4 ms·

I don't believe the tiny plugs will ever be able to do that. The European power sockets ("schuko", type E/F) usually run with 230V and 13A (even 253V/16A is tec

by andix 3y ago

I don't believe the tiny plugs will ever be able to do that. The European power sockets ("schuko", type E/F) usually run with 230V and 13A (even 253V/16A is technically allowed), so up to 3000W and more. They can get really warm when run at full power. If the sockets are worn out they can even get hot enough to melt the plastic. A few electric car owners experienced that, when they charged their car on a regular socket. (with the higher voltage in Europe it's feasible to charge a car on a standard socket, 0-100% can take as "little" as 20 to 30 hours.) So I highly doubt those currents could every be delivered on such a tiny and brittle connector. 240W already seems like pushing it to the limits. Higher voltages seem impossible too, there is not enough space for isolation. Small mechanical faults could easily expose those dangerous voltages to the user.

magicalhippo 3y ago
> A few electric car owners experienced that, when they charged their car on a regular socket. So much so that it's not allowed to provide such an "emergency charger" with a regular Schuko plug when you sell a new EV here in Norway. I thought I had displaced mine for my new car until I called the seller and he informed me of this recent rule.
- extraduder_ire 3y ago
  Is there no such thing as a fused schuko plug? All of my plugs are G type, and since they all* have fuses, I never put much thought into limiting the amount of current I'm going to pull through a cable. *: some devices don't have replaceable fuses.
  - andix 3y ago
    Fuses don't help with overheating cables/sockets that run well within the specs. Schuko is rated for 16A peak, still most chargers only run it with 10A or 13A. I had a nearly melting socket already with 10A. Most electric car charges nowadays can sense overheating by a decrease in voltage (i've seen a voltage drop from 225V to 205V within a few minutes, and the charger immediately limited the current to 6A). And a lot of them also monitor the temperature of the cables and the plugs. Now the real issues enters the game: extension cords. If the temperature issues happens on the other side of the extension cord, maybe 20-50m away the charger still measures perfectly fine temperatures on the plug. But the socket the extension cord is plugged in may be already burning. That's why you should never ever (!) charge an electric car on a Schuko extension cord. Even if everything is in perfectly working condition and rated for 16A.
    - extraduder_ire 3y ago
      Why would the cable/socket overheat if it's within spec? I thought that was the whole point of using fuses in the first place. Roll-out extension leads are extra dangerous though, even if fused. I have a relative that had to jump out of a second floor window on a construction site when someone set all of their batteries charging on a wrapped up extension lead, which rapidly started a fire. I assume it happened faster than the thermal cutoff could trigger.
      - andix 3y ago
        Why would a car crash if the speed limit is obeyed? There are many factors that can lead to overheating. Like damaged sockets, Plugs not plugged in fully, dirty plugs/sockets, cheap/old sockets that don't fulfil the specs, wear in sockets that leads to not enough pressure on the pins and smaller contact surface, ...

by andix 3y ago

magicalhippo 3y ago

> A few electric car owners experienced that, when they charged their car on a regular socket. So much so that it's not allowed to provide such an "emergency charger" with a regular Schuko plug when you sell a new EV here in Norway. I thought I had displaced mine for my new car until I called the seller and he informed me of this recent rule.

extraduder_ire 3y ago
Is there no such thing as a fused schuko plug? All of my plugs are G type, and since they all* have fuses, I never put much thought into limiting the amount of current I'm going to pull through a cable. *: some devices don't have replaceable fuses.
- andix 3y ago
  Fuses don't help with overheating cables/sockets that run well within the specs. Schuko is rated for 16A peak, still most chargers only run it with 10A or 13A. I had a nearly melting socket already with 10A. Most electric car charges nowadays can sense overheating by a decrease in voltage (i've seen a voltage drop from 225V to 205V within a few minutes, and the charger immediately limited the current to 6A). And a lot of them also monitor the temperature of the cables and the plugs. Now the real issues enters the game: extension cords. If the temperature issues happens on the other side of the extension cord, maybe 20-50m away the charger still measures perfectly fine temperatures on the plug. But the socket the extension cord is plugged in may be already burning. That's why you should never ever (!) charge an electric car on a Schuko extension cord. Even if everything is in perfectly working condition and rated for 16A.
  - extraduder_ire 3y ago
    Why would the cable/socket overheat if it's within spec? I thought that was the whole point of using fuses in the first place. Roll-out extension leads are extra dangerous though, even if fused. I have a relative that had to jump out of a second floor window on a construction site when someone set all of their batteries charging on a wrapped up extension lead, which rapidly started a fire. I assume it happened faster than the thermal cutoff could trigger.
    - andix 3y ago
      Why would a car crash if the speed limit is obeyed? There are many factors that can lead to overheating. Like damaged sockets, Plugs not plugged in fully, dirty plugs/sockets, cheap/old sockets that don't fulfil the specs, wear in sockets that leads to not enough pressure on the pins and smaller contact surface, ...