Tesla is suing an organization producing an EV charging accent geared toward stopping carjacking as a result of it believes it’s making Tesla’s charging expertise harmful.
Some EV house owners are afraid of carjacking at public charging stations resulting from the truth that if you’re in your car whereas charging, you’re a considerably straightforward goal as a result of if some folks rush your automotive, you’d should get out to unplug earlier than you’ll be able to escape together with your car.
It’s not a quite common downside within the EV trade, but it surely’s apparently sufficiently big that an organization, EVject, determined to construct a product round it.
The $299 EVject Escape Connector is designed to have the ability to separate itself from the cost connector by driving away.
The corporate describes the system on its web site:
Expertise a safer EV charging expertise with EVject. In an emergency, you not have to fret about leaving your car, disconnecting the charger, and speeding again to security. Merely connect the EVject connector to the charger’s head every time you plug in. Within the occasion of an emergency, disconnect the charger out of your dashboard like normal, however now you’ll be able to instantly shift into drive—all from the protection of your automotive.
Tesla is now suing the corporate in California court docket, claiming that the connector can attain harmful temperatures, which creates a security threat. Tesla wrote within the grievance (through Jalopnik):
Within the occasion of an over-temperature situation within the Connector, the shortage of overtemperature safety creates a security threat. Testing of high-current simulated charging via the Connector, utilized together with a Tesla Supercharger cable and Tesla EV cost port, demonstrated that floor temperatures of the Connector could attain as excessive as 100C, after half-hour of charging at 420 ADC. Throughout an over-temperature occasion, a consumer of the Connector could also be burned throughout (or following) charging by touching or grabbing the Connector. Moreover, the excessive temperature current within the Connector poses a threat of fireplace and ignition of different flamable supplies within the charger cable, the car linked to the Connector, and the Supercharger infrastructure.
With the civil swimsuit, Tesla is looking for to forestall the corporate from promoting the connector as secure and from importing it into the US. It is usually looking for a minimal of $75,000 in damages.
Electrek’s Take
If it could actually attain these temperatures, and Tesla seems to have examined it, then I feel it’s secure to say that the system is extra harmful than the potential arm it could actually stop.
Personally, I’ve by no means felt unsafe at a charging station, however I do perceive how this might occur as some charging places will be sketchy, like in a darkish nook of a Walmart parking zone with out anybody or something shut.
However hopefully charging station operators are going to maintain that potential downside in thoughts when researching charging places.
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