Ccs back to back

[Micahbayless]

Hi- new to forum. 16SE 7+CCS.
Travel to Mexico from Santa Cruz took 21 hours. I ran into what seemed to be battery overheating at multiple ccs stations. Car charged on level 2 when ccs worked for 2-10 secs then stopped, went solid yellow, then flashed red twice... Then nothing.

Great car. I know manual says ccs then level 2 alternating, but that's not reasonable for family travel use. The stations are here- the car needs to do 70 constant, some fwy hills, and still ccs charge.

88kmh seems to keep battery cool enough to ccs charge, but that's about 50mph which is frightening as no rig is ever going 55.

Anyone else travel in theirs? Is this problem gone in 2017's? Any techs watching The forum? I'll be asking for a case number on Monday due to this performance ( or lack thereof).

Micah

 

[f1geek]

Yes, traveling long distances is a challenge in this car. The small battery pack is the main problem, as you have discovered. I don't know if the 35.8 kWh pack will take more or less time to heat up compared to the 24.2 kWh pack. The packs are the same size but I think the larger pack weighs more, so I suppose it should take longer to heat up the larger pack to the same temperature since it is more dense, but maybe the heat transfer to the body and air is a bit different. I'm sure VW knows the answer to this question but they will most likely not tell e-Golf owners. Since the larger pack will let you travel farther between DCFC sessions, you obviously won't need to have as many DCFC sessions to travel a distance, as compared to the smaller pack car.

I have travelled in my 2015 e-Golf from the SF Bay area up to near Yosemite, a trip of 221 miles that required 3 DCFC stops. I did not encounter any issues with charging but I drove at ~62 MPH on mostly flat highways, with the major uphill portion coming after the last DCFC session. Coming back, the car only needed two DCFC stops, thanks to recharging down the mountain thanks to gravity.

Yes, the manual says not to consecutively and frequently DC fast charge the car. You may want to play dumb when you visit the dealer as I don't see how admitting you ignored the instructions will help your case. If you look at VW's advertising, it's clear they market the car as a Golf, but electric. They even have a story on their web page of how they make consecutive DCFC stops to drive from NJ to Washington, DC., so I would mention that you were just doing what VW itself did and recommended you do.

We would love to hear the outcome of your dealer discussions. Best of luck!

 

[Micahbayless]

Had to reschedule the appt to late Nov. due to life getting in the way. The car is fantastic for all in-town needs.

 

[JoulesThief]

Yes, traveling long distances is a challenge in this car. The small battery pack is the main problem, as you have discovered. I don't know if the 35.8 kWh pack will take more or less time to heat up compared to the 24.2 kWh pack. The packs are the same size but I think the larger pack weighs more, so I suppose it should take longer to heat up the larger pack to the same temperature since it is more dense, but maybe the heat transfer to the body and air is a bit different. I'm sure VW knows the answer to this question but they will most likely not tell e-Golf owners. Since the larger pack will let you travel farther between DCFC sessions, you obviously won't need to have as many DCFC sessions to travel a distance, as compared to the smaller pack car.

I have travelled in my 2015 e-Golf from the SF Bay area up to near Yosemite, a trip of 221 miles that required 3 DCFC stops. I did not encounter any issues with charging but I drove at ~62 MPH on mostly flat highways, with the major uphill portion coming after the last DCFC session. Coming back, the car only needed two DCFC stops, thanks to recharging down the mountain thanks to gravity.

Yes, the manual says not to consecutively and frequently DC fast charge the car. You may want to play dumb when you visit the dealer as I don't see how admitting you ignored the instructions will help your case. If you look at VW's advertising, it's clear they market the car as a Golf, but electric. They even have a story on their web page of how they make consecutive DCFC stops to drive from NJ to Washington, DC., so I would mention that you were just doing what VW itself did and recommended you do.

We would love to hear the outcome of your dealer discussions. Best of luck!

VW is only liable for what's in writing. A stunt from NJ to DC is just that. Strictly for promotional purposes. Sure, it can be done, but no where does VW recommend it. Far from it.

Driver notes the same thing that I have here in So Cal, drive 50 MPH, and on the rare times I have used DCFC, the battery will take a 21 kWh recharge rate from a Charge Point +100 25 kWh capable Charger. On a trip from Los Angeles to San Ysidro /Tijuana, I alternated with these DC 100 chargers and L2's . I found that the last 2 or 3 miles of surface street BLVD's or Frontage Roads driving would allow the battery to dissipate enough heat to take the 21 kWh charge rate. Getting right off the freeway would limit to 17 or 18 kWh, if I remember correctly. DC fast charging does not balance charge all the cells, for the sake of convenience and expediency, something not good for any Li Po battery pack.

 

[f1geek]

Here is the article from VW that advocates consecutive DC Fast charging:

http://newsroom.vw.com/vehicles/road-tripping-from-new-york-to-dc-on-just-electricity/

By my count, they made three consecutive DCFC stops.

Companies have gotten in legal trouble for their advertising stunts in the past. I don't think lawyers are going to become extinct anytime soon. This story is considered writing, by the way.

It is only a matter of time before someone tries to get a warranty claim on an 2015 e-Golf battery. Besides, VW only promises to provide a replacement battery with 70% capacity, not a brand new, 100% SOC battery, so it's not such a great warranty, anyway.

Whoever owns an EV needs to understand how the battery will degrade and decide if a degraded battery still allows the car to be useful for the car owner. For many people, a car that has a 50 mile range is perfectly fine. If it's not fine for you, then don't buy the car.

 

[Micahbayless]

Been a minute. Still running well. Over 50k mi.

 

[f1geek]

Been a minute. Still running well. Over 50k mi.

Great to hear. My 2017 is approaching 73,000 miles and also running well.