New SE owner - Need longer charger reach ?

[Deschodt]

Hello all,

New lease here... VW was practically giving away the 2016 SE and quick math told me the car was more or less free (gas savings + bridge toll savings = my lease + charge costs).

Drove to work for the first time yesterday with mega range anxiety, totally unfounded once I figured out the range estimator was there only to mess with my head, and I should focus on the charge instead ;-) I'm good with mode 3 too, reminds me of a high compression engine, so no issues at all getting used to it for max scavenging...

My only problem is that I've now figured out the relative uselessness of the supplied 110V charger, and the 240V ones appear to come with 25" cords MAX. This car will sleep on the street (good neighborhood, dead end, no issue with the cord). Right now I can use an extension cord for the 110V unit... The 240s seem to be fixed... Can you recommend either a 30ft cord fixed unit, or a corded 240V charger that I can use with a thick extension cord ? Otherwise I'm stuck with 110 which actually works for my commute but limits me to 50 miles a day.... I found one with 30 ft reel and it's 3x the price of a regular one ! ($1600)

Most amazing thing so far? The brakes feel completely natural despite scavenging energy... Cool ..

 

[miimura]

Get a JLONG(TM). It is a J1772 extension that is available in lengths from 5 feet to 40 feet. You can use it at home or any public charging station, in case it's blocked by an ICE vehicle. It is much safer than a regular extension cord, even one designed for RVs.

JLONG by Quick Charge Power
This link is direct to the company's web site. The auto-link (3rd word in this post) is the affiliate link from this site to Amazon.

 

[Deschodt]

Aha, it exists... Perfect, thank you very much ! Than means I can hide the charger in the garage... Thanks again !

 

[JoulesThief]

if you read your owners manual and the EVSE manual for the 120v unit, you'll see that using an extension cord voids the warranty. I'd suggest a NEMA 14-50 50 amp 240v capable cord for your 30 amp EVSE. 50 Amp is more than enough for your 30 amp continuous draw EVSE. Code requires only 80% for continuous duty, 30 amps would be at only 60%, a large % safety margin.

http://www.rvpartscountry.com/50-am...hLo8EP749IE9wVW-U7-16-JqZ4j2erRL3FRoCVoDw_wcB

A locally produced JuiceBox40 or a Clipper Creek 40 with a NEMA 14-50 plug should be fine. Take your pick

 

[miimura]

Aha, it exists... Perfect, thank you very much ! Than means I can hide the charger in the garage... Thanks again !

If you are going to leave the EVSE mounted in the garage and routinely run the cable out the garage door, make sure to have a plan that will avoid pinching the cable in any way.

My EVSE is mounted on the side wall of my garage and has a 25' cable. It can reach the two in-garage spaces regardless of the vehicle's charge port position and the first two driveway positions as long as the car in the driveway is parked with the charge port closer to the door.

 

[GlennD]

Quick Charge Power makes the cables and if you derate from 40A to 30A 50 feet is doable. It really depends on the voltage drop. Since the cable is rated for 40A and the eGolf draws a maximum of 30A there is some leeway. OpenEVSE units can set the current in 2A steps although over 30A will be ignored by the car charger. For sure a basic eGolf at 16A can have a very long cable.

 

[Deschodt]

if you read your owners manual and the EVSE manual for the 120v unit, you'll see that using an extension cord voids the warranty

I'm sorry, when you say extension cord, are we referring to a thick extension cord plugged into a non-wall mounted charger, or are you saying an extension for the connector (J-long) would void my warranty ? Or both ? I looked at your juice box suggestion, so in the same sentence you're telling me this will void warranty on the 110 charger (and 240?), but it would work with that big RV extension, correct ??? (sorry, I'm confused ;-) but thanks for the help!)

If I wall mounted inside need a small "gun" extension, 4 ft tops...My garage door has a soft bottom seal and it's not pinching the current 110 cord. Aside from the fact the dealer would have a very hard time proving what I use to charge if there was any damage, I'd like to be sure.. I can't find chargers with say 28-30ft reach that don't cost 3x the normal ones.... Sorry I'm new to the nomenclature...

Maybe I'll stick a 240V outside after all, if those are lockable and weather proof... I hate to go crazy for a leased car, and by the time I get another one, the tech and ratings might change, so a cheap clipper creek around $500 + an extension to reach the car is just palatable....

Or maybe I do nothing, wife has L2 charger at work, and the basic one works for my commute (11hours of charge to make up my 44 miles) - the primary reason I want 240 was to shorten charge time to stay within the 11pm-7AM slot of cheaper electricity ;-) Right now I'm exceeding that, and wondering what the bill will be next month !

 

[f1geek]

Don't tell JoulesThief your real name, because he may report you.

You can use a 120 V AC extension cord with your L1 120 V EVSE if you use one that is a heavy enough gauge for the current draw. The manual(s) say not to do this because the manufacturer won't take responsibility if you use a 30 foot lamp cord (tiny diameter copper wire) and burn down your house after the extension cord catches on fire.

If you decide to use an extension cord for the L1 EVSE, be sure it handles at least 15 amps (home depot sells 50 foot cords that are orange/black in color and can handle 15 amps) as you will be pulling 12 amps to get a 1.4 kW charge rate. I have done this in a pinch and had no issues. If it's outside in the rain, be sure to cover the connection with some sort of water tight wrap.

The J Long will do the job safely regardless of EVSE you use.

 

[Deschodt]

I'm buying the J-long regardless! Thanks ! Will investigate the garage to look for the location of the 220V - I know the contractor that rmeodeled planned it for my welder but never put a plug in, need to figure out where it's at ;-) Or I'll need a J-veryLong ;-)

PS: I used an extension cord once, but thicker diameter than the one the 110V unit comes with ! It' snot a problem yet but I have a car returning from the shop soon that will take the space of the Golf, then it's street parking for the EV !

 

[JoulesThief]

I'm buying the J-long regardless! Thanks ! Will investigate the garage to look for the location of the 220V - I know the contractor that rmeodeled planned it for my welder but never put a plug in, need to figure out where it's at ;-) Or I'll need a J-veryLong ;-)

PS: I used an extension cord once, but thicker diameter than the one the 110V unit comes with ! It' snot a problem yet but I have a car returning from the shop soon that will take the space of the Golf, then it's street parking for the EV !

Read the owners manual that comes with your factory EVSE. In fact, read every owners manual you get with the car. You can run a J-Long or the 50 amp extension cord link I provided with any 30 Amp 240V EVSE unit. It's designed to handle 40 amps continuous load. If you don't understand it, call an electrical contractor and ask them to explain it to you, and what Continuous load means, and why it requires a dedicated circuit to attach to, with enough wire gauge to prevent heating up the cord and possibly starting an electrical fire and burning the place down. Especially if you don't own the place you live in.

F1geek knows nothing about electrical code. A 15 amp extension cord should not be used as an extension cord for your EVSE. Chinese manufactures cut corners to save copper on rated gauge extension cords. Get some extension cord that is 12 gauge and 20 amp rated, if you run over 15 feet of extension cord on your 120V EVSE unit that came with the car. The electric male prongs or the female rececptacles themselves might even be a source of resistance and formation of heat. All these units draw a lot of current, poor connections generate heat and can create electrical fires.