markboris
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- First Name
- Mark
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- _______ '20 Shelby GT500 FPB '21 Mach-E GTPE IS
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There have been a few members asking me to post how I changed out the supplied 23’ charging cord on my ChargePoint HomeFlex with a 40’ so here goes. While you can just get an extension cord, I didn’t want another cord hanging around in my garage. I have a two car garage but it is almost the size of a 3 car at 29’ W x 27’ L. I normally park the Mach-E on the side of the charger but because of the location of the charger on the wall, the 23’ cord just makes it to the charge port if I pull in straight. That wasn’t really a problem but several times I’ve had my car on the other side of the garage on my lift working on it and needed to charge. The only way I can do that is with the car backed in on the lift which is a pain to do. The supplied 23’ cord is thinner and lighter than the 40’ cord so it may be easier for some to just use the extension when needed.
I purchased this 40’ extension cord https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0821HJMJB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and began to work with it to adapt it to the ChargePoint charger. I wanted the end result to look like the charger came with this cord and it does. I shut down the power to the charger and removed the supplied cord and broke off the crimped metal retainer that sits inside the black collar so I could remove this collar and install it on the new cord. With my Dremel, I enlarged the hole on the collar to fit over the larger cable. I removed the extension connector on the new cord and prepared the end wires just as they were on the ChargePoint cord. There was one minor difference, the ChargePoint cord has a data connector with a blue and yellow wire coming from the cord. The extension cord has the blue wire but a white wire was going to ground. I figured out this is where the yellow wire on the ChargePoint was going also. The blue wire on the new cord I attached to the blue wire on the data connector and took the white wire from the new cord and attached to the yellow wire on he data connector and the other end to the green ground in the charger. Sorry if I am making this confusing as I don’t always explain things very well.
To take the place of the crimped metal retainer to keep the collar on the cord (basically it is a strain relief) I used two thin plastic wire ties on the cord then slipped the collar up against them. The wire ties fit inside the black collar and will not allow the cord to pull down out of the charger. To further add support to the charger cord, I attached a metal pipe strap over the cord to the wall about 18” down from the charger.
I know all of this voids the warranty but I have never been one to leave anything stock and most everything I have has voided warranties. The extension cord has heavier wiring and actually runs a bit cooler when using it on the 60 amp setting which pulls 48 amps when the car is charging.
I didn't take any photos while working on the cords (I rarely take photos unless asked). Below shows the new 40’ cord on the left ready to install in the charger and the stock cord on the right after I swapped over the collar. The photo below that shows the new cord installed in the charger. You can see I only have the blue wire going to the data connector and the white wire goes to the green ground terminal.
NOTE:
Travis (CommittotheIndian) brought to my attention the NEC code states an EV charge cord is not to exceed 25ft unless a cable management system is in place. I think using a 40ft extension added on to your supplied cord or replacing the cord like I did with a longer one should have a cable management system anyway. I assume they are concerned about it laying around on the floor? I'm going to install a couple of large rubberized hooks in the ceiling so as to keep the cord up high when I use it on the opposite side of the garage the charger is on. Otherwise using the 40ft cord when it is close by the car is no issue as most all the cord is hanging on the charger that is attached to the wall. None of the cord touches the floor when I charge on the close side.
I purchased this 40’ extension cord https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0821HJMJB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and began to work with it to adapt it to the ChargePoint charger. I wanted the end result to look like the charger came with this cord and it does. I shut down the power to the charger and removed the supplied cord and broke off the crimped metal retainer that sits inside the black collar so I could remove this collar and install it on the new cord. With my Dremel, I enlarged the hole on the collar to fit over the larger cable. I removed the extension connector on the new cord and prepared the end wires just as they were on the ChargePoint cord. There was one minor difference, the ChargePoint cord has a data connector with a blue and yellow wire coming from the cord. The extension cord has the blue wire but a white wire was going to ground. I figured out this is where the yellow wire on the ChargePoint was going also. The blue wire on the new cord I attached to the blue wire on the data connector and took the white wire from the new cord and attached to the yellow wire on he data connector and the other end to the green ground in the charger. Sorry if I am making this confusing as I don’t always explain things very well.
To take the place of the crimped metal retainer to keep the collar on the cord (basically it is a strain relief) I used two thin plastic wire ties on the cord then slipped the collar up against them. The wire ties fit inside the black collar and will not allow the cord to pull down out of the charger. To further add support to the charger cord, I attached a metal pipe strap over the cord to the wall about 18” down from the charger.
I know all of this voids the warranty but I have never been one to leave anything stock and most everything I have has voided warranties. The extension cord has heavier wiring and actually runs a bit cooler when using it on the 60 amp setting which pulls 48 amps when the car is charging.
I didn't take any photos while working on the cords (I rarely take photos unless asked). Below shows the new 40’ cord on the left ready to install in the charger and the stock cord on the right after I swapped over the collar. The photo below that shows the new cord installed in the charger. You can see I only have the blue wire going to the data connector and the white wire goes to the green ground terminal.
NOTE:
Travis (CommittotheIndian) brought to my attention the NEC code states an EV charge cord is not to exceed 25ft unless a cable management system is in place. I think using a 40ft extension added on to your supplied cord or replacing the cord like I did with a longer one should have a cable management system anyway. I assume they are concerned about it laying around on the floor? I'm going to install a couple of large rubberized hooks in the ceiling so as to keep the cord up high when I use it on the opposite side of the garage the charger is on. Otherwise using the 40ft cord when it is close by the car is no issue as most all the cord is hanging on the charger that is attached to the wall. None of the cord touches the floor when I charge on the close side.
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