Secure Charger during public use

[Steeler75]

A newbie question, but what is the best way you have figured out how to safely secure your charger cord while using a public Level 1 outlet?  I've seen some lock them through the wheels but not sure it will work with the Energi's tight spokes.

 

 

[jeff_h]

Maybe roll the front tire over part of the cord?

[Russael]

I've mentioned this in another thread (the parking garage outlet one) but I wouldn't leave my L1 charger anywhere public, 'secured' or not.  I'd have no problem using it at someone's home who gave me permission to plug in.  If someone is determined to take your charger, even if you found something like a padlock that would go through your spokes and was able to keep the charging plug from being pulled through, what's to stop someone from simply cutting the cord and walking away with it?  Resplicing something like that isn't all that difficult.

 

That being said, however, MOST places that offer L1 charging are in plain view of the public eye, and that's a pretty big deterrent there too... and not everybody is bad or looking to swipe something.  A padlock with a long enough bar to go through the spokes with just enough room to secure the cord to the wheel would probably work just fine.  I wouldn't roll the car on the cord but that would work too.

[http]

The ChargePoint unit in my company's parking garage (open to the public) requires you to use your own charger on the 120V port.  After you swipe the card, the box opens, you plug in and close the box to lock your charger in the plug.  Aside from that, your charger unit is sitting out in the open.

[FusionDad]

On other blogs I've seen suggestions to lock something easy to find and easy to handle but solid (motorcycle wheel brake disc lock, etc.) through/around the cord between the charging handle and the "brick" and then place the heavy locking object inside the driver's window, leaving the raised window with just enough window gap so as not to pinch the cord itself.  Then, to steal an EVSe while it is charging the car, they'd have to break the window as well.  Not foolproof for sure, but it could certainly make the thief consider moving on to an easier target.

 

Then again, most other EVSE manufacturers like Toyota, Leviton etc. provide a li'l padlock hole in the plug to lock the EVSE handle to the car - why didn't Ford do this?

[shaggy314]

I've figured it out!

 

Plug in to the plug in the mall parking garge, run the cable into the car, around the steering wheel, and into the car's jack. I then roll up the window to just shy of the cord's diamter. Done, you have to cut a wire or break my window to get it. Not ideal, but simple. I thought about trying cable bike locks around the front wheel, but sounded like more trouble than the above.