Tesla opens its Proprietary Charging design to other automakers

The Tesla charging connector is the industry-leading charging connector in North America. It\’s slim, but powerful enough to handle standard AC charging and up to 1 MW DC charging. 

Tesla said in a blog post in a blog post on Friday, November 11th, that they would be opening the EV connector design and specification to the world, naming the connector as the North American Charging Standard (NACS). Tesla also encourages network operators and automakers to adopt it. However, every electric vehicle manufacturer (except Tesla) uses the SAE J1772 connector for Level 1 and Level 2 charging in North America, meaning every EV can use any chargers that come with the standard J1772 connector.

EV charging options

Onething Tesla potential buyers are concerned about is how long does it take to charge at home? The Answer is it can take anywhere from a few hours to seven days to fully charge a Tesla. It really depends on which model you intend to purchase and what type of charger you use.

Level 1 charger (120-volt)

Let’s begin with the low power group with level 1 charger. All you need to do is plug the EV into a standard 120-volt AC wall outlet.  A 120V receptacle is the typical household outlet which is the same as nearly all of your devices (TV, phone charger, Laptop, etc.). It is extremely convenient since the standard 120V outlet is available almost everywhere. The cons of Level 1 is that it\’s slow — very slow. It typically runs on a paltry 12 or 16 amps and takes all night to power your car at only a 30-mile range.

Level 2 Charger (240-volt)

A Level 2 charger dramatically speeds up the charging time at which you can fully charge your Tesla. These chargers are typically 240 volts and can offer a range of about 35 miles per hour, which is more than seven times faster than Level 1. In addition, the Level 2 charger is available for both plug-in units and hardwired units. With a plug-in charger, you can either enjoy fast charging at home or toss it in your trunk to charge on the go. Level 2 chargers do require suitable outlets which typically are NEMA 14-50 or 6-50.

Pion Power Flex-AC EV Charger is the right one for you if any of these things are true

• You want the fastest home charging solution for your EV
• You want to use self-charging anytime, anywhere
• You don’t want to rely heavily on Supercharging stations
• You want to save on your electric bill with TOU for nighttime charging

With Flex-AC, get level 2 EV charging—7x faster than most level 1 chargers. Regardless if you’re home or on the go, plug into any standard 120-volt/12 amps or 240-volt/40 amps outlet. In fact, the smart Flex-AC system will automatically match the outlet’s voltage for maximum charge efficiency. Additionally, you can also schedule and monitor your charging status remotely with a simple app so that you can focus on life – not your battery.