Using Tesla Fast Chargers

[Pappamoto]

Are the cable extenders safe to use?

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[Mellowyellow]

Not according to Tesla

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Are the cable extenders safe to use?

Tesla made very strong statements against them. And, it depends on who made it and how well they engineered and manufactured theirs. In general, no. Don’t bother. Minor inconvenience of taking up 2 spaces, as Tesla recommends in their own Supercharger FAQ, is not worth the expense or risk.

 

[KBabione]

Are the cable extenders safe to use?

What about J1772 extension cables for use with L2 chargers? That would come in really handy when the only available destination charger has been ICE'd. You could park further away and still get a charge. If you're brave, you could even park the offending ICE vehicle in and charge away.

We pulled into a hotel last weekend that had a Tesla destination charger and, of course, there was a Tesla backed in there not charging. It was next to the lobby door with a parking spot worth of "Do Not Park Here" diagonal lines next to it. It was after midnight so I asked the night clerk if I could park on the hash marks to charge because of the Tesla sitting there. She explained that the Tesla belonged to the hotel owner and he used that spot as his personal parking space!!! She also told me that he was fine with others using it and that it was okay for me to pull into the hashed area. I did, charged to 95% overnight, and moved my Rivian to a regular parking space first thing in the morning.

 

[mkhuffman]

What about J1772 extension cables for use with L2 chargers? That would come in really handy when the only available destination charger has been ICE'd. You could park further away and still get a charge. If you're brave, you could even park the offending ICE vehicle in and charge away.

We pulled into a hotel last weekend that had a Tesla destination charger and, of course, there was a Tesla backed in there not charging. It was next to the lobby door with a parking spot worth of "Do Not Park Here" diagonal lines next to it. It was after midnight so I asked the night clerk if I could park on the hash marks to charge because of the Tesla sitting there. She explained that the Tesla belonged to the hotel owner and he used that spot as his personal parking space!!! She also told me that he was fine with others using it and that it was okay for me to pull into the hashed area. I did, charged to 95% overnight, and moved my Rivian to a regular parking space first thing in the morning.

I put a A2Z extension cord on the end of my home L2 EVSE, charging at 11 kW (48 amps). The extension cord works great.

Tesla made very strong statements against them. And, it depends on who made it and how well they engineered and manufactured theirs. In general, no. Don’t bother. Minor inconvenience of taking up 2 spaces, as Tesla recommends in their own Supercharger FAQ, is not worth the expense or risk.

Tesla was intending to release their own DCFC extension cord, but maybe they gave up. A2Z has had one in development for quite a while, and maybe they are giving up also. I would trust the A2Z one if it ever is released.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

What about J1772 extension cables for use with L2 chargers? That would come in really handy when the only available destination charger has been ICE'd. You could park further away and still get a charge. If you're brave, you could even park the offending ICE vehicle in and charge away.

We pulled into a hotel last weekend that had a Tesla destination charger and, of course, there was a Tesla backed in there not charging. It was next to the lobby door with a parking spot worth of "Do Not Park Here" diagonal lines next to it. It was after midnight so I asked the night clerk if I could park on the hash marks to charge because of the Tesla sitting there. She explained that the Tesla belonged to the hotel owner and he used that spot as his personal parking space!!! She also told me that he was fine with others using it and that it was okay for me to pull into the hashed area. I did, charged to 95% overnight, and moved my Rivian to a regular parking space first thing in the morning.

J1772 is lower current. But quality and engineering of the extension still matter.

 

[VSG]

What about J1772 extension cables for use with L2 chargers? That would come in really handy when the only available destination charger has been ICE'd. You could park further away and still get a charge. If you're brave, you could even park the offending ICE vehicle in and charge away.

Yes, those are fine. I wouldn't use them 100% of the time at home, just like you shouldn't be using extension cords all over your house for normal appliances, but at a L2 charger, with a UL-listed cord, it is fine.

L2 chargers have 1/10 the current that DCFC have. DCFC typically use liquid cooled cables, because even the small resistance of a copper cable generates a LOT of waste heat when 500 amps are run through it. But L2 currents (<=48amps) can be easily handled by a sufficiently beefy cable - after all that's basically what exists in your home between your main panel and your wall charger - a long "extension cord" of #6 copper cable.

 

[SwampNut]

I think charging speed and price depends on where you live. For me in Arizona, EA is slightly cheaper than Tesla, I have memberships for both, and Tesla chargers derate the charging speed in the summer heat all the time (lucky to get a steady 120kw). I also have an 800V vehicle and charging speeds at Tesla are poor.

If EA is full I will go to a nearby Tesla site, and there are a few rare cases where Tesla is the only choice. In the last two years I cannot remember having a technical issue at an EA station, just a few times where they had long lines.

Funny, I'm in NW Phoenix, and have a polar opposite experience. EAs never work right (well, one did, ONE time). Every time I compare prices, everyone is more expensive than Tesla. RAN is always slightly faster than Tesla but not a lot. All of the others are just a crapshoot, sometimes giving me only 50-60k. I rarely charge in town however, so I'm mostly looking at stations down to Tucson, West to CA, and North to Flagstaff. The Tucson outlets EA boned me twice, shame on me not learning the first time.

 

[KBabione]

EAs never work right (well, one did, ONE time).

EA's HQ is in Reston VA and they have four L3 chargers in the parking lot (along with about 2 dozen L2 chargers). Even at their HQ the chargers are a crapshoot! The last time I was there I plugged in and saw it start charging (using my CC after the EA app wasn't recognized) and went into Wegman's to shop. I looked at my phone while shopping and realized it was charging at a 50KWH rate! When I returned to the car after 20 minutes it was up to 120KWH so I stuck it out for the minimum I needed and left. The only advantage I see with the EA chargers is that I don't have to use an adapter - otherwise I'm going elsewhere!

 

[SwampNut]

EA's HQ is in Reston VA and they have four L3 chargers in the parking lot (along with about 2 dozen L2 chargers). Even at their HQ the chargers are a crapshoot! The last time I was there I plugged in and saw it start charging (using my CC after the EA app wasn't recognized) and went into Wegman's to shop. I looked at my phone while shopping and realized it was charging at a 50KWH rate! When I returned to the car after 20 minutes it was up to 120KWH so I stuck it out for the minimum I needed and left. The only advantage I see with the EA chargers is that I don't have to use an adapter - otherwise I'm going elsewhere!

Hilarious. Another irony is that the chargers in front of the Tucson electric company offices never work right.

 

[azbill]

Funny, I'm in NW Phoenix, and have a polar opposite experience. EAs never work right (well, one did, ONE time). Every time I compare prices, everyone is more expensive than Tesla. RAN is always slightly faster than Tesla but not a lot. All of the others are just a crapshoot, sometimes giving me only 50-60k. I rarely charge in town however, so I'm mostly looking at stations down to Tucson, West to CA, and North to Flagstaff. The Tucson outlets EA boned me twice, shame on me not learning the first time.

My bad Tesla experiences have been in Quartzsite coming from SoCal and in Dolan Springs (twice) on trips to Vegas. Each of those times I could only get 120-140kw, and that was the case with my Rivian, and with my Hummer. On my last trip there with the Hummer the EA in Kingman gave me 325kw and added 120kwh in 30 minutes. I have charged the Hummer multiple times in Sedona and always get 300kw. The EA site in Prescott has given me full 210kw rates in the Rivian.

I had a similar experience at a Tesla site in Tucson, but it was almost full.

 

[SwampNut]

I've had the same issue with the RAN in Quartzsite. So I had thoughts that it could be due to the heat out there, the long drive, or something like that. I've hit the RAN and SC in both directions and had reductions on both. Putting water on the adapter to cool it instantly speeds it up, so there's definitely SOME heat problem. Yes, I know, do not do this, ever. I do, and will carry a rag with velcro to further try to cool it.

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