Do some Quick Chargers stop if the vehicle is turned on?

[mbender]

I made the unfortunate discovery yesterday that turning my vehicle on while quick-charging caused the NRG eVgo unit I was using to stop charging. This is a unit at a dealer which had only recently been assimilated by the Borg, I mean nrgeVgo.

Prior to a month ago when that changeover took place, it was both free to use AND it did not stop when the car was turned on (to accessory mode).

Now, I also upgraded to a 2015 from my 2012 since I last used this charger, so I'm not sure where the change originates from. i.e., perhaps 2015s behave differently with quick chargers than 2012s, or (my suspicion) NRG/eVgo added some software to cause the auto-stop.

Either way, I'm not a happy camper. Why? Because I frequently stay in my car while it is quick-charging, and this change will prohibit me (and others) from using climate control and/or playing any audio (among other things, as trivial as using the wipers). The absence of these things is a BIG DEAL.

Does anyone have more information on this? I have a hunch eVgo did it to provide energy only for the battery and nothing else, and if so, that would be yet another strike against them. If all the networks are doing this, then shame on all of them. And finally, if it is a new "feature" only in later-model LEAFs, that would be yet another misstep for Nissan and Chademo in their already-flawed/poorly-planned roll-out of the "quick-charging network".

Edit: tried to change the title to be less "sweeping"; i.e., changed 'all...now' to 'some...'.

 

[cwerdna]

I haven't used a DC FC in a while, but all 3 that I've used were http://nissanqc.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;: 2 non-networked and 1 at a dealer (before it was networked and after it ended up on Chargepoint).

IIRC, on all of them, I was able to power up my '13 Leaf into ON mode (not READY, which is impossible w/a cord connected) w/o stopping their charging.

 

[JeremyW]

Was there an error on the quick charger? Did the icon of a car with an explanation point in it light up after you disconnected? (Trying to see if this was a "graceful" shutdown or a fault.) Also what was your battery level when you started? My gut says you may have discovered a bug in the 2015's.

I don't think anyone is trying to prevent running accessories while quick charging. At least on the 2011-2012 models, you are simply siphoning off some current intended for the battery (i.e. if you turn on the heat the quick charger current does not increase, you simply get a slower charge).

Further, there is nothing in the protocol dictating the charger know *anything* about accessory consumption. The car simply requests how much current it needs, and the charger complies (there's also interlocks and verification of parameters, but that's the gist of it).

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

I have turned on the '15 while QCing at both a Nissan/Sumitomo and a Fuji, neither networked, with no issues.

 

[camasleaf]

I have turned on the '15 while QCing at both a Nissan/Sumitomo and a Fuji, neither networked, with no issues.

+1 for Sumitomo, no issues.

 

[johnrhansen]

It's happened to me a couple times. I think It's a little bug in the machine somewhere. No nefarious intentions.

 

[TomT]

The Aerovironment EV-50 charger will not start charging if the car is on... It's not a big deal to me...

 

[mbender]

A few clarifications:

• This has to do with the charger stopping when the car is turned on to accessory mode after charging has already begun. I don't think any quick-charger will start charging if the car is on. (The eVgo screens do say that to start the quick-charge session, the car should be in Park and OFF, and this is normal.)
• This has to do with a change that occurred when a non-network-affiliated charger "became" an eVgo (networked) charger. It may be a coincidence &or a one-time/fluke occurrence, but "knowing" NRG makes me suspicious
• I'm hesitant to try doing it again, as no doubt I'd be charged for the second attempt (EZ-charge program allows 1 use per day). Or I'd have to call NRG to explain and request a remote start, or do it at a dealer who'd be nice enough to restart it with their card, both of which are time-consuming.
  
• Oh, and I think my vehicle was at VLB at the time, but not extremely low. I think I tried to turn the accessories on fairly early in the process though, which I guess could be a factor in what happened (if it wasn't a fluke).

 

[JeremyW]

NRG has done some stupid things (like charge too much, putting only one qc in at a site, unreliable equipment, etc) but preventing your car from going to accessory mode while charging is not one of them! There is no way for the charger to know anything about accessory states or anything like that.

You never answered my question: do you remember if there was an error message on the qc screen? How hot was it outside? These things overheat really easily, sometimes soon after starting a session. Also since the 2015 is pretty new, there very well be a bug in this model that occurs only at low states of charge.

 

[AlanSqB]

I have a '15 and have run acc while QC at ABB station with no issue. I almost always run acc at QC for radio, phone, AC and to watch the SOC and haven't had any issue yet.

 

[johnrhansen]

I can't even open the charge door if the car is on.

 

[cwerdna]

I can't even open the charge door if the car is on.

Yep. But those w/'11 and '12 Leafs can because for them, it was via a handle/lever that wasn't electrically operated.

 

[AlanSqB]

I think the OP was referring to turning the car on after starting charging. It has been referred to as Acc II, when you press the power. Button twice. It "turns on" the car allowing the AC to work and the dashboard activates showing SOC.

 

[cwerdna]

I think the OP was referring to turning the car on after starting charging. It has been referred to as Acc II, when you press the power. Button twice. It "turns on" the car allowing the AC to work and the dashboard activates showing SOC.

Yep. And, when I've DC FCed my '13 Leaf, I've been able to continue to DC FCing w/o interruption despite putting the car to ACC and/or ON, and IIRC, cycling a bunch of times between those 2 states and OFF/LOCK.

BTW, there's no "Acc II" mode. Per the starting and driving portion of the manual (pages 5-8 thru 5-10), the states are LOCK, ACC, ON (I think this is what you're calling "Acc II"), READY, and OFF.

 

[ElectricEddy]

Could this be another 12V battery level issue? This is what I would check first. Any DTCs?

 

[ElectricEddy]

I can't even open the charge door if the car is on.

Yep. But those w/'11 and '12 Leafs can because for them, it was via a handle/lever that wasn't electrically operated.

This method works on my 13 sl( Didn't take pictures but I will if requested). The 12V was too low to open the charge port via the solenoid latch and I was VLBW at a public EVSE. That won't happen again! I tried it just before replying to this post and can actually drive with the charge port and hood open without any warning indications on the dash. http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=16789" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[mbender]

FYI... I tried the same thing* tonight at the same charger and had no problems. So I am guessing it was indeed a one-off error that was corrected when the service technician reset the machine (with a big breaker switch) and re-inserted the plug to my car.

I honestly don't remember the exact error from when it happened the first time, but think it was quite generic. It was quite hot out, however, so heat may have been a factor.

And now to put this topic to rest and to keep the original title from possibly "scaring" some folks, I am going to (try to) edit the original title, substituting the word 'some' for the original 'all'.


* i.e., turning the car on to accessory mode, after charging had begun, as I tried to be very clear about in each previous post in this thread.

 

[QueenBee]

Might want to edit the entire first post as there was a whole lot of jumping to possible conclusions.