Temporary solution for 240V charging

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11thIndian

Well-known member
Joined
May 11, 2017
Messages
46
Hey all, I'm loving my A3 so far, and the 120V charging is working for the most part for off-peak overnight charging. Only time I really find myself in a pinch is on the weekends when we do a lot of running around, and being able to fill or top up the battery in an hour or two would be brilliant. And since it's the weekend its all off peak rates.

I'm planning a renovation later this year to add a garage for what will be a two charge station home. So I'm resistant to spend too much on a temporary solution.

So my question is- if I have relatively easy access to my dryer plug, can I run an extension chord out to my car for the 240 hook up? That's presuming I can get a chord which is 240V and at least 10-15amp. It's going to be about a 40' run.

Anyone have any experience with doing something like this?

thanks
 
That's not generally a good idea, but they do exist (check Amazon). Just get a larger gauge than you think you'll need to be on the safe side.
 
Thanks. I still haven't tried an extension chord yet, but I'm still going to try it. I've got a heavy gauge chord already, and one of the two ends in my brother's pile of electrical stuff. I'm gonna grab the other end and at least put it together to see if it works at that chord length.
 
I'd buy a 50 foot long 10-gauge outdoor-rated, three prong extension cord, cut off the ends and replace them with the compatible plug/receptacle for the dryer outlet and the Audi charger. 10-gauge wire will have about a 2 volt voltage drop for a 240V charger at 16A and 50 feet in length assuming normal ampacity of the wire. You could also get some 10 gauge cable (10-2) off a spool at the local electrical supply or box store (Type W or SJOOF). That may be cheaper than a 10 gauge extension cord.

You need to make sure your new plug connects to the two line-power legs of the dryer outlet and to the ground. Ground is the round'ish pin. The line legs are the ones that when measured with a volt meter show about 240V between them, and 120V between each of them and the ground. (You may have a four prong dryer outlet that also has a neutral wire and you want to leave this terminal empty on your new cord).

ALWAYS test voltage to clarify which pin is which BEFORE you make any connections, particularly if you're using different male and female plug/receptacle device styles on your cord. You can do major damage to life and property if you do it wrong! Consult on-site with someone who knows what they're doing if you don't.
 
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