Ooops, I screwed up, kind of...

[gatedad11]

Lat night I came home from work, pulled the I into the garage, plugged in the EVSE and noticed that I did not hear the familiar vacuum sound that I always hear when I first plug in and charging starts. I looked at the brick, it showed green for power on and yellow for charging. I just assumed I must have missed the sound and left it at that. This morning when I turned on my FOB so I could preheat the cabin, the battery indicator showed same status as last night...9 bars! I ran out and checked the EVSE, it seemed to be plugged in, but no red light on the dash and no charge indicator on the brick. I uncoupled the pistol and re-inserted. Green light and orange lights activated, dashboard red light on. Too bad I only had about 15 minutes before I had to leave for work. I have enough energy to get home, and by my calculations I should have about 1 more bar remaining when I pull into my driveway. But I learned my lesson, don't take anything for granted. Check the EVSE and make sure it's charging. I do Level 1 and don't have easy access to Level 2, so a small mistake like that can really screw my day up... I am guessing that the pistol was not fully engaged when I plugged in last night, or it was not in too well and then came loose...

Lou

 

[Don]

Twice I've had this happen to me with the OEM EVSE - Plugged in, got the 'Charge' light and then the next morning, found it didn't charge at all. Never had it happen with my L2 home built EVSE though. Now, if I'm charging L1 overnight, I always go back and check it 15 or 20 minutes after I plug it in

Don

 

[Llecentaur]

I always check for the vacuum noise AND the red plug on dash not to blink.

If it blinks, charging will drop about 15 seconds later.

I think it is a matter related to earthing.

 

[fjpod]

Also make sure you hear that little click when you push the plug into the car. I also wait for the fan sound before walking away. The only time I had these problems was before I ran a new ground wire to my detached garage. I suspect the EVSE has a very sensitive ground fault device.

 

[gatedad11]

Taking all your advice to heart. I recall(now) that I did not hear the click...

Lou

 

[JoeS]

Yes, when plugging in the J1772 connector, it's reassuring to hear the clicks from the EVSE as well as a couple of muted clicks from under the car. The intermittent whirring of the coolant circulating pump usually starts a few minutes later - unless, perhaps, the car just came in from a hot drive in which case I would expect the pump to start up right away. If possible, I let the car (batteries) cool off for a few hours before plugging in to recharge.

 

[PV1]

If you use the OEM level 1 cord, picking up a Kill a Watt meter can help avoid these situations, as well as giving you usage data. I've found that the EZ model has a much tighter plug on it, therefore allowing the EVSE to ground properly. When you plug in, you can watch the usage increase right after the fan does its initial cycle. Depending on line voltage, your watts should be around 900.

If the usage doesn't go up within 15 seconds of plugging in, you most likely have a false charge. Even with charging timers enabled, the car will charge momentarily, I guess to test the EVSE to verify it can deliver the power.