Wall Connector no longer for sale?

[TZLAFAN85]

Tesla — Wall Connector

It used to say folks in Canada had to call in - but now says it's not available at all. I called a SC in Chicago and they weren't sure how to order one. Ideas on how to get a hold of one? We want to put a couple in at our buildings at work.

 

[FlasherZ]

The rumor has been that Tesla is respinning the Wall Connector at the moment (they really need a model that can do 60A circuits again, for the Model X). I'm sure it's just temporary, but I haven't heard any news...

 

[ecarfan]

I am sure that the HPWC will go back on sale in Canada. It's currently available in the US. It is a critical part of Tesla's plan to blanket the regions they sell in with destination charge locations.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

I am sure that the HPWC will go back on sale in Canada. It's currently available in the US. It is a critical part of Tesla's plan to blanket the regions they sell in with destination charge locations.

The OP and I are both in the US. Currently It is showing as not available online in the US.

 

[Big Ern]

Ive been trying to track one down and my DS said it should be back online for purchase in a few weeks.

 

[ecarfan]

My apologies, my error! I didn't click through to the individual product page. Now I see this:

This product is currently unavailable for purchase online

 

[benjiejr]

If a Model S owner is in the market to buy a HPWC, would it be wise to wait until the newer model comes out or is it fine to buy the current HPWC from a private party now? Only advantage I can think of is if I were to get a Model X later (or maybe even Model 3?) then it might be advantageous to just wait for the new model.

 

[FlasherZ]

If a Model S owner is in the market to buy a HPWC, would it be wise to wait until the newer model comes out or is it fine to buy the current HPWC from a private party now? Only advantage I can think of is if I were to get a Model X later (or maybe even Model 3?) then it might be advantageous to just wait for the new model.

My opinion? I wouldn't wait. Previous re-spins of the HPWC didn't really change much other than the current ratings at various switch settings. The initial ones were targeted at "high-powered" circuits (50/60/70/80/90/100A), then they needed a lower current unit for single-phase power in Asia. If I provisioned one today, I would do it with a 100A circuit so that I'm ready for whatever charging level that Tesla offered for future cars.

My $0.02.

 

[miimura]

The 3 phase wall connector that recently started shipping to customers in Australia has a new feature. You can connect multiple units to the same circuit and they will do load sharing. If we're going to speculate, then I would guess that feature is coming to the North American single phase HPWC when it becomes available again.

 

[FlasherZ]

The 3 phase wall connector that recently started shipping to customers in Australia has a new feature. You can connect multiple units to the same circuit and they will do load sharing. If we're going to speculate, then I would guess that feature is coming to the North American single phase HPWC when it becomes available again.

Yes, there is a data bus that goes between the units on that Asia-Pacific model. One unit is designated a "master" unit and others "slave" units (up to 8).

All of the devices can then be connected to the same circuit, and the master unit's rotary switch settings will determine the maximum current to be drawn. It requires that you run a twisted pair connection between units, and that will prevent multiple units from using the circuit at the same time.

It will save on infrastructure in a two-Tesla family that will not have need to charge simultaneously.

(I solved it by installing 2 100A HPWC's, but I have capacity.)

 

[MorrisonHiker]

The 3 phase wall connector that recently started shipping to customers in Australia has a new feature. You can connect multiple units to the same circuit and they will do load sharing. If we're going to speculate, then I would guess that feature is coming to the North American single phase HPWC when it becomes available again.

By load sharing, does that mean 3 cars would get about 27 amps each, two would get 40 amps each or if only one is plugged in, it would get the entire 80 amps? If so, that would be great.

I had two NEMA 14-50 outlets installed and I will have to schedule offset charging if there are 3 cars needing to charge. If the HPWCs could handle it, I could just upgrade the wiring and have one car get the full 80 amps, if needed.

Looks like @FlasherZ just answered my question. If I understand correctly, only one HPWC would be operational at a time but at least they could do the entire 80 amps and quickly charge each car.

 

[alevek]

I would not recommend buying the current HPWC. The fact Tesla reduced the price and warranty to one year is evidence that the units are prone to failure. Mine just failed at 16 months. The failure is at the plug, but looking at the internals of the HPWC, the electronics are probably going to fail soon. There are lots of other units that come with a 3 year warranty at a lower price, although also provide lower charge currents. But for overnight charging its better than a failure prone unit. If the manufacturer doesn't offer at least a 3 year warranty, then you know what kind of quality to expect.

 

[csshih]

Did the plug connections break? There isn't too much to break in a HWPC.. just some communications chip and some large relays. what was wrong with the internals?

 

[FlasherZ]

I would not recommend buying the current HPWC. The fact Tesla reduced the price and warranty to one year is evidence that the units are prone to failure. Mine just failed at 16 months. The failure is at the plug, but looking at the internals of the HPWC, the electronics are probably going to fail soon. There are lots of other units that come with a 3 year warranty at a lower price, although also provide lower charge currents. But for overnight charging its better than a failure prone unit. If the manufacturer doesn't offer at least a 3 year warranty, then you know what kind of quality to expect.

*shrug* I haven't seen enough failures here to consider them prone to failure. I have two - one that is over 3 years old, and one that is nearing its one-year anniversary.

The only thing that seems to be an issue is that over time the connector seems to wear a bit. As a person who deals with high-power connections, I can say that it's pretty impressive that the connector can carry 80A continuous for hours on end and yet be so usable.

 

[alevek]

Did the plug connections break? There isn't too much to break in a HWPC.. just some communications chip and some large relays. what was wrong with the internals?

Looks like a loose connection of the resistors to the pushbutton microswitch. There is open circuit from ground to the proximity pin, which results in the car not recognizing cable as connected. Jiggling the pushbutton gives momentary correct readings. It would be an easy fix if the plug could be taken apart.

 

[alevek]

Does anyone have any original documentation of the HPWC being covered by the car's 4 year warranty?

 

[AWDtsla]

I would not recommend buying the current HPWC. The fact Tesla reduced the price and warranty to one year is evidence that the units are prone to failure. Mine just failed at 16 months. The failure is at the plug, but looking at the internals of the HPWC, the electronics are probably going to fail soon. There are lots of other units that come with a 3 year warranty at a lower price, although also provide lower charge currents. But for overnight charging its better than a failure prone unit. If the manufacturer doesn't offer at least a 3 year warranty, then you know what kind of quality to expect.

I'd say there's a non-zero chance of a new HPWC not supporting 80A, because as of today Tesla will only have cars that can charge up to 72A. Now in some wild dream I could hope that they allow 2x72A chargers, basically allowing the ability of anyone to install chademo-class charging for several hundred dollars vs tens of thousands.