When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I’ve been wondering how my original cable is doing and whether I should keep using it at 100% before I go into the dealer to get the replacement cable. I’ve read all sorts of opinions about where the overheating might occur - the pigtail cable, the NEMA 14-50 plug, the NEMA 14-50 receptacle, or the house wiring between the breaker and the receptacle. So I pulled out my FLIR infrared camera and took a look. The attached photos show the temperatures after an hour of charging at 100%. The hottest location was in the pigtail wiring just before the plug. The receptacle was cooler, and the house wiring wasn’t stressed. Based on this evidence, it would seem the highest stressed component is the pigtail, and its replacement through the recall makes sense. The rest of my wiring seems fine.
I'll be interested to see the same FLIR image with the new cable. I bet it will be exactly the same. If you read the recall, the change being made will protect against overburden and overheating house wiring. How can overburden happen? It can if your installation is not up to the task. It has nothing to do with the Audi cable itself. So the change will protect you against poor electrical workmanship in or near your receptacle or even against a defective receptacle. To do so, the new cable will have a heat sensor near its plug and if it senses abnormal heat, it will tell you wall adapter to shutdown. There's currently nothing wrong with your Audi components but by initially omitting the heat sensor near the plug, Audi can't currently protect you if your house wiring is not up to the task. Of course there's a limit to what Audi can do because only electrical faults nearby the plug will be caught by Audi. If there's some questionable connection further down the line, good luck.
I’ve been wondering how my original cable is doing and whether I should keep using it at 100% before I go into the dealer to get the replacement cable. I’ve read all sorts of opinions about where the overheating might occur - the pigtail cable, the NEMA 14-50 plug, the NEMA 14-50 receptacle, or the house wiring between the breaker and the receptacle. So I pulled out my FLIR infrared camera and took a look. The attached photos show the temperatures after an hour of charging at 100%. The hottest location was in the pigtail wiring just before the plug. The receptacle was cooler, and the house wiring wasn’t stressed. Based on this evidence, it would seem the highest stressed component is the pigtail, and its replacement through the recall makes sense. The rest of my wiring seems fine.
To all of you facing this issue: we just got our 2023 e-Tron back from Beaverton Audi. Be careful about what pigtail you receive as a replacement. The one they sent my wife home with is 1) reversed at the plug head by 180' (so turned away from the 240 plug I had installed outside with a protective weather cover built-in), and 2) the pigtail is overall about 1/2" shorter than the one it replaced. The fact the pigtail is turned the wrong way, and wants to force the user to twist this 18" or less cable by 180' to get it to fit, is problematic, at best.
SO, suffice it to say, it no longer fits in the very nicely installed carriage holder I installed outside our garage for convenient charging. Hopefully, there is more than one model of the replacement 220v/240v pigtail. Since currently, this one does not work as intended. We will find out from Beaverton Audi tomorrow, I hope.
To all of you facing this issue: we just got our 2023 e-Tron back from Beaverton Audi. Be careful about what pigtail you receive as a replacement. The one they sent my wife home with is 1) reversed at the plug head by 180' (so turned away from the 240 plug I had installed outside with a protective weather cover built-in), and 2) the pigtail is overall about 1/2" shorter than the one it replaced. The fact the pigtail is turned the wrong way, and wants to force the user to twist this 18" or less cable by 180' to get it to fit, is problematic, at best. SO, suffice it to say, it no longer fits in the very nicely installed carriage holder I installed outside our garage for convenient charging. Hopefully, there is more than one model of the replacement 220v/240v pigtail. Since currently, this one does not work as intended. We will find out from Beaverton Audi tomorrow, I hope
Loved the picture showing where the heat is generated. Maybe Audi should read this forum. After they have claimed the owners home wiring was the cause of these failures. This is the plug that came with our Audi Etron, new to us this month, 20,000 miles on it but new to us.
We do now have the new Audi Charging cable, wires were upgraded in the new plug from #10 to #8 so it is heavier duty. Hopefully all the charge issues will be in the rear view mirror with this upgrade. Looks like ours melted exactly where your picture shows the max heat, I think you identified the issue clearly.
Funny, why is the heat focused on the one prong of the Plug? Both terminals carry 120 V, the load should be the same? Does the Car pull more off one terminal than the other? In a 240V system I would think it should pull equal amounts off each of the 120V prongs?
Funny, why is the heat focused on the one prong of the Plug? Both terminals carry 120 V, the load should be the same? Does the Car pull more off one terminal than the other? In a 240V system I would think it should pull equal amounts off each of the 120V prongs?
Extra heat either comes from extra current or more probably in this case from a poor (i.e. resistive) contact.
Follow up on the new Charge Cable, on 50% charge mine is charging at 5.3 kw, at 100% mine charges at 8.7kw. We are choosing to charge at 50% on my system. So far it does make you switch from 100% to 50% each time you plug in. Is that normal?
Over the weekend we had visitors at the house and both had electric cars and they charged at our place. A Land Rover hybrid plugged in at 100% was o only pulling 7.6kw has a small battery only good for 30 miles on electric then it is powered by a V6 gas engine.
A small BMW, 1 series electric charging at 100% pulled 5.6kw. Again, small battery, small car with only about a 150 mile range, this one has a small gas engine that will power the car for 60 miles in emergency at no more than 55 mph. Odd but good should you run out of electric.
I am in the Sacramento Area and use SMUD for electric power, our midnight till 12 noon rate is down to under .14 per KWH, our peak rate between 5 and 8 pm is .34 per KWH. Our son lives in the Bay Area near San Francisco, his off peak rate is more than our peak rate. The privilege of living near SF I guess.
I expect with all the new demand created by electrics our rates will keep going up quickly.
04-20-2024, 01:10 PM
