[Bobbo756]

Hi All,

I just purchased a Pro S and I'm loving it. I do have a question about charging though. I'm heading to a vacation at the outer banks in NC in a couple of weeks. Looking on plugshare, there are not a lot of charging options there. I'm thinking that I will plug my car in with the level 1 charger at the house we have rented each night just to add a bit of extra range. I am not certain where the outlets on the house are located though. Can I use an extension cord with the level 1 charger? If yes, does it have to be a heavy duty or other specialty type of cord?

 

[ChristophW]

Technically you are not supposed to use extension cords with EVSEs. That said, I will do that on occasion, and I will use a heavy-duty cable that supports the required current easily. For the level 1 charger that should be easy enough with a cable that supports the full 15A of a regular household outlet.

 

[Bobbo756]

ChristophW, thanks for the answer! I'll hope for an accessible outlet or potentially making a quick trip to one of the fast chargers on the island. And if all else fails, maybe I'll make the trip to a home depot for a heavy duty cord.

 

[Nai3t]

The official answer is "no" because the manufacturer says not to, due to risk of fire.

Extension cords are easily misused. There's nothing to prevent someone from inadvertently plugging in to too small a gauge wire, their construction is often cheap, and they often are abused, left lying out, driven over, stepped on, dropped on, etc. You should have seen a fire I responded to a few weeks back, plastic pallets attacked on an extension cord that was charging a scissor lift.

That all said, "yes" of course you can use an extension cord that's properly gauged, maintained, inspected, etc. I plug my other car in on the daily via at good quality 12 gauge cord on a 16 amp EVSE. I check the plug for heat every time I unplug, and hand coil it back into the frunk to check for any damage.

 

[Bobbo756]

Thanks all for the answers. My initial reaction is that it's probably not worth the risk for me. I'll either hope that there is an outlet close enough for me to get the car next to or I will find a way to make one of the few L2 chargers in that area work for me.

 

[Nai3t]

Whatever you do, be smart about it. If you come across a receptacle that looks heat damaged, or supports your plug loosely, don't use it.

The difference between a 50 foot run of wire inside the wall versus a 50 foot extension cord is nil when everything is done right, but one was installed per code by a licensed pro and is protected form damage, the other may have been bought by grandma at the dollar store and left laying across the driveway all summer after blowing the leaves. If you can be in control of / eliminate the variables, you'll be just fine using one.

 

[BlueDH]

Whatever you do, be smart about it. If you come across a receptacle that looks heat damaged, or supports your plug loosely, don't use it.

The difference between a 50 foot run of wire inside the wall versus a 50 foot extension cord is nil when everything is done right, but one was installed per code by a licensed pro and is protected form damage, the other may have been bought by grandma at the dollar store and left laying across the driveway all summer after blowing the leaves. If you can be in control of / eliminate the variables, you'll be just fine using one.

Congrats on your new ID.4 👍.
IMO, a 25' 12 gauge extension cord (Home Depot below or Lowe's) and your VW supplied level 1 charger is plenty capable, make sure all your plugs are firmly connected. Not that much range overnight though.

There's hardly any EAs at the ocean vacation spots on the mid-Atlantic coast. I visited my daughter at Myrtle Beach in mid-July. The night before I came back north I used her level 2 charger to top off.
One EA stop north in Rocky Mount, NC and home to Baltimore. Followed a nice tractor-trailer north and drafted half the way home 😁.

 

[Tinman]

I second the 25' 12/3 extension cord. If that almost 50 feet (with your portable EVSE stretched out) doesn't do it, buy another extension. No reason to carry around the extra weight and length coiled up doing nothing except getting warm and minutely dropping your voltage.

 

[Huey52]

My prior home I had a Yellow Jacket 12/3 50' cable direct buried to my shed. I wasn't sure if I was going to move the shed so went with this "temporary" situation, but never got around to a permanent conduit and it was just fine for 17+ years and still presumably in service. Granted only used for a few LED lights and light duty occasional short duration plug-in's. And GFCI outlets on both ends.

But as others have well said just be smart about it, Go with a high quality 12AWG extension and as short a run of same as you can get away with. And inspect regularly for any damage, especially if left exposed outside.

btw: I would never let mine get as dirty as Nai3t's. Teasing aside, easier to inspect when clean.

 

[Nai3t]

btw: I would never let mine get as dirty as Nai3t's. Teasing aside, easier to inspect when clean.

Yeah it's pretty DIRT-y!

 

[Huey52]

Hey, we've all been there. I've kept electrical taped cords far too long myself.

Yeah it's pretty DIRT-y!

 

[BlueDH]

My prior home I had a Yellow Jacket 12/3 50' cable direct buried to my shed. I wasn't sure if I was going to move the shed so went with this "temporary" situation, but never got around to a permanent conduit and it was just fine for 17+ years and still presumably in service. Granted only used for a few LED lights and light duty occasional short duration plug-in's. And GFCI outlets on both ends.

But as others have well said just be smart about it, Go with a high quality 12AWG extension and as short a run of same as you can get away with. And inspect regularly for any damage, especially if left exposed outside.

btw: I would never let mine get as dirty as Nai3t's. Teasing aside, easier to inspect when clean.

AAMOF, I'm currently using a 50' 12/3 Yellow Jacket to my shed for led lights and 4v, 12v, 18v and 20v, whew, battery chargers. But no level 1 chargers 😉.

 

[CentCoastScott]

Currently using a short 13 amp extension cord on the level 1 charger. It is rated for appliances, etc. It isn’t getting hot, but should I probably upgrade?

 

[Nai3t]

You'll see different variations of this, but I use these numbers which I believe are, if anything, slightly conservative: 12 awg for 16 amps continuous, 14 gauge for 12 amps continuous, and 16 gauge for 10A, all for lengths under 50 feet. 100 feet should be upguaged one size. You can also reference the safety label on the cord, and do what you did by checking the temperature of the cord.and the plug/socket. It never hurts to go up a gauge, but if the cord isn't getting hot (warm is normal), and it's of good quality, then you're safe.