How we charged at The Palms Avoca
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A charging story, for those who might be interested.
It took a while to find a way to charge at The Palms at Avoca Beach. We had asked about charging when booking, and the friendly staff said that we could just plug the EV into the cabin.
Attempt 1: Too cold
When we arrived, since we were staying a couple of weeks, they had generously upgraded our cabin. But this one (number 20) is down a path from the parking. We managed to make our extension cord just reach along the path through the door to a power point.
However, when switched it on, the Tesla UMC (universal mobile charger) showed a red light flashing twice. I checked on the screen in the Tesla and tapped on the warning. The table showed that this problem is due to insufficient grounding of the power point.
Attempt 2: Too hot
I asked the staff about other options. They were very helpful, suggesting one of the two larger cabins that have a power point on their balcony. Since they had no booking there, they said we could park there to charge. I tried the first cabin, which worked, but when I checked a while later, the power point was very hot. So, I ramped down the current that the Tesla draws. Slow but safe.
Note that you should fully unroll an extension cord when using high current, otherwise it creates extra resistance and heat.
Attempt 3: Just right
The second cabin was booked the next night, so we moved the car to the third cabin. It also has a power point on the deck. But since this one has no direct access except through the locked cabin, I had to climb the railing to gain access. This power point works well, and didn’t overheat. We used this every two or three nights to charge.
Just park and plug in. Easy, as long as you have a working power point.
One of the staff remarked that this is probably something to provide more, since EVs are becoming more popular. Very true.
The same extension cord worked fine at the third cabin, so I think the fault is with the power point.
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