I replaced my Leviton (what the electrician used; neither of us knew of its deficiencies at the time) when I started to get overheating reports from the Tesla mobile charger. Installed a Hubbell and have been fine ever since.

I see no reason to economize on something like this.

 

I would alsp recommend the more expensive "EV Rated" plugs. You can see and feel the build quality on those versus a normal appliance outlet. Mine also started melting and unfortunately damaged the BMW plug a bit, not worth the risk.

 

I replaced it with a "EV" rated plug. It has more copper in it than the range receptacle I originally used.

Closeup of the damage.

New receptacle:

I used a di-electric cleaner/corrosion inhibitor and a file to get the melted plastic off the plug. Will monitor the temperatures tonight while charging.

Note: currently only charging at 32amp (40 amp breaker); and the L2 EVSE I'm using is only rated to 32amp. The BMW one lives at the lakehouse for the summer.

 

My Leviton worked fine for a couple of years before it started to give me trouble, I wouldn't expect any issues right at the beginning.

I don't know much about that particular outlet, would be interesting to compare it to a Hubbell (which is noticeably massive compared to my previous Leviton.)

 

@petee_c You might want to change the cover-plate. I don’t imagine any inspectors would allow that as the cover could snag all sorts of things.

This type would be a better cover for you. Make sure you measure your box to get the correct size


HUBBELL 888 | 888 COVER 4-11 16IN 30/50/60A REC S | Westburne

 

not sure if the hubbell covers will fit on the leviton receptacles.... if it becomes an issue, i will build a faux box around it and the cover will be flush.

 

I started to get overheating reports from the Tesla mobile charger

I've always wondered if the BMW Fast flexible portable charger would turn off it the plug got hot. No Wi-Fi so it cannot report it but would it cause a fire?

My Leviton worked fine for a couple of years before it started to give me trouble

Usually it is 3 years. Unclear if this is from cheap plugs like everyone says, or lack of maintenance. On high amp circuits, it usually is recommended every 2 years to re-torque connections. In industrial settings it is standard to check all circuit breakers and plugs every 2 years or more on high amp circuits. Heat cycles can loosen connections. It is best if you can set your charger to a lower setting (32-amps). This prevents the connections from getting hot and eventually loosening over years.

@petee_c What charger are you using? Can you look in the BMW app and see if the charging was interrupted while charging with the bad plug?

 

The charger at home has been a cheaper cULus rated 32 amp dumb charger from amazon for the past 12 months.

It's cord is 25' long and can reach either bay.

Snugging up the wire connections after 12 months or so is probably a good idea.

 

My suggestion was not limited to brand. The Hubble was the first one I found. I will be checking all the connections at my earliest convenience! Great suggestion!