Alongside the launch of the Cybertruck, Tesla also sneakily launched a new Mobile Connector that came with every Foundation-Series Cybertruck. We initially thought this was just an updated Mobile Connector to match the aesthetics of the Cybertruck, but that’s not the whole story.
New Mobile Connector
This third-gen Mobile Connector has finally arrived in the Tesla Shop, and the old one has been discontinued. Tesla has increased the price of the new connector from $275 USD to $300 USD.
The new Mobile Connector looks like a mini Wall Connector now. It offers the same shape with a green LED running from top to bottom. Otherwise, the packaging and items included are relatively the same, but with one interesting caveat.
Tesla is indicating that the new Mobile Connector can be used with a “Powershare Outlet Adapter” to power electronic devices. While the Outlet Adapter currently isn’t an item available on the Tesla Store, we expect that it will arrive in the coming months.
Unfortunately, Tesla doesn’t have any photos of the Outlet Adapter, but it sounds like it’ll be a different type of plug that connects to the top of the mobile connector, just like the 110V and 220V plugs. Instead of having a male plug to connect to an outlet, it’ll include various outlets at the end.
Powershare Capability for More Teslas?
Another key item of note is that the webpage for the new Mobile Connector also states, “Powershare is currently only available with the Cybertruck”. This appears to indicate that Tesla will soon offer Powershare on other vehicles, potentially the new Model Y, or even older vehicles.
The Cybertruck uses the AC charging circuit to discharge via its 120V and 240V outlets in the bed, which is why you can’t AC charge the truck and use the outlets at the same time.
Differences Between Wall Connector and Mobile Connector
While the Cybertruck is able to use the Powershare capable Wall Connector to power an entire house, the Mobile Connector would be used to power individual devices instead since it’s not capable of the same power output as the Wall Connector.
If and when Tesla brings Powershare to additional vehicles, it’ll be interesting to see whether they also support Powershare Home Backup with a Tesla Gateway or if it’d arrive in a more limited fashion using only the Mobile Connector’s Powershare Outlet Adapter we’re seeing here.
AC power out is a feature of the Cybertruck’s improved power conversion circuit, so it’s not clear whether other vehicles would be able to support this. Tesla could use an inverter to convert the vehicle’s DC power to AC power, which powers household devices.
Even if older vehicles only receive Powershare capabilities through the new Mobile Connector and the Powershare Outlet, this will be a huge win for Tesla owners. While it won’t be able to power an entire home, it should be able to provide about 10 kW of power, which is equivalent to a small gas generator — enough to use power tools, charge devices, run most 110v appliances like a refrigerator, and more.
In the meantime, if you’re itching to use your vehicle’s battery as a massive portable power bank and don’t have the Cybertruck, check out our coverage on the Vortipower V2L VP20 device, which offers similar capabilities by plugging into the NACS port to allow for 120V and 240V power.
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Several months ago, Tesla infamously started turning off power to its 12V sockets in its vehicles when someone wasn’t in the vehicle. This affected all vehicles, including the ever-popular Model Y. The reason provided for the removal was inappropriate modification of vehicles to use high-power devices, which could potentially cause dangerous situations.
This left many accessories, such as vehicle fridges, inoperable since they relied on power staying with Sentry Mode.
In its current state, your vehicle disables the rear 12V cigarette lighter-style sockets inside the center console and USB ports, when no one is detected inside the vehicle. The only current workaround to keeping these outlets with power is to use Camp Mode, but this has disadvantages such as the climate system staying on and walk-away locks being turned off.
This change also impacted USB power provided over any of the vehicle’s USB ports. This made it difficult for users to run sub-trunk fridges or other accessories that would continuously draw power, as Camp Mode consumes quite a bit of energy to maintain the vehicle’s internal temperature.
Update: Both the Model Y and Model X include a 12V socket in the rear left pillar of the vehicle, which is located under a flap, alongside a 12V socket in the front of the vehicle. The Model S and Model 3 only include USB ports and a 12V socket in the front.
The Cybertruck is Tesla’s only vehicle with 110V sockets at this time.
New Accessory Power Feature
Now, in a surprise move, Tesla is restoring access to the 12V sockets when the vehicle is powered off if users enable a new option called “Accessory Power.”
Tesla states that power is available whenever the vehicle detects a user is available or when the Keep Accessory Power On is enabled.
Turning on this new option will enable power across the entire vehicle, including the 12V socket, 12V (max 16A) rear plug (if equipped), and the vehicle’s USB ports. This will let users charge devices or use vehicle accessories, even when they’re not in the vehicle.
This is actually an improvement over the original way to keep these plugs powered without a user present, which required leaving Sentry Mode enabled, which uses a significant portion of energy itself.
The new Accessory Power option will be able to be turned on in your vehicle under Controls > Charging > Keep Accessory Power On.
Limitations
Similar to Sentry Mode and other features, accessory power is only enabled while the option is on and the vehicle’s battery remains above 20%, at which point, it’ll be turned off.
Tesla also warns that keeping the new accessory option on will cause the vehicle to consume additional energy, even if devices are not plugged into any of the outlets, so this should be an option that should be used selectively, when needed.
Release Date
It looks like this feature was supposed to make it out in the 2025.8 update, but to our knowledge, it hasn’t been enabled in any vehicles yet. Our best guess is that it’ll be enabled in a future 2025.8 update, or in the upcoming Spring Update, which will likely add other exciting features — at least if it’s anything like Tesla’s 2024 Spring Update.
We reported back in October that Tesla was looking for alternatives to keep accessories powered on without users present, so we’re super happy to hear this news, as it really shows that Tesla listens to its customers. It’s exciting to see Tesla restore a feature that had a lot of user support behind it, and we’re sure users will be thrilled to be able to use their fridges and accessories again.
If you’re a major user of accessory power, tell us what your primary use case is. Is it charging a laptop while you’re away from your vehicle, or is it running a sub-trunk fridge during your road trips?
We’d love to see some additional input on how Tesla can continue to improve this feature, so let us know in our forums or social media.
Three months after launching the Refreshed Model Y in North America, Tesla has finally ended the Launch Edition of the new vehicle. In addition, Tesla has also launched a new paint color for North America.
April has been the month of a lot of positive news, and it is great to see Tesla going beyond the Launch Edition of the Model Y and making it available to more customers immediately.
Launch Edition
The Launch Edition of the Model Y included the following extra features, bundled into the package cost.
Any paint choice (up to $1,500 USD value)
20” Helix 2.0 wheels ($2,000 USD)
Tow package ($1,000 USD)
Any interior color ($1,000 USD)
FSD ($8,000)
Acceleration Boost ($2,000)
The Launch Edition Model Y also included some other subtle changes like Launch Edition badging and trim, which you can read about here. Everything but the badging and Launch Edition trim can be bought for other Model Y trim levels.
Updated Pricing
The pricing has changed quite a bit from the Launch Edition, and it turns out the Launch Edition was also a pretty good deal if you were planning to buy most or all the extra features, which could save you almost $5,000 US. This is in sharp contrast to the Foundation-Series Cybertrucks, where there was very little to no difference in terms of price between a Foundation-Series truck and the AWD version with all the paid extras. Of course, not everyone may be interested in all features of the Launch Edition, so waiting for the AWD Model Y will save most people some cash.
Here’s a chart with the launch pricing and the updated pricing. Of note, the Refreshed Model Y Long Range AWD is $1,000 USD ($1,000 CAD as well) more expensive than the first-gen Model Y.
Model Y LR AWD
Price (USD)
Price (CAD)
Launch Edition
$59,990
$84,990
AWD Model Y
$48,990
$69,990
AWD Model Y With Paid Options
$64,490
$90,790
Interestingly, at least for now, Tesla is still including the Mobile Connector with the Model Y. We’re not sure how long that will last, but that’s a pretty nice little boost since Tesla stopped including the Mobile Connector with vehicles back in 2022.
New Paint Color
Last, but not least, Tesla has brought a brand new paint color into the fold. Last month, we heard Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla’s Chief Vehicle Designer, discuss paint colors - and the possibility of a new paint color on the horizon.
This has materialized with the launch of the brand new Diamond Black color option, which is replacing the old standard Black that Tesla used to offer. Diamond Black is a premium paint option and will cost $1,500 USD.
Diamond Black is a multicoat black paint with embedded sparkles and flakes, giving it a very fresh and unique look. We’re excited to see it in person, as it looks like a big step up from the solid black paint that Tesla was previously using. Several years ago, black was the standard color included in most new Teslas, so it’s also fairly common.
Paints like the new Diamond Black tend to glimmer and slightly shift colors based on the angle, so this one will be an eyecatcher, just like Quicksilver.
For now, Diamond Black is only available in the United States - it isn’t available in Canada or Mexico just yet. Since both countries receive vehicles from Giga Texas and Fremont, we expect this color to be made available in the coming days.
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