It’s not surprising to hear that Tesla introduced a new Universal Wall Connector to charge any electric vehicle in North America regardless of its charging inlet, with the NACS heating up. Tesla’s new home charging unit, the Universal Wall Connector, can handle vehicles that use either the NACS or SAE J1772.

It’s a very interesting product for those who own both Tesla and non-Tesla EVs, but its main purpose is to address the compatibility issue during the period of transition from SAE J1772/CCS1 charging connectors to the North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector developed by Tesla, which the entire EV industry in North America will soon embrace.

Multiple electric car manufacturers already announced the switch from SAE J1772/CCS1 to NACS, and the first new non-Tesla models with NACS charging inlets are expected to arrive in 2025. However, there will be a time (potentially 10+ years) when many users will find it useful or even necessary to have both plug types to charge various EVs, or when switching from an old J1772-compatible car to a new NACS-compatible one.

A front view of the updated Tesla Universal Wall Connector.

And here comes the Tesla Universal Wall Connector, which by default is NACS-compatible, but also has an integrated NACS-to-J1772 adapter. The user can easily select whether he would like the plug with the NACS connector or the J1772-to-NACS adapter with a touch of a button.

Tesla explains that the “Universal Wall Connector is a convenient charging solution for Tesla and non-Tesla electric vehicles alike and is ideal for houses, apartments, hospitality properties and workplaces.”

The Universal Wall Connector is rated at 11.5 kilowatts (a 48 amp output at 240 volts), which is typical for Tesla and is considered enough for most typical electric car models and installations.

Features:

• Up to 44 mi of range added per hour at 11.5 kW / 48 amp output
• Integrated J1772 adapter to conveniently charge any electric vehicle
• Auto-sensing handle to open a Tesla charge port
• Monitor and manage your charging schedule and usage from the Tesla app
• Wi-Fi connectivity for over-the-air updates, remote diagnostics and access controls
• Versatile indoor / outdoor design
• Variable amperage configurations depending on installation location
• Power-share with up to six Wall Connectors
• 24-foot cable length
• Four-year warranty for residential use

The updated charging station is $595, slightly higher than the standard NACS-only Tesla Wall Connector offered for $475. Nonetheless, the ability to charge both NACS- and J1772-compatible EVs without having to worry about future upgrades of your home charging station makes this offer very interesting and competitive – especially compared to the cost of purchasing two separate units.

Tesla says that orders will begin shipping in October 2023.

Here is how it works:

Charge any EV in North America with the new Universal Wall Connector

Now available in the US and Canada → https://t.co/lcb73F6xGj pic.twitter.com/VbeyD8eeJw

— Tesla Charging (@TeslaCharging) August 15, 2023

The Universal Wall Connector is promised to come with multiple smart features, all available through the Tesla app:

Screenshots from the Tesla app.

EVChargingStations.com has already had an opportunity to unbox and check out the Tesla Universal Wall Connector before sharing Tom’s initial thoughts in the two videos embedded below. Within a few weeks, we will see a full review and the results of his tests with both Tesla and non-Tesla EVs.