Tesla’s recent move to open its Supercharger stations to other brands’ EVs was momentous, but expected—it was an inevitable step forward that the company announced some months ago. But wait—the Ronco of Renewable Transport has just done something more surprising. It plans to offer a new version of its Wall Connector home charger that’s equipped with a J1772 plug, making it compatible with all North American EVs.
The J1772 Gen 2 Wall Connector provides 9.6 kW of charging power at 40 amps. It includes a 24-foot cable, and can be installed in indoor or outdoor locations. The price tag of $415 is comparable to that of other basic Level 2 chargers. Unlike Tesla’s Gen 3 Wall Connector ($780), the Gen 2 doesn’t have WiFi connectivity.
Compared to the opening of the Superchargers, this is no game-changing announcement. There’s no particular reason for a non-Tesla EV driver, or even a mixed EV household, to buy a Tesla charger (like all J1772 chargers, the new box can charge Tesla vehicles with a simple plug adapter). One possible advantage has to do with the Tesla’s growing network of Destination Chargers. At some of these locations, the company has installed non-Tesla chargers—now it can provide service to non-Tesla EVs while using its own branded chargers.
Be all that as it may, this is one more welcome step towards an interoperable world, in which any EV can use any charger.