Charging fault, charging port locked and won't let go

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Good question about the Bolt.

If you look at this, you can see the Phoenix Contact specification indicates emergency manual lock release is available.

http://www.phoenixcontact-emobility.com/files/standard/publisher/Produktlisten/Uni-Inlet-Datenblaetter%20EN/Vehicle%20inlet%20-%20EV-T1GBIE12-1ACDC32A200A2,0M1%20-%201627098.pdf

I wonder who makes the VW inlet.
 
egolf2017toronto said:
JoulesThief said:
Then you probably shouldn't own a German car. Plan ahead on being a pissed off owner.
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Just so you know, your replies come across as extremely arrogant. Try to focus on the issue instead of going off into an ad hominem.
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I honestly don't get it... I own a 1987 BMW 325IS, I love it... it never pissed me off... actually puts a huge smile on my face :) Just something to do with the raw mechanics of it and engineering behind it...

anyhow, sorry slightly off topic...
 
egolf2017toronto said:
JoulesThief said:
Then you probably shouldn't own a German car. Plan ahead on being a pissed off owner.
Click to expand...

Just so you know, your replies come across as extremely arrogant. Try to focus on the issue instead of going off into an ad hominem.
Click to expand...

Coming off as extremely pissed off "if" something were to happen? "If"? Why don't you save your breath, wait for it to happen, before commenting or projecting fear into potential owners, when it hasn't even happened to you yet. Why worry about the sky falling? I'd be extremely pissed off if a big earthquake were to happen too. Until then, I practice preparedness. Get your self a pick or a tool to get in there and free the sticky part. Keep it lubed in silicone. Park in a garage when the car is not in use, so the area is not unnecessarily exposed to salt and road grime and crap. Maybe practice a little bit of common sense. Or buy something perfected that runs on petrol, so it's not even a problem.

The fact of the matter is that you are a guinea pig, an early adopter, a beta tester, for new technology. Plan on dealing with it. Plan on being pissed off. I'm adjusting your expectations to a potential reality that shit happens, deal with it. Your comments come across as extremely child like, like throwing a tantrum if you don't get your way. The fact of the matter is that mechanical devices fail. All the time. And those failures keep a lot of people in the service business employed.
 
egolf2017toronto said:
JoulesThief, many of us on this forum are genuinely worried about you. Have you forgotten to take your medicine again?
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Just let it go. If you don't like what he says, ignore it. I've learned to pick and choose which of his posts I pay attention to. Occasionally there are some gems that are worth reading and don't raise my blood pressure.
 
This thread saved me from having to get my 2015 e-golf towed to a dealer to get my charging connector unstuck. I used a paint can opener to disengage the locking solenoid pin. I wedge the paint can opener between the charging connector and the solenoid pin then pressed the pin back. The connector came free. It appears the pin built up gunk over time. I sprayed VW40 on the locking pin to help it move. The connector and locking pin works correctly now.
 
clos21 said:
This thread saved me from having to get my 2015 e-golf towed to a dealer to get my charging connector unstuck. I used a paint can opener to disengage the locking solenoid pin. I wedge the paint can opener between the charging connector and the solenoid pin then pressed the pin back. The connector came free. It appears the pin built up gunk over time. I sprayed VW40 on the locking pin to help it move. The connector and locking pin works correctly now.
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Use silicone, not WD40. WD40 is oil based, and will gunk up the mechanism again with road grime, dust and silt, rather quickly, I might add. Oil is a magnet for dust and grit. That's why they use it on air filters, it catches grit and dust, they stick to it.
 
A lock is required for DCFC, though it might only have to be in the charging handle. I've noticed that the CCS DCFC plugs usually have an electronic button that won't release the plug lock unless all safety conditions have been met. It's possible the Bolt doesn't have a lock built into the car receptacle. We just need a good close-up picture of the Bolt receptacle.
 
I've been having repeated stuck pin problems also.

Seems like there are 2 causes: 1) Legit system-related locking (resolved with the charge button/keyfob unlock solution) and 2) Sticky solenoid locking pin (resolved with the angled wire/pin push back solution).

I decided on a PERMANENT solution for my home charger: I clipped the locking tooth on the connector handle - it's that tab sticking out at the top of the connector that moves when the button is pressed. It's easy - a pair of wire cutters, snip, done, will never happen again!

$.02
 
f1geek said:
The question is: Does the car designer care about achieving 100% reliabilty. I assume that Tesla designers shoot for 100% while my sense is that VW designers are probably targeting something more like 80% as building EVs are not a priority for VW right now.
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Reports on the news and forums about early production Teslas seems to indicate a figure considerably less than 100%.
 
Just had this issue with my eGolf. Was able to push the pin back, squirted it with some silicone spray. In fact, I gave the whole connector a blast, just to make it a little smoother to connect. Seems normal now, but not sure how long it will be before I get the call from my wife about how to unlock it!

I am considering the locking tooth mod on the charger plug. I think the only real risk there might be a little arcing at the contacts if it's removed without unlocking, but at 120 V it's no different that pulling a plug out of the wall. Removing the DCFC port without shutting off voltage might be a bit more dramatic and could melt the contacts.
 
dustboy said:
Just had this issue with my eGolf. Was able to push the pin back, squirted it with some silicone spray. In fact, I gave the whole connector a blast, just to make it a little smoother to connect. Seems normal now, but not sure how long it will be before I get the call from my wife about how to unlock it!

I am considering the locking tooth mod on the charger plug. I think the only real risk there might be a little arcing at the contacts if it's removed without unlocking, but at 120 V it's no different that pulling a plug out of the wall. Removing the DCFC port without shutting off voltage might be a bit more dramatic and could melt the contacts.
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12-13 amps at 120 +V is still significant, in terms of creating an arc when you disconnect. Not as severe as 30 amps, but still, not good for the contact surfaces, which are really designed as connectors, not as points in a Relay switch.
 
As long as you pay attention to make sure that charging has actually stopped, or you manually stop if with the buttons next to the charge port, modifying the latch to avoid the solenoid pin is ok. However, you have to educate everyone that will use that charging station to make sure that they understand the lights next to the charge port and that they won't remove the J1772 handle when the car is actively charging.
 
If the proximity pin and control pilot logic works as per the J1772 standard, then charging will stop as the handle is moved and there will be no arc. In that case, there is no need to educate anyone.

Since the J1772 standard is a paid document, here is the text from Wikipedia (which I hope we can trust on this mater):

The J1772 standard includes several levels of shock protection, ensuring the safety of charging even in wet conditions. Physically, the connection pins are isolated on the interior of the connector when mated, ensuring no physical access to those pins. When not mated, J1772 connectors have no power voltages at the pins,[21] and charging power does not flow until commanded by the vehicle.[19]

The power pins are of the first-make, last-break variety. If the plug is in the charging port of the vehicle and charging, and it is removed, the control pilot and proximity detection pin will break first causing the power relay in the charging station to open, cutting all current flow to the J1772 plug. This prevents any arcing on the power pins, prolonging their lifespan. The proximity detection pin is also connected to a switch that is triggered upon pressing the physical disconnect button when removing the connector from the vehicle. This causes the resistance to change on the proximity pin which commands the vehicle's onboard charger to stop drawing current immediately before the connector is pulled out.
 
It has been observed by many people that the e-Golf does not observe the J1772 button at all. VW engineers must have felt that the locking mechanism obviated the need to follow that part of the standard.

The only way to avoid arcing is to stop the charging with the button next to the charge port, or slowly pull the plug out to break the proximity pin connection so the charger will abort before the power pins arc. However, I have not seen anyone actually verify that this mechanism works properly on the e-Golf. If you pull the handle out quickly, there is no time to shut down the current and arcing will occur.
 
It's my understanding the charging station gets the signal to interrupt current when the proximity pin button is pressed, NOT the e-Golf.

Also, there are two mechanisms to stop current from the EVSE: 1. The proximity pin and 2. The control pilot pin.

So, in this case, it doesn't matter what the VW engineers did because the EVSE will stop current flow.

Also, this circuitry works on the microsecond (or better) timescale, so it may be physically impossible to beat the EVSE circuit cutting the power before the power pin loses its connectivity.

Is there any evidence to suggest that arcing is occurring on the e-Golf?
 
I did some more digging:

The charging station sends a 1 kHz square wave on the contact pilot that is connected back to the protected earth on the side of the vehicle by means of a resistor and a diode (voltage range ±12.0±0.4 V).



This means that the power will shut off in 1 millisecond if the plug is pulled and the pilot signal is interrupted.



Can someone please prove to me that someone can pull the plug out fully in 1 millisecond?
 
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