In this instalment of my Tesla electric vehicle charger comparisons, I will be comparing the Tesla wall charger against the Tesla mobile connector. The good thing is that both products are manufactured and sold by Tesla, so you have no worries about third-party compatibility and integrations.
I did an article earlier on Juicebox versus Tesla wall connector, and I will provide the link to that later in this article.
But in this article, I will be providing a definitive review of each of Tesla wall connector and Tesla mobile connector, so you learn which charger best suits your needs, depending on your situation and Tesla recommended best practice.
Tesla Mobile Connector Overview
A Tesla mobile connector as the name suggests, is a mobile charger for your Tesla electric vehicle and is useful for when you are away from home on extended trips. It allows you to charge your car from different outlets. However, the mobile connector does not have the output of the wall connector and so can only charge at medium to low speeds.
With a Tesla mobile connector, a standard household outlet can provide charging speeds of about 3 miles of range per hour. If you use a 240-volt outlet, then you can get up to 30 miles of range per hour depending on your vehicle model.
Application of the Tesla mobile connector is limited as Tesla recommends using the wall connector when charging at home, and charging at a Tesla Supercharging Station or a Destination Charging Site when traveling.
- You are likely already familiar with supercharging stations. Destination charging stations on the other hand are standard Tesla wall connectors that are placed at more than 40,000 locations in public and rural areas. The main difference is, unlike supercharging stations that take about 30 minutes to an hour to charge your Tesla fully, the destination chargers charge at the standard rate of work connectors, which is a few hours to full.
As at the time of writing this article, the Tesla mobile connector bundle includes:
- The mobile connector which is 20 ft long
- An adaptor for standard 120 volt household outlets (NEMA 5-15)
- A bag for organising the cable
- From the middle of august 2023, the mobile connector will also include the NEMA 14-50 adapter.
Find below, details of the currently included NEMA 5-15 adapter with the Tesla Mobile Connector
| Outlet | Model 3 Charging Speed (miles of range per hour of charge) | Model 6 Charging Speed (miles of range per hour of charge) | Model X Charging Speed (miles of range per hour of charge) | Model Y Charging Speed (miles of range per hour of charge) |
| NEMA 5-15 on 120 volt, 15 amp breaker for common household outlets | 6 miles | 5 miles | 4 miles | 5 miles |
You can also buy additional adapters from Amazon and Tesla Shop. The currently supported adapters for mobile connectors and their corresponding charging speeds include:
| Outlet | Model 3 Charging Speed (miles of range per hour of charge) | Model S Charging Speed (miles of range per hour of charge) | Model X Charging Speed (miles of range per hour of charge) | Model Y Charging Speed (miles of range per hour of charge) |
| NEMA 6-50 240 volt / 50 amp breaker
Maximum 32 amp output |
30 miles | 27 miles | 23 miles | 27 miles |
| NEMA 14-50 on 240 volt / 50 amp breaker
Maximum 32 amp outputhousehold outlets |
30 miles | 27 miles | 23 miles | 27 miles |
| NEMA 14-30 on 240 volt / 30 amp breaker
Maximum 24 amp output |
22 miles | 21 miles | 17 miles | 21 miles |
| NEMA 10-30 on 240 volt / 30 amp breaker
Maximum 24 amp output |
22 miles | 21 miles | 17 miles | 21 miles |
| NEMA 6-20 on 240 volt / 20 amp breaker
Maximum 16 amp output |
15 miles | 14 miles | 12 miles | 14 miles |
| NEMA 6-15 on 240 volt / 15 amp breaker
Maximum 12 amp output |
11 miles | 10 miles | 9 miles | 10 miles |
| NEMA 5-20 on 120 volt / 20 amp breaker
Maximum 16 amp output Common household outlet |
7 miles | 7 miles | 6 miles | 7 miles |
Tesla Wall Connector Overview
The Tesla Wall Connector is manufactured by Tesla, exclusively for Tesla electric vehicles. It is compatible with all Tesla models: X, S, 3, and Y. It provides 11.5kW / 48 amp output, and about 44 miles of range per charge hour, depending on the model. More on this later.
The wall connector is built to adapt to most home electrical systems, and the power levels can be customized on different circuit breakers.
Tesla wall connector comes with 24ft cable, so it provides just about the same level of freedom as the Mobile Connector @ 20ft.
Tesla wall connector can also be connected to WIFI which enables it to receive firmware updates as well as diagnostics and usage tracking capabilities for Tesla support.
Access control to the wall connector is done during setup in the commissioning wizard.
Tesla wall connectors support power sharing which is ideal for households that need to charge more than one Tesla vehicles at a time, but may not have sufficient power for multiple electrical circuits. Power sharing on Tesla wall connectors allows max 6 wall connectors to share power from one circuit. Even though the vehicles will not receive the normal charging speeds, the charge output and speed are still sufficient.
Earlier, I mentioned the miles of range per hour that the Tesla wall connector provides. I have provided a comprehensive chart below:
| Circuit Breaker Power Supply (amps) | Corresponding Wall Connector Maximum Output (amps) | Corresponding Power Output in kW, at 240V | Model S max miles of range per hour of charge (mph) | Model 3 max miles of range per hour of charge (mph)
|
Model X max miles of range per hour of charge (mph)
|
Model Y max miles of rangeper hour of charge (mph)
|
| 60 | 48 | 11.5 kW | 41 | 44 | 35 | 44 |
| 50 | 40 | 9.6 kW | 34 | 37 | 29 | 37 |
| 40 | 32 | 7.7 kW | 27 | 30 | 23 | 30 |
| 30 | 24 | 5.7 kW | 21 | 22 | 17 | 22 |
| 20 | 16 | 3.8 kW | 14 | 15 | 12 | 15 |
| 15 | 12 | 2.8 kW | 10 | 11 | 9 | 11 |
Tesla Mobile Connector Vs Wall Connector
| Feature | Tesla Mobile Connector | Tesla Wall Connector | Verdict |
| Power Sharing | Tesla mobile connector does not support power sharing. You can only charge one Tesla vehicle at a time | You can connect up to 6 Tesla wall connectors safely to a single circuit breaker | Tesla wall connectors have the advantage in this.
If you are on a trip and need to charge more than one Tesla at a time, you can’t use a mobile connector. You would either need to charge one Tesla after the other, or go to a Destination Charger to charge more than one Tesla at a time |
| Charging Speed | With 240v outlet, supplies max of 30 miles of range per hour of charge | Supplies 240V and 11.5 kW. This gives a max of 44 miles of range per hour of charge | If you are pressed for time, the wall connector takes it in terms of speed. However, if you can find a 240 volt outlet for your mobile connector, the difference isn’t so much after all |
| Variety | There is only one variety of the Tesla Mobile Connector | Only one model as well | Both products come in only one model. So, if you are looking for variety and options, no luck here |
| Price | The Tesla mobile connector costs $230 on the Tesla Shop website | The Tesla wall charger costs $475 on the Tesla Shop website | The wall connector costs almost double the mobile connector. So, it’s entirely your call what works for you here |
| Connectivity and Smart Features | Mobile connector has no smart features. It is just plug and play | Tesla wall connector can be connected to WIFI
Access control is done through the commissioning wizard process.
With the wall connector plugged in, you can schedule charging via the Tesla touchscreen and the mobile app
|
The wall connector offers greater flexibility and ease of management with its smart features, however limited. |
| Warranty | 12 months if purchased from Tesla Shop
BUT 24 months in EU countries
4 years if supplied with a Tesla vehicle purchase |
12 months if purchased from Tesla Shop
BUT 24 months in EU countries
4 years if supplied with a Tesla vehicle purchase |
No difference |
I would like to point out that Tesla recommends that you use the wall connector for regular charge. The mobile connector and supercharging stations should only be used on occasion. This is best practice if you want to optimize the lifespan of your Tesla vehicle’s main battery pack and 12 volt battery.
My Final Thoughts
Unlike the JuiceBox vs Tesla Wall Charger comparison which you can find here, this article is not so much a comparison of alternatives as a comparison of different products that have different applications. The wall connector and the mobile connector each have their place.
It would make sense to have a mobile connector for when you are away from home for long periods. While, for regular charging of your Tesla, the wall connector is the best product to go for.
Decisions like this are very subjective to each person’s circumstances. For some Tesla owners, owning both makes the most sense!