Tesla Removes Charge Cord From New Vehicles

• Tesla's Gen 2 Mobile Connector will no longer come standard on its vehicles.
• The company reduced the price to $200 after customers voiced their concerns.
• Tesla is the second automaker to make this move.

Tesla announced over the weekend that it will no longer include its 120-volt Gen 2 Mobile Connector charge cord as standard in any of its vehicles. Twitter user @Tesla_Adri, a self-described "Tesla Enthusiast," was the first to notice the change on Tesla's support page.

It was later confirmed in a tweet by Elon Musk himself: "Usage statistics were super low, so seemed wasteful. On the (minor) plus side, we will be including more plug adapters with the mobile connector kit."

Slow, but useful in a pinch

Gen 2 Mobile Connector, while slow to charge at a rate of 2-3 miles of range per hour, was helpful for new electric vehicle owners to hold them over at home until they were able to install a faster 240-volt charger. It could also come in handy in an emergency if there were no charge options available except for a standard 120-volt outlet.

It is unclear at this time if this decision will impact new owners who haven't yet taken delivery of an ordered Tesla or if it applies to new orders from this point forward.

Slight course correction

A number of Tesla fans were understandably displeased and voiced their concern in replies to Musk's tweet. This prompted a second tweet from Musk on this issue:

"Based on feedback received, we will drop mobile connector price to $200 & make it easy to order with car. Note, mobile connector is not needed if you have a Tesla wall connector or to use Superchargers. Recommend installing Tesla wall connector well before car arrives."

This now leaves prospective new Tesla customers with a few options:

• Purchase the newly discounted Gen 2 Mobile Connector Bundle for $200
• Purchase the faster 240-volt Corded Mobile Connector for $400
• Purchase the nonportable Wall Connector for $495

But as Musk notes, buyers will need to time their charge cord purchase to arrive either beforehand or at about the same time as when they take delivery. However, as of this writing, both mobile charge options were currently out of stock on the Tesla site. Moreover, Tesla had not yet updated the price for the cheapest option from $275 to $200.

Tesla follows Kia into the "no free charger" era

A 120-volt or 240-volt charge cord has come standard on the vast majority of electric vehicles to date, but while Tesla tends to have a gravitational pull on the news cycle, it's actually not the first automaker to break ranks. Lost in the noise around Tesla's decision is the fact that Kia quietly led the way by not including a charge cord in its newly launched EV6. Interestingly, a charge cord is still included, for now, with the EV6's corporate sibling, the Hyundai Ioniq 5.

Kia and Tesla now join a number of non-automotive companies that are no longer including charge cords or plugs in new devices, citing environmental or (more plausibly) cost reasons. Nintendo did it in 2015 with its 3DS, Apple in 2020 with its iPhone 12, and Samsung last year with its S21 smartphone.

Edmunds says

For most Tesla buyers, an extra $200 won't really make a huge impact on their wallet, but it does add an extra layer of complexity when it comes to ordering your Tesla. Plus, it never feels good when features or parts that were once standard are taken away.