don't bother with the mobile charger unless you really plan to use it (at the cabin or AirBNB, etc.). If you do get the mobile charger, be sure to select the one with both 120V and 240V adapters - that particular combo won't ship until August but it's worth the wait since it includes the 14-50 adapter for free.
+1 vote for just getting the Tesla version. Also consider asking nearby SC if they have them in stock locally, as I know that the 14-50 adapters were frequently available in the SC when they were not orderable from Tesla directly.
I have been seeing a lot of threads on this kind of topic, mentioning that Tesla isn't including the cords. It seemed to come up recently when Tesla announced that NEW ORDERS as of recently will not be including the cord, and it seems there is a lot of misunderstanding about that. You know they will still be delivering cars WITH the cords for several months yet from old existing orders, right? Yours will probably come with one.
We ordered our Model Y way back in January, and it's still not due until December. It will come with a cord.
Normally when you have replaced the Mobile Connector and the problem persists it is something else.Are you able charge at Supercharger? What about a public level 2 charging station (using the Tesla SAE J1772 adapter.) If you can use these methods to charge it is probably not the Tesla vehicle. If either of these charging methods is not working it could be the charging port or charging cable harness or one of the Tesla components that supports charging located inside the Tesla vehicle.
Try charging at a different location (friend's home perhaps) using the same Mobile Connector. If the problem follows you then you will know that it is not the charging circuit at your home. If you can charge at a different location using your Tesla Mobile Connector it is time to have a licensed electrician evaluate the charging circuit.
Also, I am not aware of any currently produced non-Tesla branded electric vehicle service equipment (EVSE) that comes with a Tesla charging connector. (ClipperCreek used to sell their EVSE with the Tesla charging connector until Tesla made them stop.)
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Probably not, but any L1/L2 EVSE with a J1772 plug can be used with the J1772->Tesla adapter that comes with Tesla cars.
Tam
Well-Known Member
It's time to find the cause and fix it rather than ignoring the errors and get a non-Tesla product.
ucmndd
Well-Known Member
The tesla mobile connector is generally reliable, and you are unlikely to find something "better constructed and more reliable" than it, for even double what it costs.
Most of the time there are errors, it is with something other than the adapter itself. Its normally something in the wiring chain. Not always, of course, but its WAY more common for there to be a problem with the outlet, the wiring behind the outlet, the breaker the wiring is connected to, or even the adapter not being plugged in all the way.... vs the mobile connector itself.
Not always, of course, but the vast majority of the time.
My error is with the mobile connector itself, not something else.
It throws the same error on different outlets, different outlet types, when just plugged in and not charging. I was able to borrow someone else's mobile connector and it did not throw any errors with the same outlets and same adapters.
The fact that a brand new mobile connector can work so poorly does not give me confidence any replacement will be reliable.
Honestly, you should do this immediately.
The Tesla Mobile Connector monitors the temperature at the 14-50 connector and will give you errors if the temp sensor detects a problem.
It's possible there is a problem inside the outlet the Tesla Mobile Connector is plugged into., A bad outlet or a loose or poorly torqued cable clamp might create enough resistance to overheat the connector and trigger a fault on the Tesla Mobile Connector.
It's not a problem with my circuit it's a problem with the mobile connector.
It throws the same error on different outlets, different outlet types, when just plugged in and not charging. I was able to borrow someone else's mobile connector and it did not throw any errors with the same outlets and same adapters.
I take it you have never heard of the "bathtub curve" then in manufacturing.
A failed product at the beginning is much MORE likely than for it to happen three or four months in when you have been using it for quite a while. Those early ones are called "infant failures". A certain portion of electronics have tiny defects or borderline defects that will be stressed and revealed with a little bit of initial use. Those get replaced in warranty, and then the failure rates drop off for quite a while. Eventually, as the population of products ages for quite a long time, aging stress in the materials catches up to it, and failures start popping up more often. That's the rise at the other end of the "bathtub".
Ah, that would have been helpful to have mentioned that before then. We get a lot of threads here on the forum of: "My mobile connector is blinking. What does that mean?" and it's usually some problem with the circuit that it has detected.
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