What's actually in your portable EV charger setup, and has it held up over time?

I used the Tesla mobile connector on a 14-50 for about a year before I put in a wall connector. Honestly the mobile connector was fine, the only reason I switched was I got tired of coiling it back up for trips. Now it just lives in the frunk as the backup.

Plenty of people use a portable as their primary for years without trouble. The portable unit itself is rarely what fails. It's the receptacle. Most of the burned 14-50 threads on here involve a $12 builder grade outlet that got plugged and unplugged a few hundred times, or terminals that were never torqued properly. If you're going to leave it plugged in permanently, spend the money on a Hubbell or Bryant receptacle, or just !hardwire.

Depends on what you're plugging it into. A portable on 120v is not a primary charger, at least not for anyone driving real highway miles.

I don't have any home charging at all, so take this for what it's worth. 68k miles on my ID.4 only using DCFC. The VW portable cord is still in the plastic bag in the trunk. Used it once in four years at my in-laws' house.

Agree with the receptacle comment. I've seen too many melted ones. Also don't run it off an extension cord. I learned that the hard way with a cheap cord that burned out on L1.

Mine is on a 14-50 the previous owner put in for an RV, no idea what brand the outlet is. Probably should pull the cover off and look.

Yes, look. If it's warm to the touch after a long session or there's any discoloration on the face, replace it. Check whether there's GFCI protection too, although if it was installed for an RV it may predate that requirement.

The portable is my road trip kit now. It came in handy at a couple of Airbnbs that had a dryer outlet in the garage. For home I'd never go back. A wall unit on a dedicated circuit and I don't have to think about it at all.