Two melted shockflo Tesla home charger adapters

mekuhl

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I've now melted the plastic pin sleeves on two Shockflo adapters when charging my 2023 Premium Rear-wheel extended range using a Tesla home charger. I suspect that the charge port temperature sensor isn't working as expected when using the adapter. However, I also have a Lightning using the same charger and adapter for nearly a year without any problems.

Is the Mach E charging port so different from the Lightning? Is there a better adapter I should get?
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Maquis

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I wouldnā€™t expect the charge port sensor to detect an overheated adapter. By the time the heat gets transferred to the charge port, itā€™s too late. The Lightning port is likely more robust since it has to handle 80 amps.

TeslaTap have good reports.

Edit - never buy anything electrical that has the word ā€œshockā€ in the name. šŸ˜‚
 
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mekuhl

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I wouldnā€™t expect the charge port sensor to detect an overheated adapter. By the time the heat gets transferred to the charge port, itā€™s too late. The Lightning port is likely more robust since it has to handle 80 amps.

TeslaTap have good reports.

Edit - never buy anything electrical that has the word ā€œshockā€ in the name. šŸ˜‚
But.....the shock is supposed to flow!šŸ˜„

Checking out TeslaTap. TY!
 

Mach-Lee

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ocdxfv

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Is your Tesla unit set to run on a 60 amp circuit (48 amps cont)? You might try lowering it to a 50 amp circuit (40 a cont) which will drop the temp some. Thatā€™s worked well for me.
 


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mekuhl

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Buy the Lectron adaptor, which is good quality.

Take a good look at your charge port and inspect it for damage. If your charge port is damaged, the new adapter will melt as well unless the charge port is replaced: https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/how-to-clean-your-charge-port.29901/

Make sure you have 23B50 software installed which addresses charge port melting: https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/csp-23b50-charge-cord-stuck-ā€“-reprogram-battery-charge-control-module.31144/
Thanks. Confirmed it's an October '23 build so unaffected by the recall and the charge port looks good. Charging with the Ford portable charger at the moment.
 

redgrandam

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Get the A2Z one. Itā€™s very well made (like all their products) and itā€™s rated for 80A.

I assume you havenā€™t had issues charging without the adapter other places? Seems like the adapter might not be to spec and is causing heat build up.
 
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mekuhl

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Get the A2Z one. Itā€™s very well made (like all their products) and itā€™s rated for 80A.

I assume you havenā€™t had issues charging without the adapter other places? Seems like the adapter might not be to spec and is causing heat build up.
Thanks. A2Z got me with the "Dual temperature kill switch" feature. That's likely what the cheaper option I got was missing. Ordered!
 
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mekuhl

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Why did you buy another one of the same brand after the first one melted?
Had one each for the Mach E and Lightning. Thought the issue was the charge port, so I used the other one after the Mach E came back from the shop with the charge port repaired. šŸ¤·ā€ā™‚ļø
 

TheVirtualTim

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The fact that it can melt the plastic tells us that the material they used for the conductor is too thin.

While the metal conducts electricity, all materials are technically also resistors. Resistance results in a voltage drop ā€¦ but that energy is converted into heat.

Itā€™s really just a question of how much resistance it has. It turns out that thicker materials (e.g. thicker wire) means there are more pathways to allow the power to flow and that reduces the resistance ā€” meaning youā€™ll have less energy converted into heat. The adapter might become moderately warm, but it wont get hot.

The notion that your adapters melted means the adapter couldnā€™t handle whatever amperage your car uses while charging. Many EVSEā€™s let you set the max amperage ā€¦ in other words you could have dialed it back to avoid the melting in exchange for a longer amount of time needed to charge.

Lectron makes adapters that can handle up to 50 amps. Tesla Tap makes adapters that can handle up to 80 amps (few vehicles will pull 80 amps ā€¦ the Mach-E pulls a max of 48 amps). But a high-amp adapter would mean you would not need to worry about the adapter getting too hot.

The good news is everyone is switching over to NACS ... in a few years the idea of needing an adapter will be obsolete.
 

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Edit - never buy anything electrical that has the word ā€œshockā€ in the name. šŸ˜‚
Well, maybe cattle prods and tasers...
 

Mach-Lee

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Lectron makes adapters that can handle up to 50 amps. Tesla Tap makes adapters that can handle up to 80 amps (few vehicles will pull 80 amps ā€¦ the Mach-E pulls a max of 48 amps). But a high-amp adapter would mean you would not need to worry about the adapter getting too hot.
Adapters can still go bad and melt regardless of their amp rating. There can be defects with the terminals that cause excessive heating. Thatā€™s why you should check for heat the first time the adapter is used, and periodically thereafter. You canā€™t assume it will be fine just because it has a high amp rating.
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