[doe_eyes]

I hope I'm not too jaded, but this reads really weird to me. The author disses a "$5 range outlet" (even though I don't think they're usually that cheap), then talks about spending several hundred bucks on better outlets for "evaluation"... and the evaluation never comes. We just get a paragraph of innuendo without any real-world testing or even a thorough teardown.

Do the plugs have any real-world design flaws, or is this just gear snobbery? Can the author show that they're heating up too much? Given that there must be hundreds of thousands of home chargers, what's the incidence of problems caused by cheap 240 V plugs?

[quickthrowman]

> Do the plugs have any real-world design flaws, or is this just gear snobbery?

Design flaws? No. Limitations, yes.

A $5 NEMA 14-50R is designed for maybe a few dozen to a few hundred insertion cycles. They’re typically used for ranges (and other fixed equipment) that are plugged in once, and then unplugged once more when you replace the appliance. When the contacts wear out, gaps appear and arcs occur inside the device and it melts. Internal shorts can also happen inside the device. Here’s a tear down video of a residential NEMA 5-15R and a commercial NEMA 5-15R that illustrates some of the shortcomings of cheap wiring devices and shows how more expensive devices have a more robust design: https://youtu.be/kX6xnOksQTc

It could also be caused by not using a torque screwdriver to tighten the terminal screws, which is required by the NEC. You must tighten the terminal screws to the torque value listed in the wiring device instructions, and hold it there for 5 seconds. A loose termination can cause all sorts of nasty problems.

There are many grades of wiring devices meant for different applications. More $$ = more durable, better contacts, a full brass strap inside the device, etc.

Most people are unaware that multiple grades of wiring devices exist, and also unaware that it can be very important to use the correct one and also install it correctly which requires a torque screwdriver. This is why it’s a good idea to just pay an electrician to do it correctly.

Leviton sells a heavy duty NEMA 14-50R specifically designed for plug in EV chargers that are designed to handle many insertion cycles. It costs about $67, but that’s the wiring device you buy if you’re going to be doing a lot of insertion cycles.

https://store.leviton.com/products/50-amp-ev-charging-recept...

There’s no such thing as a NEMA 14-50R that isn’t rated for a 50A continuous load. It wouldn’t be UL listed if that was the case.

[p51-remorse]

Premise challenge: I’ve plugged my EV charger in… three times, maybe? The high cycle part is the connection to the car. The connection to the outlet stays plugged in for literally years at a time.

Probably some people have abnormal use patterns that have them moving a 220v charger around all the time, but I’d bet it’s highly unusual amongst EV owners who charge at home regularly.

[bryanlarsen]

It's not hard to find pictures online of melted NEMA 14-50 outlets. Design flaw or loose connection? Some will definitely be the latter, but all? Who knows? I'd spend the extra $50.

Or set your car to only pull 24A from the outlet rather than full speed. Still more than fast enough to full charge overnight.

[BizarroLand]

This blog seems to be one person's passion project. They can write whatever they want to in whatever manner they want to.

They're not required to weather your scrutiny or to pass your bar exam to be allowed to post whatever they want.

Aside from that, you raise good points, but you can very well ask your questions directly to the author using the comment section of their blog, you're somewhat more likely to get a satisfying answer there than here.