SPX Power Express - Updated!

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LilDave

Active member
Joined
Mar 29, 2013
Messages
25
Location
Central IL
Update as of 9/5/2014:

I talked to Bosch on several occassions about this failure. The ticket got escalated after I provided an invoice from Nissan with the total cost of the repair. I had also provided them pictures and other information in the past week. I got a call last night from one of their managers. We had a nice discussion on my issue and the bigger issue at hand, the melted plug. It appears that the Rema plug, 6.6 kWh charging seem to be having an issue on some charging stations, regardless of brand. This just so happens to be the plug that was on my charger. I just got "lucky" and happened to be one of the rare cases where it gets a little too hot. Bosch is stepping up to the plate to make my situation right. Everything that I hoped would happen is now taking place. My car will be back to me tomorrow and I'll be back to enjoying my EV.

I have every bit of confidence that this failure will not happen again. I would recommend though that everybody with 6.6 kWh charging to check the brand of plug on their chargers. This whole experience was very stressful and took a lot of my time. I am happy to say that I give Bosch two thumbs up for how they brought resolution to the matter. I am very impressed with the customer focus of their management team.


I charge my Leaf and my Volt using a SPX Power Xpress. I purchased this unit in April. The first one received had issues (fault code issues) and was replaced with a new unit sometime in May. I've been charging with it ever since. I left a couple of weeks ago on a business trip. My wife plugged in the Leaf for about an hour. She then went out to the garage and put our 8-month old baby in the car. She noticed a strong electrical smell and immediately went to the front of the car. Smoke was coming out from the connection. She cut power to it and then unplugged it. The two top terminals on the plug and the receptacle were melted. The circuit breaker did not blow. No damage to the cord past the plug. All wiring back to the box is perfect.

Fast forward to last Monday when I return from my trip. I have enough range to drive it to the dealer (tow companies around here are terrible, didn't want it towed). They took pictures and sent them to Nissan Technical. They sat on it for 3 days before saying it was the SPX Power Xpress that caused the failure. No warranty and I'm on the hook for around $1400. I had called Bosch (formerly SPX) and sent them pictures as well. They are now waiting for an invoice from Nissan before deciding what course of action they will take. Meanwhile, the Leaf sits at the dealership waiting on parts.

Two HUGE issues for me here. I have a car that is less than 6 months old. Obviously it is under the manufacturers warranty. I have a charger. It is less than 6 months old and is under warranty. I am getting that feeling that nobody will pay and I will be on the hook for the bill. My other big issue is the safety factor. This could've resulted in property damage as the Leaf was in an attached garage or even worse, personal injury. Neither company seems to care about that, just how they can get out of paying the bill. I've been asked by Nissan and the dealer about it being an "aftermarket" charger. Wait, what? So every public charger I see I have to make sure it's a Nissan charger??? Not sure you will sell many EV's with that type of attitude. We all know that the "charger" is nothing more than a power source, just smart enough to send power when the car asked for it.

I am over a week into this and there is still no resolution. Nissan now says the part will "only" cost $500. I am out $1,000 on the charger as the plug is ruined. Who will pay? I am a huge EV supporter but this is making me rethink everything. I do know that not once have I ever feared GM would cover something on my Volt. I am scared every time I take the Leaf in that I will be handed a bill. Enough of my rant. Anybody that has any suggestions would be helpful. Here are a few pictures of that I took of the charger and the car.

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You have my sympathies. I know it won't help you, but that J-1772 plug looks very much like the one on my Blink charger - the one that Ecotality claims is at fault for a number of similar incidents involving Blink chargers and EVs which can draw at the maximum amperage that the Blink can deliver (ie. 6.6 kW).

If you wouldn't mind, could you check the sticker on the bottom of the J1772 handle and post who the manufacturer is of the plug (and any other useful identifying information)? It could be useful for those of us with the same J1772 plug sets. Thanks!

As for your issue, I don't see any choice but to purchase the new Nissan socket. It's possible that the charger (EVSE) isn't damaged - you might be able to replace the J1772 cord assembly (or pay someone to do so if electrical wiring is not your thing). IIRC this thread has some info about J1772 cords - sorry, I couldn't easily find the exact post. Cost should be around $200.00 + installation.

I presume you have a 2013 LEAF with the 6.6 kW charger, correct?
 
Man, I almost hate to wade into this, but......

There are more than one problem in play here.

This problem was caused by an over current situation IN THE CAR.
(Probably a short, but I'm not willing to commit)

However, the EVSE should have detected the over current And shut down.
(Faulted)

I think Nissan should fix the J1772 inlet on the vehicle, and see what happens when you go to charge.
If you get stuck, the j1772 inlet harness is available as a replacement part, and only takes about 10 minutes to change.

And no, the Nissan j1772 has no thermal sensing (at least not 11/12)
 
Sorry LilDave to hear about your issue. Please confirm your LEAF has 6kW charger. I too have the unloved (for good reason) SPX Power Express that I’m as reluctant to use as I am Blink EVSEs. Here is Toyota RAV4 EV and Fit EV thread on same problem, except Honda put thermal sensor in the connector to avoid (mostly) the problem. SPX should be going after REMA for defective product.
 
Both Nissan and SPX should realize that if they don't take of this promptly, it's going to get tons of publicity. This is how people's houses burn down.

I have noticed that the REMA handle on my Blink has quite a bit of play in the locking mechanism. Pulling on it can move the connector enough to convince the car and EVSE that I'm not plugged in. Ever since I became aware, I've been careful to make sure that the plug is all the way in, because I've been concerned that it might be possible to find a middle ground where it considered itself plugged in, but wasn't making a solid connection on the power pins.

The SPX has a rotary switch to select the AMPS. While you can select 32a, the cord and handle are only good for 30a, so you have to choose the 24a setting. Doesn't matter, really, since the LEAF even with the 6.0kW charger can only pull 28a.
 
I would ask for a full refund on this defective charger and go with a known standard like AV (or other reliable manufacturer) for the future. No point running into problems again after this is "fixed".
 
KillaWhat said:
This problem was caused by an over current situation IN THE CAR.
(Probably a short, but I'm not willing to commit)
I have no idea why you would come to that conclusion.

IMO, the most likely cause of the melted plug is a poor crimp for one or more of the pins in the handle resulting in too much resistance and therefore overheating during charging.
 
RegGuheert said:
KillaWhat said:
This problem was caused by an over current situation IN THE CAR.
(Probably a short, but I'm not willing to commit)
I have no idea why you would come to that conclusion.

IMO, the most likely cause of the melted plug is a poor crimp for one or more of the pins in the handle resulting in too much resistance and therefore overheating during charging.

Because current causes heat.
BOTH hot pins were affected.
It just seems unlikely that BOTH pins would have been damaged the same way at the same time because of "a bad crimp".

And has this charging setup been used before successfully?
i.e. No meltdown?

If yes, I submit something changed in the equation, causing over-current.
Can the 13' overdraw this EVSE?
 
I believe that the 2013 LEAF charges at 28 amps. I'm basing this on what I saw in the field. My SPX Power Xpress has a REMA plug and cord set. Been watching for signs of overheating, but could not detect any. This EVSE is not used very much. Charged at a friend's house from a Blink and the pins were burning hot after two hours' worth of charging. I advised her to call Blink and report the incident. I would not be surprised if this phenomenon was more widespread than originally assumed. I don't want to speculate about this particular incident, although I fully empathize with the OP. The cord set can be replaced relatively inexpensively. SPX should pay for that, and use something else than REMA for the swap.
troubleshootmnl
 
KillaWhat said:
And has this charging setup been used before successfully?
i.e. No meltdown?
Has it? If so, not for more than six months.

Just because it didn't melt the connector before does not mean the crimp was OK. These things often take repeated heatings to build up enough resistance to cause a hazard. Otherwise, they would never pass manufacturing tests.

I seriously doubt any overcurrent condition was involved here since no breakers tripped and the only melting occurred where the EVSE connects to the car. This is something we have seen before.
 
LilDave said:
Anybody that has any suggestions would be helpful.
If Bosch does not come through, you might want to file a claim with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. I believe when you file a claim, they inform the manufacturer of the claim and most manufacturers take these claims seriously. They may even have a special team to handle such claims. I have done this once and the manufacturer promptly contacted me and replaced the product so that they could get the old one back.

What I don't know is if they have jurisdiction over this incident since it was related to an automobile. Perhaps the EVSE falls into a grey area?

In any case, I'm glad to hear everyone is alright. It sounds like your wife was level-headed and did the right thing! Good luck getting this resolved to your satisfaction.
 
surfingslovak said:
I believe that the 2013 LEAF charges at 28 amps. I'm basing this on what I saw in the field. My SPX Power Xpress has a REMA plug and cord set. Been watching for signs of overheating, but could not detect any. This EVSE is not used very much. Charged at a friend's house from a Blink and the pins were burning hot after two hours' worth of charging. I advised her to call Blink and report the incident. I would not be surprised if this phenomenon was more widespread than originally assumed. I don't want to speculate about this particular incident, although I fully empathize with the OP. The cord set can be replaced relatively inexpensively. SPX should pay for that, and use something else than REMA for the swap.
troubleshootmnl

The type of SPX EVSE the OP has requires cable upgrade when pilot is to 30A. So the question that has not been answered yet is what was the pilot setting in the EVSE?
 
sergeyka said:
The type of SPX EVSE the OP has requires cable upgrade when pilot is to 30A. So the question that has not been answered yet is what was the pilot setting in the EVSE?
I have an early production SPX unit and my documentation does not mention a cable upgrade for 30A. Do you remember where you saw that requirement?
 
Thanks for the replies. I do have the 6.6 charger on my Leaf. I will go take a look at the plug and see if it has any data on it.
 
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