EVGo Quick/DC charging problems on eGolf

I visited the Sunnyvale site pictured above today. The Plugshare entry says it is supposed to open today, 7/31/15. The screens were on and it appeared ready, but it still had the signs that said they were "Temporarily Out of Service" and a Plugshare user said it would not read his eVgo card this morning. Anyway, I took a picture of the label, and both of these units in Sunnyvale are 50kW. They have a 100A DC max output. Much better than the 50A limit of the other incompatible one noted in this thread. Surprisingly, they still run on 208V 3-phase power like the weaker one discussed above. 160A is a big draw, but I guess the grocery store had the extra capacity.



I will test it with the e-Golf soon. Hopefully, it has the latest software from BTC Power.

One more thing - this site has NO L2 chargers, so if you come here and cannot charge from these fast chargers, you'd better hope you have enough juice to make it to another site that does work.

Do they say 50kw on the screen? If input voltage is 208v at 160A, that's only 33kw (which is about the max for the e-Golf anyway).

SaintTiki said:

Do they say 50kw on the screen? If input voltage is 208v at 160A, that's only 33kw (which is about the max for the e-Golf anyway).

Click to expand...

The AC input side is 120VAC * 160A * 3ph = 57,600W. The DC output side is 100A max, so the e-Golf will probably only draw 30kW - 35kW. I will take some notes on the charge rate over time (Time, Volts, Amps) if it is shown on the screen when I try this station. However, I will probably not have time to go there with the e-Golf for another two weeks.

miimura, did the BTC work?

Jlo said:

miimura, did the BTC work?

Click to expand...

There were successful charges shown today on Plugshare and the entry was fixed to reflect the actual charger configuration. However, I don't have time to take the e-Golf over there until after 8/17. The display shows volts and amps during charging, so I will probably set up for a time-lapse video of the screen. I should be able to plot the e-Golf's charging curve from that.

miimura said:

Jlo said:

miimura, did the BTC work?

Click to expand...

There were successful charges shown today on Plugshare and the entry was fixed to reflect the actual charger configuration. However, I don't have time to take the e-Golf over there until after 8/17. The display shows volts and amps during charging, so I will probably set up for a time-lapse video of the screen. I should be able to plot the e-Golf's charging curve from that.

Click to expand...

Looking forward to the results

Jlo said:

miimura, did the BTC work?

Click to expand...

No, it was a complete fail.

For reference, this is the station I tested.

I had no problem getting the station activated and plugged into the car. However, there was absolutely no evidence that the station was communicating with the car at all. The charge port light was amber the entire time (no power) and the charge port lights went completely out while the station was trying to establish the connection with the car. The charge port lights going out is exactly like when the car goes to sleep after you plug in a J1772 EVSE. Initially, the timer charge port button was lit, so after it didn't work the first time, I tried pushing the upper button for "charge immediately". No difference. In addition, the station cannot cause the charge port to unlock, so I had to use the door unlock button to get the car to release the charging cable. I spent some time on the phone with the eVgo support line and they opened a trouble ticket regarding the compatibility between the BTC station and the e-Golf. I asked to be notified when there is a resolution to this issue, but I won't be holding my breath waiting for that call or e-mail.

One funny statement from the call: "These stations are an upgrade to the older ABB stations..."
One promising statement from the call: "I'm sorry you had this problem, but we are committed to making these stations work with all EVs."

Yes I also tried the BTC off fair oaks (8/17) with my e-golf, and it did not work. Never got past communicating with vehicle. I also found after speaking with evGo support that the stations are labeled backwards, one station ID ends in "DC2" the other in "DC1" but in fact its the opposite of what they say. Hopefully evGo will correct the mislabel soon.

I can also confirm the ABB level 3 chargers do work with my e-golf.

I spoke to the dealer about it this week, and they asked me to come in for a firmware update, said there have been other reports of charging issues. We'll see if that makes a difference.

wjimenez5271 said:

Yes I also tried the BTC off fair oaks (8/17) with my e-golf, and it did not work. Never got past communicating with vehicle. I also found after speaking with evGo support that the stations are labeled backwards, one station ID ends in "DC2" the other in "DC1" but in fact its the opposite of what they say. Hopefully evGo will correct the mislabel soon.

I can also confirm the ABB level 3 chargers do work with my e-golf.

I spoke to the dealer about it this week, and they asked me to come in for a firmware update, said there have been other reports of charging issues. We'll see if that makes a difference.

Click to expand...

I tested with the station on the right, which I believe is the one labeled DC2. While I was on the phone, the rep was able to start that unit after I gave him the ID printed on the station. However, I had also given him my card number so he may have looked at my activity and activated the same station independent of the ID number I read to him.

miimura said:

wjimenez5271 said:

Yes I also tried the BTC off fair oaks (8/17) with my e-golf, and it did not work. Never got past communicating with vehicle. I also found after speaking with evGo support that the stations are labeled backwards, one station ID ends in "DC2" the other in "DC1" but in fact its the opposite of what they say. Hopefully evGo will correct the mislabel soon.

I can also confirm the ABB level 3 chargers do work with my e-golf.

I spoke to the dealer about it this week, and they asked me to come in for a firmware update, said there have been other reports of charging issues. We'll see if that makes a difference.

Click to expand...

I tested with the station on the right, which I believe is the one labeled DC2. While I was on the phone, the rep was able to start that unit after I gave him the ID printed on the station. However, I had also given him my card number so he may have looked at my activity and activated the same station independent of the ID number I read to him.

Click to expand...

Its entirely possible that the evGo support rep misread the numbers from his side, and they are in fact correct. I was using the left-hand one and after giving him the station number he said there was a chademo charge session in progress on that station already, which I informed him was the case of the unit next to mine. Then he remarked that the should be the station ID I was using...

I took e-golf to the dealer today after they recommended I bring it in for a firmware update. They said they saw in the logs a charging fault when trying to use a DC level 3 charger recently (which was the Fair Oaks BTC evGo station for sure), but they said the firmware update only mentions fixes for issues with level 2 chargers (which I also had intermittent problems with). So not expecting any fix for the BTC but hopefully for the other issues. Just wanted to share...

On the East coast (mid-Atlantic) we have a number of EVGo fast chargers, which I've avoided and not needed, but we finally are starting to get other DC fast chargers. Royal Farms (a WaWa competitor station/mart) is installing Chargepoint 50kW fast chargers (with SAE Combo), one of which happens to be convenient for me. I'm going to swing by this weekend to attempt a (partial) fast charge while it's still free. Anyone have info on success rates with the Chargepoint fast chargers?

Here is a link with some pics: http://pluginsites.org/royal-farms-cromwell-park-fast-charger-open/

Cheers,
Tim

TEConnor said:

On the East coast (mid-Atlantic) we have a number of EVGo fast chargers, which I've avoided and not needed, but we finally are starting to get other DC fast chargers. Royal Farms (a WaWa competitor station/mart) is installing Chargepoint 50kW fast chargers (with SAE Combo), one of which happens to be convenient for me. I'm going to swing by this weekend to attempt a (partial) fast charge while it's still free. Anyone have info on success rates with the Chargepoint fast chargers?

Here is a link with some pics: http://pluginsites.org/royal-farms-cromwell-park-fast-charger-open/

Cheers,
Tim

Click to expand...

That is an Efacec unit. While it may be on the ChargePoint network, it is not a ChargePoint Express fast charger, which is what I thought you were talking about. There is an Efacec unit at the VW Electronics Research Lab in Belmont, CA that works with e-Golf. So, the one near you will likely work with your e-Golf.

miimura said:

TEConnor said:

On the East coast (mid-Atlantic) we have a number of EVGo fast chargers, which I've avoided and not needed, but we finally are starting to get other DC fast chargers. Royal Farms (a WaWa competitor station/mart) is installing Chargepoint 50kW fast chargers (with SAE Combo), one of which happens to be convenient for me. I'm going to swing by this weekend to attempt a (partial) fast charge while it's still free. Anyone have info on success rates with the Chargepoint fast chargers?

Here is a link with some pics: http://pluginsites.org/royal-farms-cromwell-park-fast-charger-open/

Cheers,
Tim

Click to expand...

That is an Efacec unit. While it may be on the ChargePoint network, it is not a ChargePoint Express fast charger, which is what I thought you were talking about. There is an Efacec unit at the VW Electronics Research Lab in Belmont, CA that works with e-Golf. So, the one near you will likely work with your e-Golf.

Click to expand...

Indeed, it was an efacec unit. It worked quite smoothly and charged very quickly with the eGolf. Thanks for the advice.





Cheers,
Tim

miimura said:

I tested with the station on the right, which I believe is the one labeled DC2. While I was on the phone, the rep was able to start that unit after I gave him the ID printed on the station. However, I had also given him my card number so he may have looked at my activity and activated the same station independent of the ID number I read to him.

Click to expand...

So, were you able to successfully use the DC charger at Fresh n Easy? It seems like you were. But, I'm not 100% sure from your post. That's the closest one to my house. So, it would be good to know it works.

garypen said:

miimura said:

I tested with the station on the right, which I believe is the one labeled DC2. While I was on the phone, the rep was able to start that unit after I gave him the ID printed on the station. However, I had also given him my card number so he may have looked at my activity and activated the same station independent of the ID number I read to him.

Click to expand...

So, were you able to successfully use the DC charger at Fresh n Easy? It seems like you were. But, I'm not 100% sure from your post. That's the closest one to my house. So, it would be good to know it works.

Click to expand...

Two posts above that I said:

No, it was a complete fail.

Click to expand...

I think that says it all.

I had this problem with a unit at Whole Foods in Santa Rosa. I tweeted the asset id # and the problem to @nrgevgo and they responded saying they would send a technician to the unit. I'll check it again in a few weeks to see if they actually get it working or not.

acdcvw said:

I had this problem with a unit at Whole Foods in Santa Rosa. I tweeted the asset id # and the problem to @nrgevgo and they responded saying they would send a technician to the unit. I'll check it again in a few weeks to see if they actually get it working or not.

Click to expand...

Judging by the pictures on PlugShare, both of the fast chargers in Santa Rosa are ABB units. That suggests to a maintenance issue, not a compatibility issue. You could try the other one at Santa Rosa Plaza to make sure that it's not your car or a user error. I suggest whenever you have a problem with a NRG station, that you call the toll free number to let them know.

miimura said:

Two posts above that I said:

No, it was a complete fail.

Click to expand...

I think that says it all.

Click to expand...

That earlier one certainly leaves no doubt!

I might try it periodically, just to see if they do any updates that suddenly make it compatible.

miimura said:

acdcvw said:

I had this problem with a unit at Whole Foods in Santa Rosa. I tweeted the asset id # and the problem to @nrgevgo and they responded saying they would send a technician to the unit. I'll check it again in a few weeks to see if they actually get it working or not.

Click to expand...

Judging by the pictures on PlugShare, both of the fast chargers in Santa Rosa are ABB units. That suggests to a maintenance issue, not a compatibility issue. You could try the other one at Santa Rosa Plaza to make sure that it's not your car or a user error. I suggest whenever you have a problem with a NRG station, that you call the toll free number to let them know.

Click to expand...

After tweeting I went home and gave them a call to let them know. They said they already had a ticket for that charger so I'm leaning towards it being an issue with their charger. I've also only had the car for about 3 weeks so I really hope it isn't the problem.