Charging Cable Durability

If you posted in the older Gen 1 plug in forum, you might find someone with 5 years experience, no one here is likely to have 2 years experience. I have no idea where you could get a review from some one with 10 years experience.

 

I have never heard of a weather or UV related failure on a PiP EVSE cable. Mine is in partial sun all day for 4 days a week at work. That's been for over 18 months. No idea how the previous owner used it. It's still very supple and has no cracks.

 

The biggest risk is falling against the J1772 which breaks the 'tooth' on the locking latch. I've seen two at Whole Foods and I was clumsy one night juggling groceries and dogs and broke mine which I've repaired.

Bob Wilson

 

I’ve had an EV / PHEV for four years (Fiat 500e prior to the Prime). Although I don’t store my EVSE outdoors, I did have one EVSE damaged in my garage three years ago by MICE! It seems mice think the cable is tasty. Needless to say, I now keep the cable off the ground when not in use.

 

Question about the stock 120v evse that comes with the Prime. Should I unplug it from the outlet every time the car has completed its charge or is it OK just to leave it plugged in the outlet? Just curious if it is hard on the outlet to continuously plug and unplug ever day.

 

There is a small amount of energy consumed by the EVSE when it's idle. Probably much less than your TV when it's turned off.

There is also a very small amount of wear and tear on the receptacle when plugging in and unplugging.

There is also the small chance of a stray voltage spike from lightning or some other source damaging the EVSE when plugged in.

I don't think any of those are significant enough to fret about. As for me, I unplug mine when not in use. The worst that could happen is that I'll have to replace a loose receptacle in about 20 years. If I'm still alive at 85.