Super Slow L1 Charging?

[Chris30269]

I've negotiated with the parking deck at work, and they're letting me use an outlet to charge. Fantastic, right? The first day it went exactly as I thought I would. By the end of the workday, I had charged back up to 80%, which was about a 50-mile gain. The next day, however, I returned to my car to find it had only charged a very small amount and gained only about 10 miles during the 8 or so hours I was at work and it was plugged in. I thought maybe someone had unplugged me (thinking it wasn't allowed) and then plugged me back in (after talking to the people I talked to who approved it), so the next day I kept a close eye on it, and it was plugged in all day, but again, only gained about 10 miles the whole day, even though it was plugged in and charging (according to Carwings and my own midday observation).

I tried the other plug on the outlet, but same result. I also tried pressing the "reset" button on the plug, but that didn't do anything either. I'm thinking maybe the parking deck company "turned the plug down" or something because it charges, just very VERY slowly.

I'm using the amazing EVSE Upgrade (THANKS PHIL), and it's working fine at home and has always been working great, so I doubt that's the problem.

On the one hand, I want to have a "full-powered" plug, but on the other hand, I don't want to do anything that'll jeopardize my permission to use the plug.

edit: I'm going to keep track of it today: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AqTydeLhZRgZdGI0RUJBVU14OG1GejFBZ0oweFp4ekE&output=html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[TEG]

That doesn't make much sense. They can't really slow down your power. I think the car will try to pull 12A@120V (1440watts) whenever it has 120V power available. All I can think is that the EVSE is shutting down sometimes such as due to the power being turned off sometimes, or voltage sag dropping it too low.
You might want to check the charging light on the EVSE and the LEDs on the dash a few times during the day to see if it is consistently charging. You should get more than 10 miles in 8 hours.

 

[wsbca]

edit: I'm going to keep track of it today: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AqTydeLhZRgZdGI0RUJBVU14OG1GejFBZ0oweFp4ekE&output=html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Are you getting that data from your phone? You're requesting refreshes from the app right?

Can you get out to the car to see if the blue dash lights are flashing and/or what the LEDs on the EVSE say? At the starting SOC you'd probably have just the first blue light flashing, but by now it would be first light (from left, facing car) solid, second one flashing.

I suspect you're either tripping the breaker (and someone maybe reset it after the first time) or the EVSE is shutting itself down due to some diagnostic criteria not being met. I don't think there's really any such thing as "super slow" charging - either it's getting the voltage it wants and drawing the amps, or it's not doing anything.

 

[smkettner]

When you returned to the car was it actually charging?
Do you have any timers set?

 

[Chris30269]

Are you getting that data from your phone? You're requesting refreshes from the app right?

GreenCharge is requesting the updates and I'm viewing them through carwings.

Can you get out to the car to see if the blue dash lights are flashing and/or what the LEDs on the EVSE say?

When you returned to the car was it actually charging?

Whenever I've gone out to look, everything looks fine. Ready and charge lights are light up on the EVSE and the blue LEDs are flashing on the car dashboard. The only timer I have is the one I've had since purchase for 12am-12am to charge to 80%. This timer has never caused any problems.

or the EVSE is shutting itself down due to some diagnostic criteria not being met.

This is could be possible, but I wouldn't even know what would be making it shut down. But on the other hand, I've never noticed it not charging. At this rate, I would think that there'd be long periods of no charging happening, but it's been reporting successful charging whenever I've checked.

the EVSE is shutting down sometimes such as due to the power being turned off sometimes, or voltage sag dropping it too low

If it reports charging still, even when this happens, this could be the answer.

I suspect you're either tripping the breaker (and someone maybe reset it after the first time)

Could be possible, but I would think I would have been contacted if I was causing problems.

I'll wait this out and update my spreadsheet. It's not the end of the world if I don't get back to 80%, because I can make it home, just slowly, carefully, and a little more nervously.

 

[RegGuheert]

Chris, I will also suggest the possibility of a bad outlet. My experience with public outlets has been that they are generally quite worn out. If that is the case, then the contacts might be loose and not making a good electrical circuit, thus causing a large voltage drop at the plug. This could result in a large amount of generated heat which could possibly melt the plug on your EVSE. I hope that is not the case, but it certainly is one of the hazards with L1 charging. Perhaps you could ask to have the plug checked by an electrician.

 

[thankyouOB]

you can set your carwings to update you if someone unplugs you; that is to say if charging stopped.

you will get a notice via text or email that it happened.

 

[davewill]

Chris, I will also suggest the possibility of a bad outlet. ...

If you have a voltmeter, I'd check voltage before and after charging starts. If you're getting a big drop, I'd stop using the outlet.

 

[Chris30269]

(This might be a double post as I don't see my reply so I'm doing it again)

bad outlet...could result in a large amount of generated heat

This would surprise me. It's a new parking deck (2008-9) and I park on the top, where no one is, which is actually a condition of me being able to charge in the deck. Whenever I've checked it, it's never any hotter than I would expect. It's warm, but not alarming for being in Georgia summer heat (yes, it's summer here already).

you can set your carwings to update you if someone unplugs you; that is to say if charging stopped.

Yep yep, but so far nothing...

If you have a voltmeter, I'd check voltage before and after charging starts.

Good idea. I'll have to rummage through the garage to find one, but hopefully it'll provide some answers! Or at least eliminate a leading theory and and frustrate me more...

 

[KJD]

Another option is to buy a Kill-A-Watt meter. These things are great. It will show volts, amps, and kwh used per session.

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/P3%20International/P4400/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=shoppingengine&utm_campaign=googlebase&gclid=CJKR3p_XirACFQ5bhwodyyhzrA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[TEG]

Has anyone actually used a Kill-A-Watt with the EVSE for a full charging session?
I am a little concerned that the internal wiring on the Kill-A-Watt isn't well suited to 100% Duty cycle (continuous draw) 1440 Watts. Personally, I would remove my own Kill-A-Watt from the circuit after a quick check of voltage during charging.

 

[saywatt]

Better than a voltmeter, get a $2 circuit tester at the Depot (the one with 3 LED lights) and see if they wired the outlet wrong.

If you have a voltmeter, I'd check voltage before and after charging starts. If you're getting a big drop, I'd stop using the outlet.

 

[ebill3]

Has anyone actually used a Kill-A-Watt with the EVSE for a full charging session?
I am a little concerned that the internal wiring on the Kill-A-Watt isn't well suited to 100% Duty cycle (continuous draw) 1440 Watts. Personally, I would remove my own Kill-A-Watt from the circuit after a quick check of voltage during charging.

Before my EVSE was modified, I regularly used a Kill A Watt at 120 V, 12 Amps. That is, until one day I noticed it was quite warm. When I unplugged it, one of the Kill A Watt plug prongs remained in the socket - it had separated from the PCB. It was not caused by a worn socket - it was tight.

I re-soldered the prong to he board, but the thing is now used only to get a quick reading of an appliance or whatever - no constant in line use. It is rated at 15 Amps, but..........................

Bill

 

[smkettner]

If nothing is tripped I suspect low voltage shut down.

 

[chris1howell]

It could be an intermittent ground. The EVSE will stop charging if ground is not detected and start back up when it returns.

 

[gbarry42]

Better than a voltmeter, get a $2 circuit tester at the Depot (the one with 3 LED lights) and see if they wired the outlet wrong.

If the EVSE doesn't like the outlet, doesn't it light up the "fault" light?

 

[ebill3]

Better than a voltmeter, get a $2 circuit tester at the Depot (the one with 3 LED lights) and see if they wired the outlet wrong.

If you have a voltmeter, I'd check voltage before and after charging starts. If you're getting a big drop, I'd stop using the outlet.

I like the voltmeter. Hopefully, it is a duplex socket, so the meter probes can be inserted in one socket. Then read the voltage before and after plugging in the EVSE. Shouldn't be more than a few volts difference.

Bill

 

[garygid]

Perhaps borrow a Logging SOC-Meter (and Laptop) to log
the Pack Voltage and Current throughout the day?

Soon, I hope to have a Log-to-SD-Card version of the SOC-Meter
that would be ideal for situations like this.

 

[dgpcolorado]

Has anyone actually used a Kill-A-Watt with the EVSE for a full charging session?
I am a little concerned that the internal wiring on the Kill-A-Watt isn't well suited to 100% Duty cycle (continuous draw) 1440 Watts. Personally, I would remove my own Kill-A-Watt from the circuit after a quick check of voltage during charging.

I have, several times. However, thus far, I've done so only in winter in cool garages.

Ingineer has expressed the view that some Kill-a-Watt meters are poorly built and not safe for long use at high current. I apparently got one of the good ones. But it might have more to do with poorly wired NEMA 5-15 wall outlets that heat up versus correctly wired ones that don't.

 

[saywatt]

I'm not sure as I have not had the experience of an EVSE with a bad circuit. I have had experience with circuit testers. They check several aspects and tell you immediatly probably cause.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...talogId=10053&productId=202867894&R=202867894

I guess the're $4 now!

Better than a voltmeter, get a $2 circuit tester at the Depot (the one with 3 LED lights) and see if they wired the outlet wrong.

If the EVSE doesn't like the outlet, doesn't it light up the "fault" light?