Is it OK to let the charging port door close over an unconnected J1772 adapter?

[friday80s]

There aren't enough charging stations to parking spaces at work so we usually park near a station and rely on coworkers who have finished charging to unplug their EV and plug in whoever's next in line. The stations are public level-2 EV-Connect stations which require the J1772 adapter to be left in the charging port so that a "cord fairy" can come and plug in my Model 3 without me needing to come back and do it myself. This is fine except when my car locks, the port door attempts to close. After about a second of being blocked by the adapter it opens back up and I'm all set to leave my car. I've been doing this for months now but I'm concerned that it's potentially bad for the port door over time.

Video: Imgur

 

[Dre78]

Have you tried using the manual release? Maybe that disengages the motor...

From the sound it makes when I've accidentally pushed the charge port door, I'd be concerned that the gears would grind down over time. Difficult to tell, but I'm assuming they use a small servo motor with low gear ratio. Source: Google Image Search. Should you need a new door, the fix is relatively cheap: $65 on Ebay.

 

[mfarki]

I know the exact feeling, I personally don't think it's an issue because of the resistance telling the car that there is something plugged in it doesn't try to force the door down which would destroy the motor in the charging door. I would THINK you're ok.

 

[Dave Mac]

I remember reading that Tesla designed the door specifically this way to close by pressing down on it without damaging anything. Can’t find the source now.

 

[Dre78]

Have you tried using the manual release? Maybe that disengages the motor...

^^^ Disregard. The cable is to release charge cable, not door.

 

[RayK]

Seems like some people are misinterpreting your question, so I'll give it a try....

The port motor should be okay as once it sees some resistance to fully closing it reverses. I sometimes have the same problem when stopping my charging session by removing the ChargePoint J1772 handle. If my car hasn't recognized that my phone is nearby, it keeps the chaging port locked so I can't remove the J1772 adapter at the same time as I remove the handle. I've put my finger between the door and adapter to gauge the amount of force and it isn't that bad. If whatever senses the resistance to closing becomes inoperative, then I suppose there may be a chance of burning the motor out.

More of a problem, I would say, is that the port door is sitting open where it could be damaged by somebody passing by.

 

[mfarki]

Seems like some people are misinterpreting your question, so I'll give it a try....

The port motor should be okay as once it sees some resistance to fully closing it reverses. I sometimes have the same problem when stopping my charging session by removing the ChargePoint J1772 handle. If my car hasn't recognized that my phone is nearby, it keeps the chaging port locked so I can't remove the J1772 adapter at the same time as I remove the handle. I've put my finger between the door and adapter to gauge the amount of force and it isn't that bad. If whatever senses the resistance to closing becomes inoperative, then I suppose there may be a chance of burning the motor out.

More of a problem, I would say, is that the port door is sitting open where it could be damaged by somebody passing by.

Literally what I said

 

[slmitchell737]

On a similar note- I’m charging at the airport quite a bit. ChargePoint but free from the city. When it finishes charging the plug can be disconnected. I came home after 3 days away and found just the adapter in with the door over it- fair enough and glad i didn’t monopolize it for that long.

I’m just curious about the weather. As it gets into rainy season here does the adapter without a cord protect the car charging area from the elements?

Seems like it should but I haven’t found info on it yet