Charging foreplay

[nsayer]

I've been through all of the menus and all of the settings I can find, and for the life of me I can't figure out how I can get my brand new 2016 SEL eGolf to just start charging immediately when the plug is inserted. Invariably I have to push the button in the charge door, and that only works after playing with the key fob (if the car isn't awake). The app just sits there forever doing nothing.

This is the only EV or PHEV I've ever experienced that wouldn't just start charging by default when the plug was stuck in. <sad trombone>

 

[JoulesThief]

I've been through all of the menus and all of the settings I can find, and for the life of me I can't figure out how I can get my brand new 2016 SEL eGolf to just start charging immediately when the plug is inserted. Invariably I have to push the button in the charge door, and that only works after playing with the key fob (if the car isn't awake). The app just sits there forever doing nothing.

This is the only EV or PHEV I've ever experienced that wouldn't just start charging by default when the plug was stuck in. <sad trombone>

I open up the charge port cover, then lock the car, then plug in the J-1772 charge handle, and usually within 2 or 3 seconds, I have the oscillating green light showing. 2015 SEL. No mistaking the big contact points closing and making contact inside the EVSE box, huge "clunk".

In Car-Net website, https://carnet.vw.com/ on your laptop, once you log in, give the system your Car-Net 8 digit number and your PIN number, go in to "remote" and set the amperage to "Max", and also triple check that you don't have any delayed "timer" or "time of departure" set up and active.

 

[nsayer]

Yeah, but the "clunk" is just the contractor closing. That doesn't mean that the car is charging.

I've plugged the handle in, heard the contactor close and watched the car draw a few hundred mA and then the LED start the "weak blink" that means the timer is engaged.

Still haven't found a way - like every other car - to just have it charge unconditionally when the plug goes in.

 

[nsayer]

I went through all of carnet. I do have a departure time set, but it's supposed to be only for preconditioning. Is that something I'm going to have to give up to get unconditional charging?

 

[JoulesThief]

I went through all of carnet. I do have a departure time set, but it's supposed to be only for preconditioning. Is that something I'm going to have to give up to get unconditional charging?

Why not try it, get it to show "expired" and see what you get?

otherwise, you may have to override it, and plug in the J-1772 at the plug in port, and push the top button, the one that overrides the lower button with a timer clock on it, to get it to charge at plug in, and override the "time of departure" feature.

I don't use the "departure time" feature, and every time I plug the J-1772 in, it starts charging within seconds. I lock the doors first before I plug the J-1772 in, every time. Starts charging right away, every time.

 

[nsayer]

This looks like my fault.

I went back through carnet again and this time the destination setting was for charging and preconditioning. I changed that to preconditioning only and went back out and went through the exercise again and it behaved correctly.

Moreover, with the charge timer defeated, the behavior I noted in another thread in the technical forum that the car would ignore a pilot increase seems to no longer be reproducible. I wonder if maybe I've run across a bug in the VW's firmware. I'm going to play around some more with these settings when I get home from work and see if I can establish a definitive pattern. But as of now, the behavior of my eGolf appears to be exactly what I want.

Now about that charger lock...

 

[JoulesThief]

This looks like my fault.

I went back through carnet again and this time the destination setting was for charging and preconditioning. I changed that to preconditioning only and went back out and went through the exercise again and it behaved correctly.

Moreover, with the charge timer defeated, the behavior I noted in another thread in the technical forum that the car would ignore a pilot increase seems to no longer be reproducible. I wonder if maybe I've run across a bug in the VW's firmware. I'm going to play around some more with these settings when I get home from work and see if I can establish a definitive pattern. But as of now, the behavior of my eGolf appears to be exactly what I want.

Now about that charger lock...

Well, it is useful if you live in a thieving free charging parking area at shopping areas or destination points. I've BEV'd out my fair share of Volts, hybrid Prius, in addition to the ruthless Leaf's and 500e's that circle around like vultures when I am parked legitimately at a 2 hour time limit shopping mall. In the first month of ownership, while waiting for permits, installation of a 14-50 NEMA and inspection for my Level 2 EVSE, I was not looking forward to the prospect of from time to time having to grub some kw's locally... I saw folks with at least a year or 2 worth of tags on their license plates trying to yank the J-1772 off my golf, with me watching close by, while I had gone inside to order, pickup and eat lunch at the food court. The entitlement of some of these people.

 

[nsayer]

Well, we're drifting off-topic, but I just want control over the lock. Where I work we have a tight knit community of EV owners and we are constantly moving Hydras and plugs around to optimize charging, and having the plug locked is a huge impediment, and being able to turn it off would be very, very welcome.

 

[JoulesThief]

Well, we're drifting off-topic, but I just want control over the lock. Where I work we have a tight knit community of EV owners and we are constantly moving Hydras and plugs around to optimize charging, and having the plug locked is a huge impediment, and being able to turn it off would be very, very welcome.

You are the first 2016 to report this plug lock feature, albeit you are driving the SEL model. To my knowledge, no one with a 2016 SE has reported that their J-1772 locks, which makes me wonder if it is a DC Combo quick charge feature that locks, as the SE model is only 3.6 kw capable at level 2, with no DC combo plug feature. The SEL is 7.2 kw capable at level 2 and 50kw capable at level 3 charge rates. For sure you don't want a level 3 pulling out while charging.

So this may be a Level 3 feature on VW's as all 2015's had level 3 charging capability, and for 2016 in North America, only the SEL has Level 3 charge capabilities and it locks the plug, whether you like it or not.

 

[nsayer]

For sure you don't want a level 3 pulling out while charging.

But surely the car can tell the difference between the two EVSEs and only engage the lock during DCFC if the lock is otherwise disabled by the owner.

 

[f1geek]

I'm pretty sure the J1772 Level 2 AC lock is a solenoid driven pin above the top of the J1772 handle moveable lever. This pin prevent you from pressing the button because the hook that locks the handle to the car is unable to pivot upwards. Still, I can feel a little play in the J1772 button.

I've used the CCS DC charging several times and while the lock hook on the CCS DC handle attaches to the same area as the J1772 handle hook, I'm guessing the lock is electronically controlled by the DC charger as well as by the car (if at all by the car). I've noticed the button on the CCS handle does not depress at all when the DC charge is occurring and feels very different than the J1772 button - maybe the DC charger uses an electronic lock inside the handle - it would make sense as the DC is carrying serious amperage and voltage and I don't think the car lock would be enough protection.