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What does the group think of this?

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Lucken

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I was talking to a guy with a Mustang at an EA charger. He mentioned he had an 12’ extension charging cord in his garage due to the awkward placement of the charger itself. Despite driving EVs for years and having a collection of 4 chargers in my basement, I never knew such a thing existed. My first reaction was to ask if he was certain the extension was safe. He insisted it was and said he’d been using one for over 2 years.

So out of curiosity I took a look on Amazon and was surprised to see many of these for sale. I don’t have a need for something like this, but do you guys think this is safe? My gut tells me this is not the best move.

 
I have no idea whether or not even a well-made extension cord would be wise from a safety standpoint. That said, this does not appear to be as well-made as it looks, or as the manufacturer's touted quality control steps would suggest. Several reviews illustrate the cord separating from the plugs over a fairly short time, leaving insulation and possibly wires exposed. That would be a total deal breaker for me!
 
I don't think a J1772 extension cable is a good idea. Lectron, a reputable EV charging accessories company, used to sell an extension cable but does not any longer.
It's not that expensive to move an L2 charging station if you have room.
 
DeaneG said:
I don't think a J1772 extension cable is a good idea. Lectron, a reputable EV charging accessories company, used to sell an extension cable but does not any longer.
It's not that expensive to move an L2 charging station if you have room.
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Having had to do this a couple of times, that’s exactly what I told him. His response was it was easier to buy the extension cord. Oh well.
 
I’ve used them twice and they burned out after a few months. So I would say no…over time not safe lol
 
momo3605 said:
I’ve used them twice, and they burned out after a few months. So I would say no…over time not safe lol
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Thanks! Will pay to move it when time comes (once I get my Gravity). Currently both NEMA and Lucid home charger is on the same side of the garage and will need to move NEMA to the other side.
 
tonybot said:
How about a NEMA extension cord like this?...
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A NEMA extension cord would be considerably less safe, as there would be a 240V connection lying on the garage floor that isn't protected by GFCI.
 
Amazon requires some creative searching to find real quality. The site is a conduit of low quality items that market to the innate human desire to short cut and/or pay the lowest price. If someone makes a short, high-quality extension that would be sized right to minimize resistance and heat, you're not likely to find that on Amazon.
 
there are variables missing from your question. how many amp is your charger? does your charger have the ability to charge at a lower amperage? how many amps was the Mustang guy charging at for 2 years and what was the gauge size of his extension wire?
 
Is the Mustang Mach-E charger cable unusually short? Both our Tesla and our Lucid have charger cables that are long enough to reach either of the two 240-volt outlets we have on different walls of the garage.

P.S. I just looked it up on Ford parts website. The Mach-E charger cable is 20 feet long -- same as on Lucid and Tesla.
 
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We’ve used the Lectron 20ft extension for two years now.
 
There is nothing intrinsically unsafe about using a properly rated extension cord. Longer cables do add a small additional resistance = delivers a small voltage drop. Should be a non-issue if you're adding ~25ft and using the proper rated wire and connectors. I can't speak to the quality of purchased NEMA 50 extension cables. #6 is fine to 100' - including the cable run from your breaker panel to the wall outlet.

Assuming the wall outlet is GFCI protected, the extension connection will also be protected by the same GFCI.
(GFCI circuit breakers protect the entire circuit. GFCI outlets can protect an entire circuit if wired to do so.)

I've made NEMA 50 extension cables using 6/4 SOOW cable, quality connectors, a welded metal box for the female, and proper cable connectors for portable cable (NOT Romex clamps.) #6 cable is heavy stuff - makes wiring connectors a chore. This is the same cable rating that should be used in wiring the NEMA 50 in the first place.

NEMA 50's don't lock together -- but there is a decent amount of friction in their big connectors. I generally tie the cables together with a length of light rope after mating them - moves the strain to the cable jackets if there is a "yank."
 
DennisIS said:
...Assuming the wall outlet is GFCI protected, the extension connection will also be protected by the same GFCI...
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In general, you can't use an EVSE reliably on an outlet protected by a GFCI breaker. Depending on the breaker and the EVSE, it may work fine, or you'll get nuisance trips, or it won't work at all.

Additionally, the vast majority of 14-50 receptacles installed are not connected to a GFCI breaker. Hence my answer.

The EVSE contains GFCI circuitry, so extending the J1772 side is not as problematic of an idea.
 
DeaneG said:
In general, you can't use an EVSE reliably on an outlet protected by a GFCI breaker. Depending on the breaker and the EVSE, it may work fine, or you'll get nuisance trips, or it won't work at all.

Additionally, the vast majority of 14-50 receptacles installed are not connected to a GFCI breaker. Hence my answer.

The EVSE contains GFCI circuitry, so extending the J1772 side is not as problematic of an idea.
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In general, electrical code requires that power sources in basements, garages, or outdoors require GFCI protection. 50 GFCI's are expensive - might lead some to cut that corner.
YMMV - electrical code is often very different by state/locality and the age of construction.

Having a proper GFCI in a cable plugged into a GFCI protected circuit shouldn't be an issue.
Ground faults should not be a normal part of the operation of a legit charging circuit.

If you don't fully seat a NEMA 50, there will be some pretty big hunks of exposed electrified metal - matters not whether that is at a wall box or an extension cord.
 
DennisIS said:
In general, electrical code requires that power sources in basements, garages, or outdoors require GFCI protection. 50 GFCI's are expensive - might lead some to cut that corner.
YMMV - electrical code is often very different by state/locality and the age of construction.
Click to expand...

This is a fairly recent change to the NEC and as you said, not all localities have adopted it.

DennisIS said:
Having a proper GFCI in a cable plugged into a GFCI protected circuit shouldn't be an issue.
Ground faults should not be a normal part of the operation of a legit charging circuit...
Click to expand...

I disagree. It's right there in the installation instructions of most plug-in EVSEs.

Screenshot 2024-12-01 123443.webp
 
Most outlet locations for charging will require GFCI protection. Some (most?, all?) EVSEs will trip on a GFCI breaker. So they should be hard wired eliminating the need for s GFCI circuit.

Doesn't the EVSE (including the pre 2025 supplied Lucid cable) include GFCI protection? This is beyond my electrical knowledge.

I will be installing a 48a (running at 40a) EVSE on a 50a breaker this month outside my garage door. I will also install a 50a 6-50r receptacle (Hubbell with a 50a GFCI breaker) just inside the garage door. The receptacle will be an auxiliary charging location but will mostly be used to power a welder.

Looking on welding site I've come upon this statement, "High frequency interference has been known to nuisance trip a GFCI." Further discussions postulated that this interference was the cause of nuisance trips while welding.

Does anyone know why EVSEs trio GFCI breakers?
 
Emporia Energy's comments, my emphasis in bold font and italics:

What is a GFCI Breaker?​

A GFCI breaker is designed to protect people from electrical shock by shutting off the electrical circuit when it detects an imbalance between the outgoing and incoming current. It’s an essential safety device that ensures any excess current escapes via the ground line, preventing potential hazards.

Requirements and Recommendations​

  1. UL Requirements: All EVSE equipment, including our Level 2 EV Charger, must perform a "ground fault" test as part of their startup profile. This test ensures that any unsafe electrical situations are detected, allowing the excess current to escape safely.
  2. NEC Regulations: The National Electrical Code (NEC) mandates that any NEMA 14-50 outlets must be protected with a GFCI breaker. This requirement ensures that the breaker checks for ground faults and trips if detected, adding an extra layer of safety.

Potential Issues​

Given these regulations, using a GFCI breaker with our Level 2 EVSE EV Charger can cause complications:
  • False Tripping: Our EV Charger intentionally induces a small ground fault during its self-test procedure before charging begins. This can cause a GFCI breaker to trip falsely, interrupting the charging process and leading to frustration.

Our Recommendation​

To avoid these issues, we recommend the following:
  • Hardwire Installation: If local regulations or your installer requires the use of a GFCI breaker for NEMA plugs/outlets, it is advisable to opt for a hardwire installation of the EV Charger. This approach bypasses the requirement for a GFCI breaker, ensuring that the charger’s self-test procedure does not cause false tripping. Any model of Emporia EV Charger can be converted to a hardwire installation (if not shipped as a hardwire ready model already).
    The Hardwire installation bypasses requirements for a GFCI installed breaker since the EV Charger would be the only dedicated appliance load on the hardwire circuit line. In this situation - given the EV Charger has built-in GFCI protection and testing - the additional protection on the breaker is not required.
 
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