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Tesla Stops Bundling Mobile Charger With New Vehicles

'Usage statistics were super low, so [it] seemed wasteful,' says Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

 & Nathaniel Mott Contributing Writer

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Tesla will stop bundling the Mobile Connector, which allows people to charge their electric vehicles from a standard outlet, because not enough customers are using the hardware.

There are several ways to charge one of Tesla's electric vehicles. Many customers have a dedicated Wall Connector installed at home, and the company operates tens of thousands of Supercharger locations that can offer up to a 200-mile range with 15 minutes of charging, too. Tesla introduced the Mobile Connector for people who can't use either charging solution.

The charging offered by this connector isn't great—Tesla says the Gen 2 Mobile Connector will charge its vehicles at a rate of roughly 2-3 miles of range per hour—but it does allow people to charge from a standard wall outlet. The problem, as Tesla CEO Elon Musk explained on Twitter, is that the company doesn't think bundling the connector is worth the additional cost.

Both of Tesla's mobile connectors, the $275 Gen 2 Mobile Connector and the $400 Corded Mobile Connector, are not available on the company's online store at time of writing.

Electrek reports that Tesla is also removing the mobile connector from existing vehicle orders, even if they were included at time of purchase. Hopefully their Wall Connectors have already been installed, eh?

About Our Expert

Nathaniel Mott

Nathaniel Mott

Contributing Writer

I've been writing about tech, including everything from privacy and security to consumer electronics and startups, since 2011 for a variety of publications.

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