Anyone Tried Other Brand Chargers for Bolt EV

[MinervaIdah]

Hey Bolt community! I’m thinking of getting a smaller charger to keep in my Bolt for on-the-go charging. A friend offered me a Kia/Hyundai charger at a good price, and I’m wondering if it’s cool to use another brand’s charger. My thinking is that it should work the same as a public charger—just plug in and go, right?

Unless, of course, there’s something I’m missing, like specific electronics in the charger that make it compatible only with certain cars. Has anyone here tried using a charger from a different brand for their Bolt? Would love to hear any insights or recommendations before I decide to grab this one!

 

[tim-c]

Can you ask to borrow it and make sure it works before buying? I'm using a level 2 Lectron charger at home and it works great.

I think the worst thing that could happen is that the charger doesn't charge the car.

 

[Drey]

Using a Kia/Hyundai charger for your Bolt should work fine as long as it has the same plug type (likely J1772), but double check the specifications to ensure compatibility.

 

[Mike Sweeney]

For home use, I use Autel and Tesla Connector V3 with an adapter. On the road I carry the same adapter which lets use any Tesla destination charger plus my normal CCS/J sites plug I carry a Tesla mobile adapter with a 220 plug plus bonding plug( some RV sites present power like it's from a generator). I do have a generic 110/220 adapter but I never use it. I use that Tesla mobile adapter kit between 3 cars.

 

[Joe Cherra]

Hey Bolt community! I’m thinking of getting a smaller charger to keep in my Bolt for on-the-go charging. A friend offered me a Kia/Hyundai charger at a good price, and I’m wondering if it’s cool to use another brand’s charger. My thinking is that it should work the same as a public charger—just plug in and go, right?

Unless, of course, there’s something I’m missing, like specific electronics in the charger that make it compatible only with certain cars. Has anyone here tried using a charger from a different brand for their Bolt? Would love to hear any insights or recommendations before I decide to grab this one!

Grab it. I've several wall chargers and they all worked from the get go. One caution, if the control box is too close to the wall plug, the weight of that box has the tendency to Unplug the unit from the wall.

 

[BillM]

For home use, I use Autel and Tesla Connector V3 with an adapter. On the road I carry the same adapter which lets use any Tesla destination charger plus my normal CCS/J sites plug I carry a Tesla mobile adapter with a 220 plug plus bonding plug( some RV sites present power like it's from a generator). I do have a generic 110/220 adapter but I never use it. I use that Tesla mobile adapter kit between 3 cars.

I just received the GM to Tesla adapter and discovered that the GM adapter apparently only supports DC charging at Superchsrgers. That cuts out probably thousands of Tesla Destination level-2 chargers at businesses and hotels.

What brand adapter works with Tesla Destinstion chargers?

Thanks,
Bill

 

[ClarD]

What brand adapter works with Tesla Destination chargers?

There are two kinds of Tesla->CCS or J1772 adapters.
One for AC, just the upper part of your charge port.
The other is for DC, the AC pins are empty while the two large pins below are used for DC.
Tesla puts AC or DC onto the same pins.

Bundle with both adapters:
https://ev-lectron.com/products/lec...48-amp-tesla-to-j1772-ev-adapter-bundle-black


Tesla-built and Lectron are what Chevy sells. A2Z is well respected.

 

[ClarD]

All current EVs in the US except Tesla use the same connector.
Charge cords for home are interchangeable, and you've already noted that public chargers are interchangeable.

In eight years with a short range LEAF, and two years of road trips in my Bolt EUV, I have never used my charge cord on the road. I've traveled most of western California, and Oregon, so availability might vary in other parts of the country, but with the range of the Bolt, I wouldn't go out of my way to carry a charge cord.

 

[Mike Sweeney]

I just received the GM to Tesla adapter and discovered that the GM adapter apparently only supports DC charging at Superchsrgers. That cuts out probably thousands of Tesla Destination level-2 chargers at businesses and hotels.

What brand adapter works with Tesla Destinstion chargers?

Thanks,
Bill

I just received the GM to Tesla adapter and discovered that the GM adapter apparently only supports DC charging at Superchsrgers. That cuts out probably thousands of Tesla Destination level-2 chargers at businesses and hotels.

What brand adapter works with Tesla Destinstion chargers?

Thanks,
Bill

This is one of two I have. I bought it off Amazon and it works very well. Any Tesla wall connector/destination charger that is set up on 220/240 volts. I also use it with my mobile charger when plugged into a 14/50 220 outlet like you can find in an RV park. The other one I have had a short cord so it’s flexible and doesn’t stick out quite as much from the car. It cost a bit more. I keep this one in the bolt as the car is considerably smaller than the van so even with no cord, it does not stick into the next lane

https://a.co/d/22jqtmC

 

[odioc]

This is one of two I have. I bought it off Amazon and it works very well. Any Tesla wall connector/destination charger that is set up on 220/240 volts. I also use it with my mobile charger when plugged into a 14/50 220 outlet like you can find in an RV park. The other one I have had a short cord so it’s flexible and doesn’t stick out quite as much from the car. It cost a bit more. I keep this one in the bolt as the car is considerably smaller than the van so even with no cord, it does not stick into the next lane

https://a.co/d/22jqtmC

I purchased this in 2021 on Amazon and have used it with my son's level 2 tesla charger installed in his garage. It has worked perfectly all these years:
Authentic TeslaTap - 50 AMP Tesla to J-1772 AdapterAuthentic TeslaTap - 50 AMP Tesla to J-1772 Adapter
J1772·50 AMP Original

 

[Mike Sweeney]

yep. That’s the other one I have. Had it for three years now and works good with the various tesla home/destination chargers I’ve used.

 

[Joe Cherra]

Hey Bolt community! I’m thinking of getting a smaller charger to keep in my Bolt for on-the-go charging. A friend offered me a Kia/Hyundai charger at a good price, and I’m wondering if it’s cool to use another brand’s charger. My thinking is that it should work the same as a public charger—just plug in and go, right?

Unless, of course, there’s something I’m missing, like specific electronics in the charger that make it compatible only with certain cars. Has anyone here tried using a charger from a different brand for their Bolt? Would love to hear any insights or recommendations before I decide to grab this one!

In 8 years, I've gone through 4. I'm using a Jeep cord now. The only problem I have is with the short length between the plug and the control box. The weight of the control box wants to pull the plug out of the wall socket.
A bit of advice:
If you do a lot of travelling, buy a NEMA 1450 cord in case you cannot find a charging station. This is what campers use at RV parks. The outlet is is on a 50kw power station and will outperform the J1772 stations.

 

[BillM]

I originally had a Nissan LEAF and the cord was very durable. The insulation was quite a bit thicker than the Clipper Creek cord which ships with the Bolt.

I just got the plug-in version of the GM charger because I have a J-1450 50 amp outlet in my garage. GM had all of its parts and accessories 20% discounted with free shipping around Christmas. That made the GM price more competitive. The Ultium charger can communicate with the MyChevrolet app. The unit just arrived December 24, so I have not had a chance to mount it on the wall yet. The Ultium unit appears to be very well made and very heavy duty.