Can I protect my EV car charger's cable with aluminum tape and a stainless steel hose helix?

Question

My EV car charger / EVSE is a Emporia Classic 48A Smart charger, installed on an exterior wall at the driveway. The J1772 cable is 24 feet long and will drag along the concrete driveway + bushes + grass next to the driveway. I'd like protect the cable from abrasion and wildlife: our neighborhood has rodents, turtles, raccoons, opossum.

I asked Emporia for their recommendation; their reply, emphasis mine:

To protect the cable from the unwanted rodents we could go ahead and use a metal braided sheath! This metal should have no issues with the temperature during the hot summer days.

Metal makes sense for heat dissipation. Unfortunately, metal braided sheath means detaching the J1772 cable because virtually all available sheaths' are too narrow for the large J1772 plug. The braided sheaths appear tricky to slit open and then close up again reliably.

Is this alternative idea below safe?

1. Wrap the cable with 3M Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil Tape 438. It is an outdoor-rated, thermally conductive, and heat reflecting.

2. Then, around that, install this Electriduct Stainless Steel Spring Guard Hose Protector. It is also weatherproof.

My concerns: any electromagnetic risk by having all these metal things wrapped around a 240V @ 48A / 11kW electric cable? I'll also have wrought iron hose guides to keep the cable off the ground wherever possible.

// my current research

1. I've asked Emporia, but have not heard back for 3 days now.
2. This DC fast charger appears to uses a metal coil for strain relief. See the far left charger.

Answer 1

Cut a 24' length of garden hose, split it lengthwise and insert the charge cable. Even the most determined rodents won't gnaw through it and it eliminates the electromagnetic concern.
Wrapping it with tape will keep the cable in place when moving it.

Answer 2

An alternative: If you want to do the braided sheath (metal or polymer, etc), you can easily remove the cable to install the sheath.

I happen to own the same EVSE and took it apart recently to switch it from cord/plug to hardwired.

I've picked up the habit of taking pictures any time I open something and I have a picture of the inside of the EVSE. The vehicle cable has nice crimped ferrules in screw terminals. It should take you about 5 min to get it out.

Answer 3

My concerns: any electromagnetic risk by having all these metal things wrapped around a 240V @ 48A / 11kW electric cable?

It is unlikely that wrapping metal around the cable would have any negative effects. The current is returning through the same path so their magnetic fields cancel out. Electric cables are installed into metal conduits all the time.

The metal wrapping could reduce electromagnetic noise emitted to the surroundings, which is a benefit to any nearby amateur radio operators and does not affect the operation of the charger.

You may want to consider grounding the shield at one end or wrapping it in non-conductive covering. This would prevent it getting energized in case you have some unexpected damage to the insulation. I imagine that e.g. accidentally driving over the cable could cut the insulation and be hidden by the shield.

Answer 4

If you use the foil tape, taping a straight cable will be tough to coil up for storing when not being used and will be ripping apart when handling the cable. Adding the hose protector will make this even harder along with the hose guide. The hose protector won't fit over the plug so you're back to removing the cable. You should think about removing the cable. It shouldn't be a hard job and you can always take it to a repair shop and have them do it. Install the metal braided sheath like the vendor suggested and be done with it. You'll keep the flexibility and ease of use which is important because you'll be using this probably daily.