— The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an investigation into a popular charger used to charge electric cars.
The feds are looking at the Bosch Power Xpress 240V charging unit that was used to charge a 2013 Nissan Leaf. The Nissan owner complained the car started smoking near the area of where the Bosch Power Xpress meets the car charger interface.
The Nissan Leaf was charging at home when the owner smelled a burning odor and saw smoke in the garage. The car had been plugged into the Bosch Power Xpress for over an hour by the time the owner turned off the power at the breaker box and unplugged the charger.
The plug and charging terminals on the car were damaged to the point the plastic had melted. Nissan blamed the Bosch Power Xpress charger for the problem and denied warranty coverage.
NHTSA will try to determine what caused the 240V charger to melt and if a recall should be ordered.
It's not the first time a car charger was found to have issues. In January, Tesla recalled 30,000 electric cars due to a risk of fire while charging.
