Extension cable

There's definitely another thread on this. The short version is that the manual is written by lawyers to prevent liability in case of electrical fires/accidents, but if you use a sufficiently thick cord, you should be fine.

 

I use 12 awg 25 feet

 

+1
Same length and gauge- no problem at all, it doesn't heat up at all.
Don't use the common 14awg cords, use the 12awg and you'll be good.

 

+2. Same here. About $30 at Home Depot

 

Same here. Since I need an extension cord for home and work, I use a nice heavy one I purchased at Home Depot.

 

I plug in at work w/12 gauge 25 foot cord every day and drive the 12 miles home; no problems.

 

I keep a 12 AWG 15 foot in my car, mainly for the parking lot at work. Lighter, and saves a little bit of space. For my usage, the extra 10 feet that a 25 foot provides doesn't actually help.

BTW, I also have a 1 metre 12 AWG extension cord. Why?

1. Because on some outdoor outlets, there is a rim around the housing of the outlet, and the Toyota EVSE's plug doesn't fit. The plastic part of the plug is too fat. The rim gets in the way. That 1 metre 12 AWG extension cord has a regular sized plug that fits fine.

2. Because in my parking lot the outlet is 2 feet above the ground. That means if I just plug the Toyota EVSE in directly, the rectangular thingy is partially hanging. The instructions say that you can hang that unit on a hook, but it should not be hanging from the outlet.

It looks something like this:



At home I have a Leaf EVSE screwed into a post by the driveway semi-permanently. Since the cord is not long enough, I use a 25 foot 12 AWG extension cord there. It turns out I need 17 feet, and so a 15 footer is not quite long enough.

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You'll note the common thread through all of our posts is that the cord should be 12 AWG or better. (14 is worse. 10 is better but is extremely thick and expensive.) I would recommend sticking with 25 feet or less.

 

i've used 14 and even 16, but i stand by with a fire extinguisher, and 911 at the ready.

 

It's not just the gauge of the wire, it's also the way the ends are connected.

 

exactly, that's the trouble point, evidenced by the heat.