Longer Charging Cable?

I have had my Prime since July of 2017. I am using a 12 gauge extension cord from my garage to outside. The charging cable dongle (technical term for the box thingy)is outside and is rated for outdoor usage. Mine sits in modest amounts of snow and water etc...

 

I had a 12 gauge 25' ext cord I used for a welder. I used that for the prime until I installed a 220v in the garage. It's nice because I can also use the 220 v for my welder! If you use to small of an ext cord, it can overheat and start a fire.

 

If your set-up crosses a sidewalk, be sure it’s not a tripping hazard.

 

I think he was meaning looking down for the cord not heads up. LOL, sorry couldn't resist.

 

I too was wondering. The documentation says it's waterproof. I hope so!

 

have charged my pip outside in all kind of weather and 12 ga extension cord, no problems.

 

Just because it works doesn't mean it is right. You should be following the electrical codes in your area.

 

Not sure if you were addressing my post or one of the others. But, I made sure my install surpasses our local codes, even though the electrician said it was over kill. It also has a GFCI on the 220 since it is in a garage. Better safe than sorry.

 

There are rain proof extension cord connector covers.

 

I was just putting my two cents in for safety.

Electricity is still nothing to play with. I spent most of my life in heavy industry around high voltage.

 

fortunately, we're only talking 120 volts, but still, nothing to fool around with.

 

we don't really have electric codes for extension cords. i'm sure there must be a table for amperage, lent and gauge though.

 

There is a chart on this link that shows what gauge extension cord to use and the length. You have to know how much current your are drawing to get it right.

http://www.homedepot.com/c/factors_to_consider_when_choosing_extension_cords_HT_BG_EL

 

thank you, i believe the evse has current data available in the o/m. interesting that they show 16 ga for 25' at 1-13 amps, i think that has us covered.
one concern is that the plugs usually heat up faster than the cord.

 

There are two issues with extension cords (or any wiring, for that fact): 1) voltage drop; and, 2) heat dissipation. They are related in that the smaller the wire size (which means higher the gauge number), the higher the resistance per foot and the more power will be wasted heating up the cord. If the wire size is small enough, there can be enough heat to melt the cord's insulation or even cause a fire.

If the wire size is small -- or the cord is long -- the voltage drop may be extreme enough to prevent your car from charging. The charging device which comes with your car wants to see about 120 volts. If the voltage is too low because of the resistance encountered in an undersized cord, you likely will have a problem.

Outdoors, you need to add a third consideration: weather protector of the connectors. PTguy posted a photo of one kind of protector which you can use. But it is intended to be weather-proof, not water-proof -- so you don't want it submerged in a puddle.

Ground fault protection has been discussed in this forum many times. The charging device which comes with your Prime will provide ground fault protection where you connect it to your car, but it will not provide protection where it is plugged into the wall or into an extension cord. You need to have a ground fault circuit interrupter ("GFCI") installed at the outlet where the cord is connected to your house wiring or, alternately, a GFCI circuit breaker at your electrical distribution panel.

Keep in mind that to maintain the same voltage drop, longer extension cords must have bigger diameter wires than shorter cords. As I noted above, wire sizes get smaller as the gauge number gets bigger. For example, a cord with #10 wires offers much less voltage drop than a cord with #14 wires.

And, if you're going to lay the cord anywhere where someone might trip, get an orange traffic cone or something to warn people.