Note: If you are new to electric cars and wondering how to possibly choose among all the initially bewildering home and on-the-road charging options, see this decision-making chart. For Part Numbers and other information on some of these Tesla products, see also my recommendation for use of the Tesla Online Parts Catalog.
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While developing a table of key home and portable charge-equipment milestones (that focuses on introduction dates), I started delving into historic price changes, primarily using the Wayback Machine website archive. The result--the table below--highlights prices (but also helps pinpoint product-availability dates).
As always, (kindly) corrections are appreciated especially for the original Roadster items (with references/sources, please). The Wayback Machine site has not archived all website pages, so there are gaps in the knowledge base. Despite the amazing number of webpages that are archived, expect that introduction dates in the Table below may be days after official product-launch dates.
14-50 ...................... NEMA 14-50 240v, 50a AC wall plug & socket standard
Batt Up .................. Original Roadster battery upgrade
Bndl ......................... Bundle (mobile connector + plug-adapter(s) + zippered nylon case)
CCS1 ....................... CCS1 DC high-voltage Adapter
G1/2/3 .................... Generation 1/2/3
G2 14-50 WC ....... Generation 2 Wall Connector with power cable and NEMA 14-50 wall-plug
G2 Bndl .................. Generation 2 Mobile Connector Bundle (MC + NEMA 5-15 plug-adapter + square zippered nylon case)
G2 Bndl+ ............... Generation 2 Mobile Connector Bundle (MC + NEMA 5-15 & 14-50 plug-adapters + square zippered nylon case)
G2/3 J1772 WC ... Generation 2/3 Wall Connectors with J1772 end-plug (for use by non-Tesla vehicles, or by Tesla cars with a J1772 adapter)
G3 WC .................... Generation 3 Wall Connector
HPWC ..................... Generation 1/2 High Power Wall Connectors
HPWC ..................... Original Roadster High Power Wall Connector (as of 2010, made for Tesla by Clipper Creek)
HPWC-MS Adp ... Roadster HPWC to Model S Adapter
J1772 ...................... J1772 AC plug & socket standard (used by most non-Tesla North American electric cars)
MC ........................... Mobile Connector (until 2022 provided with new cars)
MC ........................... Original Roadster 120v/240v Mobile Connector (in 120v form possibly ≈ "SC"?)
MCS ......................... Original Roadster "Mobile Charging System" ($500 option when pre-ordering new car online; possibly ≈ "MC" or ≈ "SC"?)
MS DC .................... (optional) Model S second charger (necessary to complete the Dual Onboard Charger feature)
SC (120v) ............... Original Roadster Spare (120v) Connector (provided with new cars)
UMC ........................ Generation 1 Universal Mobile Connector Bundle (MC + NEMA 5-15 & 14-50 plug adapters + circular zippered nylon case)
UMC ........................ Original Roadster Universal Mobile Connector
WC ........................... Wall Connector
► Price changes and product introductions indicated with bold-face italics.
► Products in green are for the original Roadster.
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* Reported to be coming in October 2023. Already listed on Tesla site, here.
¹ After April 17, 2022 Tesla stopped providing Gen 2 Mobile Connector charging cables (at no extra cost) in new cars.
² The 120-volt Spare Connector was supplied to buyers of the Roadster.
³ It is unclear how long the Roadster J1772 Mobile Connector (really a short adapter cable) was available. I did not see it on later archived webpages.
⁴ It seems that a 240v (30a) Mobile Connector was developed (~2009) ostensibly for charging the Roadster at, for example, Rec Vehicle parks, but existing state/federal regulations at the time caused potential legal issues. Eventually, problems were ironed out and the UMC (with optional 120v and 240v wall plugs) was offered (e.g., in 2010 or earlier). The "Spare (120v) Connector" (according to @doug possibly made by North Shore Safety) remained (into 2015 and possibly beyond) as an option, I guess for emergency (albeit slow) charging situations.
For those of us with zero experience with the original Roadster, information about its charging equipment may seem to be of no practical value. However, it uncovers and reveals the evolutionary "DNA" behind the later, more familiar charging products developed for the Model S (2012) and subsequent cars--i.e., why and how Tesla's mobile and wall connectors became what they did. Good stuff, and well worth talking to any Tesla "pioneers" about their groundbreaking Roadster cars that (despite issues) paved the way for today's models and accessories. Since I do not personally know a Roaster owner, here is some information (from around 2011) about Roadster charging equipment: Post #4, below.
For example, I was interested to learn during this exercise that Martin Eberhard (Tesla co-founder, but 'eased' out of Tesla Motors as of 01/2008) and (one time) TMC member @Palpatine (James Morrison) through the company EV Components in 2009 began offering an early aftermarket version of what we would now call a (120v/240v) universal mobile connector for the Roadster. I don't know any of the details, but was Tesla independently developing its UMC by then, and did Tesla perhaps borrow or share the Eberhard-EV Components UMC ideas? Who thought of what, first? Inquiring minds want to know.
"Tesla Wall Charger" by Edsel L is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Admin note: Image added for Blog Feed thumbnail
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*****
-While developing a table of key home and portable charge-equipment milestones (that focuses on introduction dates), I started delving into historic price changes, primarily using the Wayback Machine website archive. The result--the table below--highlights prices (but also helps pinpoint product-availability dates).
As always, (kindly) corrections are appreciated especially for the original Roadster items (with references/sources, please). The Wayback Machine site has not archived all website pages, so there are gaps in the knowledge base. Despite the amazing number of webpages that are archived, expect that introduction dates in the Table below may be days after official product-launch dates.
Price History of Selected Tesla Charge-Equipment
(focus on North American products, USA prices)
Abbreviations and Acronyms14-50 ...................... NEMA 14-50 240v, 50a AC wall plug & socket standard
Batt Up .................. Original Roadster battery upgrade
Bndl ......................... Bundle (mobile connector + plug-adapter(s) + zippered nylon case)
CCS1 ....................... CCS1 DC high-voltage Adapter
G1/2/3 .................... Generation 1/2/3
G2 14-50 WC ....... Generation 2 Wall Connector with power cable and NEMA 14-50 wall-plug
G2 Bndl .................. Generation 2 Mobile Connector Bundle (MC + NEMA 5-15 plug-adapter + square zippered nylon case)
G2 Bndl+ ............... Generation 2 Mobile Connector Bundle (MC + NEMA 5-15 & 14-50 plug-adapters + square zippered nylon case)
G2/3 J1772 WC ... Generation 2/3 Wall Connectors with J1772 end-plug (for use by non-Tesla vehicles, or by Tesla cars with a J1772 adapter)
G3 WC .................... Generation 3 Wall Connector
HPWC ..................... Generation 1/2 High Power Wall Connectors
HPWC ..................... Original Roadster High Power Wall Connector (as of 2010, made for Tesla by Clipper Creek)
HPWC-MS Adp ... Roadster HPWC to Model S Adapter
J1772 ...................... J1772 AC plug & socket standard (used by most non-Tesla North American electric cars)
MC ........................... Mobile Connector (until 2022 provided with new cars)
MC ........................... Original Roadster 120v/240v Mobile Connector (in 120v form possibly ≈ "SC"?)
MCS ......................... Original Roadster "Mobile Charging System" ($500 option when pre-ordering new car online; possibly ≈ "MC" or ≈ "SC"?)
MS DC .................... (optional) Model S second charger (necessary to complete the Dual Onboard Charger feature)
SC (120v) ............... Original Roadster Spare (120v) Connector (provided with new cars)
UMC ........................ Generation 1 Universal Mobile Connector Bundle (MC + NEMA 5-15 & 14-50 plug adapters + circular zippered nylon case)
UMC ........................ Original Roadster Universal Mobile Connector
WC ........................... Wall Connector
► Price changes and product introductions indicated with bold-face italics.
► Products in green are for the original Roadster.
Date | Mobile Connector | Wall Connector | Corded Mobile Connector | J1772 Adapter | CHAdeMO & CCS1 Adapters | Other | Car Models |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
October 2023 | "Universal" WC - $595* | ||||||
February 7, 2023 | G2 Bndl+ - $230 | G3 WC - $425 | $200 | $50 | CCS1 - $175 | G3 J1772 WC - $550 | |
January 9, 2023 | G2 Bndl+ - $230 | G3 WC - $425 | $200 | $50 | CCS1 - $250 | G3 J1772 WC - $550 | |
December 28, 2022 | G2 Bndl+ - $230 | G3 WC - $350 | $200 | $50 | CCS1 - $250 | G3 J1772 WC - $550 | |
November 27, 2022 | G2 Bndl+ - $230 | G3 WC - $400 | $200 | $50 | CCS1 - $250 | G3 J1772 WC - $550 | |
G2 Bndl+ - $200 | G3 WC - $400 | $200 | $50 | CCS1 - $250 | |||
May 29, 2022 | G2 Bndl+ - $200 | G3 WC - $400 | $200 | $50 | |||
April 19, 2022¹ | G2 Bndl - $275 | G3 WC - $495 | $400 | $50 | |||
December 3, 2021 | G2 Bndl - $275 | G3 WC - $550 | $400 | $50 | |||
October 26, 2021 | G2 Bndl - $275 | G3 WC - $500 | $520 | $95 | |||
September 27, 2021 | G2 Bndl - $275 | G3 WC - $500 | $520 | $95 | CHAdeMO - $400 | | |
Model S Plaid | |||||||
August 21, 2020 | G2 Bndl - $275 | G3 WC - $500 | $520 | $95 | CHAdeMO - $450 | ||
July 6, 2020 | G2 Bndl - $275 | G2 HPWC - $475 G3 WC - $500 | $520 | $95 | CHAdeMO - $450 | ||
June 18, 2020 | G2 Bndl - $275 | G2 HPWC - $500 G3 WC - $500 | $520 | $95 | CHAdeMO - $450 | ||
May 3, 2020 | G2 Bndl - $275 | G2 HPWC - $475 G3 WC - $500 | $520 | $95 | CHAdeMO - $450 | | |
Model Y | |||||||
December 2, 2019 | G2 Bndl - $275 | G2 HPWC - $500 | $520 | $95 | CHAdeMO - $450 | ||
July 11, 2019 | G2 Bndl - $275 | G2 HPWC - $500 | $520 | $95 | CHAdeMO - $450 | G2 14-50 WC - $500 | |
October 15, 2018 | G2 Bndl+ - $300 | G2 HPWC - $500 | $520 | $95 | CHAdeMO - $450 | G2 14-50 WC - $500 | |
April 9, 2018 | G2 Bndl+ - $300 | G2 HPWC - $500 | $520 | $95 | CHAdeMO - $450 | MS DC - $2,000 G2 14-50 WC - $500 | |
G2 14-50 WC - $500 | |||||||
August 8, 2017 | UMC - $550 | G2 HPWC - $500 | $520 | $95 | CHAdeMO - $450 | MS DC - $2,000 3.0 Batt Up - $5,000 | |
Model 3 | |||||||
$520 | |||||||
April 19, 2016 | UMC - $550 UMC - $1,500 | G2 HPWC - $550 HPWC - $1,950 | CHAdeMO - $450 | MS DC - $2,000 3.0 Batt Up - $5,000 | |||
January 26, 2016 | UMC - $650 UMC - $1,500 | G1 HPWC - $750 HPWC - $1,950 | CHAdeMO - $450 | MS DC - $2,000 3.0 Batt Up - $5,000 | |||
Model X | |||||||
February 23, 2015 | UMC - $650 UMC - $1,500 | G1 HPWC - $750 HPWC - $1,950 | CHAdeMO - $450 | MS DC - $2,000 SC (120v) - $480² | | ||
August 21, 2013 | UMC - $650 UMC - $1,500 | G1 HPWC - $1,200 HPWC - $1,950 | $95 $600 | MS DC - $3,600 SC (120v) - $480² | |||
May 11, 2013 | UMC - $650 UMC - $1,500 | G1 HPWC - $1,200 HPWC - $1,950 | $95 | MS DC - $3,600 HPWC-MS Adp-$650 SC (120v) - $600² | |||
Model S | |||||||
August 24, 2011 | UMC - $1,500 | HPWC - $1,950 | $750³ | SC (120v) - $600² | |||
March 16, 2010 | UMC - $1,500 | HPWC - $1,950 | | SC (120v) - $600² | | ||
March 10, 2009 | HPWC - $3,000 | MC (120v) - $600² MC (240v)?⁴ | | ||||
Roadster | |||||||
August 18, 2007 | | MCS - $500 | | ||||
* Reported to be coming in October 2023. Already listed on Tesla site, here.
¹ After April 17, 2022 Tesla stopped providing Gen 2 Mobile Connector charging cables (at no extra cost) in new cars.
² The 120-volt Spare Connector was supplied to buyers of the Roadster.
³ It is unclear how long the Roadster J1772 Mobile Connector (really a short adapter cable) was available. I did not see it on later archived webpages.
⁴ It seems that a 240v (30a) Mobile Connector was developed (~2009) ostensibly for charging the Roadster at, for example, Rec Vehicle parks, but existing state/federal regulations at the time caused potential legal issues. Eventually, problems were ironed out and the UMC (with optional 120v and 240v wall plugs) was offered (e.g., in 2010 or earlier). The "Spare (120v) Connector" (according to @doug possibly made by North Shore Safety) remained (into 2015 and possibly beyond) as an option, I guess for emergency (albeit slow) charging situations.
For those of us with zero experience with the original Roadster, information about its charging equipment may seem to be of no practical value. However, it uncovers and reveals the evolutionary "DNA" behind the later, more familiar charging products developed for the Model S (2012) and subsequent cars--i.e., why and how Tesla's mobile and wall connectors became what they did. Good stuff, and well worth talking to any Tesla "pioneers" about their groundbreaking Roadster cars that (despite issues) paved the way for today's models and accessories. Since I do not personally know a Roaster owner, here is some information (from around 2011) about Roadster charging equipment: Post #4, below.
For example, I was interested to learn during this exercise that Martin Eberhard (Tesla co-founder, but 'eased' out of Tesla Motors as of 01/2008) and (one time) TMC member @Palpatine (James Morrison) through the company EV Components in 2009 began offering an early aftermarket version of what we would now call a (120v/240v) universal mobile connector for the Roadster. I don't know any of the details, but was Tesla independently developing its UMC by then, and did Tesla perhaps borrow or share the Eberhard-EV Components UMC ideas? Who thought of what, first? Inquiring minds want to know.
"Tesla Wall Charger" by Edsel L is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Admin note: Image added for Blog Feed thumbnail
Additional Photos
(Sources include archived Tesla webpages)
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