Melted Charging Adapter/Cord

[mknox]

Even when plugged all the way in there is noticeable "play" in the connector. It does seem that Tesla could make this more solid while still keeping the convenience.

I'm on my 3rd UMC, but not for overheating reasons. The first two had adapters that clicked in solidly, but my current one has a notable "wiggle" between the adapter and the cable even after it's pushed in and clicks in place. I currently charge at 16 amps from a 20 amp/240 volt outlet and have no heating issues at all.

 

[Fedderman]

Happened upon this thread, so I thought I should check my 14-50 adapter, since I likely have the original version. Sure enough, there is evidence of severe heating around the adapter pins. I will be visiting the local service center tomorrow to get a replacement. Thinking I will dial-down my charging current to 20A (half the charging rate but a quarter of the power dissipated though contact resistance).

Makes one wonder how many folks have this problem and don't know it. See additional pic below - the adapter has never fully seated (~1/16" gap) no matter how hard it is pushed; latching mechanism still works correctly.

 

[Rbats]

Makes one wonder how many folks have this problem and don't know it. See additional pic below - the adapter has never fully seated (~1/16" gap) no matter how hard it is pushed; latching mechanism still works correctly.

Exactly! There always seems to be a gap. Wonder if there is a better way to accomplish a tighter seal? I remember dealing with some twist lock plugs (where you plug into receptacle and twist the plug to lock and seal in place) - would be pretty neat if they could replace the click lock mechanism with those instead.

 

[bareyb]

Yeah… I think I may just have to take a trip out to the garage and inspect the innards of my Plug.

 

[fuelsman]

240V is +120V and -120V and a neutral. It is possible to have one 120V leg with more power load with excess power returned by the neutral. This is not a ground fault, it is power to neutral (normal 120V circuit). An unbalanced load will read 240V between legs but the amperage between legs can be significantly different without any indication of fault.

 

[FlasherZ]

240V is +120V and -120V and a neutral. It is possible to have one 120V leg with more power load with excess power returned by the neutral. This is not a ground fault, it is power to neutral (normal 120V circuit). An unbalanced load will read 240V between legs but the amperage between legs can be significantly different without any indication of fault.

The Tesla does not use the neutral, it's not even connected into the UMC module itself. It only uses L1-L2 on 240V (or if using a 120V adapter, the N is wired to L1). There is no imbalance between the pins. As stated, the excuse is BS.

 

[triscb82]

Bottom line. The car costs as much as 100K+ and for the component that allows the vehicle to "refuel" not to work safely, Tesla needs to be held accountable for not having done their homework on this under-engineered connector. Plastic Pins down thru a clear reduction in the amount of copper to support 40 amps is complete nonsense. I suspect a recall is in order. NHTSA was at my house today and my electrical is a pristine install. I am a big fan of Tesla and the Model S but safety is 1st and their claim to fame. I would think that this issue would be #1 on their list of defects to address immediately. In the meantime, Tesla should be sending HPWC's out to customers until the UMC is redesigned. End of story. They need to be going above and beyond. All of us owners are the field testers for a brand new product from a brand new car company. I know I will not be sleeping well while that UMC is plugged into my wall in the garage directly below my bedroom.

 

[wycolo]

So every time this odious piece of crap starts incinerating itself (surprise!!) we will see a new thread about it like it is new news.

[ there, that's #1001, time to scurry back into the woodwork]
--

 

[Cottonwood]

Bottom line. The car costs as much as 100K+ and for the component that allows the vehicle to "refuel" not to work safely, Tesla needs to be held accountable for not having done their homework on this under-engineered connector. Plastic Pins down thru a clear reduction in the amount of copper to support 40 amps is complete nonsense. I suspect a recall is in order. NHTSA was at my house today and my electrical is a pristine install. I am a big fan of Tesla and the Model S but safety is 1st and their claim to fame. I would think that this issue would be #1 on their list of defects to address immediately. In the meantime, Tesla should be sending HPWC's out to customers until the UMC is redesigned. End of story. They need to be going above and beyond. All of us owners are the field testers for a brand new product from a brand new car company. I know I will not be sleeping well while that UMC is plugged into my wall in the garage directly below my bedroom.

Did you call NHTSA? Why were they at your house?

 

[scaesare]

I have to wonder if the other significant factor in these is the design of the right-angle plug adapter head as well as the EVSE electronics module in the cable assembly.

The module is rather heavy.... I've not weighed it, but it feels like a few pounds to me. This is located 16" or so (again a guess) from the plug end of the cable.

That plug head is designed to accommodate a variety of adapters which makes it quite versatile, but the downside is that it ends up rather long. Thus, in many circumstances the full weight of the electronics module (and cable itself) is supported by that plug-head... which is acting as a lever. The sag induced is not only going to cause strain on the plug-to-receptacle interface, but also internally on the adapter pins.

Given that the pins are not oversized for this application, I wonder if a little bit of flex there is also causing issues with reduced surface area... which in turn generates heat, which in turns slightly softens the plastic, which in turn causes more sag, etc...

I've only used my UMC in half a dozen different charging environments... but even before I ever know about any overheating issues my natural tendency was to want to support the module, as leaving it dangling felt like it was going to be hard on the plug head (not to mention that for a 120V/15A outlet it tends to want to pull out of the receptacle to some degree).

 

[roblab]

I know I will not be sleeping well while that UMC is plugged into my wall in the garage directly below my bedroom.

While you wait for Tesla to get a fix on this, and you should know they will, or at least they always have with me (VIN 00064), you might want to order a set of these for greater peace of mind. Actually, you should probably have these put up even if you already have peace of mind.

First Alert SA511CN2-3ST ONELINK Wireless Battery Operated Smoke Alarm with Voice Location, 2-Pack, First Alert Alarm System, First Alert Smoke Detector, Wireless Smoke Alarm

 

[napabill]

Have left my UMC plugged into the 14-50 adapter and into my garage wall outlet since September. Yesterday I took the UMC with me to my daughters and when I tried to remove the adapter it was stuck. Finally after pressing the release button and then using a screwdriver I was able to pop it free. Here is a picture of what I found. None of the plastic appears to be deformed by heat, but there is some yellowish substance that is what apparently caused it to stick. Any ideas? And I have been charging at 30 amps since November.

I sent off the above to Ownership and within 2 hours I received a email from the manager at our local TM Service Center in San Rafael, CA:
++++++++
Hello Bill,

Thank you for sending the picture of your charge cable adapter.
My team at Tesla San Rafael will be able to deliver a new charge cable and adapter today.
What time today is best for my team to deliver the cable?
We will also confirm that you are charging at 40 amps once the cable is attached to the charge port.

Best regards,
Steve
++++++++

I gave him a call as we live in Napa, over an hour away, and are leaving in the morning for AZ for 4 months. He couldn't have been nicer. They are taking this cable/adapter issue VERY seriously. Can you imagine a GM or even a MB dealer handling it this way? I'm impressed.

...Bill

 

[Kraken]

This is about to blow up and become big. Tesla can try to point the finger all it wants, but it isn't going to get anywhere. If tesla wants to be around at the start of 2015, hpwcs need to already be in the mail to every owner who didnt purchase one. Further, there needs to be another price increase on 1.1.14, it needs to be 1500 and the car now comes with an hpwc.

The number of melted adapters is ridiculous and proves that tesla is at fault. Statistically, Not all of these are faulty wiring, which will make it tough to prove that any of them were faulty wiring. A small ota update isn't going to fix this melting/fire issue or calm the media storm. Now people are looking for proof of this, as opposed to a month ago when it was an issue only we owners had eyes on.

this is way worse than the 90/120 issue or some of the others. This is a safety/fear issue.

If tesla waits too long, even the non faulty hpwc will not seem like a fix because the general public will lump it in.

 

[efusco]

This is about to blow up and become big. Tesla can try to point the finger all it wants, but it isn't going to get anywhere. If tesla wants to be around at the start of 2015, hpwcs need to already be in the mail to every owner who didnt purchase one. Further, there needs to be another price increase on 1.1.14, it needs to be 1500 and the car now comes with an hpwc.

The number of melted adapters is ridiculous and proves that tesla is at fault. Statistically, Not all of these are faulty wiring, which will make it tough to prove that any of them were faulty wiring. A small ota update isn't going to fix this melting/fire issue or calm the media storm. Now people are looking for proof of this, as opposed to a month ago when it was an issue only we owners had eyes on.

this is way worse than the 90/120 issue or some of the others. This is a safety/fear issue.

If tesla waits too long, even the non faulty hpwc will not seem like a fix because the general public will lump it in.

Well, a tad dramatic, but I agree with your general concepts.
However, I think that, perhaps, what will happen instead is that a new version of the UMC will be provided with a fixed NEMA 14-15 male plug and, perhaps, a slightly more sturdy construction. Then the interchangable plug UMC would be an optional product. A HPWC would mean large installation charges for many people. But, again, your point is taken and I concur that if people who use their UMC as their every day charger then there should be a more reliable/safer version available for that purpose and keep the current version (perhaps with improved connection lock) strictly for occasional use when traveling.

 

[digitaltim]

I use my UMC as the primary charging device. It is disconnected weekly to use between my home in MD and apt in NJ/NY.

I am very diligent about ensuring a solid connection between the UMC, adapter and outlet.

Here's a pic of the connections:

 

[Dave EV]

Have left my UMC plugged into the 14-50 adapter and into my garage wall outlet since September. Yesterday I took the UMC with me to my daughters and when I tried to remove the adapter it was stuck. Finally after pressing the release button and then using a screwdriver I was able to pop it free. Here is a picture of what I found. None of the plastic appears to be deformed by heat, but there is some yellowish substance that is what apparently caused it to stick. Any ideas? And I have been charging at 30 amps since November.

Definitely melted due to overheating, just not as severe as some of the others. What's the other side look like? Looks like even 30A is not safe with the UMC.

 

[roblab]

Well, a tad dramatic, but I agree with your general concepts.
However, I think that, perhaps, what will happen instead is that a new version of the UMC will be provided with a fixed NEMA 14-15 male plug and, perhaps, a slightly more sturdy construction. Then the interchangable plug UMC would be an optional product. A HPWC would mean large installation charges for many people. But, again, your point is taken and I concur that if people who use their UMC as their every day charger then there should be a more reliable/safer version available for that purpose and keep the current version (perhaps with improved connection lock) strictly for occasional use when traveling.

Now, there's an idea! Remove the adapter connector, which seems to have problems, and wire a 14-50 plug onto the cord. I wonder if Tesla would allow me to do this. I never charge on 120 volt.

 

[digitaltim]

Now, there's an idea! Remove the adapter connector, which seems to have problems, and wire a 14-50 plug onto the cord. I wonder if Tesla would allow me to do this. I never charge on 120 volt.

Agreed - but I would love to have a 14-50 to 120V adapter for the rare occasion.

 

[AlMc]

I have two UMCs. One plugged in 24/7 at home and the other travels in the car and I use it to charge 'on the go'...mostly at work. Both pull 39 amps (Nema 14-50) at home and work. Just inspected them. No issues.

 

[Dave EV]

Now, there's an idea! Remove the adapter connector, which seems to have problems, and wire a 14-50 plug onto the cord. I wonder if Tesla would allow me to do this.

Tesla would never know about it. Done properly there's no issue and you will eliminate the weak point of the Tesla UMC. Only trick is to figure out how Tesla codes the current limit into each adapter, but I think someone figured that out, already.

Edit: Make sure you know how this works before hacking off the plug - otherwise you will either end up with a non-functional UMC or perhaps one limited to 12A!

And if you do end up wanting to charge on 120V, it can still be done by making custom adapters, but you'd really have to remember to dial down the current in the car or you trip the circuit breaker at least!

This post may help - don't know if the Roadster RFMC adapters work the same as the Model S UMC, but they use diodes in different configurations to determine ampacity:
UMC Wiring - Page 2

Edit: And look at that - the RFMC had a 90C thermal switch built into the adapter. I bet this was used to detect over-heating and to cut off charging if tripped - or at least dial current down to 12A (same as 15A plug w/no diode):
UMC Wiring - Page 2