Over the years, Tesla has established itself as the leader in the electric vehicle industry. As you likely already know, the company is constantly releasing new products and they’re vastly improved. There is no doubt that the company’s electric vehicle chargers have become more efficient. With that being said, you’re likely wondering which one is right for you. Should you stick with the Gen 2 EV charger or should you upgrade to the Gen 3 model?
Below, you will find out more about both so you can decide for yourself.
The Differences
First and foremost, you’ll want to learn more about the differences between these EV chargers. What sets them apart?
Aesthetics
These EV chargers are much different in terms of appearance. The Gen 3 charger features a glass display on the front and white background. The company’s name can be found on the surface. As for the Gen 2 EV Charger, it has a plastic cover that may be silver or black.
Length Of Cable
Having extra cable can make charging your electric vehicle much easier. This is one of the areas where the Gen 2 charger is the better option. It provides users with 24-feet of cable. That is significantly more than what you’re going to receive from the Gen 3 charger since it only offers 18-feet. With the Gen 3 charger, you’ll need to make sure that you install the charging station close to the location where your vehicle will be parked
Power & Amps
The Gen 2 charger is more powerful since it can provide 80 amps of power to the electric vehicle. However, more power might not make a big difference here. It is vital to understand that no electrical vehicles can charge at a rate over 48 amps right now. The Gen 3 charger can deliver 48 amps of power and this is the best you can get. Since you’re dealing with fewer amps, you won’t need to worry about heat as much. Gen 2 chargers have many problems including overheating and sparking issues. With the Gen 3 charger, you won’t have to worry about it since it sticks with a maximum of 48 amps.
Size Of Cable
One of the biggest downfalls with the Gen 2 charger is the size of the cable. It is heavy, thick, and difficult to carry. With the Gen 3 charger, the cable is much lighter and thinner. If you’re looking for a charger that is lighter and easier to use, you’ll want to buy the Tesla Gen 3 charger.
Wi-Fi Compatibility
Since you’re a Tesla owner, there is a good chance that you love taking advantage of technology and everything it has to offer. Well, you’ll be thrilled to know that the new Gen 3 charger is Wi-Fi enabled. This means that you’ll be able to quickly connect your charger to your smartphone. Just remember that this feature is not flawless so you may experience difficulty getting the charger to connect to the app and vice versa. Still, there is a good chance that the feature will improve with future updates from Tesla.
Load Sharing Capabilities
There is a good chance that you’ll want to charge multiple devices simultaneously. With that being said, you should know that the Gen 3 charger is better in this category. It can share the load between 16 devices wirelessly. As for the Gen 2 charger, you will only be able to share the load with 4 connected units.
Price
With the new features, you may suspect that the Gen 3 electric vehicle charger is going to be more expensive. This isn’t the case. Both vehicle chargers cost $500. The Gen 3 charger has some limitations but it is still an improvement over the Gen 2.
