Incorrect EV charging

... has plugs available for everything from a 14-50 to do ~7.2kW charging down to 5-15 to do ~1.2kW charging. The problem here was that the 14-30 plug was not available so an adapter was purchased from Home Depot or Lowes (not homebrew and not intentionally fly by night). The issue is that the charger uses some pinning in the plug to know what kind of outlet it is plugged into. Since it was using the 14-50 plug it didn't know it was on a smaller circuit. What was supposed to happen was the car was to be set to do slower charging and only pull a max of 24A. The last step was missed and the fact that it was charging too fast was overlooked. So it was still an error, but it was not an attempt to get away with something.

The people getting away with something are those selling the plug adapter that goes from 30A male to 50A female. This is just encouraging someone to overload a 30A circuit. A big part of the reason for different designs on differently rated plugs is to prevent exactly what happened here. An adapter to a different 30A plug or a lower rated female plug would be okay, but not to a 50A plug. Safety in these circumstances should not be dependent on a user who may not have any electrical knowledge whatsoever.
 
The equipment termination temp rating and the allowable ambient operating temp of the equipment are two different things. Not directly relatable.
The ones I've installed all have called for 90oC wire
Rather than try to win arguments for DIY's, why not give AHJ's the last word, since their job is to check this stuff every day.

The best way to prevent DIY, and electricians making mistakes on your house, is by requiring it pass plan review & inspection.
 
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