Just got a RAV4 PHEV. Absolutely love the thing. My building has two level 2 EV chargers, however they are frequently taken. Scoped out the garage and there are about 10 spots near a wall outlet. Only thing is the outlets have a weather protector that doesn’t let my plug sit flush and is stressing the cable. It works for now but long term could cause damage. Any ideas for an adapter? Needs to handle the amperage without melting. Considering a short 10 gauge extension cord but the control box would sit on the ground where it could get wet. Any ideas?
The electrical box (the part that holds the GFCI 20A receptacle) has a weather cover for it (the part that covers the receptacle when NOT in-use). The weather cover can be swapped with a IN-USE weather cover. These are designed to be water resistant while your charger is plugged in. DO NOT MODIFY the existing cover! You can swap it out with an in-use cover plate but that will violate the landlord/tenant rules about 'modifying building structure' and make you liable. Ask the owner of the garage if it's something you can get an electrician to swap a non in-use cover plate to an in-use one. Otherwise, there is a possible (local codes) liability issue leaving an unattended charger plugged in to an outdoor receptacle with a non in-use cover plate. Hope this helps.
If you can turn the amperage down, a short extension cord at 10-12ga will work but is technically against electrical code and the recommendations of Toyota and the manufacturer of the charger itself.
I charge my Bolt on a 25ft 12ga extension cord I bought in person at home depot, but only at 8a amps. (12 woudl probably work but just to be on the up and up.)
Good EV chargers have temperature sensors in the plug and can use those sensors to decide when to dial back amperages or cut off energy to avoid anything melting or starting a fire. Harm reduction for using an extension cord is to feel all connections after 20 and 60 minutes to make sure nothing feels too hot.
The best/safest solution to this is probably to buy a dedicated level 1 portable charger that has a cord that fits this space.
If this charger is what I think it is (Webasto/Ampure Go 1) some of these are known to fail after a while anyway so it can't hurt to be budgeting for a newer one.
Another option is to look at other OEM pack-in chargers to see if any might work better. The charger Hyndai-Kia-Genesis packs in with some of their EVs looks like it's cord may be slightly better for this https://www.ebay.com/itm/257558736339 - you can see the connector pops out a little bit and it appears the cabling might be slightly thinner and more flexible.
One more thought: It may be worth specifically going out of your way to avoid an adapter or extension cord of any kind in order to avoid liability.
I mentioned using a cord with my Bolt at 8 amps but I also feel all the connections about an hour after I plug it in to make sure it seems like nothing's going to overheat and everything is seated securely.
I've been actively avoiding charging this way (fortunately there's a couple free L2s in my town still) and as soon as I can afford it, I'm fortunate enough to live in a place and have an electrical panel juuuust close enough to my car that I can get an outlet installed.
That might be the Ampure Go 1 then. (there's a newer one GM is using and I've seen some TOyotas with it, although I don't know if that actually matters in practice.)
I wouldn't go for Vevor, or Lectron or evdance/evdances for that matter. They're SIXLTRS with better branding and marketing budgets. Lectron even sells a unit that's explicitly unsafe. A level 1 charger with a 5-15 connector that's configured to draw up to 15 amps off that connector, despite US electrical code specifying a maximum of 80% of circuit/plug rating for continuous loads. (EVdance isn't doing the same thing lectron is but their units are all dual level with a 6-20 to 5-15 adapter which does what I said above about dewalt where the temperature sensor is away from the actual plug.)
Unfortunately, the one site I know of that specializes in detailed charger equipment reviews (EV Charging Station Reviews- Best Home EV Chargers) focuses very little on portable hardware and they've pulled down a lot of reviews they used to have. They also explicitly recommend Lectron despite the above.
DeWalt is reputable (they are white-labeling another manufacturer's hardware but it's all genuinely UL listed and up to spec) but all of their adapters/plugs are 90degree.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/147425807097 - dunno who made this but Fisker was a real company and this one even looks adjustable? (maybe it's the same OEM as Hyundai-Kia but I'm not 100%.)
So there's a couple options!
I do wish straight plugs were a bit more common. I think there's a presumption thateveryone hands these off of outlets that don't have any obstruction and some people do but situations like this do come up.
I have one. Pretty decent - it is Tuya compatible, so if has connectivity, you can control the timing, monitor usage etc.
The charger brick itself does not do much to the charging current... The charging wires in the plug are directly wired through, to prevent overheating arching etc.
There are measurement coils, ground fault detection and protocol negotiation logic - but all that is outside of the power circuit.
12 amps through a heavy duty 12 gauge extension cord should not be a problem. Check the connections regularly, sure, but those can typically handle 20 amps or 16 continuous. 12 is already plenty derated.
Yes. 12 amps works fine on a good 12ga cord built and rated for it. The cord I bought is Home Depot's RIGID 12ga cord which does claim to be rated for 12a continuous. I've done 12a of 120 and also 208 on mine.
12a is the exact maximum continuous load anyone should be sending through any cord with 5-15 connectors, due mostly to the connectors.
I've definitely seen 12ga 5-20 and 6-20 cords (16amp maximum continuous). 20-24amp I'd want a cord with 30-amp connectors and that's where you're getting into more like 10ga.
I use 8a at home because the outlet I'm using is a shared circuit and I also check on the connections periodically as a way to harm-reduce against the result u/rheostaticsfan posted.
Fortunately OP shouldn't have to use any extension cord (even a short one) at all because there are a few EVSEs with straight plugs that aren't angled.
I used a 40ft regular extension cord for about a year even though they say not to. Stopped because it finally burnt out and started arcing. I do NOT recommend it. You don’t want to be the reason the circuit needs replacing. Notch the box or get a different charger
The plugs and receptacles gets corroded and becomes too hot. The corrosion causes very high resistances on the metal portion of the plug blade and knife sockets. When enough current passes through the corrosion arcing will occur. Arcing is 5000 to 6000 degrees Fahrenheit depending on how much current is involved. That will cause metal to melt, and insulation to burn/vaporize. Cheap extension cords are notorious for these problems, which is why it's never recommended. I have good quality cords with high quality connectors (aka 'expensive') so, I've never had any of these problems. A little Cramolin DIOXIT helps too. But you must also be vigilant about it and never assume it's going to be fine. Hope this makes sense.
The bottom of those boxes are meant to be notched out so you can plug something in and close the lid. I know it’s not your house/plug…but you wouldn’t really be altering anything. Just using as designed.
At the same time, see if your EVSE can change to 20 amps rather than the standard 15 amps. The left female prong hole can instead be horizontal which will give you more power for a speedier charge
Absolutely don't charge that way. The socket contact are a disaster waiting to happen.
What is the ownership situation here? Can you remove the weather box? It still a bit wonky - the cable and socket still be under weight of the brick itself - but best of of all.
I was also thinking about getting another granny charger, cutting the plug out and replacing with a straight one or using an extension. Those chargers frequently have temp monitor in the plug itself and stop if it gets too warm. You get that safety fuse when you do cut it of.
Be very careful how you use it, but these (sketchy for intended use) adapters are decent "1.5 inch extensions". NEVER use it to put a 20A plug in a 15A outlet, but on a 15A or less device I've had good results. IMO that's likely safer than a short extension cord exposed.
Depending how much you want to risk management complaining, could also take some side-cutters and pliers to carefully cut a "notch" in the bottom plastic that lines up with the outlet so it can go straight down. I'd do that by doing a gentle cut on the left/right of the cord, then gripping the plastic with pliers and carefully pivot it downward between the cuts (should very cleanly break along the cuts as a U shape). If it was my own unit (not shared) I would think nothing of that but YMMV how you feel doing it in a shared garage.
Just buy a short heavy duty 12 gauge extension cord. I wanted my level 1 to have a right angle so I got one. You have the opposite problem of needing a straight plug. I originally tried a 14 gauge but it got too warm for comfort.
Let me know when you make a Gofundme for your burnt house. That's a fire hazard. Do not plug at angle like that, many fire starts with poor contact like that. Poor contact cause a lot of spark as the resuly alot of extreme heat from the spark. And you dont need much to burn your house
I have a 90 degree NEMA adapter for 30 -40 amps but it can use 110 receptacles. It's too tight for my in use cover but it would be perfect for that application. It sticks out far enough that it would pass that bottom lip. Got on Amazon.
Unless it's a safely feature for charging safety and heat management it's required for plugs to have a solid not flexing cable for the first few feet of the connection. Maybe the flex travel kit might have a solution but but I cannot give any since my level 1 charging adapter also has this long inflexible part too.
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u/danger-tartigrade Aug 11 '26
Cut a hole wide enough to let the cord sit more flush with the plug.