UK - Standard EVSE Charging

[Hengus]

I have successfully charged my new I3 with the public charging cable and from a 32 amp home charger. Today, I thought that I would give the standard EVSE a try as we have PV Solar. Each time, I plug it in the LED lights shuffle about but I don't get a charge. The screen comes up with low voltage and the led around the plug in panel flashes red. Any thoughts? The socket that I am using comes off the standard 240volt house supply and it is rated at 13 amps.

 

[MikeS]

Are you trying to charge from a standard UK 13A socket? Maybe the car charge rate has to be reduced from max? Only guessing.

 

[Hengus]

Are you trying to charge from a standard UK 13A socket? Maybe the car charge rate has to be reduced from max? Only guessing.

Yes - after a lot of head scratching I selected LOW and it's worked without any issues. In theory, a 13 amp socket should be capable of handling the max charger load. The electrician who installed my 32 amp charger said that there shouldn't be a problem using MAX. I assume that the charger runs some form of self-test?

I am not too concerned as we only have a 2kWp PV solar array and LOW charging at I think about 1.5kWs will work just fine.

 

[BrianStanier]

The supplied EVSE only takes ~10A even if the i3 is set to maximum charge rate and should operate without any problem from a 13A socket.. I suspect you have a poor socket or wiring and are getting a serious voltage drop somewhere. Do you see any lights flicker when it starts? I would be concerned about overheating somewhere in your electrics.

 

[Hengus]

It was all checked when the wall charger was installed. I run vacuum cleaners, Karcher washers etc from the socket without any issues. The circuit has a 32 amp RCD. I just can't understand the message low voltage.

 

[paule23]

Can you try using another socket, ideally not from the same circuit board? (Another house, charge point with a 3 pin socket?) This will help you narrow down whether it is a problem with that hockey, your home power supply or the cable/car.

 

[Hengus]

Senior moment!! Tried again this morning from various sockets and got nowhere. I then then plugged a 2.3kW iron into the socket and it worked fine. The cable hardly got warm.

I then Googled the manufacturer of the cable (Delphi) and found a comment about the need to plug the cable into an AC socket and then check the LEDs before plugging the cable into the vehicle. This seemed counter-intuitive but I tried it in all charging modes and the car charged without any issues. The owner's handbook states that the charger should be connected to AC first and then the car. No advice as to when to turn the charger on.

 

[jadnashuanh]

Some EVSEs will 'restart' if the power goes out, some won't. So, it would seem that the one you have is of the former class. Plugging it into the car first, then the acv socket, is the same function as the power going off then coming back on.

 

[RJSATLBA]

Are you trying to charge from a standard UK 13A socket? Maybe the car charge rate has to be reduced from max? Only guessing.

Mine works at all three settings, it draws 1.4kWh at low, 1.7 at reduced and 2.25 at max. I too use it in preference to my 32A installed EVSE on days when I have a solar panel surplus and I don't need more charge than the std cable can give me. As the max from my panels is 3.6, giving me a surplus of 3.1-3.4, I don't want to be charging from the 7kWh unit on either setting and unnecessarily drawing from the grid.

Something else which may help the OP: I've also plugged my std cable into the 13A socket via a Belkin WeMo Insight plug which gives me wireless control and shows me the current draw. This means that I can set a time band on the WeMo, which stops the car's off peak management trying to be too clever and charging outside the off peak band when it realises it can't reach 100% solely from charging within the band; it also allows me to switch off from my phone on dull days to prevent drawing from the grid if the car already has sufficient charge for the needs of the day. I have a detached brick garage, separated from the house by a 1.5m wide path and my wireless broadband router happens to be in the room nearest to the garage. The WeMo didn't get a signal when plugged in to the socket at the back of the garage but succeeded when on the sidewall nearest the house, which also happens to be nearest to the car's input socket, so it's clearly fairly sensitive to house/garage layout.

Incidentally, control from the phone only works at home, not remotely.

 

[Hengus]

Are you trying to charge from a standard UK 13A socket? Maybe the car charge rate has to be reduced from max? Only guessing.

Mine works at all three settings, it draws 1.4kWh at low, 1.7 at reduced and 2.25 at max. I too use it in preference to my 32A installed EVSE on days when I have a solar panel surplus and I don't need more charge than the std cable can give me. As the max from my panels is 3.6, giving me a surplus of 3.1-3.4, I don't want to be charging from the 7kWh unit on either setting and unnecessarily drawing from the grid.

Something else which may help the OP: I've also plugged my std cable into the 13A socket via a Belkin WeMo Insight plug which gives me wireless control and shows me the current draw. This means that I can set a time band on the WeMo, which stops the car's off peak management trying to be too clever and charging outside the off peak band when it realises it can't reach 100% solely from charging within the band; it also allows me to switch off from my phone on dull days to prevent drawing from the grid if the car already has sufficient charge for the needs of the day. I have a detached brick garage, separated from the house by a 1.5m wide path and my wireless broadband router happens to be in the room nearest to the garage. The WeMo didn't get a signal when plugged in to the socket at the back of the garage but succeeded when on the sidewall nearest the house, which also happens to be nearest to the car's input socket, so it's clearly fairly sensitive to house/garage layout.

Incidentally, control from the phone only works at home, not remotely.

That's useful thank you. I have the standard EVSE plugged in at the moment. My 2.15kWp solar array is pushing out 1.8kW so I have set the charger to LOW and it is doing its own thing.