Pelican Blues

I know this is a Q8 e-tron forum, but I'm interested in the discussion about recall of the 240v charging cable. I am considering buying a used 2021 A7e Plug-in Hybrid. The dealer says that they will not give me the 240v charging cable due to the recall. I am concerned that if I have an old Audi with no charging cable to exchange for a new one, that I might have trouble getting the new cable without cost from Audi when it becomes available. This would be a long-distance purchase, so it would be a different dealer through which I would work to get the new cable. Do you have any thoughts about that?

Since reading through this forum, I must say that I'm now very surprised at the dealer withholding the cable when the portable charger can be reset to 50% power and that it works without problem on some outlets.

mks632

Dealer is likely withholding the cable because Audi told the dealer that's what they need to do (just like the NHTSA likely told Audi to do that). Get a commitment from the dealer for a cable when available in writing. Have the cable shipped to you when available. Problem solved.

A4 Phil

I have been wrapping up some warranty service with my dealer and have spent hours on the phone with Audi Customer Experience. Every time I get ready to hang up they remind me that there are two current recalls out on my '19 e-tron. The cable and the battery. The cable they told me to change it to 50% (I actually store it in the car and only use it on road trip emergencies). The battery, they told me will be at least six weeks before there is an Audi recommendation.

If you want the PHEV, buy it and get the guarantee from the dealer but in the meantime just buy another quality travel EVSE. Hit up Tom Moloughney's YT page and select a quality one. Don't get the cheapo's from Amazon.

Pelican Blues

Thanks for your helpful comments, guys, but I found that the A7e got sold yesterday morning. So, I'll keep looking! There are only about 8 for sale in the whole country!

coldrain85

I have almost exclusively used the Audi EVSE to charge my etron since I bought it in July 2022. I have never noticed any issues with excessive resistance/heat, but I also went the extra mile and made sure that the outlet was installed with 6-gauge wire and a top quality plug. I don't feel any heat at all on the plug, cable, or EVSE when I charge at 50%. On the rare occasions when I charge at 100% nothing gets much above room temperature. Nothing is ever warm to the touch.

If anyone is noticing excessive heat coming from the EVSE, either not all EVSE's are created equal or there is resistance somewhere. I have heard of a few plugs melting, but at this point I am more inclined to blame it on bad wiring than a faulty EVSE. 8.4-8.6kW (which is what I get at 100%) is a pretty heavy load. Existing household wiring is not intended for that kind of load. A dedicated circuit needs to be installed with the correct parts that are designed to handle these loads. I wonder how many users of wall chargers think that the electrician installed 6-gauge wire but it's actually 8-gauge because the electrician figured that it was "good enough", and pocketed the difference.

toomanymc

I did some testing with my Audi EVSE and WallBox Pulsar Plus EVSE.
My setup is a 50 amp breaker(NON-GFCI), 6 gauge wire on a roughly 2-3 foot run, Pass & Seymour Legrand NEMA 14-50(max operating temp 167°F/ 75°C), all connections torqued to spec.

Audi EVSE at 100%/40 amps, ambient temperature 51°F. Temps measured on the plug itself (see red dot for specific location)
Starting temp 51°F
10 minutes 61°F
20 minutes 113°F
30 minutes 140°F
40 minutes 146°F
50 minutes 150°F
Stopped charging at this point to check the receptacle and avoid any potential damage/fire risk. The outside of the wall receptacle was around 115°F however one of the prongs on the plug was so hot that I couldn't touch it. I was using an infrared thermometer so I couldn't get an actual temp reading on the prong. Another interesting observation is that the plug was vibrating while the car was actively charging. Not sure if the vibration is due to a bad connection or has something to do with the AC frequency(60Hz). The rest of the EVSE had no concerning heat buildup.

100.4°F

Display is 146°F. Apologies for this photo my camera really did not want to cooperate.


WallBox Pulsar Plus
Starting Temp 51°F
10 minutes 73°F
20 minutes 93°F
30 minutes 101°F
40 minutes 103°F
50 Minutes 101°F
The WallBox also had a temperature difference of about 10°F between the two hot sides but the hotter side was the opposite of the Audi EVSE.


Another interesting observation both units appear to have the exact same plug attached. I have been using the WallBox 6+ months with no issues or concerns.





My conclusion. In my case there is something faulty in the Audi EVSE, specifically the NEMA 14-50 adapter as there is no heat buildup in the rest of the unit or when using the 120volt adapter.

nadrealista

that is way too hot, mine is warm to touch but that is it

coldrain85

The vibrating plug is a bit alarming. There is definitely something going on with your EVSE. I charged at 100% overnight to see what would happen. The battery was at about 30% which meant the EVSE would be on for over 4 hours to get it to 80%. I went and checked it out right at 8am when the charging cycle ended. The garage temp was 50ºF. The EVSE unit was warmer than the ambient temperature, but not a lot warmer. Maybe 70ºF, but I don't have a way to get accurate readings from surfaces so I'm guessing. The wall plug itself was a little warmer than the EVSE unit, but not a lot warmer. I unplugged it to check for blackening or melting and didn't see anything. The prongs were hot, but not so hot that I couldn't touch them. It all seems okay to me. There is always going to be some heat due to the line loss created by the plug. The only was around that is to hard wire the unit. I am of the opinion that any device that's using 1000W or more should be hard wired, but I didn't in this case because I didn't want to void the warranty. And just because mine seems like it's operating normally right now doesn't mean it will stay that way. I am only going to charge at 50% until Audi comes up with a fix for this issue. When I charge at 50% neither the EVSE unit or the plug heat up at all.

AWDQuattro

I'm considering the purchase of a 3rd party (ChargePoint, JuiceBox, Emporia ...) EVSE. I generally charge with the Audi EVSE at 50% and I have not yet measured temps but part of me doesn't want to risk it with the Audi supplied equipment. None of us should feel this way especially after spending what we spent on the Audi EV but here we are

Bill33525

I bought the ChargePoint Flex home charger several years ago when there were a lot of threads about the Audi EVSE plugs overheating. I like the CPflex for it's reliable operation. Additionally, a custom date range report can be obtained to compare to your utility bill to keep track of electrical costs of running the car.