Today I charged at work (Charge Point) like I normally do. It rained. Now I'm not concerned about plugging in and out while it is wet. But I did notice a minor issue that I think is a tiny design flaw. There is a little cup-like cap on the charging door. When you close the door it covers over the charging plug area. I guess the purpose is so that when you wash the car with a hose, for example, spray that leaks in around the little door doesn't spray into the plug connections. But when your car sits in the rain for a few hours with the charging door opened, this little cap fills up with some water. Not a lot, but a tablespoon or two. (It also collects pine needles and other small debris) Depending on how hurried you are and how wet and rainy it is you yank out the charging connector and then slap the door closed...stuff is going to get into the connector...maybe wet stuff. And in the snow it will probably be worse. Since I charge right next to several Leafs it is not hard to notice their design is better in this regard. At a minimum I think the little cup-like cover should have a hole drilled in the back-bottom for water to drain out. Possibly, even the entire bottom 1/4 or 1/8th should just be cut off (i.e. the design should not be a 360 degree cap-like cover but just maybe 300 degrees. Of course, it is a good practice to wipe this out, if needed. But it was wet, rainy and I didn't have anything with me. Anyone else notice this? Mike
I haven't had a problem yet and I charged it in a hurricane, before the power went out. The door is angled down when closed, so it can drain.
I wash my car while plugged in spray a lot of water. Does water at the connecting points pose any danger? Or is it just an electrocution risk?
I've seen the cup/cover collect water. I'm considering drilling a 3/16" hole at the lowest point to let water drain out. The good part is that the car's charge port is electrically dead once the charge is completed (or you press down on the locking lever on the handle) so there's no chance of a shock. Also, rain water is not a good electrical conductor. Nonetheless, I still don't like the fact that water is pooling in there..
I'm also considering drilling a hole. In the dry of my (level) garage this morning, though, when I looked at it, it doesn't seem that water can collect. My work parking space must have a slight slope to it. After thinking about it more, the better design for Toyota would be to make the cup more like a cone so that the front edge is wider than the part connected to the door. This would accomplish the same thing, but mostly prevent any water from collecting and have no holes. Rain is not as good of a conductor as sea water, but still good enough. Yes, when the cable is disconnected there is no voltage, so it is not really a safety issue. But it is still not a good idea to get the connectors wet. Over time this will accelerate corrosion, etc. I doubt after 3 yrs this would be convered under warranty and is likely to be an expensive repair. And this part (so far) isn't shared with many vehicles. Mike
The plug and socket have drain holes in them. The plug also has a seal in it, so when plugged in, it's sealed. When you close the door, what little that has accumulated in the cup will fall out and what hasn't will drain through the hole in the bottom of the socket.
Well we've been having it every day for the past week and there's more coming this week! I guess I'll be going to Tahoe early this year…
Interesting. I assumed that this must somehow be the case but there is no way to see them, is there? Picts or link? Mike
I just went out to the car and looked. In the socket there's holes at the bottom, on the inside. You may need a flashlight to see them if it's dark, but they're there. Everything's designed to drain.
Saw some last night - we drove up to Orange County to watch the Bruins lose to SDSU. Rained on UCLA's parade, too.
