-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Tesla to Upgrade Wall Adapters After Reports of Garage Fires - Bloomberg News
- Thread starter DJ Frustration
- Start date
glhs272
Unnamed plug faced villian
They mention 14-50 adapters. What about the 6-50 adapter? I only every use the 6-50 as this is what my house and garage was already wired for.
Will the thermal fuse be something that is resetable? What if it trips/burns out while you're on a road trip?
Cottonwood
Roadster#433, Model S#S37
The protection does not hurt, and probably is a good idea just like a GFCI. If the thermal fuse really is non-resettable, then carrying the old 14-50 adapter, or a second new adapter, with you might not be a bad idea.
As I said, I follow the practice of looking for hot spots at any new location at 5-15 minutes after starting charging. There are just too many old loose receptacles out there... What amazes me is how cool the cable and adapter on a Supercharger runs!
I imagine the same, but that's going to leave you stranded. I'm thinking, if I'm at an RV park charging and it's a bad outlet, the fuse blows before I have a significant charge and I can't reset, I can't move to another outlet and will be stranded.
- - - Updated - - -
Indeed, I'll probably just keep my "old"/current one as a backup.
They could use a resettable thermal fuse: http://www.digikey.com/product-highlights/us/en/bourns-mfrm-resettable-fuses/3173
It seems to me as if there is a great deal of faulty wiring out there. My UMC and 14-50 adapter don't ever get beyond warm on my home plug. However, I've even had 110 outlets fail to charge when travelling. The charging of a car uses the maximum safe continuous load for the wiring, which has probably never been done on some outlets. Proper wire gauge and tight connections are extremely important to avoid heat issues. I don't think that it is fair to attempt to lay the blame on the adapter when the problem is very likely to be caused by the outlet.
If you read the press release I believe TM did a good job of indicating that it was a house wiring issue and about 80% of the release focused on how they made a quick software upgrade that allows the car to sense any problem and react accordingly. At the very end of the press release they mentioned an added safety feature, the thermal fused adapter, would be made available/sent at no charge to all model S owners with Nema 14-50 adapters.
I think this was a well thought out/presented press release.
I will call them about the HPWC. Is there any chance that this could cause a problem with the battery itself? I have been using the HPWC since late January/Early February every night and if there's a chance it could have caused any battery damage I would like to get rid of this horribly degraded "A" pack.
I've found that at RV parks, if the charge is going to fail, it does so in the first 15 minutes. Not really enough time for it to get hot. Also I've had better results by dialing the amps down to 38 from 40.
I doubt that, most thermal fuses self reset when they cool. No reason to expect otherwise here.
Fedderman
Original: 2012 Model S (85); Current: 2024 Model S
That's what I'm hoping for... especially since I already swapped my damaged (overheated/melted) UMC & adapter for a new one a couple weeks ago. There is a related thread: http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/25444-Melted-Charging-Adapter-Cord
Here's a pic of the new 14-50 adapter, with the "green dot" referred to above:
Late is better than never. Much of the article is partly a snow job. It is a reactive response rather than a proactive response as they claim. It would have been proactive to have suitable hardware and protective software in the initial design.
I disagree with the claim the software update fully addresses the problem. Allegedly there still is overheating issues. The software update is a Band-Aid. The hardware issues are the underlining problems.
I'm sure there is bad wiring out there, however most, if not all of the Tesla overheated wires, adapters and connectors that I have seen, Tesla hardware seems to be at fault.
Even if an outlet fails, it doesn't necessarily mean that outlet is at fault. The way Tesla charger connections are typically configured, puts more stress on an outlet. That's one of the reasons why fire departments and engineers typically frown on devices similar to Tesla's adapter. The increased force can fracture socket insulators and can unspring receptacle connector prongs.
Also the way Tesla configures its connections, it concentrates the heat by locating several connections in close proximity. So the connectors and wall outlet is more likely to overheat. That's another one of the reasons why fire departments and engineers typically frown on such configurations.
Tesla also falsly indicated it got a 5.4 star safety rating in other press releases. Tesla & Elon Musk have creditability issues.
What press release? Are you misrepresenting the press release? You changing "can" into "it was"?
I'm sure there is bad wiring out there, however most, if not all of the Tesla overheated wires, adapters and connectors that I have seen, Tesla hardware seems to be at fault.
SteveW25561
Member
Did they change the title and body of the text? I just read the article for the first time right now (610pm PST) and it looks like the word "fire" has been replaced by "overheating."
Congrats to readers and likely Tesla for reaching out and correcting this. Regardless if the words it's important safety issues are addressed definitively.
Congrats to readers and likely Tesla for reaching out and correcting this. Regardless if the words it's important safety issues are addressed definitively.
Good thing it has a "-B" suffix on the part number; it will charge at full power :biggrin:
Similar threads
- Article
