Level 1 charging problems

[Novemberjuliet]

Hi there - I picked up my e-golf last Friday. We charged it a few times at home without any issues, but the third night the vehicle did not charge and we have had trouble with our level 1 charger ever since - it will charge for a short time and then shut off without any warning. No lights are flashing on the charge cable or in the car. My husband has checked the outlet and it is functioning properly. Any ideas?

 

[Spektre]

Hi there - I picked up my e-golf last Friday. We charged it a few times at home without any issues, but the third night the vehicle did not charge and we have had trouble with our level 1 charger ever since - it will charge for a short time and then shut off without any warning. No lights are flashing on the charge cable or in the car. My husband has checked the outlet and it is functioning properly. Any ideas?

You didn't indicate which year you have, but check the settings in the CarNet App or in the car itself (if so equipped, MY 2016+) - you may have something set about charging times that's causing a delay.

 

[Novemberjuliet]

It is a 2017 e-golf. I am in Canada - I am not sure what carnet is. I checked the e-manager settings and confirmed that no delays were set.

 

[miimura]

It is a 2017 e-golf. I am in Canada - I am not sure what carnet is. I checked the e-manager settings and confirmed that no delays were set.

Check the Minimum and Maximum Battery Level settings under e-Manager. Also check whether there are any other appliances connected to the same electrical circuit at your house.

 

[forbin404]

Sometimes the charger gets 'stuck' and won't charge but looks like it does (I don't know a better word for it).
Have him unplug it from the outlet and plug it back in.

Also when you plug the cable into the car, does the little light on the left start 'pulsating' or does it light up as yellow after 10 seconds?

 

[Frank3]

There have been reported problems in the past if you use the charger with an extension cord. Could this be your problem?

 

[Novemberjuliet]

No - we are plugging it right into an outlet outside the house. I left it plugged in when I left for work this morning and it has been plugged in for about 5 hours and seems to be charging normally now. Not sure what the glitch was.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

@Frank3, What where the problems related to extension cords, do you know? Is it voltage drop? It could be that the house wiring itself is poor/cheaply done and that outdoor outlet essentially looks like the end of an extension cord.

@Novemberjuliet, the electric grid isn't a perfect voltage source. In some areas around me with older infrastructure, the voltage of the grid itself can drop considerably. For example, on a hot muggy day when all the houses in his neighborhood are running their A/C, a friend of mine has measured his household outlets at 99V! These are the so-called 110V or 120V outlets we all have. They are nominally supposed to be in the 115-125V range, but can droop under heavy load. Perhaps that was your problem? If it happens again, take a volt meter and measure the voltage at the outlet. I'd be curious what you are seeing.

All just speculation of course. I'm glad it's working for you now, but do keep an eye on it in the future. Problems that go away without explanation tend to come back again without explanation.

 

[forbin404]

@Frank3, What where the problems related to extension cords, do you know? Is it voltage drop? It could be that the house wiring itself is poor/cheaply done and that outdoor outlet essentially looks like the end of an extension cord.

All just speculation of course. I'm glad it's working for you now, but do keep an eye on it in the future. Problems that go away without explanation tend to come back again without explanation.

Regarding Extension Cords. Look at the LV1 Charger you got. It should be rated up to 15 AMPs.

That's higher then the rating of the cheap 'Orange Cords' at Home Depot. In other words you could be constantly running that cord at MAX and it will melt, cause a fire, cause fault errors on the screen.

If you are planning to use an Extension Cord you need a higher rated one. The Red ones are 15 Amp, which is good for both models.

100 Ft Orange (16gauge / 12 Amp) = $19
100 Ft Red (12 Gauge / 15 Amp) = $74

 

[miimura]

Over 100 feet the voltage drop will be ~9.6V on the 16 gauge cord and only ~3.8V on the 12 gauge cord. Please use 12 gauge extension cords if you must. Also, use the shortest one that will do the job. For example, don't buy a 50' cord when 25' will reach.

Also, please check the temperature of the plugs at every connection point after the car has been charging for an hour. If you can't hold it firmly in your hand for a full 10 seconds, it's too hot - immediately stop using it.

 

[vavavalderrama]

hello - i just purchased a 2016 e-golf SE with 7.2 kw option last night. this is my first EV. the dealer sent me home without a charger so i was able to charge up at our local city hall and it worked beautifully (approx 35 miles in 1.5 hours). now that i'm home, i've plugged in the charging cable (version 1 per the manual) we just picked up from the dealer and it is not charging. i've done every step according to the manual, tried it in two outlets in my garage, but the light next to the handle is showing a solid yellow light, and the two green lights on the control module are solid green. i've tested the voltage and am getting 123 volts. the charging cable came in a plain plastic bag and i'm just wondering if i received an old cable or one for the previous year's model (if that matters at all), or if i'm missing a step. thanks for any help!

 

[2016golfse]

hello - i just purchased a 2016 e-golf SE with 7.2 kw option last night. this is my first EV. the dealer sent me home without a charger so i was able to charge up at our local city hall and it worked beautifully (approx 35 miles in 1.5 hours). now that i'm home, i've plugged in the charging cable (version 1 per the manual) we just picked up from the dealer and it is not charging. i've done every step according to the manual, tried it in two outlets in my garage, but the light next to the handle is showing a solid yellow light, and the two green lights on the control module are solid green. i've tested the voltage and am getting 123 volts. the charging cable came in a plain plastic bag and i'm just wondering if i received an old cable or one for the previous year's model (if that matters at all), or if i'm missing a step. thanks for any help!

Congrats on the purchase. We'll start with the basics:

1) Did you lock your door? It won't start charging until you do.
2) Go to the E-Manager. Do you have any charge timers that are delaying the start of charging?

 

[vavavalderrama]

Hi. Thanks! Doors are locked and none of the boxes are checked on the e-manager.

 

[f1geek]

No need to lock the doors - I typically wait for the green pulsing light to come on the charge port (indicating charging) before I lock the doors. Since you were able to charge at a public station, but not using the Level 1 EVSE (trickle charging station), there could be a problem with the L1 EVSE. Can you get another trickle charging station? I have used the included L1 EVSE many times and it has always worked, but it's possible the dealer gave you a broken unit.

 

[JoulesThief]

Either that, or there is a ground fault / neutral problem in your residence. Go to another 120V 20 amp outlet, like the washer or dryer outlet in the garage, and plug it in there, with nothing else electrical on that circuit turned on and running. Your new car should have had the 120v charger located in the spare tire well. These units draw a tremendous amount of current, and require a dedicated circuit to really recharge and function correctly. That means the only item on that circuit is your EVSE charger unit.

Failing that, take it back to the dealership, and ask them to demonstrate to you how to recharge your new e-Golf with the supplied EVSE. If it doesn't work for them, you may have received a bad EVSE unit.

 

[vavavalderrama]

Thank you to everyone who responded. I did have a faulty Level 1 ESVE. I went back to the dealer, they attempted to charge with the one I received and it wouldn't work. They didn't have a new one to give me so they had to order one. The service manager drives a 2015 e-golf and lent me his delphi one in the meantime, which works perfectly.