Traveling - Extension cord needed?

vinuna

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Good day all,

I may be the only one on here, but I really don't understand threads when they talk about what voltage / amperage is needed, etc. pardon my ignorance but I don't have energy to learn either.

I'm traveling to the middle of no-where. I'll make it there ok but will need to charge when I get there. I'm staying for a few days and not driving much.

1) if I want to just plug in my car at my Air BnB and there's no outlet outside near my car: what extension cord can I get that will be safe? (just into a regular outlet - not a drier).

2) I don't want to really have this convo with the owner or make them nervous or anything...but don't wanna be a pig. do you all leave a $50 tip or something like that? I have no idea what this would cost them. or should I specifically ask ahead of time?

thank you!!
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KevinS

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I would recommend an RV extension cord at the minimum.

As for a tip, if it makes you better to leave one specifically related to your EV usage, I'd say do it. Leave a note explaining why if you want -- it might make them feel more charitable towards EV drivers and maybe it will get them thinking about installing a charger of their own. Can't hurt!
 

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Good day all,

I may be the only one on here, but I really don't understand threads when they talk about what voltage / amperage is needed, etc. pardon my ignorance but I don't have energy to learn either.

I'm traveling to the middle of no-where. I'll make it there ok but will need to charge when I get there. I'm staying for a few days and not driving much.

1) if I want to just plug in my car at my Air BnB and there's no outlet outside near my car: what extension cord can I get that will be safe? (just into a regular outlet - not a drier).

2) I don't want to really have this convo with the owner or make them nervous or anything...but don't wanna be a pig. do you all leave a $50 tip or something like that? I have no idea what this would cost them. or should I specifically ask ahead of time?

thank you!!
Definitely want. Heavy duty. I just for grins used one at my home medium and within a few min flipped the breaker and the cord was warm. I went to a hardware store (rv would also be great) and bought a heavy duty. Worked just fine I have a 10 gauge
 

Maquis

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I’ve used the Ford Mobile Charger on a 50’ 12 gauge extension cord with no issues. Any longer I’d go up to 10 gauge. I’d never use small than 12.
 

HondaRacer

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Ford cautions not to use any kind of extension cord with the mobile charger. That said, it would likely be fine as long as you use an appropriately heavy gauge. The manual is written by lawyers.
 


RickMachE

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12 gauge as @Maquis said. 1.4kW pulled per hour. They won't notice that. On an ER 91Kw battery, it adds about 1.3% per hour.
 

SpaceEVDriver

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I carry a heavy-duty 25-foot, 10/3 outdoor extension cord for use with my L1 EVSE. If you search at a big box home improvement store, you'll find it. I had a 12-ga (12-ga is smaller than 10-ga) extension cord fail during a days-long charging session. It was probably because it was a cheap cord.
 
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stealthytolkien

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Would you be ok with your tenant doing this without your consent? If yes then there’s absolutely no reason to leave any tips or notes. Just make sure that there’s no rule about charging EV. And make sure that you don’t set the house on fire.

If I were you, I’d tell the owner that you drive an EV and will need to charge it for a bit. And ask what your options are. If they are not willing to let you do it, then better get on finding an alternative or take a gas car. People are reasonable if you give them honest reasons.
 

ocdxfv

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A heavy duty extension cord has worked fine for me on multiple occasions (been road tripping with EVs for over 10 years). I charge using the "better to ask forgiveness than permission" policy. One time the owners added a $25 "abuse" charge to the final bill (I guess they saw on their camera that we were plugged in). If I know the owners or can communicate with them, I generally acknowledge that we charged and give them an extra $10-$20 (depending on how long I'm plugged in). Otherwise, I just plug in and don't worry about it. It actually takes quite a while at 120V to use $10 worth of power. Also, exterior outlets often have GFI protection, which can cause problems. You may want to consider an EVSE with adjustable output.
 

Mach-Lee

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I’ve used the Ford Mobile Charger on a 50’ 12 gauge extension cord with no issues. Any longer I’d go up to 10 gauge. I’d never use small than 12.
It only draws 12 amps. 100' 12 gauge is fine, 3% drop.

I carry a 25' cord, because if you add that to the 20' length of the charger that's nearly 50', which is plenty of reach in most situations. Keep the extension cord as short as necessary.
 

Earplug

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to charge from 20% back to 80%, a 60% increase, will take about 40 hours of charging.
 

Hammered

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It only draws 12 amps. 100' 12 gauge is fine, 3% drop.

I carry a 25' cord, because if you add that to the 20' length of the charger that's nearly 50', which is plenty of reach in most situations. Keep the extension cord as short as necessary.
It draws 11 amps at 120v.
With 240v on the 120v head, it will pull 12 amps.
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