Tesla warns against using extension cords at Supercharger stations
Ever since Tesla opened up its Supercharger stations for third-party vehicles, there has been a problem with the positioning of charging ports on non-Tesla cars. Some of them have the port on the opposite side, leading to awkward parking positions and some cars even blocking the adjacent charging station.
The Supercharger V4 has solved the issue by running a longer charging cable, but most Superchargers are still of the problematic V3 variety. A temporary solution is to use an extension cord, but Cybertruck's lead engineer warns against those.
He says that third-party extension cords may lead to overheating and shorting the DC charging circuit. One reason is that the Supercharger cable has a cooling liquid to keep the temperatures low, while the cord extension doesn't. Moreover, extensions add an additional junction, generating even more heat. Not to mention, the handle monitors the temperature to keep things safe, so adding an extender interferes that functionality.
Tesla said it will be working with third-party manufacturers to fix the issue, but for now, it's advisable not to use third-party cord extenders. The company may be working on a solution on its own as well, but for now, either look for V4 Superchargers or park awkwardly if needed, but skip the extenders.
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