Third-Party Mobile Connectors (Charging Cables)?

[Fudd]

At work, I am being moved to an over-flowing parking lot with more cars than spots. They offer a spot with a 110v (I know, slow, but keep reading) for ~$20/mo... the way I see it is 1) I get a dedicated spot next to other EV owners and 2) who are less likely to ding my doors.

My problem is I need a second Mobile Connector. I charge at home and I don't want to keep unplugging my connector to throw it in the trunk. Also, Tesla's Gen 2 Mobile Connector is out of stock and the cost is ridiculous for my purposes.

Is there a third-party company that provides Tesla Model 3-compatible charging cables? If so, what are the reviews? I'm mostly concerned about damage to my car and voiding any warranties.

Any advice is appreciated...

 

[davewill]

I'd suggest installing a wall connector at home to free up your existing mobile connector. Nobody makes one as versatile as Tesla's mobile connector. You could buy a 120v only one, or you could build an OpenEVSE.

 

[COrocket]

$300 for a mobile connector is a pretty good value IMO. Any legit EVSE is gonna have a power contactor, J1772 comm and ground fault protection incorporated into the box so it’s never going to be super cheap. Even buying an off-brand name J1772 EVSE on Amazon for $200 will require a Tesla adapter (unless you want to take it with you every day) and you are back around $300 already. Same thing with the Tesla HPWC....it’s pretty much impossible to find another 80A capable EVSE for $500.

I’ve never seen another company sell native Tesla charging cables with the Tesla plug. I’d stick with OEM stuff if it’s comparable price.

 

[duanra]

I can see the problem. The wall connector is more expensive and the mobile is sold out. However you can find some on ebay. I really think buying a second set is a good idea. If something goes wrong with the mobile, you are cover unlike some of another brand.

 

[TexasEV]

Since you charge at home, don’t bother plugging in at work. This isn’t a Leaf.

 

[jkoya]

Is there a third-party company that provides Tesla Model 3-compatible charging cables? If so, what are the reviews? I'm mostly concerned about damage to my car and voiding any warranties.

I tried the 110/120 v charging cable from our 2016 Volt with Tesla's J1772 adaptor and it works fine. Charges at 5 miles/hour. The GM charging cable is made by Clipper Creek, which is a reputable company. You can find them on eBay, but they are not much cheaper than the Tesla version. If you look around GM Volt forums or Craigslist, you may be able to find them a lot cheaper. I once saw a brand new one listed on the Volt forums for $75.00.

There are also some for sale on the Tesla Parts for Sale section of the Marketplace forums.

 

[ewoodrick]

I have 2 UMCs, one stays at home, one stays in the car. If it happens to be a 120V 20A plug (identified by one prong allowing a horizontal or vertical blade, common in commercial installations), get the associated Tesla adapter for faster charging.
Mobile will come back into stock, if out.

 

[ucmndd]

Tesla EVSEs are pretty cheap compared to the competition.

 

[jkoya]

Tesla EVSEs are pretty cheap compared to the competition.

I completely agree. GM, Nissan and Toyota charge a lot more for their EVSEs when buying directly from the dealer.

 

[Fudd]

Thank you, everyone, for your suggestions. I might just wait until the Gen2 comes back in stock and buy one - it's just an expensive pill to swallow...

Since you charge at home, don’t bother plugging in at work. This isn’t a Leaf.

@TexasEV: I've actually considered this - but I"ll still need to charge at home. I drive alot on the weekends so from time to time I'll have to plug in... I just hate the idea of constantly unplugging it from my wall and plugging it back in...

 

[duanra]

Oddly enough, I checked around for home chargers and Tesla was the cheapest. So I bought a second UMC.

 

[Rocky_H]

Yeah, it's kind of odd that low power Level 1 EVSEs are such an expensive item. I'm familiar with a couple of others, but they're still ridiculously expensive. The Turbocord is $499! The low power 15A circuit ones from Clipper Creek are $379!
So yeah, a real Tesla UMC at $300 actually is a really good deal.

However, as @jkoya was mentioning, those 120V cords came with every EV, so they're a dime a dozen, and you can usually find some used ones pretty easily. I'll bet you can find those for less than $300, but if it's going to cost you more than $200, they are just a really bad deal since the Tesla one is so much more capable.

 

[eprosenx]

I'd suggest installing a wall connector at home to free up your existing mobile connector. Nobody makes one as versatile as Tesla's mobile connector. You could buy a 120v only one, or you could build an OpenEVSE.

I am going to second @davewill here- One option would be getting a Wall Connector for home if the UMC Gen 2 is sold out. I REALLY like my Wall Connector for all sorts of reasons I am not going to re-type here (and then I keep my UMC in the car with me at all times).

The UMC Gen 2 is guaranteed to come back in stock at some point, so you might just have to a wait a bit. Or call your service center and see if they can hook you up.

But if you really want a cost effective solution, you might consider this: https://www.amazon.com/Duosida-Portable-Electric-Vehicle-Charger/dp/B018A6QK7C/ I have no experience, but Amazon reviews are positive. You would need to use your J1772 adapter that came with the car, but you should be keeping that in the car at all times anyway...

That unit can do 16a of 120v or 240v (or 208v), so seems perfect for the use case you describe. Hopefully the 120v (not 110v) circuit at work is 20a (should be in commercial settings). Either way it would still work. You just might need to set the car down to 12a charging rate rather than 16. (this is an area that the Tesla UMC knocks it out of the park since its max charge rate is set by whatever adapter you use) Also, normally I don't recommend relying the car to set the charge rate in software, but I am a lot less worried in a commercial environment.

If you do end up using a Tesla UMC at work then make sure to get the NEMA 5-20 adapter for it if the circuit will support it since that will improve your charge rate by like 50%. Go from 12a to 16a, but that is a huge jump since a lot of the 12a is taken up by charging overhead.

P.S. If you do this and pay $20/mo I would totally make it my mission to get my $20 worth. So maybe only charge at work unless you had to charge at home. ;-)

P.P.S. Can you leave a charger at work? Would it get stolen? (not having to plug it and unplug it every day is quite nice)

 

[jkoya]

Also check with your local utility company to see if they offer any incentives for electric cars. Ours offered either a Level 2 EVSE or a cash incentive.

 

[Dan123]

At work, I am being moved to an over-flowing parking lot with more cars than spots. They offer a spot with a 110v (I know, slow, but keep reading) for ~$20/mo... the way I see it is 1) I get a dedicated spot next to other EV owners and 2) who are less likely to ding my doors.

My problem is I need a second Mobile Connector. I charge at home and I don't want to keep unplugging my connector to throw it in the trunk. Also, Tesla's Gen 2 Mobile Connector is out of stock and the cost is ridiculous for my purposes.

Is there a third-party company that provides Tesla Model 3-compatible charging cables? If so, what are the reviews? I'm mostly concerned about damage to my car and voiding any warranties.

Any advice is appreciated...

Any J-1772 charger would work. The adapter should have come with the car. For your purposes, you need a 16 amp/110 volt, although if you want, you can get more powerful just in case for the future.


Here is an example
8-16A Adjustable 120-240V Charger EVSE

https://www.amazon.com/Charger-200V...mp&qid=1554390667&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmr1&th=1

 

[hcdavis3]

Thank you, everyone, for your suggestions. I might just wait until the Gen2 comes back in stock and buy one - it's just an expensive pill to swallow...


@TexasEV: I've actually considered this - but I"ll still need to charge at home. I drive alot on the weekends so from time to time I'll have to plug in... I just hate the idea of constantly unplugging it from my wall and plugging it back in...

I found one on eBay for just over 300. You can’t even order it on Tesla’s website at the moment.

 

[miimura]

A lot of people have been receiving their referral Wall Connectors and don't need them. There are quite a few new in-box units for sale at less than Tesla's new price. Check the usual places, Craigslist, eBay, local Tesla groups.

 

[TexasEV]

Thank you, everyone, for your suggestions. I might just wait until the Gen2 comes back in stock and buy one - it's just an expensive pill to swallow...


@TexasEV: I've actually considered this - but I"ll still need to charge at home. I drive alot on the weekends so from time to time I'll have to plug in... I just hate the idea of constantly unplugging it from my wall and plugging it back in...

Then don’t. Do what tens of thousands of owners have done since 2012 and leave it plugged in. The Mobile in UMC is a capability, not a requirement. Just take it with you when you go on an out of town trip (and even then you’re not likely to use it). Unless you’re staying overnight somewhere you might be able to plug in, any charging you do away from home is almost certainly going to be J1772, supercharger, or Wall Connector— nothing that uses the UMC.