Hi, soon-to-be new Model 3 owner here. The car will have to be parked in the driveway as two other vehicles will be taking up the garage. I’ll need a good 55 ft of cord to make it from the 14-50 outlet I’m going to have installed next to the breaker box to the charging port (that’s with the car backed in). If I pay an electrician the extra $ to have the outlet put in closer to the garage door (20-25ft from breaker box) I could cut down the length of cord needed to 25 ft or so. Either way, the garage door closes fine on a thick cord without exerting much pressure (paver driveway means it’s not flat).
So the question - I’ve seen conflicting info from old threads. Can I use a 14-50 extension cord to give me up to 35 ft extra length?
Hard to know exactly what you are asking without knowing the exact car positioning. You need 35 feet in addition to the UMC cord? (As mentioned that is 20 feet already.). Are you planning to back in?
I use one of these in my garage, but not for the Tesla - it’s for a Spark EV, and I really had no other choice but to extend the 14-50 outlet, due to car parking positions. By design, I only pull 2.9kW through it, so it is not really a concern at all for me. But I personally wouldn’t trust it up to the rating, on a routine basis. And I wouldn’t want it outside. I mostly bought it so I could bring it on road trips if I needed it, and I needed to extend the 14-50 outlet. This may not be to code but it is likely safe (it’s on a 20A breaker). It’s fixed in place in the garage, so it has no plug/unplug cycles.
Camco Heavy Duty Outdoor Extension Cord for RV and Auto with Easy PowerGrip Handle- 50 Amp, 6/8-Gauge, Includes Convenient Carrying Strap - 30ft (55195)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0024ECIP0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Z1UdDbDRG0WZM
I guess I don’t really understand how the car could be parked so far from the garage that 35+ feet of cord would be required, but I can see that such situations could exist.
I’d wouldn’t want any extension cord connections routinely exposed to the elements.
But to me it seems like if you want to deal with a heavy (they are very heavy!) extension cord once in a while to charge your car it would be fine (and maybe that would work for your daily needs - just remember the car doesn’t stay charged and ideally should be left plugged in). Personally I wouldn’t want to deal with it - it is heavy and inconvenient and it would always be in the way, and you wouldn’t want to run it over with the other cars.
Putting the 14-50 outlet (or Wall Connector) in the right position long-term for an EV seems like the right call...and then try to make the UMC without extension cord or the Wall Connector cord work for your parking position. Definitely worth doing some thinking about the long-term, prior to having the electrical work done.