Tesla has discontinued including its mobile connector with new car buys. Instead, it will sell its Gen 2 (Level 1) bundle separately for a lower $200 cost, Tesla CEO Elon Musk guaranteed in tweets.
The mobile connector loads come with an adapter that lets drivers charge their automobiles from an authoritative 110v household outlet, with other adapters available for purchase separately.
Musk confirmed that the company would no longer include the Gen 2 mobile connector with new car buys. “Usage statistics were awesome low, so seemed wasteful,” Musk described, adding that Tesla “will be including more pin adapters with the mobile connector kit” in the future. However, it’s indefinite which adapters Tesla will begin including with the kit.
Musk delivered another update hours later, commenting that, “based on user feedback,” Tesla will lower the price of the mobile connector to $200. He also said that Tesla would “make it easy” to order the mobile connector when buying a car and encouraged customers to bring a wall charger installed “well before” their vehicle reaches.
The Gen 2 mobile connector is still documented as costing $275 on Tesla’s site, and you couldn’t buy one even if you like to — the mobile connector is presently out of stock, and the same moves for the Gen 1 connector.
That said, it’s murky how long either accessory has been out of stock or whether a supply chain shortage contributes to Tesla’s decision. Tesla didn’t immediately respond for comment (Tesla disbanded its public relations crew in 2019 and typically doesn’t respond to the media’s questioning).
Reactions to Musk’s determination have been mixed. Although a mobile connector isn’t a condition, as Tesla owners can trust their car from a wall charger installed at their home or a charging station, some drivers speak it’s comforting to have the mobile connector with them while touring.
In addition, the accessory can arrive in handy at campsites or when traveling in an area without charging stations, as it permits drivers to plug their car into a standard outlet. However, it does charge at a much slower rate, with the Gen 2 charger supplying about one to three miles of range after an hour of charging.
Some drivers also communicate that mobile connector servers are cheaper than the expensive wall charger, while others say they rarely use them. Connectors with a 120v or 240v adapter come standard with other EVs, such as the Nissan Leaf, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Chevy Bolt, and BMW EVs. But as Elecktrek points out, the Kia EV6 also doesn’t come with a Level 1 or 2 charging cable.
In 2020, Apple famously stopped including chargers with its new iPhones, with Samsung and Google following suit. Although it’s easy to see parallels between this situation and Tesla’s, it’s far too early to tell if Tesla’s move will create a domino effect among other EV makers.