Help

[nivlem]

I've had a 2021 Mach E and I've home charge at lease once/week since I bought it:
- Started off using Ford Mobile connected to early model dryer outlet; connection via pigtail.
-- Had several issues with this including slow charging, charger failures and overheating at a connector pin; home charger replaced twice by Ford.
-- In October 2021 had dedicated 220V drop with 14-50 hardware installed. Noticed conduit warm to touch and charging still slow. Contractor didn't think the warm conduit was a problem.
-- Slow charging continued; purchased ChargePoint charger Dec 2022. Slow charging solved. Warm conduit remained.
-- Initiated ChargePoint charge at 10:30PM 15 Oct, got charger error notification at 10:38. System dead. Trouble shooting found 220V at Breaker, 0V at plug.
- Investigation also determined excessive heating on the same contact; and apparently has been ongoing since March 2021 (see attached photos). The fact the Contact overheating has continued thru wiring and charger updates suggests the car is driving the problem. Has anyone had a similar problem and if so, how did you fix it?

Sponsored

 

[macchiaz-o]

You may need a different electrician.

Also, if plugging in your ChargePoint rather than hardwiring it, then you need a more reliable NEMA 14-50 receptacle. The Hubbell branded receptacle is often recommended in this forum.

 

[Kabish]

I'm no electrician, but I agree with the above, you need to find a new one lol I'd be super hesitant on using any type of adapter charging at home. If your conduit is getting hot, to my uneducated mind, that would tell me the wire used is not thick enough that is running to your circuit. I have about 40ish feet of cable running from my box to my charger, the conduit has never once been hot, but then again my electrician used metal conduit so maybe it dissipates the heat???

 

[HuntingPudel]

FIrst of all, the Ford Mobile Charger (FMC) will draw 32A when using its 240V pigtail. This is unsafe. The dryer outlet and its associated wiring can support 30A maximum for short periods. For sustained periods it's safe for 24A (per code). I am surprised that using the adapter through your dryer outlet didn't pop the breaker. Get that breaker checked out and replaced. ??

It's hard to tell without being there, but that wiring doesn't look like it's at least 6AWG THHN. The wiring looks to have smoked and the outlet also looks to have melted. Another wiring pull and an industrial outlet are definitely in that circuit's future. ??

 

[Maquis]

That receptacle is not a 14-50. It‘s a 10-30 with what appears to be 10 gauge wire. If that’s on a 50A breaker, you’re lucky you didn’t burn your house down. Definitely hire a new electrician.

 

[Dwood11]

I’m a state certified electrician for many decades at the point and just like Maquis stated you’re lucky you didn’t have a major event.
This can be chalked up to an electrician that most likely did take your needs into proper consideration.
The nec code book ampacity chart is your friend, but your electrician may have not gotten the notice.
I’m guessing you were pushing the limits for some time, then eventually over time your connections loosened up. As time goes on harmonics have a tendency to vibrate things loose. This can go on for years until one day one of the loose connections eventually starts to build up resistance.
Resistance equals heat, and the worse the problem gets the more heat it will start to generate. Then one day your house burns down.
So yeah, you need a real electrician for installs like this. I’m really hoping this guy didn’t install your jacuzzi too.
But all kidding aside this could have been disastrous!
Out of curriosity what size breaker did he install? 50amp?

 

[Mach-Lee]

I've had a 2021 Mach E and I've home charge at lease once/week since I bought it:
- Started off using Ford Mobile connected to early model dryer outlet; connection via pigtail.
-- Had several issues with this including slow charging, charger failures and overheating at a connector pin; home charger replaced twice by Ford.
-- In October 2021 had dedicated 220V drop with 14-50 hardware installed. Noticed conduit warm to touch and charging still slow. Contractor didn't think the warm conduit was a problem.
-- Slow charging continued; purchased ChargePoint charger Dec 2022. Slow charging solved. Warm conduit remained.
-- Initiated ChargePoint charge at 10:30PM 15 Oct, got charger error notification at 10:38. System dead. Trouble shooting found 220V at Breaker, 0V at plug.
- Investigation also determined excessive heating on the same contact; and apparently has been ongoing since March 2021 (see attached photos). The fact the Contact overheating has continued thru wiring and charger updates suggests the car is driving the problem. Has anyone had a similar problem and if so, how did you fix it?

It’s not a problem with the car, it’s a problem with the installation!

I see a number of things wrong here:

• First, you were using an adapter (NEMA 10-30 to 14-50). Never use an adapter for EV charging more than a couple times per year. Most adapters are made poorly in China and will eventually melt with repeated use as you discovered.
  • In addition, you cannot convert a 30 amp outlet into 50 amp outlet, doing so will overload the circuit since you will draw more current than the circuit is designed to handle.
  • If you are using a dryer outlet, the maximum current for charging is 24 amps. The Ford Mobile charger draws 32 amps, so you CANNOT USE THE MOBILE CHARGER ON A DRYER OUTLET safely. You need to buy a 24A EVSE to use a dryer outlet.
• The wires in that junction box look too small, they are either #10 or #8. #8 is okay on a 50A breaker if the wire in conduit the whole way, but to reduce heat I recommend running #6 wire instead.
• The 14-50 outlet you had may not have been industrial grade or rated for EV charging. You need a more expensive heavy-duty outlet, not a typical grade range outlet.
• Hardwiring the charger eliminates a lot of the risk of the plug melting, I recommend doing that.

You were lucky you didn't have a more serious fire that burned down your house. More care needs to be taken with the installation.

In summary, I'd recommend you hire an electrician to come fix the mess. Consider upgrading to #6 hardwired so there are no more plugs to melt.

 

[nivlem]

Hello Everyone, looks like I need to add to/clarify info in my original post. I had two separate charger installations. First the Ford Charger: I fabricated and installed the 10-30 to 14-50 pigtail to use with the Ford Charger. Load Current: 32Amps, 10Awg wire protected by 40 amp breaker (approx 7kwh charging). October 2021 (second installation): Electrician installed a dedicated EV only 220V drop. It is approximately a 40 ft wire run setup for 40 amp service: 8awg wiring protected by 50 amp breaker and was used with the Ford charger until Dec 2022 . I then installed a ChargePoint charger and set it for 40amp output (approx 9kwh). Fordpass charging data indicated neither installation exceeded the prescribed output. The pigtail has not been used since Oct '21 and It was not involved in the damage to the wall plug. However each pin, in the same location on the 10-30 plug and 14-50 wall plug separately exhibited overheating. The 10-30 to 14-50 pigtail was most likely under-rated, however I understand my current wiring meets the standard for 40amp service. But both pins are not overheating. Since only one pin on either plug is overheating, I am wondering if that's related to some peculiarity of the Mach E.

PS: I am replacing the wall connector with a heavy duty item.

 

[HuntingPudel]

10 AWG is insufficient for a continuous 32A load when using plugs and receptacles, so your adapter is under-sized for the purpose. ??

8 AWG is insufficient for continuous loads of 40A when using plugs and receptacles so the Chargepoint was set too high for The circuit. A 40A service is sufficient for 40A only in short duration. A continuous load of 40A needs a 125% buffer, so the circuit must be capable of 50A. ??

 

[Snakebitten]

Scary stuff.

There's so much to learn after you purchase an EV.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Since only one pin on either plug is overheating, I am wondering if that's related to some peculiarity of the Mach E.

No, it means the wire or socket connection at that one pin got loose. Perhaps it wasn’t tightened sufficiently (you’re supposed to use a torque wrench).

You also need to understand the 80% or 125% rule. You can only charge at a maximum rate of 80% of breaker rating. For example, a 50 amp breaker can only handle 40 amps of charging, but the wires need to be sized for 50 amps or larger. If you’re using FordPass to monitor, that means the charge rate cannot be higher than about 9 kW on a 14-50 outlet.

 

[Adventureboy]

I've had a 2021 Mach E and I've home charge at lease once/week since I bought it:
- Started off using Ford Mobile connected to early model dryer outlet; connection via pigtail.
-- Had several issues with this including slow charging, charger failures and overheating at a connector pin; home charger replaced twice by Ford.
-- In October 2021 had dedicated 220V drop with 14-50 hardware installed. Noticed conduit warm to touch and charging still slow. Contractor didn't think the warm conduit was a problem.
-- Slow charging continued; purchased ChargePoint charger Dec 2022. Slow charging solved. Warm conduit remained.
-- Initiated ChargePoint charge at 10:30PM 15 Oct, got charger error notification at 10:38. System dead. Trouble shooting found 220V at Breaker, 0V at plug.
- Investigation also determined excessive heating on the same contact; and apparently has been ongoing since March 2021 (see attached photos). The fact the Contact overheating has continued thru wiring and charger updates suggests the car is driving the problem. Has anyone had a similar problem and if so, how did you fix it?

It is unlikely the car causing the problem. If the circuit is properly overcurrent protected with the correct breaker with the correct wiring and receptacle/plug, damage like this is usually caused by weak contacts in the receptacle or an inadequately torqued connector in the receptacle or plug. Receptacles wear out with repeated use and in the world of high-current EV charging, weaknesses show up like this.

It looks like your charger cable got damaged from a weak connection (improper torque causing heat) on the 14-50. It looks like significant heat is generated at the wire connection. This is improper installation, no fault of the EVSE or car.

Perhaps not related, your 10-30 dryer adapter had arcing on the contacts with the plug which would damage both the adapter and the plug. It can be caused by weak contacts on the receptacle side or damaged pins on the plug side. BTW, if you plugged your damaged EVSE (in the 2nd picture) into your adapter, it would burn the adapter like in your 4th picture.

BTW, the Ford Mobile Charger draws 30 amps. The NEMA 10-30 dryer plug is only 30 amps so continuous EVSE draw of 30 amps is not recommended. You should have at least a 40 amp rated circuit (breaker, wiring, receptacle) to safely run the FMC.

 

[Maquis]

Hello Everyone, looks like I need to add to/clarify info in my original post. I had two separate charger installations. First the Ford Charger: I fabricated and installed the 10-30 to 14-50 pigtail to use with the Ford Charger. Load Current: 32Amps, 10Awg wire protected by 40 amp breaker (approx 7kwh charging). October 2021 (second installation): Electrician installed a dedicated EV only 220V drop. It is approximately a 40 ft wire run setup for 40 amp service: 8awg wiring protected by 50 amp breaker and was used with the Ford charger until Dec 2022 . I then installed a ChargePoint charger and set it for 40amp output (approx 9kwh). Fordpass charging data indicated neither installation exceeded the prescribed output. The pigtail has not been used since Oct '21 and It was not involved in the damage to the wall plug. However each pin, in the same location on the 10-30 plug and 14-50 wall plug separately exhibited overheating. The 10-30 to 14-50 pigtail was most likely under-rated, however I understand my current wiring meets the standard for 40amp service. But both pins are not overheating. Since only one pin on either plug is overheating, I am wondering if that's related to some peculiarity of the Mach E.

PS: I am replacing the wall connector with a heavy duty item.

The original dryer circuit was inadequate for the way it was used. You cannot protect #10 with a 40A breaker - 30A max.

The #8 on a 50A breaker to a 14-50 is allowed if the wiring method is MC or THHN in pipe. If it’s NM (Romex), #8 is only rated for 40A. I wouldn’t use #8 for a 50A EVSE circuit even though it’s allowed simply due to the extra heat generated, but that’s just my personal opinion.

The fact that one pin overheated first just means that the resistance at that connection was greater than the other one. Nothing in the car can cause this.

 

[steveg95]

FIrst of all, the Ford Mobile Charger (FMC) will draw 32A when using its 240V pigtail. This is unsafe. The dryer outlet and its associated wiring can support 30A maximum for short periods. For sustained periods it's safe for 24A (per code). I am surprised that using the adapter through your dryer outlet didn't pop the breaker. Get that breaker checked out and replaced. ??

It's hard to tell without being there, but that wiring doesn't look like it's at least 6AWG THHN. The wiring looks to have smoked and the outlet also looks to have melted. Another wiring pull and an industrial outlet are definitely in that circuit's future. ??

I agree. The wire does not look to be of the proper size for this amount of load.

Sponsored