If you’re searching for an “AeroVironment EV charger” in 2026, the company you’re thinking of hasn’t sold one in eight years. AeroVironment exited the EV charging business entirely in 2018, selling the whole operation to Webasto, and now builds small military drones and tactical missile systems instead. The TurboCord you might remember didn’t disappear — it just changed owners, and its name landed somewhere specific worth knowing before you buy anything used or labeled with it.
AeroVironment, by the numbers
- $35 million — the price Webasto paid to acquire AeroVironment’s Efficient Energy Systems business (EV charging, industrial charging, power management, and test systems), per the deal announced June 4, 2018 and closed June 29, 2018, according to AeroVironment’s own investor filings.
- 6,414 units — the number of AeroVironment-branded TurboCord and TurboDock/TurboDX charging systems Webasto recalled starting September 19, 2018, for a capacitor defect that could cause overheating, per NHTSA recall filing 18E086000.
- Zero — the number of EV chargers AeroVironment has sold since the 2018 sale closed. AeroVironment’s own investor communications describe the company today as focused on small uncrewed aircraft systems and tactical missile systems, not consumer electronics.
- No shared branding — unlike the ClipperCreek-to-Enphase deal, where the old brand name survives on a separate commercial product line, nothing Webasto currently sells carries the AeroVironment name. Only the TurboCord and TurboDX product names made the jump.
AeroVironment then vs. now
| Old AeroVironment product | Who sells it now | Current name | Output | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TurboCord (portable) | Webasto | Webasto Go | 32A / 7.7 kW (240V side) | Currently sold |
| TurboDock / TurboDX (fixed) | Webasto | Webasto TurboDX 32A | 32A / 7.7 kW | Currently sold |
| AeroVironment-branded EV charging business overall | Webasto (acquired 2018) | N/A — brand retired | — | No AeroVironment-labeled charger sold today |
1. Webasto Go — The Modern TurboCord
Webasto Go
- Fills the exact niche the original AeroVironment TurboCord was built for — a portable charger that plugs into a standard outlet with no permanent install required.
- Plugs into either a 120V NEMA 5-15 outlet (Level 1 speed) or a 240V NEMA 14-50 outlet (full 7.7kW Level 2 speed), with both adapters included.
- Webasto-made and Webasto-supported — not old AeroVironment hardware with a new sticker, but a newer design built by the company that now owns the product line.
- UL and cUL listed, IP67 weatherproof, with thermal detection and ground-fault protection per the manufacturer's listing.
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2. Webasto TurboDX 32A — The Modern TurboDock
Webasto TurboDX (32A)
- Carries the TurboDX name forward from the lineup Webasto acquired in 2018, now built and warrantied by Webasto rather than AeroVironment.
- Same 32A/7.7kW output as the Go, but as a fixed plug-in unit rather than a dual-voltage portable — sold in 15-foot and 25-foot cable lengths.
- "Automaker Approved" for Ford, Nissan, Fiat, Kia, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Volvo, Chevrolet, BMW, and Mini, per current Amazon listings — several of which inherited their original charging-cable relationships from the AeroVironment era.
- 3-year warranty, a year longer than the Go's standard coverage.
What happened to the old AeroVironment TurboCord units already out there
AeroVironment supplied TurboCord chargers directly to automakers like BMW and MINI through dealership and owner-loyalty programs before the 2018 sale. Some of those units are still in circulation — in garages, on the used market, and occasionally on Amazon’s third-party marketplace. A few things are worth checking before plugging one in or buying one:
- Check the serial number against Webasto’s recall list. The September 2018 recall covered roughly 6,414 units for a capacitor defect that could overheat — Webasto’s customer service line (1-888-516-6264) can confirm whether a specific unit was recalled and replaced.
- Don’t expect AeroVironment support. Warranty and recall service for any AeroVironment-era TurboCord now runs entirely through Webasto; AeroVironment no longer has a charging-support department to call.
- Compare against new Webasto hardware before assuming a used unit is a deal. An 8-year-old charger, even an unaffected one, carries none of the newer Go’s weatherproofing updates or current warranty term.
Verdict
AeroVironment stopped being an EV charger company in 2018, when it sold the entire business — charging, industrial power, and test systems — to Webasto for roughly $35 million and refocused on drones and missile systems. The TurboCord and TurboDX names it built made the jump to Webasto, but the AeroVironment name itself didn’t attach to anything Webasto sells today. For the closest modern equivalent to the original TurboCord, buy the Webasto Go (~$549, 32A/7.7kW, dual voltage) or, for a dedicated 240V outlet, the Webasto TurboDX 32A. See our full Webasto EV charger guide for pricing and how the complete current lineup compares, or our ClipperCreek EV charger guide for a similar brand-acquisition story that played out differently — ClipperCreek’s old name survived on a separate Enphase-owned commercial line, while AeroVironment’s didn’t survive at all.