Anyone used a film set "stinger" as a travel extension cord for charging?

[xtnvieira]

As I prepare for my first Tesla, one of the things I'm researching is putting together a little charging "extension" kit in the event I am somewhere and need extra length to charge off a regular outlet inside/outside. Basically, looking for options if I take a road trip and stay at an AirBnB without a EV charging option.

I work in the film industry and we often using cables known as "stingers". They're a bit more heavy duty than what you normally pickup in a hardware store. I've been seeing that I should be looking for 12AWG cords and and I found one that is listed as 12/3 so I assume this will be fine? Here's the link: Filmtools Stinger 12/3 SJO Cable (Extension Cord) - 25'

Anyone with past similar travel charging experiences care to educate me if I'm off base?

Finally, I currently live in an apartment but there is a regular 120 volt outlet in my garage that has one port powering the garage door motor. Would I be able to use the 2nd outlet to charge my car at night, or would the load be too much?

Thanks in advance for any insight the TMC-hive mind has.

 

[RichardL]

Using a simple outlet (like in your apartment) would work well and you will get around 4mph charging - so overnight add maybe 50 miles of range. I lived like that in a temporary place while relocating and it made all the difference to have that overnight boost.

That cable is 120V/15A, which means you should be able to run 12A continuous. I think (no expert) that might get you up to 6-7mph charging - but the downside is that the car gets a little finicky if it senses the extension and may simply stop charging - so you have to monitor your app carefully.

I bought a 240V/50A extension that was recommended here several years ago - it weighs about half a ton! but allowed me to charge at my sister in law's place with my X. Now I have the 3, I can simply get it into her small garage and use the direct charger connection (to a dryer outlet with another converter cable) which is much more reliable

 

[xtnvieira]

Using a simple outlet (like in your apartment) would work well and you will get around 4mph charging - so overnight add maybe 50 miles of range. I lived like that in a temporary place while relocating and it made all the difference to have that overnight boost.

That cable is 120V/15A, which means you should be able to run 12A continuous. I think (no expert) that might get you up to 6-7mph charging - but the downside is that the car gets a little finicky if it senses the extension and may simply stop charging - so you have to monitor your app carefully.

I bought a 240V/50A extension that was recommended here several years ago - it weighs about half a ton! but allowed me to charge at my sister in law's place with my X. Now I have the 3, I can simply get it into her small garage and use the direct charger connection (to a dryer outlet with another converter cable) which is much more reliable

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, I hope to have a more elegant and faster solution for at-home charging once my wife and I have enough saved up to buy a house here in SoCal, but for now, I'm hoping I can get by with some light charging in my apartment's garage.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Big question is if you should notify your apartment owner that you intend to plug your car in, and if they will be willing to absorb the extra electrical costs, or pass them on to you. Alternative is to just plug in and be sneaky, hoping they never find out.

 

[Klau2]

You will actually get 5 mi/hr on a 120 v plug.

 

[user212_nr]

Finally, I currently live in an apartment but there is a regular 120 volt outlet in my garage that has one port powering the garage door motor. Would I be able to use the 2nd outlet to charge my car at night, or would the load be too much?

You should be fine. The opener only uses a very small trivial draw to listen for the radio signal. Even using the motor a few times with charging should not trip the breaker.

As I prepare for my first Tesla, one of the things I'm researching is putting together a little charging "extension" kit in the event I am somewhere and need extra length to charge off a regular outlet inside/outside. Basically, looking for options if I take a road trip and stay at an AirBnB without a EV charging option.

You can use an extension cord, definitely. Here is a 10 gauge for $50.

There are various reasons they are discouraged, maybe too thin gauge on many of them, but it is generally safe to use especially in temporary situations.

https://www.amazon.com/Foot-Lighted-Outdoor-Extension-Cord/dp/B078KFMGP4

Voltage Drop Calculator

Result with 10 AWG
Voltage drop: 0.60
Voltage drop percentage: 0.50%
Voltage at the end: 119.4

 

[EVNation]

As I prepare for my first Tesla, one of the things I'm researching is putting together a little charging "extension" kit in the event I am somewhere and need extra length to charge off a regular outlet inside/outside. Basically, looking for options if I take a road trip and stay at an AirBnB without a EV charging option.

I work in the film industry and we often using cables known as "stingers". They're a bit more heavy duty than what you normally pickup in a hardware store. I've been seeing that I should be looking for 12AWG cords and and I found one that is listed as 12/3 so I assume this will be fine? Here's the link: Filmtools Stinger 12/3 SJO Cable (Extension Cord) - 25'

Anyone with past similar travel charging experiences care to educate me if I'm off base?

Finally, I currently live in an apartment but there is a regular 120 volt outlet in my garage that has one port powering the garage door motor. Would I be able to use the 2nd outlet to charge my car at night, or would the load be too much?

Thanks in advance for any insight the TMC-hive mind has.

I used stingers all the time when I had my Volt. I don't bother with my 3 because with the extra range, I'm too lazy to pull out the UMC for 120V. Although technically rated for 15A, stingers are designed to hold a tungsten 2K, so you can get away with almost 20A for hours. That said, at 12A continuous, you'll be fine with one of the cheaper cords the others have recommended.