Non-OEM Level 1 Charger Cable

N

netvm

New Member
New owner here. Just brought my clarity base model yesterday. But found OEM cable is little bit short for me. I can charge the car, but the length is fairly tight for me. Looks the length of OEM cable is around 18-20 feet. I do wish Honda would provide an OEM cable that is several feet longer, so people can charge their cars anywhere inside their garage. I only need additional 2-5 feet length so the cable can be placed on the ground along the garage wall.

Would like to know what's your solution. I found some Level 1 charger cable on Amazon, like Zencar, but some negative reviews about its longevity and reliability. Have anyone here used non-OEM cable? If so, how long and reliable it is?
 
netvm said:
New owner here. Just brought my clarity base model yesterday. But found OEM cable is little bit short for me. I can charge the car, but the length is fairly tight for me. Looks the length of OEM cable is around 18-20 feet. I do wish Honda would provide an OEM cable that is several feet longer, so people can charge their cars anywhere inside their garage. I only need additional 2-5 feet length so the cable can be placed on the ground along the garage wall.

Would like to know what's your solution. I found some Level 1 charger cable on Amazon, like Zencar, but some negative reviews about its longevity and reliability. Have anyone here used non-OEM cable? If so, how long and reliable it is?
Click to expand...

Netvm

Here is a link to a recent thread that discusses the extension cord issue in more detail. The info may help you decide which way to go.

https://insideevsforum.com/community/index.php?threads/charging-via-extension-cord.3897/#post-38684

Good luck.
 
You could just get an extension cord, and potentially a weather proof box for the charger.

Or a J1772 cable extension - A 20ft looks like it runs about $200 on Amazon..
 
Thank you all for your suggestion. I ordered a 10 ft 12/3 regular extension cord from Amazon as a temporary solution. There are very few Level 1 charger choices compares to Level 2 charger. A J1772 cable extension is safer that regular extension cord, but cost is close to a Level 1 charger and cannot work without a charger.

One interesting thing I found is - quite a few Level 2 chargers also come with a Level 1 adapter(a 1-3 ft adapter for NEMA5-15). They looks like regular extension cord except it is from NEMA6-20 to NEMA5-15. I need to do more research on this.
 
netvm said:
Thank you all for your suggestion. I ordered a 10 ft 12/3 regular extension cord from Amazon as a temporary solution. There are very few Level 1 charger choices compares to Level 2 charger. A J1772 cable extension is safer that regular extension cord, but cost is close to a Level 1 charger and cannot work without a charger.

One interesting thing I found is - quite a few Level 2 chargers also come with a Level 1 adapter(a 1-3 ft adapter for NEMA5-15). They looks like regular extension cord except it is from NEMA6-20 to NEMA5-15. I need to do more research on this.
Click to expand...

Netvm....yes...some of the L-2, 16 amp chargers come with an adapter for the standard NEMA 15 outlet.

What you need to be aware of is the 16 amp charger requires a minimum 20 amp breaker at the fuse panel plus proper wiring in between it and the outlet.

You'll have to check if the outlet you want to use is tied to a 15 amp or 20 amp breaker. If it is tied to a 15 amp breaker, then the draw from the 16 amp charger will exceed the rated capacity of the breaker and wiring...thus creating a potential for severe overheating. The L-1, 12 amp charger that comes with the car can be used with a 15 amp breaker. Most folks who have a meter to measure amps while charging report the L-1 charger that comes with the Clarity pulls right around 11.5 amps.

Another consideration is what other devices/appliance/lights etc are tied into that same 15 amp or 20 amp breaker? Freezers, garage door openers, lights etc often are using the same circuit. That has to be factored in as well.

In my case, I use the L-1, 12 amp charger plugged into an outlet tied to a 15 amp breaker which also is used by two garage door openers. All things being equal, I am well with in the safety zone of amperage etc.

As a general rule...the continuous draw on a breaker should not exceed 80% of the rating...
15 amps x .8 = 12 amp
20 amps x .8 = 16 amps

Hope this helps.

Good luck!
 
I have a L2 with adapter. It used to draw 15A, which freaked me our. After latest software update, my clarity becomes more clever and draws at most 13A.
13A actual vs 12A by code, still a violation, but I'm comfortable with this little overclocking.

Most cheap evse on Amazon look same. That's not a coincidence. They are likely made from same template, and all use duosida plugs. Duosida makes evse plugs, and they make evse too. The duosida plug is UL listed, so these evse all advertise themselves UL listed, which is not true. Only the plug is listed.

My duosida evse works fine so far. I get longer cable and can keep the original charger new. I'm not concerned about the over ampacity because I live in apartment and park in underground garage. If the wall receptacle burns, there's nothing but cement around it.

Proceed at your own risk.
 
netvm said:
New owner here. Just brought my clarity base model yesterday. But found OEM cable is little bit short for me. I can charge the car, but the length is fairly tight for me. Looks the length of OEM cable is around 18-20 feet. I do wish Honda would provide an OEM cable that is several feet longer, so people can charge their cars anywhere inside their garage. I only need additional 2-5 feet length so the cable can be placed on the ground along the garage wall.

Would like to know what's your solution. I found some Level 1 charger cable on Amazon, like Zencar, but some negative reviews about its longevity and reliability. Have anyone here used non-OEM cable? If so, how long and reliable it is?
Click to expand...
Personally, if I had to purchase a new L1 charger I would get one that charges at 16 amps instead of 12. This should give you a 25-33% faster charging time. This would need to be plugged into a 20amp receptacle which is connected to a 20 amp breaker (check your panel). the 20amp receptacle can be easily installed by you. I would then make sure that there are absolutely no other power draws on this circuit. Theoretically, some people on this forum have advocated deactivating or sealing off the other receptacles to insure that this occurs. I haven't personally done this but I've read numerous other sites in which people achieved nice bumps in their charging speeds by doing this.
 
I bought this Level 2 extension cord to use at my daughter's house since I knew that the nearest outlet was too far away to use with just the OEM charger. I also thought it might come in useful for a public charging station that was Iced, but had a nearby parking spot.

It worked fine with the Level 1 charger.

In fact, my daughter liked it so well that she asked to keep it to use with the OEM charger for 2012 Prius Plugin that I gave her (which was the reason I needed to buy a new car the Clarity.)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HRHYQY2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
MPower said:
In fact, my daughter liked it so well that she asked to keep it to use with the OEM charger for 2012 Prius Plugin that I gave her (which was the reason I needed to buy a new car the Clarity.)
Click to expand...
Whoa! $200? When my brain sees "extension cord" it doesn't expect $200. But yeah, it's sure more than a traditional "extension cord".
 
MPower said:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HRHYQY2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Click to expand...

insightman said:
Perusing the Customers Questions & Answers section for this J1772 extension cord, I loved this exchange:
Question: The display shows Fahrenheit or Celsius?
Answer: Our upgraded version's display shows Fahrenheit
Click to expand...

From the wiring diagram, seems it breaks proximity detection. PP pin is not connected, but fool grounded.
Why they do that? to save a AWG 20 wire....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAE_J1772#Safety
 
https://amzn.to/2VG3rOx A extension cord is all you need... My L1 factory charger and the wall plug/wires only gets mildly warm during long period of charging, a 10ft heavy duty outdoor extension cord will be all you need. Or you can just get a 25ft level 2 charger that supports dual voltage charging and comes with adapter plug for 120v if you want to spend the extra money https://amzn.to/2SQQuiQ
 
insightman said:
Perusing the Customers Questions & Answers section for this J1772 extension cord, I loved this exchange:
Question: The display shows Fahrenheit or Celsius?
Answer: Our upgraded version's display shows Fahrenheit
Click to expand...

I hate when Amazon puts two different items under one listing. The extension cord has no display. It just has a connector at one end that will allow a J1772 to plug into it and it has a J1772 at the other end to plug into the car. The J1772 plug is quite tight, but it did the job just fine on my Clarity and my daughter's 2012 Prius Plugin. We just took turns using it with the old Prius L1 charger.
 
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