Discoloration of charging cord?
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Mine just stopped working. No discoloration or burn marks. I am surprised yours still works.
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I've had my Volt since March 8th and have only used the 120V charge cord that came with the car to charge it nearly every night. So far, I've had no problems at all with it, but I do have the cord completely unwound from the charger base to help with keeping it cool.
Both AndrewW and Luvthevolt should take their charge cords to the dealer so they can be checked out or replaced under warranty.
Both AndrewW and Luvthevolt should take their charge cords to the dealer so they can be checked out or replaced under warranty.
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213 Posts
Done already. Should have my replacement Monday. I guess I am just unlucky. Lol
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OP, I would be very cautious of using that.
Mine is being replaced and I hope to have it tomorrow. It was 158 degrees a couple of months ago when I measured it with a laser thermometer and was much hotter yesterday when I felt it. It was melting and deforming the wall end plug and discoloring. I would guess it is now more than 170 deg. I have only one layer of cord wrapped on the reel. I checked and my receptacle is grounded and connections tight so it must be the charge cord. I have seen several others that have had a replacement and second one runs cooler.
GM should get serious on this as it looks dangerous.
Roy #272
GM should get serious on this as it looks dangerous.
Roy #272
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2,632 Posts
Ya know for those who've said "I'll just take the SPX Voltec 240V EVSE and put a plug on it", look here. The 120V EVSE is certified for plug in use, and *it's* having some issues. OK, warranty and insurance covers it if it's really a problem.
But if you take your 240V EVSE and throw a plug on it and it discolors, or overheats, or what nots?
As the preacher says in Blazing Saddles: "Son, you're on your own."
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@AndrewW
That is very good news that you will be getting a replacement. I will have your advisor follow up with you to make sure everything went all right.
That is very good news that you will be getting a replacement. I will have your advisor follow up with you to make sure everything went all right.
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213 Posts
Replacement Charger in! Now that's quick service! Hopefully this level of service is still here when there are 100,000 Volts out there.
My Volt is at the dealer now while they are looking at this issue for me. My 110v cord got so hot it caused a 2nd degree burn to my wrist when one of the prongs brushed against me while winding it up. I didn't notice any discoloration, the plug is close to the car so I usually had about 2 winds left around the EVSE and the day of the burn I was preconditioning the A/C immediately before unplugging the car.
They are replacing the EVSE under warranty, and I've got a loaner in the meantime, so I am very happy with the customer service as well, but it seems like an issue that needs more attention.
They are replacing the EVSE under warranty, and I've got a loaner in the meantime, so I am very happy with the customer service as well, but it seems like an issue that needs more attention.
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Awesome, great news to hear you are charging again Jimmy! We definitely intend on having the same level of service when we get to 100,000 and beyond!
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Sorry to hear that gwmort. It sounds like the dealer is doing a great job of taking care of you while they investigate your charge cord further. I do agree this is an issue that need quite a bit of attention. I will pass your issue along, as well as all of the other charge cord issues that I have come across.
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I have read that coiling a plugged in cord may increase the risk of fire, depending on how tightly the extension cord is coiled. The wire naturally has some resistance heat and a coiled line may inhibit heat dissipation. Or not. Maybe an urban myth?
I always uncoil my 110v cord nonetheless.
I always uncoil my 110v cord nonetheless.
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Are spares becoming available yet, or is this still constrained?
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Try this exeriment: run a regular hair dryer for 5 minutes, then unplug it and [carefully!] touch the copper prongs. Yikes!
High amperage electricity generates serious heat, and the Volt's charging cable is no exception. That's why there are bright-orange warning labels on it.
High amperage electricity generates serious heat, and the Volt's charging cable is no exception. That's why there are bright-orange warning labels on it.
original 120V EVSE replaced
Based on what I see elsewhere in the forums, this problem seems to be more prevalent in older original-equipment 120V EVSEs (http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?7498). During the winter, the cord that came with my Volt ran much warmer (plug temperatures up to ~ 115°F) than the second cord I purchased in late February. I thought this mildly unnerving situation was stable until I did a full recharge one night in late May (~ 70°F air temperature): similar to evil_attorney's experience, my wall plug got so hot that it (1) welded itself to an attached power meter's plastic housing and (2) liquefied and then extruded some insulation within the plug body. Needless to say, this was an alarming discovery.
For several months, the power meter and this particular EVSE had been used together without a problem when plugged into my garage's commercial-grade outlet (20A circuit). Plug contacts in the meter and in the outlet were tight, and all wiring connections within the outlet were inspected and found to be OK. The only difference that I can think of is that the TMS was running a lot to cool a fairly warm battery; earlier in the evening, plug temperatures dropped noticeably when it cycled off. Now, even during long periods of TMS operation, the replacement EVSE is barely warm to the touch. GM needs to take this problem seriously, and my experience suggests that something has changed in 120V EVSE builds that does indeed address it.
Based on what I see elsewhere in the forums, this problem seems to be more prevalent in older original-equipment 120V EVSEs (http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?7498). During the winter, the cord that came with my Volt ran much warmer (plug temperatures up to ~ 115°F) than the second cord I purchased in late February. I thought this mildly unnerving situation was stable until I did a full recharge one night in late May (~ 70°F air temperature): similar to evil_attorney's experience, my wall plug got so hot that it (1) welded itself to an attached power meter's plastic housing and (2) liquefied and then extruded some insulation within the plug body. Needless to say, this was an alarming discovery.
For several months, the power meter and this particular EVSE had been used together without a problem when plugged into my garage's commercial-grade outlet (20A circuit). Plug contacts in the meter and in the outlet were tight, and all wiring connections within the outlet were inspected and found to be OK. The only difference that I can think of is that the TMS was running a lot to cool a fairly warm battery; earlier in the evening, plug temperatures dropped noticeably when it cycled off. Now, even during long periods of TMS operation, the replacement EVSE is barely warm to the touch. GM needs to take this problem seriously, and my experience suggests that something has changed in 120V EVSE builds that does indeed address it.
I am trying to get mine replaced but GM has them on back order. The dealer is going to take the one from their demo and replace it for now. The end plug going to the wall is discoloring and deforming some. A electrician was out and checked the receptacle and installed a new 20a gfci.
I have a laser thermometer and measured several spots to see just how hot it is. the plug is at 130deg--the face of the unit near lites is 140deg--the cord on the reel with only one layer of cord is 160deg ---and the cord near the car plug is 100deg.
The electrician was guessing that they might have only used 14 gauge wire and probably should have 12 in the cord.
Roy #272
I have a laser thermometer and measured several spots to see just how hot it is. the plug is at 130deg--the face of the unit near lites is 140deg--the cord on the reel with only one layer of cord is 160deg ---and the cord near the car plug is 100deg.
The electrician was guessing that they might have only used 14 gauge wire and probably should have 12 in the cord.
Roy #272
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Maybe replace the receptacle?
Undersized wire would make the wire hot. Via conduction, that could make the plug hot (although not as hot as the wire, since heat only flows down a temperature gradient). For any higher-amperage device, it seems as though good clean contact, between the plug and the receptacle, minimizes heat generation. To help dissapate heat, avoid things that might impede natural air convection.
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