Tried a cheap extension cord for my Leaf and melted the plug yesterday

I needed an extra 15 feet to reach the outdoor outlet at my apartment complex in Austin, so I grabbed a 12-gauge cord from Home Depot for like 20 bucks. Plugged in my Level 1 charger and after about 3 hours, the cord end was literally deformed and smoking. Learned the hard way that EV chargers pull constant high amps way different than a power tool. Anyone else fry a cord trying to make a cheap extension work?

2 comments

2 Comments

theas941mo ago

Yeah I melted a 14 gauge cord the same way. Live and learn.

tara_palmer1mo ago

Wait wait, you MELTED a 14 gauge cord? Like the plastic casing actually melted and turned into a gooey mess? I've seen cords get hot before but never actually melt down to where the copper was exposed. The sparks must have been terrifying, I would have probably just dropped it and ran away honestly.