Corded chargers last 2-3 years?

Hello. New member here. I received a reply from Plugless and one of the things stated was that "Unlike corded chargers which last 2-3 years, Plugless on the otherhand will last 6-8.".

Does anybody have the experience of a corded charger failing or losing performance after 2-3 years?

And does anybody have experience with owning the Plugless EVSE?

Thanks!

r2

Seems very pessimistic to me, but I guess it depends how you use it, etc. I'm sure there's less stress with a plugless system (no moving parts). But even their number for that seems low.

Well the L1 EVSE that came with my Leaf is my sole charger. When I am at home, it is plugged in. When I am at work it is plugged in. Every now and then I visit the movie theatre or live theatre and use the L2 there, or an L3 on a longer drive. But basically, it has been L1 all the way.

I also drive it quite a bit, and mountains are tough on the range. All this adds up to the vehicle essentially being in a constant state of charging for the entire 3+ years I have had it. It rarely reaches 100%, so it is always charging.

The L1 EVSE has been plugged and unplugged multiple times a day, every day, for a few years now. The button ontop to release has been getting stickier over time, but that's it.

So I would say 2-3 years of normal use is hogwash, and any company that makes wild stupid claims like that automatically goes on my "will not buy" list.

i was working with a wireless charging idea and I found that once they stopped dancing around the question I had, which was, "% losses" I decided that I liked to plug better.

If I had to park out in the open and afraid of someone stealing my charger and I could secure the wireless pad to park over it I'd have gone with it.

DuncanCunningham said:

If I had to park out in the open and afraid of someone stealing my charger and I could secure the wireless pad to park over it I'd have gone with it.

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Yeah, this -- the vulnerability of corded EVSEs -- is why I think wireless charging will be important in the future. But pretty much only because of this.

Of course, once wireless is standardized and ubiquitous, things might look different. Maybe J1772 will fade away, and everything will be wireless or DCFC.

Clipper Creek's warranty on its residential EVSE's is for 3 years, so I can't imagine them lasting for only 2-3 in typical use. My LCS-25 is about to turn 3 years old and there's been no sign that it's going to fail on me.

My guess would be they are referring to only the base level 1 charger that comes with the car and assumes very unfriendly use. See the video on here how to properly wrap and store your cord. If you do the bad way several times a day for 2-3 years, then yes, you can probably force them to only last that long. But this marketing tactic is definitely cheesy and does not bode well for the company being a good one to work with. Marketing department may be getting desperate to generate enough initial sales to keep the company alive.

Seems like a neat product. But the price is too high IMO, especially for anyone like myself who already has a L2 installed. If I didn't have the L2 installed, I'd consider it as we do sometimes forget to plug in.

They probably didn't factor in that existing EV owners who already have a home charger won't spend the money to upgrade and those that wouldn't spend for a L2 charger aren't going to spend several times more for a nicer one. So their market is very well-heeled brand new EV buyers who will pay for the nicer one since they don't already have one. Seems like the market niche could be a little small outside of Tesla owners.

Sounds like Hype to get you to buy a wireless charger to tell you that your wire will only last 2 years... Yeah maybe if you let your kids skip rope with the cable...

Hey we have refrigerators and TVs that last 20-30 years, so why not a charger that has no moving parts?? I think that the only weak part is the possible deterioration of the outside rubber insulation over time, or wear from rough use... Then a few rolls with electrical tape would do fine.

Also, don't forget that those "wireless" chargers are being marketed so highly, BUT the charging rate is nowhere near a 6.6KW/hour, more like 3.3 at best. I'm not going to pay double or triple on a charger that takes twice the time to charge for a simple convenience...

vegburner said:

Hello. New member here. I received a reply from Plugless and one of the things stated was that "Unlike corded chargers which last 2-3 years, Plugless on the otherhand will last 6-8.".

Does anybody have the experience of a corded charger failing or losing performance after 2-3 years?

And does anybody have experience with owning the Plugless EVSE?

Thanks!

r2

Click to expand...

The j1772 standard addresses the durability of the connectors:

The connector is designed to withstand up to 10,000 mating cycles (a connection and a disconnection) and exposure to the elements. With 1 mating cycle per day, the average connector's lifespan should be just over 27 years.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAE_J1772

The weak point is the cord. If you take care of it, I'd expect it to last a long time. My Blink is still working from 2011...however I had to replace the cord. Partly my fault as I was using Blink's stupid handle rest and the pilot wire broke right where the cord fits into the slot. I don't expect any such problems with my new (2 years so far) cord.

Knock on wood.

Since they have a false statement to sell their wireless I could never support a company that lies. I had a wireless charger on my Samsung and I miss it on my 6S.

GlennD said:

Since they have a false statement to sell their wireless I could never support a company that lies. I had a wireless charger on my Samsung and I miss it on my 6S.

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I don't see how you can call it "false", really -- it's just an estimate. I think it's pessimistic, like I said. But I'm sure some do fail within that time frame.

Earlier in this thread someone quoted the J1772 spec. All I can say, I purchased my first Leaf in December of 2012 . I have had no noticeable wear on the cables or plug. I call bullshit! Let someone else buy the limited charging system. I want to charge at 40A!

GlennD said:

Earlier in this thread someone quoted the J1772 spec. All I can say, I purchased my first Leaf in December of 2012 . I have had no noticeable wear on the cables or plug. I call bullshit! Let someone else buy the limited charging system. I want to charge at 40A!

Click to expand...

Can your Leaf charge at 40A?

My concerns about the plugless system are:

1. Inconvenient - I'd have to park in the same spot every time. In practice, this means I need to keep my garage clean all summer so I can use it in the winter. Given that I have two kids, that's not going to happen
2. Limiting - I have two plug-in cars to charge. Their system cannot be shared between multiple cars (I've asked them). Plus I wouldn't be able to offer a charge to my friends when they visit with their Volts.

The fact that they are fraudulently misrepresenting the competition (i.e. corded) is the final nail in the coffin. I will not be buying from them nor recommending them to others.

The connector is designed to withstand up to 10,000 mating cycles (a connection and a disconnection) and exposure to the elements. With 1 mating cycle per day, the average connector's lifespan should be just over 27 years.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAE_J1772[/quote]

Love that quote -- my L2 EVSE cable is quite similar to the ones you see on a heavy duty arc welder (not one of those cheap ones but something well made that won't get chafed easily); its a Schneider and still looks as new as it was almost 5 years ago. The only thing that appears to be wearing and just a bit, is the plastic J1772 'nozzle' end that connects to the car; if this was exposed to the elements I could see it start to degrade from UV rays and the heat and cold but mine is mounted inside the garage so no such issues -- about the only change might be if I do indeed get the Tesla Model 3 and need to use their adapter so I can use the J1772 to charge it ... I used an L3 QC for the first time the other day and their nozzle is just that more robust than an L2; plus the cable seems even thicker (probably so due to much higher voltages). I do like the plugless charging concept but in our climate (salt and slush on the garage floor) I would think would do more damage over a shorter period of time to whatever needs to be mounted on the floor under the car; what's the expected life of those components ??

GetOffYourGas said:

GlennD said:

Earlier in this thread someone quoted the J1772 spec. All I can say, I purchased my first Leaf in December of 2012 . I have had no noticeable wear on the cables or plug. I call bullshit! Let someone else buy the limited charging system. I want to charge at 40A!

Click to expand...

Can your Leaf charge at 40A?

My concerns about the plugless system are:

1. Inconvenient - I'd have to park in the same spot every time. In practice, this means I need to keep my garage clean all summer so I can use it in the winter. Given that I have two kids, that's not going to happen
2. Limiting - I have two plug-in cars to charge. Their system cannot be shared between multiple cars (I've asked them). Plus I wouldn't be able to offer a charge to my friends when they visit with their Volts.

The fact that they are fraudulently misrepresenting the competition (i.e. corded) is the final nail in the coffin. I will not be buying from them nor recommending them to others.

Click to expand...

I have had two Leaf's and I currently have a Mercedes B Class EV. It has a Tesla drive train so I can charge at 40A. It has a Tesla motor, battery, and charger. I have had this car for eighteen months and I love it.

GlennD said:

GetOffYourGas said:

GlennD said:

Earlier in this thread someone quoted the J1772 spec. All I can say, I purchased my first Leaf in December of 2012 . I have had no noticeable wear on the cables or plug. I call bullshit! Let someone else buy the limited charging system. I want to charge at 40A!

Click to expand...

Can your Leaf charge at 40A?

My concerns about the plugless system are:

1. Inconvenient - I'd have to park in the same spot every time. In practice, this means I need to keep my garage clean all summer so I can use it in the winter. Given that I have two kids, that's not going to happen
2. Limiting - I have two plug-in cars to charge. Their system cannot be shared between multiple cars (I've asked them). Plus I wouldn't be able to offer a charge to my friends when they visit with their Volts.

The fact that they are fraudulently misrepresenting the competition (i.e. corded) is the final nail in the coffin. I will not be buying from them nor recommending them to others.

Click to expand...

I have had two Leaf's and I currently have a Mercedes B Class EV. It has a Tesla drive train so I can charge at 40A. It has a Tesla motor, battery, and charger. I have had this car for eighteen months and I love it.

Click to expand...

Very nice! I missed that in your sig, but I see it now. With all of those EVs, you must have gone through thousands of plug/unplug cycles, which is exactly what the J1772 handle is designed for.