If there is one thing nearly every EV enthusiast in the U.S. can agree on, it’s that Tesla has the best charging infrastructure in the country. And we aren’t just talking about Tesla Superchargers, because there are over 35,000 Tesla Wall Connectors at Destination Charging sites. The problem is, Tesla uses a proprietary connector instead of the industry standard J1772, leaving other EV owners to believe they can’t access or use Tesla chargers for their vehicles.
Now, that is still true for some Tesla Superchargers, although that is slowly changing with the rollout of Magic Docks. However, any EV owner can use a Tesla Wall Connector at a Destination Charging site, or a Tesla Mobile Connector if they have an adapter. Several different companies make Tesla to J1772 adapters, allowing non-Tesla EV owners to charge their vehicle using a Tesla charger that isn’t a Supercharger. For those who want to use a Supercharger, you’ll have to see if the ones near you are now equipped with the Magic Dock, which is essentially a CCS adapter.
There may be another reason why you want to know if you can charge your non-Tesla EV with a Tesla charger, and this is the reason that applied to me. I previously owned a Tesla Model 3 and I had a Tesla Wall Connector installed in my garage. I then decided to move on from Tesla, selling the Model 3 and picking up a Polestar 2. The thing is, I didn’t want to spend the money buying another home EV charger and having it installed, when I had a fully functional Tesla Wall Connector. If you’re like me, you’ll want a Tesla to J1772 adapter.
Not only does owning a Tesla to J1772 adapter come in handy if you already have a Tesla Wall Connector installed at home, but it’ll give you access to all those Tesla Destination Chargers you find installed at hotels, parks, restaurants, supermarkets, and more.
There are several options to choose from if you’re looking to purchase a Tesla to J1772 adapter. Our recommendation comes from Lectron, as we have tested and reviewed its Tesla to J1772 adapter with several vehicles including my Polestar 2 and Toyota Prius Prime.
How-to charge any EV with a Tesla charger
So long as you aren’t trying to use a Tesla Supercharger, you can use the following simple steps to charge your non-Tesla EV with a Tesla charger.
1. Purchase a Tesla to J1772 adapter. We recommend this adapter from Lectron. It’s very high quality and supports up to 48 amps of maximum current.
2. Connect the adapter to the Tesla charger’s connector. If you have a good quality adapter, there should be a mechanism to lock the adapter in place with the Tesla connector.
3. With the Tesla connector attached to the adapter, simply plug the adapter into your vehicle and watch it start charging with the Tesla charger.
Again, it’s very important to understand that Tesla to J1772 adapters will not work with Tesla Superchargers — those are the red and white chargers seen above. Tesla has begun equipping certain Supercharger stations with its Magic Dock, which is a CCS adapter. If your vehicle supports CCS, and you have a Magic Dock-equipped Supercharger near you, then you can use that for DC fast charging.
Please keep in mind all the information in this post only applies to U.S. vehicles, since Tesla uses a different connector in Europe.
Which Tesla chargers can I use with a Tesla to J1772 adapter?
At the time of publishing, you can use Tesla Mobile Connectors, Tesla Wall Connectors, and Tesla Destination Chargers (typically Wall Connectors) with a proper Tesla to J1772 adapter. Again, you cannot use a Tesla to J1772 adapter with a Tesla Supercharger. In order to use a Tesla Supercharger to charge a non-Tesla EV, you’ll have to find a Supercharger equipped with Tesla’s Magic Dock.
What’s the best Tesla to J1772 adapter?
We got great results evaluating Lectron’s Tesla to J1772 adapter, so that is our recommendation for the best Tesla to J1772 adapter.
Recent updates:
Updated (11:48 a.m. EST, 03/06/2023): Updated the content of this post to reflect that Tesla has begun equipping some of its Superchargers with Magic Dock CCS adapters.
