I live in Maryland that has some snow but a lot of freezing rain in the winter. I am concerned that freezing rain will make getting the charging door open difficult. If I charge overnight will having the door open and the charging plug in in rain and snow be inviting a problem?
Timh
Yes, in my experience, Timh. When I charge outside during snow/freezing rain I use the charge port cover and the charge handle cover. No snow or ice buildup in the charge port that I have to clean out, no coating on the connector. No connector frozen to the charge port.
Maybe not a safety issue as much as a user convenience issue.
Of course, if you always charge indoors, you don't need these.
I only went through 2 winters charging my Bplt outside and never had a problem with the charge port door freezing either open or closed. I’m in New Jersey, so my winters might be a bit harsh than yours.
However, with winters being fairly mild the last few years, my experience might not be a good indicator as to what will happen in a harsh winter.
I have my Equinox indoors now, so no need for a charge port cover for me.
However, with winters being fairly mild the last few years, my experience might not be a good indicator as to what will happen in a harsh winter.
I have my Equinox indoors now, so no need for a charge port cover for me.
Will the charge port cover protect against frozen rain/ice make the door hard to open?
Is it there and not visible with the door closed?
What do you think about an external cover such as: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09J8FC21D/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3MCC22EBV2J9T&psc=1
Thanks
Is it there and not visible with the door closed?
What do you think about an external cover such as: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09J8FC21D/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3MCC22EBV2J9T&psc=1
Thanks
The bit of snow/ice on the door arm wouldn't be much of an issue.
On my Volt the snow on the area protected by the cover ended up pushing the door sensor out of position, leading to a constant warning of the door being open (until I took the charge port apart and put the sensor back). (Edit: to clarify, I never had a cover for the Volt. The area the cover covers is where my issue was.)
I have a cover on order to hopefully make life easier with the Eq when this happens:
![Image]()
On my Volt the snow on the area protected by the cover ended up pushing the door sensor out of position, leading to a constant warning of the door being open (until I took the charge port apart and put the sensor back). (Edit: to clarify, I never had a cover for the Volt. The area the cover covers is where my issue was.)
I have a cover on order to hopefully make life easier with the Eq when this happens:
It doesn't cover the door Timh, instead it keeps snow and ice from getting inside the port area when you are charging. When done, you pull out the cover like removing a cork from a bottle, but way easier. It has no effect on the charge port door one way or the other. I've never had an issue with closing the port door when done.
Sure, that could work, but I'd be concerned about having a magnet sticking to the paint and whatever dirt/salt is on the paint. Over time I suspect you'll end up with some abrasion of the clear coat where the magnetic ring was attached/detached/attached/detached/attached/detached/etc. forming a scuff ring around the port like those mysteries where a picture was taken off the wall but there's a dirt shadow showing where it was.
Yes. The problem isn't so much opening the charge port door cover but closing it when it's covered with ice.
Lots of potential issues that a port cover can help with. Snow in the opening that makes the door harder to close, Snow/Ice build up on the rim and door edge that prevents the door from closing tight or latching, Ice freezing on the handle preventing you from unplugging, snow falling off the car or handle and getting into the little openings of the charge port itself. The next time you plug in, the snow packs down and you can't get the handle all the way in and can't charge... A port cover is strictly a convenience item that makes your life easier. It beats getting a hairdryer out at 6am to deal with these unplanned situations.
Check out the VoltShop's solutions, the ChargePort Cover and ChargeSleeve Hand made by EV owners, for EV owners. Available for the Equinox EV, Blazer EV, and a whole variety of other plug ins.
Check out the VoltShop's solutions, the ChargePort Cover and ChargeSleeve Hand made by EV owners, for EV owners. Available for the Equinox EV, Blazer EV, and a whole variety of other plug ins.
I worry about how well the Blazer EV door will hold up in wintery areas for exactly this reason.
Our Volt and Bolt (and now the EQEV) were/are all parked outside all the time. I live in NH, and they've been subjected to freezing rain, etc, a lot.
I've only had one or two issues with stuck/frozen charging handles. A cover (or a charge handle boot) might have come in handy. Definitely go through a bit of fussing to get the charge door closed, too.
But those problems have been fairly easy to cure.
What I've actually had more trouble with (on the Bolt and the Volt) is prolonged torrential driving rain working its way past the charge port and (presumably) into the wiring behind it.
That rendered the Volt un-chargeable on several occasions, once for a couple of days. Sometimes it was the car that would refuse to charge, sometimes it was the L1 charger's GFCI breaker tripping repeatedly.
When it was the car that was doing the complaining, moving over to our L2 charger made no difference. 50-50 if it was a GFCI issue; our Hardwired ChargePoint would often refuse to charge as well. I'd say that pretty much means it was the car's problem most/all of the time.
Same thing with the Bolt, only with it, I'd learned some cures from our experience with the Volt. With both cars, I found that I could get them back to a happy state by blasting the connector and where it joins with the bodywork with high pressure compressed air. Sometimes needed to additionally hit it with a hair dryer for a while. That brought the cars back online every time.
I've found these problems to be pretty infrequent (maybe 5-6 occurrences over a ten year span), but it think I'll be getting a boot/cover/whatever for the winter, now that I know they exist and seem to be pretty inexpensive ;0)
I've only had one or two issues with stuck/frozen charging handles. A cover (or a charge handle boot) might have come in handy. Definitely go through a bit of fussing to get the charge door closed, too.
But those problems have been fairly easy to cure.
What I've actually had more trouble with (on the Bolt and the Volt) is prolonged torrential driving rain working its way past the charge port and (presumably) into the wiring behind it.
That rendered the Volt un-chargeable on several occasions, once for a couple of days. Sometimes it was the car that would refuse to charge, sometimes it was the L1 charger's GFCI breaker tripping repeatedly.
When it was the car that was doing the complaining, moving over to our L2 charger made no difference. 50-50 if it was a GFCI issue; our Hardwired ChargePoint would often refuse to charge as well. I'd say that pretty much means it was the car's problem most/all of the time.
Same thing with the Bolt, only with it, I'd learned some cures from our experience with the Volt. With both cars, I found that I could get them back to a happy state by blasting the connector and where it joins with the bodywork with high pressure compressed air. Sometimes needed to additionally hit it with a hair dryer for a while. That brought the cars back online every time.
I've found these problems to be pretty infrequent (maybe 5-6 occurrences over a ten year span), but it think I'll be getting a boot/cover/whatever for the winter, now that I know they exist and seem to be pretty inexpensive ;0)
I went ahead and purchased the LZSTEC EV Charge Port Cover from Amazon for $16.99.
It covers the open charge door and charging cable. I am hoping it will ameliorate snow and freezing rain problems this
winter.
![Image]()
It covers the open charge door and charging cable. I am hoping it will ameliorate snow and freezing rain problems this
winter.
Make sure to keep that area very clean and the bag (salt, dirt, dust) to avoid scuffing the paint clear coat, Timh.
Surething, I will share if I can figuer it out. Looks like there are some inexpensive options on amazon. I am using the free autodesk fusion software, steep learing curve (I have a CAD background) but awsome when you get the hang of it. There are some great videos on youtube. TinkerCad is a free autodesk product, it's really user friendly, a good place to start.
From my experience with charge port covers, a softer material is going to work better in a few ways than a harder plastic. Less likely to damage the paint, easier to conform or customize to the shape of your j1222 charging head, a better seal around the J1772 and other areas, more pliable in the cold.... Not sure what options are out there for really flexible 3D print filament material, but worth looking for something if you are going to print one.
I always thought a small version of the spring-loaded windshield sun shades might be a good product, could even be made with the same lightweight material. Essentially tie or Velcro to the handle (covering the latch openings) like the ones that magnetically attach to the fender, but shove the expanding spring inside the lip of the charge door opening.
My snow often blows almost horizontally and with enough gusting to lift the covers from my recycling and garbage bins. Never had the charge port cavern our Bolt blow off and it completely covers to port opening with a friction fit. Simple, effective, inexpensive. YMMV
I ordered and recieved this cover; IZTOSS EV Charger Cover it almost works so I'm ordering this. LZSTEC one now it looks to be a bit larger. The one we have now just doesn't quite fit very well.
The other day we got a snow squall when I hadn't used the cover, I will be using it the rest of the time. The snow and ice had blown in the door and gasketed area as well as the hinge area. I spent several minutes with my cordless heat gun melting ice and snow and wiping it out with a towel while doing so. The gasket and latch were the worst areas, it took quite a bit to get the door to latch.
The other day we got a snow squall when I hadn't used the cover, I will be using it the rest of the time. The snow and ice had blown in the door and gasketed area as well as the hinge area. I spent several minutes with my cordless heat gun melting ice and snow and wiping it out with a towel while doing so. The gasket and latch were the worst areas, it took quite a bit to get the door to latch.
A bid late for this season, but maybe for next winter. Or people in the southern hemisphere... lol
Here is my port cover. The cover is made of a heavy-duty waterproof canvas material with a flexible magnetic ring sewn into the cover's edge. It protects the port, port door, and EVSE handle. Unfortunately, the company seems to have folded now. I can't find it anymore. It was from Canada and I bought it on eBay many years ago for my PHEV.
Usually, dry snow is not a problem. Freezing rain or wet snow that melts and refreezes can cause the port door not to open or close or EVSE frozen stuck. I have had all of those problems in my PHEV previously for we charge our cars outside all the time.
![Image]()
Here is my port cover. The cover is made of a heavy-duty waterproof canvas material with a flexible magnetic ring sewn into the cover's edge. It protects the port, port door, and EVSE handle. Unfortunately, the company seems to have folded now. I can't find it anymore. It was from Canada and I bought it on eBay many years ago for my PHEV.
Usually, dry snow is not a problem. Freezing rain or wet snow that melts and refreezes can cause the port door not to open or close or EVSE frozen stuck. I have had all of those problems in my PHEV previously for we charge our cars outside all the time.
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