Maintaining the Charging Cable

how long do you typically leave it plugged in, after charging has finished?

 

There are better excuses for going out to look at the car:

• 'I may have forgotten to lock the car.'
• 'There is a piece of paper on the floor I need to remove.'
• 'Looks like rain, I need to check the windows.'
• 'Did you hear that? Let me check.'

Bob Wilson

 

i must admit, you have asked a new question. it is likely, since the car was designed to be charged in or outside, that you are overly concerned.
people have been carging cars in much warmer and sunnier areas than pa for a long tome, with no ill effects reported to the evse, that i can recall.

 

Considering that public outdoor charging stations, even at Toyota dealers, have their cabling exposed day in and day out, I should think that engineers aren't concerned about UV damage to the cable.

 

As a general rule, I don't think I understand a problem until I can propose three, independent solutions:

1. reflective spray paint - the local hardware store sells various cans of spray paint. So get a nice reflective one and paint the cable.
2. split pipe insulation - the hardware store also sell split pipe insulation so buy enough for the cable and wrap it in the insulation. For good measure, use a metal reflective tape to seal the split in the insulation tubing. You may want to cut it into shorter sections to make it a little more flexible.
   
3. retracting hose reel - in the hardware store garden section, find a water hose wheel. Put a J1772 plug holder on the reel and wind it up when done. Get some sheet metal and construct a sun-shield box over the reel.

I have some other design approaches such as a bungie cord setup or a tall pully and counter weight with a large diameter PVC pipe. For a modest fee, 3x the portable EVSE replacement cost, I'll design, fabricate, and deliver one of my "Bobs Jobs" . . . or perhaps we're over thinking the problem.

Let me suggest doing a full year. If there is evidence of a problem, let's look at the symptoms and solve it versus blaming an as yet unmeasured, sunlight exposure.

Bob Wilson

 

a long time, like forever

 

You missed a couple:

• "I forgot how much gas is in the tank."
• "Are the tires still pumped up?"

 

The reflective paint will likely not be flexible enough to stay stuck to the very flexible cable.

The pipe insulation will make the thermal environment for the cable much worse by capturing the heat generated by the cable's resistance. NEC would consider this a code violation.

 

bob is an engineer with a sense of humor. a rare and endangered species.

 

I would worry more about repeatedly leaving the car parked whole day fully charged under direct sun over the course of the summer. Not good for battery longevity.

 

While this link is to a different cable manufacturer, it gives some specs for the EVJT grade of cable used in the Toyota power cable:
Electric Vehicle Cable - EVJT, PVC, 300V | Multi/Cable

Note that the cable is rated to 105°C. "Premium-grade, oil & weather resistant"

 

I just looked at the cable. It's 105°C cable. Think the asphalt gets that hot?

 

my cord has been out side since 2013 in central California. We have a lot of sun here. The cord is fine but the little cover cap fell off in a few months. On dirt not asphalt.

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