As the number of Tesla electric cars has grown, lines at some Supercharger charging stations have grown. Other slower charging stations called Tesla Destination can be occupied by electric cars (e.g. Nissan) from other manufacturers thanks to the Tesla to J1772 adapter. So how do we Tesla owners charge a car at another Level 2 station if our connector is not there? That’s where the J1772 adapter for Tesla comes in.

OEM J1772 for Tesla is already included with any car

Perhaps the owner of a new Tesla car knows that he has a home charger and an adapter J1772 for his Tesla in his trunk. In addition to the aforementioned ability to charge in Level 2 charging station networks (EVSE) with the adapter, there are times when it is necessary to use it with home devices. If if should happens that an adapter is lost or an additional one is needed, then this review on selecting an adapter will explain all the details.

J1772 to Tesla adapter

Among EV Adept’s customers are families with electric cars from different manufacturers, and the universal charger (Wall Mounted type) more often has the J1772 plugin. And that, as we know, is not directly supported by Tesla. This is where a J1772 to Tesla adapter comes in.

A good adapter will be compatible with all Tesla models (the USA and Canada)

  • Model 3
  • Model Y
  • Model S
  • Model X

Not compatible with European versions of Tesla with CCS charging ports.

What features should the best adapter have?

  • 40A-60A
  • 240V AC
  • Frost-resistant -22°F (-30°C)
  • Heat-resistant 122°F (50°C)
  • IP54 water resist

Charging speed when charging Tesla at non-Tesla stations

  Tesla Model X Tesla Model Y Tesla Model S
VOLTA • 9.6KW OUTPUT (AC) 28 mi/h 37 mi/h 34 mi/h
ELECTRIFY AMERICA • 7KW OUTPUT (AC) 21 mi/h 33 mi/h 25 mi/h
BLINK • 7.7KW OUTPUT (AC) 23 mi/h 37 mi/h 28 mi/h

Use a calculator to calculate other specifications.

J1772 to Tesla adapter AC only

J1772 adapter and fast charging

Unfortunately, the type of connector used in the adapter, J1772, assumes only AC use for Level 1 and Level 2 stations (it is mentioned in the blogs). If you need to charge your Tesla in public DC networks such as ChargePoint with fast charging, the CCS to Tesla adapter is the way to go. Even though the CCS connector is partially similar to J1772, you can’t use it with Level 1 and 2 chargers.

Which adapter should I buy and where?

In testing among EV Adept customers, non-original models of adapters were observed to have dimensional problems. Such adapters are simply stuck in the port for Tesla users. In other non-certified models, the resistance was different from the original reference.

The choice among our customers is the OEM adapter, which you can see it on the official website or among other offers.

If you are a fan of fast delivery, then pay attention to the following worthy alternative. From our customers’ experience, we can also confidently call Lectron a good model. The allowable current is 60A as opposed to the original (40A). If the 20 amp difference is not so relevant for the current Level 2 chargers, it may well be in demand shortly.

What can the Lectron adapter do?

  1. Supports speeds up to 19kWh
  2. Compatible with most Level 1 and 2 (home and network EVSE)

Which home charging stations the Lectron adapter is compatible with?

  • Lectron Level 2 (tested)
  • ChargePoint (tested)
  • Grizzl-E (tested) 
  • JuiceBox (tested)
  • Siemens (tested)
  • Eaton
  • Blink 
  • and other Level 1-2 EVSE

If the question of choosing an EV home station has not yet been solved, then look closely at high power stations, even if your car has limits on current reception. The charger will be relevant for the future lineup of electric cars.

Which public charging networks the adapter is compatible with?

  • VOLTA
  • BLINK
  • CHARGEPOINT
  • ELECTRIFY AMERICA
  • EVGO

EV Adapt adapters were tested in these networks by EV Adept customers. In other networks with J1772 plug-ins, we see no obstacles to using the same adapter to charge your Tesla.

How to use it?

Connect the adapter to the charger connector, then plug the adapter into the Tesla charging port.

FAQ

The additional part in the electrical connection increases the possibility of malfunctions. With our measurements, the resistance increases only slightly, which has a negligible effect on the charging rate (<0.02%). However, this only applies to the certified J1772 adapters recommended in this article.

Of course, you can use the adapter in public charging networks as well as at home, even with the J1772 extension cord for the charger.

J1772 only involves Level 2 charging with alternating current. Constant current stations (fast charging) use the CCS standard. This is a different kind of adapter and is sold in the USA. Read more in this article.

Yes. On certified equipment (listed in the article), no problems were found when testing Plug and Charge identification.

The exact figure will depend on the Tesla model. Use the Tesla Supercharger Charging Cost Calculator to get the data. This tool has information on different Tesla models and it will show the standby speed.

Mike Becker
About Mike Becker Linked In
Mike is a seasoned engineer with 10+ years of experience in charging systems. He bought a Tesla Model S in 2014 and has been in love with EVs ever since. He runs a small EVSE installation business in Florida and blogs about what he loves.
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