Tesla Wall Charger, how to tell the difference between Gen 2 vs Gen 3?

[Wicked_M3P]

I am thinking about picking up a Gen 3 wall charger but wanted to be sure it's a Gen 3 and not a Gen 2? How can I tell the difference between the 2? Would it be displayed on the box or on the charger itself?

Thanks advance for any help!

 

[jjrandorin]

Not sure on the outside of the box, but the gen 2 has a black or grey plastic front, while the gen 3 has a white type front.

Of note (and I think most here would agree at this point), there isnt really any benefit in going with a gen 3 over a gen 2, and in fact, gen 3s have been buggy. There is nothing the gen 3 gives you that gen 2 doesnt, with the exception of being able to set the breaker size via wifi vs turning the dial.. and the nebulous promise of "other features" later.

Things Gen 2 has that Gen 3 doesnt.

1. Supports higher amp setttings
2. Longer cable (24 feet vs 18 feet)
3. Still does sharing between wall connectors, so if you had 2 teslas, they could share a connection and separate the charge current between vehicles.

If I were buying now, I would be looking for a gen 2 not a gen 3, because the HPWC is something that is supposed to just "plug in and work" when setup, yet many of these gen3 units dont connect reliably to wifi, and stop charging with overheating messages when they are not actually overheating, with some being replaced by tesla, etc.

 

[Wicked_M3P]

Great info! Thanks for the detailed response. I was thinking about getting a Gen 2 but they are hard to find for the price range i wanted. I found a brand new Gen 3 for $400 and think it's a good deal.

 

[jjrandorin]

Great info! Thanks for the detailed response. I was thinking about getting a Gen 2 but they are hard to find for the price range i wanted. I found a brand new Gen 3 for $400 and think it's a good deal.

Makes sense. My guess would be that someone is selling a gen3 because they decided on a gen 2, or some other wall connector. If it has been installed, I would hesitate (could be one of the problem gen 3 units). If it hasnt been installed, sounds like a decent price I guess. The delta between "brand new from tesla" and private party sale would need to be larger than that for me, but everyone values this stuff differently.

See if it is "new in box and "never been physically installed". If so, sounds like an ok deal (although I would buy new but as I mentioned everyone values this differently).

 

[xcat]

I prefer gen3. Glass front and smaller footprint is appealing but most importantly, the cord is much thinner , lighter and manageable, similar to the one that comes w the car.

 

[Gasaraki]

Not sure on the outside of the box, but the gen 2 has a black or grey plastic front, while the gen 3 has a white type front.

Of note (and I think most here would agree at this point), there isnt really any benefit in going with a gen 3 over a gen 2, and in fact, gen 3s have been buggy. There is nothing the gen 3 gives you that gen 2 doesnt, with the exception of being able to set the breaker size via wifi vs turning the dial.. and the nebulous promise of "other features" later.

Things Gen 2 has that Gen 3 doesnt.

1. Supports higher amp setttings
2. Longer cable (24 feet vs 18 feet)
3. Still does sharing between wall connectors, so if you had 2 teslas, they could share a connection and separate the charge current between vehicles.

If I were buying now, I would be looking for a gen 2 not a gen 3, because the HPWC is something that is supposed to just "plug in and work" when setup, yet many of these gen3 units dont connect reliably to wifi, and stop charging with overheating messages when they are not actually overheating, with some being replaced by tesla, etc.

Actually gen3 is connected to the wifi and gets over the air updates like the car. Also supports car to home in the future.

 

[UncleCreepy]

I prefer gen3. Glass front and smaller footprint is appealing but most importantly, the cord is much thinner , lighter and manageable, similar to the one that comes w the car.

I agree that the thinner cord makes handling easier, but if someone offered me a gen2 WC in exchange for my gen 3 WC, I would switch in a heartbeat. The cord gets very hot during charging, especially in the summer and WiFi is useless to me since it doesn't work most of the time anyways. I tried just now and once again, it's not connected although it's well within range of my router. What's the point of having WiFi if I need to go to to the WC to push a button or pull the breaker so I can use it? I also have no intentions of ever using V2G or V2H or whatever. All I need is a charger that charges the car. I don't need Tesla to snoop around how I'm using it. Gen2 is capable of doing what I need and it wastes less energy heating the cord. That's why I prefer the gen2 WC.

But again, if your preference is a lightweight cable, the gen3 is the best you can get.

 

[jjrandorin]

Actually gen3 is connected to the wifi and gets over the air updates like the car. Also supports car to home in the future.

Can you point me to where anything says this charger will get "car to home" in the future?

Its connected to wifi (when it works for those that have it, many report connection issues) and yes it is supposed to get feature updates in the future.. one of which is something the gen 2 does now which is share power between units.

I marked your post "disagree" because I dont agree with the statement that "it supports car to home in the future". As I mentioned, I do know its supposed to get "updates in the future" but have not seen this mentioned.

(I mention this because I have a personal "policy" of not marking disagree on a post without explanation unless the reason is already extremely clear)

 

[destructure00]

Gen 3 comes in a much smaller box, if you're looking at an unopened one. It's probably half the size of a Gen 2 box.

Gen 3:

Gen 2:

 

[Rocky_H]

Wow, now that is hilarious/ironic. @Gasaraki marked @jjrandorin 's post disagree to talk up how great the Gen 3 units are. Yet over in this other thread, he is complaining about how he has one of the defective Gen 3 units and is still waiting on a replacement. That's odd.
Defective Wall Charger 3

 

[DragonTBear]

Just curious…. Is Gen3 still made in China?

My black Gen2 WCs say “made in China”. Wondering if Gen3 is made in USA?

 

[mtmra70]

Received my Gen 3 24' wall charger. It is made in Taiwan.

Here is a picture of the box, it is different then the earlier Gen 3 box.

 

[ariip]

Wow, now that is hilarious/ironic. @Gasaraki marked @jjrandorin 's post disagree to talk up how great the Gen 3 units are. Yet over in this other thread, he is complaining about how he has one of the defective Gen 3 units and is still waiting on a replacement. That's odd.
Defective Wall Charger 3

The gen 2 can do up to 80a whereas the gen 3 only 48. What happens with the cybertruck with a larger battery and newer vehicles that can and should be able to charge at more than 48a. If you have the gen3 then you are limited and stuck. Sucks to have the gen3. As far as the wifi and updates who cares. What do I need to update or do on wifi. It charges my car. That is it. I do what I need through the cars app. The gen 2 can loadshare with a wired connection. I am wiring the unit anyway for power so I can just run communication wiring.

 

[jjrandorin]

The gen 2 can do up to 80a whereas the gen 3 only 48. What happens with the cybertruck with a larger battery and newer vehicles that can and should be able to charge at more than 48a.

The fact that the Gen 3 can only do up to 48amps should tell you that regardless of the battery size for a tesla vehicle, tesla has no plans for their cars to be able to charge at a L2 charging speed faster than 48amps. "Can and should be able to charge at more than 48amps" will not apply to tesla Level 2 chargers.

As I said before, I prefer the Gen 2, but its not an option for most people any longer. Tesla doesnt make it, and doesnt even seem to have replacement parts like mounting brackets for them any more.

 

[turns2stone]

I have the Gen 2, and it reaches my car with just a couple of feet to spare. I hope it never dies, as the 18ft cord on the Gen 3 would cost me a lot to re-wire the charger's location relative to my car.

 

[UncleCreepy]

I have the Gen 2, and it reaches my car with just a couple of feet to spare. I hope it never dies, as the 18ft cord on the Gen 3 would cost me a lot to re-wire the charger's location relative to my car.

You're safe, the gen3 WC comes with a 24ft cord now.

 

[turns2stone]

You're safe, the gen3 WC comes with a 24ft cord now.

Oh wow! Great to know, thanks.

 

[BostonBari]

Gen 3 comes in a much smaller box, if you're looking at an unopened one. It's probably half the size of a Gen 2 box.

Gen 3:
View attachment 586682

Gen 2:
View attachment 586683

Thanks! THAT was super helpful. I've been searching all over for something (visually) SPECIFIC. This is it!

 

[777av8r]

Mine arrived on Thursday, Sept 14, 2023. It is model # 1457768-02-h. It appears to be the latest version of the Gen 3 Wall Connector.

It looks like I may have to wait a while to get it installed. Not really a big deal, since I don't even have a VIN or delivery date for my new X yet.

 

[jjrandorin]

Mine arrived on Thursday, Sept 14, 2023. It is model # 1457768-02-h. It appears to be the latest version of the Gen 3 Wall Connector.

It looks like I may have to wait a while to get it installed. Not really a big deal, since I don't even have a VIN or delivery date for my new X yet.

Since this thread was created, Gen 3 wall connectors seem to have some of the kinks mentioned earlier in the thread worked out (power sharing, early units overheating). They also have a feature that Gen 2s dont currently have in that you can add them to the tesla app (although there isnt much that you get by doing so, yet).