DC fast charger stops too soon

[JJMcCoySeattle]

Hi All

Partner and I were doing some grocery shoping yesterday, so I used the opportunity to try out the nearby Blink DC Fast charger for the first time. The car was just under 50% charged when I plugged in. I told the Blink charger to charge it to 80%. The car was set to go to 100%.

The DC charger turned itself off after just a few minutes, saying it had reached 80%. The Leaf was only reading around 65 miles, so this is considerably less than 80%.

While shopping, I came back and re-engaged the Blink DC charger, telling it to go to 90%. Again, it turned off just a few minutes later. The Leaf readout on the dash said it would need another 20 minutes on Level 2 to get to 80%, so it was clearly not yet there. I'm guestimating that the car thought it was about 78% charged.

Why the big discrepency? Do they actually talk to one another or is the Blink charger estimating the charge independently?

If I were doing a long trip, that difference would really matter, and this experience makes me wonder if the fast charger will even get me up anywhere near 100%.

Thanks.

 

[davewill]

The percentage reported by the car to the DCQC is known to be inaccurate. Here's the skinny:
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=9902

 

[grommet]

In summary, just pick 100% (or 90%) and let the car stop the charge at it's 80%. (Other brand quick chargers just run until the car stops it, and don't ask you for a target %.)

Also, I wouldn't recommend restarting a quick charge at 80% to take it closer to 100% unless you absolutely have to... there is a reason Nissan stops it at 80% (when you start below 50%). Why generate the extra heat at the significantly slow rate it "quick charges" when at the top of your battery?

Also, search for many, many more previous threads if you want more details.

 

[JJMcCoySeattle]

Thanks, all. I love the fact that the previous poster tracked time series data! Gotta love the Leaf nerd community.

 

[Volusiano]

Here's my report on the PADT Blink DCFC in Phoenix used last night:

I set the DCFC to charge to 100%. It stopped charging at around 94% (Blink DCFC read out). Don't know why it didn't complete to 100%. When it got to 80%, I only had 9 bars, so I waited until the 10th bar showed up, at which point it was about 92% on the DCFC readout. Then shortly after that, the DCFC stopped charging at 94% (not 100% like I told it to).

Got curious, so I unplugged and replugged it back in to see what level SOC it now says. It then said battery was 78% charged. Go figure.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

Thanks, all. I love the fact that the previous poster tracked time series data! Gotta love the Leaf nerd community.

Nerds?? i LOVE NERDS!! especially the rainbow mix!

 

[JJMcCoySeattle]

So the general rule with chargers seems to be to ignore pretty much all the instrumentation (timers, % charge, etc.) on the charger and let the car control everything. That's what the guy who did my Blink L2 home install recommended.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

So the general rule with chargers seems to be to ignore pretty much all the instrumentation (timers, % charge, etc.) on the charger and let the car control everything. That's what the guy who did my Blink L2 home install recommended.

umm, no that quite that extreme. it really depends on your transportation needs. at this time of year; charge to 100% but time it so its done charging within a few hours of you expected departure time.

avoid recharging if you are only down a few bars unless you are going to need it. for your location and weather; if you plan to travel 40 miles, then charge to 100%.

as you know; distance is only half the story. Yesterday due to the squall we had, I spent 40 minutes driving about 15 miles on I-5 for no apparent reason. no accidents, etc... just kinda the way it is. my options? run heat or freeze. that will drop your effective range. now, you have seat heaters, steering wheel warmers, etc. use them. they have very little impact on range. the cabin heater is a totally different story.

as far as QC? the AV chargers generally stop at 89% (per the machine) but the LEAF only charges to 78-80%. your best bet? charge to 100% all the time because the QC wont charge that high any way.

now the AV? once i used it and it passed by the 89% charge level and by the time i noticed it, it was at 97% (machine, 86.8% car)

 

[davewill]

So the general rule with chargers seems to be to ignore pretty much all the instrumentation (timers, % charge, etc.) on the charger and let the car control everything. That's what the guy who did my Blink L2 home install recommended.

For starters, the Blink L2 is an EVSE, not a charger. The L2 charger is in your car. The DCQC, on the other hand, is a charger, it bypasses the one in your car.

OK, as far as ignoring the EVSE's displays goes, it depends. The Blink seems to do a decent job of logging charges and reporting the power used. Also, the timer on the Blink can come in handy. For instance I have my car's timer set to charge to 80% all day, every day. I set the Blink's timer from 1AM to 6PM. This lets me top up to 80% by plugging in at home during the day and at public charging stations anytime. No fooling around with disabling timers. If I don't want to top up (to 80%), I just don't plug in. The Blink timer lets me go ahead and plug in at home in the evening, but delay the charge until the wee hours. If I need a 100% charge the next day, I'll override using my phone right after I get up.