Discoloration of charging cord?

[Luvthevolt]

Replacement Charger in! Now that's quick service! Hopefully this level of service is still here when there are 100,000 Volts out there.

[gwmort]

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.

[Chevrolet Customer Svc]

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!

[Chevrolet Customer Svc]

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.

[Steverino]

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.

[dkmiller26]

Are spares becoming available yet, or is this still constrained?

[Slapshot28]

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.

[eelr32]

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.

[RDO CA]

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

[Slapshot28]

IThe electrician was guessing that they might have only used 14 gauge wire and probably should have 12 in the cord.

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.