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[droidish]

Greetings!

Since I bought my SR in July, 2017, I have used it mostly for commuting. I ride 20 miles to work, charge with onboard charger, ride 20 miles home. Repeat.

I always wait 2 to 3 hours before plugging it in to let the battery cool, as the last 3 miles to work are at 70-75 mph. I unplug at the end of my shift. I have been using a 20 foot extension cord with hospital grade ends to reach the nearest outlet where I park. I would guess the wire in the cord to be 10 gauge going by the girth of it, definitely at least 12 gauge.

Yesterday, for the first time in over a year, I checked on the state of charging at about 2:00 PM. I was surprised to find it still charging (showing 97%). I had plugged it in at about 9:15 AM, at which time the countdown clock showed under 4 hours charge time from about 46% SOC. I also found the extension cord to be very hot, especially at the end where the bike's cord was plugged in. The belly pan was also pretty warm.

I haven't had a chance to dissect the extension cord to figure out what if anything its problem is. My guess would be high resistance due to corrosion or a broken wire. I am concerned about possible damage to my bike as a result. The worst part is I have no clue how long that was going on. I bought a new 12/3 25' extension cord.

What do y'all think, did I hurt it? 

[dukecola]

I wouldnt worry. Cords get warm all the time. As long as it's proper size and the female plug isn't't sloppy, you will be fine.

[ESokoloff]

How is the bikes receptacle? (Temperature while charging?)

Might want to pickup another charging cord as it sounds like the male/plug end MAY be suspect.

[heroto]

I'm curious what "hospital grade ends" means. Are they sterile, FDA approved, and cost 20x more than the otherwise identical item in Home Depot? Or something to do with an attractive nurse? If the latter, are they for sale to the general public?

[heroto]

For sure, you must use an extension cord with appropriate gauge copper, I'll bet you already knew that. I do find that the stock black cord on my 2018 7.2 S gets warmer than the heavier gauge extension cord I occasionally use with it, but gets just as warm as an extension cord with thinner copper.

[NEW2elec]

This is what some people have used.  One cord fewer bottlenecks.

Monoprice Power Cord - NEMA 5-15P to IEC 60320 C13, 14AWG, 15A, 3-Prong, Black, 25ft

I can't copy the link but google it.

[DonTom]

Greetings!

Since I bought my SR in July, 2017, I have used it mostly for commuting. I ride 20 miles to work, charge with onboard charger, ride 20 miles home. Repeat.

I always wait 2 to 3 hours before plugging it in to let the battery cool, as the last 3 miles to work are at 70-75 mph. I unplug at the end of my shift. I have been using a 20 foot extension cord with hospital grade ends to reach the nearest outlet where I park. I would guess the wire in the cord to be 10 gauge going by the girth of it, definitely at least 12 gauge.

Yesterday, for the first time in over a year, I checked on the state of charging at about 2:00 PM. I was surprised to find it still charging (showing 97%). I had plugged it in at about 9:15 AM, at which time the countdown clock showed under 4 hours charge time from about 46% SOC. I also found the extension cord to be very hot, especially at the end where the bike's cord was plugged in. The belly pan was also pretty warm.

I haven't had a chance to dissect the extension cord to figure out what if anything its problem is. My guess would be high resistance due to corrosion or a broken wire. I am concerned about possible damage to my bike as a result. The worst part is I have no clue how long that was going on. I bought a new 12/3 25' extension cord.

What do y'all think, did I hurt it? 

Nope.

What will happen is that the voltage at the bike will drop, but the bike's BMS will have it then draw more current so then the cord  even gets hotter. But if the heat from the cord does no damage, you're okay.

It's best to use an AC extension cord that is VERY thick, short as possible  and rated for at least 15 amps. Same for the bike's cord. Thicker and shorter is better. Then there will be  less voltage drop and less current draw from the BMS which all means less heat.

And I never plug mine into the bike while it's live. Get your connection to the bike COLD  first, then turn the juice on elsewhere, such as on the other end of the cord.  And likewise, disconnect at the bike only after the juice is off. Make sure there is a good connection at the bike while there is no juice, before you turn on the A/C elsewhere. That can save your bike's connector.

For my  extension cords, I use these for my E-bikes. If I need a longer run for my quick chargers, I will put two cords in series. Of course I never use two chargers on the same cord or the same outlet or the same circuit breaker, etc.  I sometimes use three chargers but with three AC cords all plugged into separate circuits that have no high current draws on them anywhere else.

-Don-  Auburn, CA

[dukecola]

I'm curious what "hospital grade ends" means. Are they sterile, FDA approved, and cost 20x more than the otherwise identical item in Home Depot? Or something to do with an attractive nurse? If the latter, are they for sale to the general public?

Hospital grade outlets are heavier duty with extremely tight receptacles, so the cord to granny's oxygen machine can't be accidentally kicked out to speed up the inheritance.  Never heard of a male HG plug, only outlets. I have one in garage, the connection is always firm so no resistance from there.

[dukecola]

This is what some people have used.  One cord fewer bottlenecks.

Monoprice Power Cord - NEMA 5-15P to IEC 60320 C13, 14AWG, 15A, 3-Prong, Black, 25ft

I can't copy the link but google it.

This is the cord I use.

[evdjerome]

I use this 100 footer at home https://www.lowes.com/pd/Utilitech-Pro-100-ft-15-Amp-125-Volt-1-Outlet-12-Gauge-Yellow-Outdoor-Contractor-Extension-Cord/3203695

I use this 15 footer at work https://www.lowes.com/pd/Utilitech-Pro-15-ft-15-Amp-120-Volt-1-Outlet-12-Gauge-Yellow-Outdoor-Extension-Cord/3191739

Been using them since 2013, first on my 2012 Zero DS, and then on my 2015 DS.

I try to not have any loops in the cords. I read somewhere on here that loops make the cord get hotter. The ambient temp where I live rarely gets over 90 F.

[droidish]

Thank you for the replies!

I haven't figured out how to multi quote on this forum, so I'll go down the line and address responses as best I can.

@ dukecola: this was not warm, it was hot! The outer insulation on the extension cord was tacky to touch from the heat.

@ ESokoloff: The bike's receptacle is fine, as is its charge cord. In the past, when charging at home the cord and the male connector on the bike have just gotten warm. Just to verify, I plugged in at home yesterday, nothing got hot. I plug in to a switched receptacle, so the cord is in as new condition.

@ heroto: "hospital grade ends" means they look great in pink scrubs.  I misspoke, prolly should refer to them as commercial grade. Our electricians make these extension cords up for us at work. They're over-built for rough service.

@ NEW2elec; Thanks for the tip. I already bought a new extension cord, 12/3 25'. I would be afraid to us one with 14 gauge wire. I panicked and stopped at the Home Depot on the way home from work Friday, and bought the best 25 foot cord they had.

@ DonTom: "Nope". I like that. I'm going to be optimistic, no damage done! Good stuff Don, thanks. At work, I always plug the bike's cord into the extension cord, then plug the extension cord into the outlet. At home the bike's cord plugs in to a switched outlet. Since new there hasn't been any arcing at the bike or its cord.

@ evdjerome: A 15 footer is all I really need at work, but the Home Depot only had 25' so that's what I got. I have heard the same thing about loops and coils so I avoid them.

[quixotic]

It might not be the cord at all, but the female spade connector on the bike (there's another thread or two about this issue on the site here somewhere).  Mine got so hot, it melted the bike's receptacle, as well as the cord plug.  Lucky it didn't burn the garage down.  But I just went to an electronics store and got replacement parts.  Now, everything's fine.