Its list price is $549, according to the
manufacturer's product page, so that's a $50 savings. That said, it's the same price as a Tesla Wall Connector. Comparing the two:
Advantages of the Tesla Wall Connector:
- Higher amperage (48A for Model 3 LR; even higher for some Model S and Model X variants). Note that Model 3 SR/SR+/MR owners can charge at just 32A, so either EVSE will be identical for those owners.
- Can open a Tesla's charge port via a button-press on the charging handle.
- Requires no adapter. (With the JuiceBox, you must either frequently plug/unplug Tesla's J1772 adapter if you want to take it with you or buy a second $95 J1772 adapter to keep with the EVSE.)
- No finger-pointing between companies if there's a technical problem.
Advantages of the JuiceBox Pro 40:
- Network-enabled; can control it remotely, get reports of electricity use, set timers, etc. These features include the ability to coordinate charging times and voltages based on when excess "green" energy is available in some markets (mostly in California, I think). There's a big caveat, though: Scheduling features currently work poorly with Teslas, which ignore the EVSE offering charge after the car has gone to sleep. Energy reporting and some types of remote-control features work fine with Teslas.
- NEMA 4 weather rating. (Tesla's Wall Connector has a NEMA 3R rating, which is good enough for most situations but not quite as good as a NEMA 4 rating.)
- Works natively with non-Tesla EVs; if you have both a Tesla and a non-Tesla EV, this will be a big advantage. (Third-party adapters exist to charge a non-Tesla with a Tesla EVSE, but they cost ~$200-$250, and they're bigger and bulkier than Tesla's J1772 adapter.)
- It's easier to get a plug-in variant. (That seems to be the version being advertised at Costco, although Enel X also sells a hard-wired version. It's not clear if you could get the hard-wired version from Costco at the same price.) Tesla has sold a few Wall Connectors with NEMA 14-50 plugs, but they're rare, and usually aren't even listed on the Tesla Web site for sale.
- Can share a circuit and negotiate amperage between the two (requires same-brand products, not a mix of one and the other).
- As noted by others, unplugging is basically the same, although if you're inexperienced, you're likely to separate the J1772 handle from Tesla's J1772 adapter. There are multiple techniques to avoid doing this, though.
IMHO, the biggest issues relate to the plug -- J1772 vs. Tesla. If you own a Tesla and want to charge only it, then Tesla's Wall Connector is the better product. If you own a non-Tesla EV in addition to your Tesla, and want to share the EVSE, or if you want to offer the EVSE to non-Tesla owners (guests, or if you want to install it in a rental property or something), then the JuiceBox is the better choice. Also, if you want something with a NEMA 14-50 plug, then it'll be easier to get the JuiceBox in that configuration.
