Extending the reach of a 10A home charger

[mukaibot]

Hello there!

While I await delivery of my Model Y, I have been doing some research into home chargers. I rent an apartment, so I cannot mount a regular Tesla wall charger, but the apartment has a courtyard pretty close to where I park, and I can run the cable through there. However, I don't think that the 6m length of the official Tesla UMC will be sufficient.

I have seen that EVSE has a portable charger for Tesla with a 10m cable, which should be ok, but it's only rated for 8A. This is the only one I have been able to find that has a length of greater than 5 or 6 meters. Does anyone know how I can charge my car from a standard Aussie 10A wall socket that is 10 meters away from the car? I am a bit concerned by all the "do not use extension cables to charge your EV!" warnings on all the chargers! Some people have said that a heavy duty trade quality extension cable will be fine as long as it's not coiled.

Any help appreciated!

 

[BCTS]

I’ve used the Heavy Duty Tradie Style Cables fine…
Basically a 15A Type Cable with 10A Ends/Connections is fine.

 

[Chenkers]

Hello there!

While I await delivery of my Model Y, I have been doing some research into home chargers. I rent an apartment, so I cannot mount a regular Tesla wall charger, but the apartment has a courtyard pretty close to where I park, and I can run the cable through there. However, I don't think that the 6m length of the official Tesla UMC will be sufficient.

I have seen that EVSE has a portable charger for Tesla with a 10m cable, which should be ok, but it's only rated for 8A. This is the only one I have been able to find that has a length of greater than 5 or 6 meters. Does anyone know how I can charge my car from a standard Aussie 10A wall socket that is 10 meters away from the car? I am a bit concerned by all the "do not use extension cables to charge your EV!" warnings on all the chargers! Some people have said that a heavy duty trade quality extension cable will be fine as long as it's not coiled.

Any help appreciated!

I use an extension cable regularly without any dramas. Preferable if you can get a heavy duty trade cable that can run at least 10A continuous. Even better if you get a heavy duty 15A cable and use the 15A adapter plus a 10A-15A breaker adapter connected at the GPO. Something like this: https://www.bunnings.com.au/arlec-1...LGGT7p2r5mUFBeCnWjxoC9OAQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

If you're concerned that the cable is running warm or not sufficient then you can dial down the charging amps supplied to the car through the app or the car charging screen. I will usually dial down the amps to as low as possible while still giving me the charge I need in the time available. Also be aware of any permissions that may be required if running the extension lead through body corporate areas.

 

[Tasdoc]

Have been using a 10A heavy duty 10m long extension cable from Bunnings for years with no issues

 

[Vostok]

Yep what everyone above is saying… use a proper heavy-duty extension lead and you’ll have no issues. The warning about not using extension leads is legal a**-covering in case someone uses a light duty extension lead totally unsuited to the task and starts a fire.

This is the one I bought… 10A plug/socket but the conductors are actually rated for 15A continuous draw. I’ve used it for overnight charging with the UMC and neither cable nor plugs felt warm after hours of use.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/hpm-10m-1-5mm-10a-3-core-extra-heavy-duty-tradesman-extension-lead_p4420227

 

[Nickdp]

I don't think that the 6m length of the official Tesla UMC will be sufficient.

Using the UMC as your nightly charging solution is fine, I did that myself for first year or so of ownership. Of greater concern is that when you are out and about and can enjoy some opportunistic charging care of a friendly power-point, you can't because your UMC is at home..... no worries I hear you say, "I'll just take it every time I drive out".. How long before that gets tiresome? Sometimes we forget the "M" in UMC is for "mobile".

I think you are on the right track in considering a charging solution for overnight charging other than the Tesla UMC.
There are many Level 1 portable chargers on the market, the unit from EVSE that you linked to is, IMHO, overpriced and underperforms as it is fixed at 10A.

An alternative is this one. It will handle up to 15A (i.e. fitted with a 15A plug) and comes with a 5m cable, so with a $42 extension cord (linked to by Vostok) and a 15A to 10A converter from Bunnings you'd be ahead cost-wise (275+42+72) vs $549. And it'll handle 15A if needed at Caravan Parks, although that basically replicates what you'd get by using the Tesla 15A tail with the UMC.

 

[Vostok]

An alternative is this one. It will handle up to 15A (i.e. fitted with a 15A plug) and comes with a 5m cable, so with a $42 extension cord (linked to by Vostok) and a 15A to 10A converter from Bunnings you'd be ahead cost-wise (275+42+72) vs $549. And it'll handle 15A if needed at Caravan Parks, although that basically replicates what you'd get by using the Tesla 15A tail with the UMC.

Not quite… the extension lead I linked to has 10A plug/sockets on it. To do the above you’d need the 15A version:

https://www.bunnings.com.au/hpm-15a-3-core-1-5mm-extra-heavy-duty-caravan-extension-lead-10m_p4430367

Some would argue that getting the 15A extension lead plus 15A to 10A adaptor is a more versatile solution since then you can use the extension lead in either case - on a 10A socket with the adaptor (use the 10A UMC tail), or a 15A socket without the adaptor (use the 15A UMC tail).

I still bought the 10A lead though on the basis that if I ever need to use a caravan socket, it is very likely that it will be accessible to where I park the car and the UMC lead will be plenty long enough, no extension cord necessary. On the one occasion I have used a caravan socket, that was indeed the case.

I have also found the 10m lead to be long enough and have never been in a situation in over 3 years where it wasn’t (YMMV).

 

[louco73]

What is your actual usage in terms of kilometers per day or week going to be?

I used a local Tesla destination charger and a 50 kW Chargefox charger to keep me going for 1.5 years instead of chucking a cable out of our ground floor apartment that I was renting. If you have chargers at the local shopping centre then you can always combine things (meal and groceries) to extend the trip and charge there. The kids love playing games in the car, so if I took the kids to charge at the Chargefox charger I gave the wife kid free time and made the kids happy. Basically, be a bit creative and you may not need to worry about charging at home. If you do, I concur, no issues with using the right extension lead.

 

[mukaibot]

Ah, awesome folks! That HPM was actually the one I had seen on Bunnings and had wondered about! Thank you

I'm not 100% sure if I'll charge at home, but want to understand what my options are. My work has 12 EV chargers (capacity unknown, probably 7kw) so I'll probably end up charging there but I currently only go in once per fortnight, which may not be enough. It seems like there are many more public charging options these days compared to a few years ago, but I am keen to have the "petrol station at home" experience and not have to deliberately make a trip to charge for everyday use.

I'm not anticipating driving much during the week. I don't actually have a car at the moment! But I would expect I will definitely start driving more instead of riding my bike, especially as it comes into winter

 

[cafz]

I still bought the 10A lead though on the basis that if I ever need to use a caravan socket, it is very likely that it will be accessible to where I park the car and the UMC lead will be plenty long enough, no extension cord necessary. On the one occasion I have used a caravan socket, that was indeed the case.

I had to buy a 15A extension to use a caravan park socket - not because the UMC lead wasn't long enough, but because the side-exiting UMC plug was obstructed by part of the power pillar that housed the 15A socket.

 

[534D]

Does anyone have a 15A extension and use it with 15A tail?

I have both 10A and 15A outlets in my garage but similar to the OP, the UMC with 15A tail won't quite be long enough to reach where my car will be parked. 10A will but obviously 15A would be better if I could make it reach the extra metres.

 

[Sir Surfalot]

Does anyone have a 15A extension and use it with 15A tail?

How far short are you?

I use one of these https://www.bunnings.com.au/arlec-15a-4-outlet-heavy-duty-portable-safety-switch_p0172962 with a caravan park "mushroom", mainly because the UMC tails have the cable exiting the plug in a bad direction for directly connecting into the mushroom(*), but it has a 1.8m cable on it if that would be enough to get your situation working.

I don't know whether I'd really want to be doing it as part of your everyday charging setup at home (I only charge rarely at a caravan park but when I need to I DO need to and the mushroom plug angle is consistently a problem with the UMC tails), and really a short 15A extension cable would probably suit both you and me better, but I don't know of one - I simply don't need 5m or 10m or 20m of extension - so I thought I'd at least post and let you know such a thing as this one at Bunnings existed if it would help you.

* Exactly the same issue as @cafz is describing in their post above.

 

[BegaPride]

Thanks @mukaibot for starting this thread. I had similar distance constraints at home and based on research (and aged 10A sockets) decided to spend around $600 and get a new double 15A point placed in a more logical location in the garage. However, as @louco73 noted, I haven't used it a stack due to the improved level of convenient public charging places in my area. Appreciate that it will be different for everyone, so great to know that I can use the right heavy-duty extension lead if and when required. Thanks to all for the links etc

 

[534D]

How far short are you?

About 1.5-2m extra required.

I might just have to get a local sparky to make one for me since I also haven't found anything shorter than 15-20m which is impractical to roll out flat so it isn't coiled up while in use.

Sounds like a good business opportunity, get a sparky to make up a dozen shorter high quality 15A extension leads in varying lengths from 2m to 5m and flog them online.

 

[RichardV]

About 1.5-2m extra required.

I might just have to get a local sparky to make one for me since I also haven't found anything shorter than 15-20m which is impractical to roll out flat so it isn't coiled up while in use.

Sounds like a good business opportunity, get a sparky to make up a dozen shorter high quality 15A extension leads in varying lengths from 2m to 5m and flog them online.

This mob appear to make up custom leads,

FAQs - Extension Leads Online

General Shipping & Delivery Warranty & Returns Product Customisation Product Specifications Product Quality

extensionleadsonline.com.au

 

[SL666]

I know it's probably a no-no to mention - but you could probably buy high quality extension lead - buy a spare set of ends, and have one the exact length you want & one thats now a bit shorter as a spare, presuming you are confident you can do a reasonable job - follow directions etc, yes, risk danger fire, etc, but outside in free air, on non flammable surfaces..
If you aren't confident - you could always go to an electrical supply wholesaler with your measurements and tell them what you need - likely someone behind the counter or someone there shopping would be happy to knock up a heavy duty lead for $50 to the length you want.

 

[tyrotex]

I know it's probably a no-no to mention...

Not sure why you might think it's a no-no. It's perfectly legal for a non-electrician to add plugs and sockets to an extension cord in Australia.

It did this with a 15A rated 10m cable which is sold with 10A plug and socket. Arlec 1.5mm2 10A 3 core Extra Heavy Duty Extension Lead 10m
(There is now available a 10m 15A-rated "caravan" lead which would have 15A plug & socket - cheaper too Arlec 15A 3 Core 1.5mm2 Caravan Extension Lead 10m).

I cut it into 2x5m, added a 15A socket on the end of one half and a 10A plug on the end of the other. This gives me a two 5m 10A extension cords or a 10A plug to 15A socket to allow me to use the 15A tail on the UMC if I wanted (like at a caravan park - I did check with an electrician friend that the 10A plug is fine to use in a 15A supply).

MODERATORS NOTE: Modifying an extension cable may be illegal in some states of Australia. Such a modification is done at the owners risk.

 

[SL666]

Not sure why you might think it's a no-no. It's perfectly legal for a non-electrician to add plugs and sockets to an extension cord in Australia.

I'm not sure that's correct in every state, but im pretty sure it's not legal to change the load rating of the cord by changing the plug - or making a converter, without a license - you aren't able to do much other than plug & unplug... nor are you permitted to do your own data cabling without certification.

I don't care - but some - especially when it might be in a public space - might be more cautious.

 

[tyrotex]

I'm not sure that's correct in every state

My apologies to everyone here. You are correct. I thought it was national, but NSW (at least) does not seem to allow it (without training).

, but im pretty sure it's not legal to change the load rating of the cord by changing the plug

I wasn't attempting to do that. The cord itself is rated at 15A, but the original plugs were 10A.

I don't care - but some - especially when it might be in a public space - might be more cautious.

With hindsight, I agree. If I could remove my incorrect post I'd do so. But there doesn't seem to be any means available to edit it any more. I've reported the post to the mods, requesting it's removal.