Tesla launches home charger with J1772 connector

Tesla’s recent move to open its Supercharger stations to other brands’ EVs was momentous, but expected—it was an inevitable step forward that the company announced some months ago. But wait—the Ronco of Renewable Transport has just done something more surprising. It plans to offer a new version of its Wall Connector home charger that’s equipped with a J1772 plug, making it compatible with all North American EVs.

The J1772 Gen 2 Wall Connector provides 9.6 kW of charging power at 40 amps. It includes a 24-foot cable, and can be installed in indoor or outdoor locations. The price tag of $415 is comparable to that of other basic Level 2 chargers. Unlike Tesla’s Gen 3 Wall Connector ($780), the Gen 2 doesn’t have WiFi connectivity.

Compared to the opening of the Superchargers, this is no game-changing announcement. There’s no particular reason for a non-Tesla EV driver, or even a mixed EV household, to buy a Tesla charger (like all J1772 chargers, the new box can charge Tesla vehicles with a simple plug adapter). One possible advantage has to do with the Tesla’s growing network of Destination Chargers. At some of these locations, the company has installed non-Tesla chargers—now it can provide service to non-Tesla EVs while using its own branded chargers.

Be all that as it may, this is one more welcome step towards an interoperable world, in which any EV can use any charger.

US House passes public works bill with $7.5 billion for EV charging infrastructure

Finally! After much inter- and intra-party wrangling, the US House passed an infrastructure package that authorizes $550 billion of new investment over several years, including $7.5 billion for EV charging infrastructure and several other EV- and clean energy-related items.

The total price tag for the package comes to over $1.2 trillion when routine funding for highways is included, making it the largest public works bill since President Eisenhower created the Interstate Highway System.

The vote in the House was 228-206—13 Republicans supported the bill and 6 Democrats voted against it. The Senate passed the infrastructure plan in August with a bipartisan 69-30 vote. It’s safe to assume that President Joe Biden will quickly sign the bill into law.

In addition to the 7.5 big ones for public charging infrastructure, the bill includes: around $110 billion in new investment for roads and bridges; $65 billion for power grid upgrades; $66 billion for Amtrak and other rail; $39 billion for public transit; $5 billion for new school buses, half of which can be spent on diesel or CNG buses; $17 billion for port infrastructure; and $25 billion for airport repairs and measures to reduce congestion and emissions. The latter two items could include some funding for transport electrification (airport ground equipment, port drayage vehicles).

After passing the infrastructure bill, the House adopted a procedural rule establishing floor debate parameters for the Democrats’ next project: the $1.75-trillion Build Back Better Act, which includes several e-mobility-related measures. One of these is a reboot of the federal EV tax credit, including a controversial bonus for union-built EVs.

The battle over this next bill could stretch into December, but for now, Democrats are taking a hard-earned victory lap. “Generations from now, people will look back and know this is when America won the economic competition for the 21st century,” said President Biden.

Ford CEO praises Tesla in internal meeting: ‘No one does EV better’

Ford CEO Jim Farley has praised Tesla in a new internal meeting and he didn’t mince his words.

He made it clear that Tesla does electric vehicles better than anyone, and that Ford needs to respect that.

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Source: Charge Forward