New charger cable plug points away from wall

[daveo4EV]

the more important question in this thread is OP replacing the partially damaged NEMA socket?

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[jkoya]

The EVSE plug which came with our 2023 Mini Cooper SE points the same way. A Mini forum member contacted BMW and was told the EVSE is still fully functional as supplied and they would not replace or remanufacture it.

Since we have two wall mounted EVSEs, I usually just store the one supplied with the car for the next owner, so it hasn't been an issue.

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

I had thought this thread is a joke (pencil is rotated about its axis haha), but it appears OP is serious. Surely it’s not a secret that bending a stiff cable also rotates it? Something about equal bending radius etc.

Oh, and @Gino - all of the parts of the PMC* appear to have been made within the EU. Not sure about inner components/circuitry.

 

[Gino]

I had thought this thread is a joke (pencil is rotated about its axis haha), but it appears OP is serious. Surely it’s not a secret that bending a stiff cable also rotates it? Something about equal bending radius etc.

Oh, and @Gino - all of the parts of the PMC* appear to have been made within the EU. Not sure about inner components/circuitry.

Yes, not sure where all the components are sourced but it appears some come from Czechoslovakia as I can see stamped on some components.
But whomever assembled this cable did so incorrectly and will put stress on the cable’s external insulation compared to the original cable which does not require any twisting let alone 180 degrees. It won’t fail in the first few years but it will eventually crack as the insulation degrades over 5-7 years just like every other rubber product.
I personally would not twist the cable. I would correct this issue with a stubby adapter cable to make the 180 degree twist. I would buy one or make one so I have a stress free connection. Bending a cable is ok but twisting it 180 degrees over such a short span is not good for the long term.

 

[daveo4EV]

So I plug it in facing the wall so as not to have to twist the cord and this is the error message I get. It is 80 degrees outside.
What charger do you have?

That plug faces the wall. My prongs face outward. Pretty sure I know how to insert a plug in a receptacle.

any resolution on this temp too low error? your PMCC is blocked from functioning until this is fixed - correct?

 

[Gino]

I just checked my original 2021 non-recall cable - and it has the same orientation as the cable in the picture above…based on that this is nothing "new". In my case it always required a twist when using it with a wall mount.

the "natural" "lay" of the original NEMA 14-50P power supply cable in the PMCC unit that came with my 2021 Cayenne TurboS eHybrid is identical to the cable pictured above - I can confirm in my case the original factory cable also requires you to "twist' it to plug it into the wall - also in "twisting" it just now - there is enough give/flexibility/malleability that I don't see this as a serious problem in terms of stress/wear on the cable - YMMV

but the cable pictured here matches the orientation of the original factory cable from 2021 pre-recall…

given this - in my mind this is a non-issue - twists the head to orient it such that it can plug in and use it just like you would've the original factory unit - if you don't like this - chalk it up to another design triumph for VW/Audi/Porsche in this particular product space!

but based on my original unit the two cables are identical in "default" orientation. So this is nothing "new" with regards to the recall cable…

Of you don’t want to twist the cable just use a short adapter which will connect the unit up without twisting the incredibly poor quality connection cable Porsche decided to deliver to customers when it was obviously manufactured incorrectly.
It disappoints me Porsche would allow this glaring mistake to go uncorrected.

 

[daveo4EV]

Of you don’t want to twist the cable just use a short adapter which will connect the unit up without twisting the incredibly poor quality connection cable Porsche decided to deliver to customers when it was obviously manufactured incorrectly.
It disappoints me Porsche would allow this glaring mistake to go uncorrected.

the cable in this picture is not a correct adapter, but the idea is valid

although the Porsche cable runs hot enough an adapter such as that suggested may be a bad idea due to thermal operating temperatures potentially melting the adapter cable - NOTE: Porsche still recommends using an industrial grade NEMA socket - not sure any of the plastic/rubber adapter's you could find will be rated for a cable that can achieve nominal operating temperatures of 160F (or more) for 8+ hours…might be a bad idea to use an adapter.

the best solution is to stop expecting Porsche to do a good job here and move on to an alternative EVSE that has fewer problems.

 

[daveo4EV]

if the Porsche NEMA power supply cable can do this to a NEMA socket (and it can and has) - what do you think it will do to a plastic adapter cable?

 

[Gino]

the cable in this picture is not a correct adapter, but the idea is valid

although the Porsche cable runs hot enough an adapter such as that suggested may be a bad idea due to thermal operating temperatures.

the best solution is to stop expecting Porsche to do a good job here and move on to an alternative EVSE that has fewer problems.

It really does depend on the current draw for any adapter you decide to use. The one in the picture is for a 50A service for an RV but adding another connection will increase the heat at the additional connection. It should not increase the heat at the wall plug or the connection to the charger, only the additional connection in the middle which should never get hot enough to cause damage as long as you stay below 50A. There are 30A short stubby cables which you would definitely no use because the cable itself is not rated for 50A so it will get very hot and fail.
There is no reason to fear a properly sized short adapter cable or longer extension cable to be used to feed the Porsche (or any other brand) charger.
If you want to reduce the heat at the additional connection you can apply a electrical conductive grease on the connections to minimize the resistance at the metal to metal connections which may not make the best contact or they may make good contact initially but over time, if you live in a high humidity environment, corrosion of these contact surfaces begins to increase the resistance in the connection and cause it to heat up more and more. The conductive grease also protects the contacts from corrosion.

 

[daveo4EV]

It really does depend on the current draw for any adapter you decide to use. The one in the picture is for a 50A service for an RV but adding another connection will increase the heat at the additional connection. It should not increase the heat at the wall plug or the connection to the charger, only the additional connection in the middle which should never get hot enough to cause damage as long as you stay below 50A. There are 30A short stubby cables which you would definitely no use because the cable itself is not rated for 50A so it will get very hot and fail.
There is no reason to fear a properly sized short adapter cable or longer extension cable to be used to feed the Porsche (or any other brand) charger.
If you want to reduce the heat at the additional connection you can apply a electrical conductive grease on the connections to minimize the resistance at the metal to metal connections which may not make the best contact or they may make good contact initially but over time, if you live in a high humidity environment, corrosion of these contact surfaces begins to increase the resistance in the connection and cause it to heat up more and more. The conductive grease also protects the contacts from corrosion.

 

[daveo4EV]

Of you don’t want to twist the cable just use a short adapter which will connect the unit up without twisting the incredibly poor quality connection cable Porsche decided to deliver to customers when it was obviously manufactured incorrectly.
It disappoints me Porsche would allow this glaring mistake to go uncorrected.

30 APM femaile (nema 10-30 as pictured) to a 50 amp NEMA 14-50 socket - where would the PMC+/PMCC plug into this cable? Porsche doesn't even make a male adapter cable to plug into this type of adatper.

it's a 30 amp cable - it's not safe to run a 50/40 amp EVSE.

 

[Gino]

if the Porsche NEMA power supply cable can do this to a NEMA socket (and it can and has) - what do you think it will do to a plastic adapter cable?

This is why I use conductive grease as well as insure the NEMA 14-50 outlet makes the proper contact to the plug.
This plug failed due to the plug not the Porsche charger.
Most people don’t test the connection resistance of these plugs since they assume Leviton makes an outlet which is always perfect. This plug shows there was likely arcing in the tab that overheated & melted either because of poor contact area or corrosion.

 

[daveo4EV]

It really does depend on the current draw for any adapter you decide to use. The one in the picture is for a 50A service for an RV but adding another connection will increase the heat at the additional connection. It should not increase the heat at the wall plug or the connection to the charger, only the additional connection in the middle which should never get hot enough to cause damage as long as you stay below 50A. There are 30A short stubby cables which you would definitely no use because the cable itself is not rated for 50A so it will get very hot and fail.
There is no reason to fear a properly sized short adapter cable or longer extension cable to be used to feed the Porsche (or any other brand) charger.
If you want to reduce the heat at the additional connection you can apply a electrical conductive grease on the connections to minimize the resistance at the metal to metal connections which may not make the best contact or they may make good contact initially but over time, if you live in a high humidity environment, corrosion of these contact surfaces begins to increase the resistance in the connection and cause it to heat up more and more. The conductive grease also protects the contacts from corrosion.

yeah - you're mostly wrong - the NEMA socket head of the porsche supply cable gets to over 170F operating termpeatures - it is the part that interfaces with the NEMA socket, or the adapter cable - it _WILL_ cause thermal stress to the adapter or the NEMA socket and is the root cause of the recall…

I find your explaination supurious and ill informed - but will comment no further on this thread - continue to depend on Porsche and you'll be disappointed

I have also reviews two Audi eTron cables, and two other Taycan with out upgraded PMC+/PMCC - the cable's head orientation is not fixed and varies - but you don't have to believe me.

good luck with using an adatper (it will be unsafe) and ever better luck getting Porsche to fix this - it wont' happen.

 

[daveo4EV]

This is why I use conductive grease as well as insure the NEMA 14-50 outlet makes the proper contact to the plug.
This plug failed due to the plug not the Porsche charger.
Most people don’t test the connection resistance of these plugs since they assume Leviton makes an outlet which is always perfect. This plug shows there was likely arcing in the tab that overheated & melted either because of poor contact area or corrosion.

yes everyhone make sure to use conductive grease on your mobile EVSE…every time you plug and unplug it…

 

[Gino]

the cable in this picture is not a correct adapter, but the idea is valid

although the Porsche cable runs hot enough an adapter such as that suggested may be a bad idea due to thermal operating temperatures potentially melting the adapter cable - NOTE: Porsche still recommends using an industrial grade NEMA socket - not sure any of the plastic/rubber adapter's you could find will be rated for a cable that can achieve nominal operating temperatures of 160F (or more) for 8+ hours…might be a bad idea to use an adapter.

the best solution is to stop expecting Porsche to do a good job here and move on to an alternative EVSE that has fewer problems.

It is the simplest & straight forward solution to either install the outlet in an orientation which puts as little stress into possible on the existing plug or get an alternative EVSE…
There are short cables for RVs rated at 50A continuous but it does add an additional connection you have to be meticulous to insure the additional connection does not overheat.
Less connections is always better…

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