Anti-ICE extension cable?

DITB · Jun 21, 2014

Is there any cable available, Tesla or 3rd party, for simply extending the physical length available for charging?

I can imagine an ICEd charging spot, then if you can park nearby, close enough, you could extend by - say 30 feet - and still be charging. This would be a simple male-female cable, so that the car thinks it has the charger cable plugged in, and the charger thinks it plugged into the car.

Apart from some extra losses in the cable, I cannot see any particular issues with this solution?

What I do see, though, are situations where ICEd cars will be blocked in by an EV, with that extension cable making it possible to reach over to the charger. It might be a bit rude, but so was it in the first place to ICE the spot up - and hopefully it will teach ICE drivers not to park illegally.

David99 · Jun 21, 2014

There is one company that has J1772 extensions. They are useful not just to reach a parking spot that not directly at the charger, it is also very useful for normal parking at a charger. The Model S is so long and most of the time the cable doesn't reach the charge port in the back. So you have to back into the spot which in some parking structures is hard and difficult when they have diagonal parking. For that very reason I have ordered an extension.

Some say it doesn't matter if you have to back in or go nose in first. You eventually have to back out again anyways. While it's true that you have to back out of the spot, it is much easier to back out than it is to back into a spot. Backing into a spot means you have to aim exactly to end up in the right place with equal distance to both other cars. That's much easier to go when going forward. When you back out into the road, you don't have to aim exactly. It's much easier to just back out of a parking spot into the road again. For that reason alone I wish Tesla would put their charge port in the front.

I found this company and asked them if they could make a custom cable that extends the J1772 cable but on the other end has a Tesla plug. This way I don't have to use the adapter. Just makes the extension a little more convenient. Now they are offering it on their web site. I haven't received mine yet. They are still testing it to make sure it's working well.

JMS: J1772 Socket to Model S Plug

CmdrThor · Jun 21, 2014

David99 said:
Some say it doesn't matter if you have to back in or go nose in first. You eventually have to back out again anyways. While it's true that you have to back out of the spot, it is much easier to back out than it is to back into a spot. Backing into a spot means you have to aim exactly to end up in the right place with equal distance to both other cars. That's much easier to go when going forward. When you back out into the road, you don't have to aim exactly. It's much easier to just back out of a parking spot into the road again. For that reason alone I wish Tesla would put their charge port in the front.

It is also far easier to run over pedestrians and back into cars driving by when you back out of a spot vs pulling out. There is far less likely to be a pedestrian walking behind you when you are backing into a spot and certainly isn't going to be any moving vehicles, just the stationary ones. It may be easier to pull into a spot, but it is far safer to back in and be able to pull out later.

DITB · Jun 21, 2014

CmdrThor said:
It is also far easier to run over pedestrians and back into cars driving by when you back out of a spot vs pulling out. There is far less likely to be a pedestrian walking behind you when you are backing into a spot and certainly isn't going to be any moving vehicles, just the stationary ones. It may be easier to pull into a spot, but it is far safer to back in and be able to pull out later.

I also prefer backing in, forward out, whenever possible, yet when I borrow a car and the owner wants it front-in, I respect that of course. If you cannot back into a parking spot, then - how can you even get a driving license? Whether it is harder or easier, it's a question of practise. If you never do it, of course it will be difficult. If it isn't straight the first time, all it takes is to go forward, then back again.

Like CmdrThor, I also like the idea of driving forward out, when I am going somewhere, the car is ready and don't need to be backed up first. It sounds silly, I know. In some countries, it is illegal to back out of your driveway onto a road, for the same reasons CmdrThor mention. It also reminds me of those cases where people choose a huge SUV for (their own personal) safety, then - most regrettably - back up over their kids in the driveway, because they didn't see them. This was some years back, when backing LCDs and sensors weren't that accessible. I had a van way back in 1993-1999, and almost from new, I mounted a Bosch ultra-sound, two-sensor system on it. Hardly anyone at the time had this, but it was a great safety addition to my van, and also helped me back up to a ramp and be able to open the door precisely (2 1/2 foot behind the van was what I needed for the doors to be able to swing open.

As for the plug you mention, David99, I was thinking of a Tesla charge port male-female - which would extend the Teslas charge port in reality. That way, you could plug anything into it that you could plug into the car, and not need to suffer only being able to use one specific charging standard. Just like you could have an extension chord for your phone or electric appliances.

HankLloydRight · Jun 21, 2014

Yeah, backing in is so much better.. it's really not hard at all, you have precise steering to control where the rear goes, and then when leaving, you have full view of any traffic or pedestrians, and pulling out forward is a breeze. I always back into parking spots -- also because I know I won't be able to hit the front bumper/air dam on a parking curb -- when backing in, there's always plenty of clearance. Overall, backing in is FAR superior to backing out. I back into my garage every night.

Also, if you're looking to do a L2 extension cable, that seems feasible. But I'm pretty sure the J1772->Tesla sized extension cable would not work so well at a supercharger, carrying 350 volts and 350 amps. You see how think the SC cable is? Your extension cable would have to be as thick or thicker to handle the current. And even then, I don't think that would be very safe. This SC cables are short for a reason.

David99 · Jun 21, 2014

The majority of parking lots and multi level parking structures I have used over the part 10 years are like this. Trying to back into those is a bad idea and definitely not easier or better. That's why I ordered the extension cable.

DITB · Jun 21, 2014

HankLloydRight said:
Yeah, backing in is so much better.. it's really not hard at all, you have precise steering to control where the rear goes, and then when leaving, you have full view of any traffic or pedestrians, and pulling out forward is a breeze. I always back into parking spots -- also because I know I won't be able to hit the front bumper/air dam on a parking curb -- when backing in, there's always plenty of clearance. Overall, backing in is FAR superior to backing out. I back into my garage every night.

Also, if you're looking to do a L2 extension cable, that seems feasible. But I'm pretty sure the J1772->Tesla sized extension cable would not work so well at a supercharger, carrying 350 volts and 350 amps. You see how think the SC cable is? Your extension cable would have to be as thick or thicker to handle the current. And even then, I don't think that would be very safe. This SC cables are short for a reason.

Sure, there must be some kind of safeguarding against supercharging. That cable would be to be able to charge at all, but I can see the difficulties - hence my question. Something capable up to 22kW would at least get you going, and it wouldn't be a daily use cable - only for a stretch, literally, those one-off times where for some reason, the cable isn't long enough.

- - - Updated - - -

David99 said:
I doubt there is any source for a female Tesla plug.

I vote for sex equality here. If there are male plugs, there should be as many female, anything else would be discrimination.

And if there is a market, there will be a plug for sure, or in other words, an extension cable.

NoMoGas · Jun 21, 2014

Salvaged vehicles could be good place to get the female plug

DITB · Jun 21, 2014

NoMoGas said:
Salvaged vehicles could be good place to get the female plug

I am thinking of a proper, approved and safe cable, in retail, not a DIY project. The post was about 1) Is there one? 2) Is there a market for one (as I don't think there is one. Yet)

Cosmacelf · Jun 21, 2014

Here's what I recently bought for this. It is a J1772 to NEMA 14-50 adapter. So you plug your public J1772 cable/plug into it, and it gives you a live NEMA 14-50 female receptacle that you then plug your UMC into, giving you an extra 20' extension. And you don't have to carry around yet another extension cable.

Modular EV Power

Dborn · Jun 22, 2014

DITB said:
Is there any cable available, Tesla or 3rd party, for simply extending the physical length available for charging?

I can imagine an ICEd charging spot, then if you can park nearby, close enough, you could extend by - say 30 feet - and still be charging. This would be a simple male-female cable, so that the car thinks it has the charger cable plugged in, and the charger thinks it plugged into the car.

Apart from some extra losses in the cable, I cannot see any particular issues with this solution?

What I do see, though, are situations where ICEd cars will be blocked in by an EV, with that extension cable making it possible to reach over to the charger. It might be a bit rude, but so was it in the first place to ICE the spot up - and hopefully it will teach ICE drivers not to park illegally.

Check out the Australian thread.
There is a company (probably one of many) that either have or will make up a male to female Mennekes type 2 cable. DavidRM will be able to give you details. PM him.

Chipper · Jun 22, 2014

weiyouc said:
I also noticed this person selling a 5-ft J1772 extension cable with receptacle on eBay for less than $200. Seem to be a bit cheaper than the other ones that I have seen so far.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-J1772-E...683?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2590c76d3b

WELCOME!!! And your first post is a helpful one! Thanks.

caddieo · Jun 22, 2014

David99 said:
View attachment 51984

The majority of parking lots and multi level parking structures I have used over the part 10 years are like this. Trying to back into those is a bad idea and definitely not easier or better. That's why I ordered the extension cable.

I LOVE parking lots like the one in your picture. I look for 2 contiguous slots, then drive through one and end up facing out in the other. The rear view camera makes it easy to determine when your rear end is safely over the dividing line. Unfortunately many lots have parking bumpers which make this maneuver impossible.

DITB · Jun 22, 2014

David99 said:
The majority of parking lots and multi level parking structures I have used over the part 10 years are like this. Trying to back into those is a bad idea and definitely not easier or better. That's why I ordered the extension cable.

Ah, yes, herringbone type parking lots is a different story, but those are not usually used inside, right?

- - - Updated - - -

caddieo said:
I LOVE parking lots like the one in your picture. I look for 2 contiguous slots, then drive through one and end up facing out in the other. The rear view camera makes it easy to determine when your rear end is safely over the dividing line. Unfortunately many lots have parking bumpers which make this maneuver impossible.

... and you'd be going across into one-way traffic when you exit, like in the parking lot in the picture

caddieo · Jun 23, 2014

DITB said:
Ah, yes, herringbone type parking lots is a different story, but those are not usually used inside, right?

- - - Updated - - -

... and you'd be going across into one-way traffic when you exit, like in the parking lot in the picture

No problem. I always follow the traffic flow when I exit forward. It requires a tight turn but it is almost always doable since most newer lots have wide aisles designed to accommodate SUV's. In older lots with narrow aisles, I may have to do an adjustment back-up halfway out but that is pretty rare.

SeanTek · Jan 20, 2015

David99 said:
I found this company and asked them if they could make a custom cable that extends the J1772 cable but on the other end has a Tesla plug. This way I don't have to use the adapter. Just makes the extension a little more convenient. Now they are offering it on their web site. I haven't received mine yet. They are still testing it to make sure it's working well.

JMS: J1772 Socket to Model S Plug

Hi there...did you ever end up getting this cable? If so, how is it working out? I am in the market for one.

wycolo · Jan 20, 2015

Never, ever back into a parking spot, unless it is a SuperCharger. Always you want your Tesla rear end exposed to traffic since it is taller and easier to see than the front end. Keep in mind that 6 to 8% of drivers are buzzed or legally drunk. More are simply sociopathic. Also the rear end can take a hit better than the front, and at a lower cost to repair.

Re the extension cable: dobt that anyone is ever going to sell a SpC plug or socket sufficient for SpC usage except TM. Have to be salvage.
--

Cosmacelf · Jan 20, 2015

I have one of these cute little adapters - it will extend a J1772 cable another 20 feet.

J1772 to NEMA 14 50 Adapter with Switch A3 | eBay

You plug the J1772 into one side and then it converts the power to a regular NEMA 14-50 receptacle which you then can plug your Tesla UMC into. I've tried it, it works well.

Jaff · Jan 20, 2015

Why not make an extension cable that will enable full 80 amp charging?

jerry33 · Jan 20, 2015

wycolo said:
Never, ever back into a parking spot, unless it is a SuperCharger.

I don't agree with that at all. I'm more concerned about me hitting someone than I am about them hitting a parked car. If you back in you have far better visibility when pulling out, and because you've seen that the parking space you're about to back into is clear, you have better visibility backing in as well.

Anti-ICE extension cable?

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