Electric Motor Unit Warning Light When Using Remote?

[nt2w]

I just noticed something tonight while using the i-MiEV's remote control.

I plugged my car into my L2 EVSE (AeroVironment) and started to charge normally.

I then did some experimenting with the remote to set the timer for charging for several hours later.

While charging, I turned on the remote. As usual with my L2 charger, the remote sent its signal and the car stopped charging. Thus starts the "dance" with the remote--- if I transmit again, the charging will re-start. This seems to be the norm and folks have reported this.

However, for the first time tonight I happened to do this while looking at the dashboard display- up until now I just stood outside the car fiddling with the remote.

I noticed tonight that when this behavior occurs, the Electric Motor Unit warning light (the yellow car with the ! over it)comes on for a couple seconds while the EVSE cycles to "off" the first time I turn on the remote. It also does so when doing the timer programming "dance" trying to get the timer setting to "take" while getting the error from the remote. Again, others have reported having to transmit with the remote a few times to get the setting to work, but I only found one post with a report of the Electric Motor Unit light that looks similar to mine.

According to the manual this indicates a problem with the "high voltage components," which pretty much means anything to do with the battery, charging, motor or drive system, not just the motor.

The light always goes out when things finally get set correctly, and the car seems to drive and charge fine. Without using the remote, there is no warning light.

I'm wondering if anyone else can duplicate this with their EVSE and remote, or if this is only happening to me?

Again, just plug in your car, start to charge, and then turn on the remote while looking at the dash- if your EVSE turns off when that happens, do you get the motor unit light? If not, does it happen when you get the "error" tone from the remote when trying to set the timer?

Appreciate anyone's help (especially anyone with an Aerovironment L2 dock) in advance before I reach out to Mitsubish or my dealeri... again, the car seems to work just fine otherwise!

Cheers-

Rich

 

[JoeS]

Rich, I first tried it with my Mitsu L1 EVSE tonight, and it worked fine with no "error" using the remote nor EMU Warning light.
Then I tried it with my L2 SPX Xpress EVSE. Sure enough, the thing gave an "error" and did indeed light up the yellow EMU warning light. As is normal with the Remote and my L2 EVSE, a few tries and it finally "takes". I didn't pay close attention, but the EMU warning light did go off at some point.
I wouldn't worry about it and simply chalk it up to the incompatibility of the Remote with some L2 EVSEs.
Although the Remote works every time with my L1 EVSE (at least it has since I started paying attention), I'm more comfortable using my mechanical timer with the L2 SPX and not screwing around with the Remote.

 

[derminghsieh]

I have similar problems with the remote when charging at 240V with EVSEUPGRADE. I brought this to Mitsubishi's attention. They simply reply that it does not work with my EVSE (incompatibility is the word they use). They blamed the entire fault on my EVSEUPGRADE and warned me not to use my EVSEUPGRADE ever again. However, it simply does not make sense to me because the problem only happens when the remote is used.

I was not happy with Mitsubishi's attitude and answer so I went ahead to purchase ChargePoint card to charge my car with Coulomb EVSE at public charging stations. Well, the remote works well with ChargePoint charging station at 240V as it has been able to at 120V level with my EVSEUPGRADE. I also went to the dealers to charge my imiev with their charging stations; the remote also works well at 240V. I was thinking maybe they were right after all.

Now, since you are using the EVSE Mitsubishi recommends (I believe Mitsubishi recommends AeroVironment) and you still have the same trouble as I have with my EVSEUPGRADE, I would suggest you drive your car to the dealer and have them check it up. This time the Mitsubishi engineers will not have any excuses to say the fault is on the charger. I wonder what they would say to you. I honestly believe there are bugs in communication between the remote and the on-board charger and the engineers simply refuse to admit it. I sincerely hope your case would force Mitsubishi to look at the problem. Thank you for the post.

 

[nt2w]

Well, glad to see I'm not the Lone Ranger! I'd appreciate others with L2 EVSE trying this, and reporting the results- MOST especially if anyone out there has AeroVironment equipment, since I'm afraid I'm going to get caught up in an argument between Mitsu and AV unless there's more than just me with the problem.

I've emailed my dealer as a first step (figure I'll start with my Sales guy to point me to someone who speaks MiEVish in Service), and will let folks know what happens. I am going to resist taking the car in, since my dealer is beyond my safe range on a single charge (about 80 miles of open-road highway driving). If anyone else could help in this endeavor (if you're getting the yellow light, and live close to your dealer), it would be great. Even better if you're using "approved" L2 EVSE, which is AeroVironment and whoever BestBuy is using (Eaton?).

As I shared with the dealer, my suspicion is that there is a communications clash taking place between the charger in the car and the Level 2 charging dock when sending commands with the remote, and that it resolves itself when the two finally get in sync. The warning light likely comes on when there's a problem talking to the EVSE. Once that problem goes away, no more light.

I had written off the funky remote behavior as just a quirk, but now that there's a warning light I need to find an answer, in case there's actually something bad happening!

Cheers-

Rich

 

[Vike]

This is a very interesting thread. I'm installing my Mitsubishi-approved Eaton EVSE later this week, I'll try this experiment w/the remote to see how it behaves.

 

[nt2w]

Looks like there's a Technical Service Bulletin that might be tied to this- from the NHTSA's safercar.gov website, dated February 2012:







Make : MITSUBISHI Model : I-MIEV Year : 2012
Manufacturer : MITSUBISHI MOTORS NORTH AMERICA, INC.
Service Bulletin Number : TSB-12-54-003 Date of Bulletin : FEB 01, 2012
NHTSA Item Number : 10043650
Component : ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT PANEL

Make / Models:
Model/Build Years:
MITSUBISHI / I-MIEV
2012

Service Bulletin Number:
TSB-12-54-003
NHTSA Item Number:
10043650

Summary:
MITSUBISHI: INFORMATION PROVIDED ON AFTERMARKET ACCESSORIES INSTALLATION THAT MAY CAUSE INTERMITTENT FLASHING OR ILLUMINATION OF INSTRUMENT PANEL WARNING LIGHTS AND INTERFERE WITH COMMUNICATION SYSTEM. *PE

Hmmm... will share this with my dealer to steer them in a direction. Don't like my "approved" EVSE being called an "aftermarket accessory." :?

Rich

 

[jjlink]

I really don't see why anyone wastes their time with that goofy remote. It's a real joke... I just bought a 240 volt digital timer and plugged the EVSE into it. It just works. It does not errors or blink lights on the dashboard. A iPhone/Android app would make sence. Not a joke RF remote. :lol:

 

[nt2w]

The remote, if it worked right, is a perfectly fine, if inelegant, way of doing off-peak charging using the brains already built into the car. If it worked right, an external timer would be unnecessary. Also, the separate digital timer can't do the preheating I'm going to need in the winter up here- that requires the remote, at least as designed.

I respectfully disagree with having yet another smartphone/tablet app. I don't have a smartphone, and cell coverage is spotty (not as spotty as public EVSE) here where I am. I want simpler, not more complicated- your digital timer is a better idea than a smartphone app, IMHO.

However, the point is that if they provide the remote, it should work flawlessly with their "approved" equipment produced by their "partner" companies, despite its limited capability.

Cheers-

Rich

 

[derminghsieh]

I am 100% with Rich. If Mitsubishi offer a remote, then it should function as advertised. Whether you like it or not is irrelevant to the issue at hand.

I can understand what Rich must have felt now because I have been there. I would like to ask everyone with an iMiev to try it out after you read this thread. The process is very simple and it takes only minutes to do.
1.Park your car and Plug in your i to a 240 V (or level 2) EVSE.
2, Sit inside the car and look at the instrument panel.
3. Turn on your remote and set the timer. Observe what happens on your panel. (There should be no yellow light come on)
4. Report what you see on the panel in this thread.

Right now we have only three statistics that show remote does not work with level 2 charging. If more and more people can chime in, we might be able to see a clearer picture of what is going on. Thank you all for your help in advance.

 

[FiddlerJohn]

...
1.Park your car and Plug in your i to a 240 V (or level 2) EVSE.
2, Sit inside the car and look at the instrumental panel.
3. Turn on your remote and set the timer. Observe what happened on your panel. (There should be no yellow light come on)
4. Report what you see on the panel in this thread ...

I like the remote and use it everyday, but as derminghsieh says that's irrelevant.

OEM level 1: no yellow Warning light comes on

OEM modified for 240 V, level 2, (but NOT by EVSEUPGRADE) no yellow Warning light comes on

Level 2 GE Wattstation yellow Warning light comes on.

A new question is what's different between the 240V EVSEUPGRADE (with yellow Warning light) and my OEM 240V modification (no yellow Warning light). I suspect it's the 12VDC power supply that powers the pilot signal. I use a tiny LED driver circuit that provides 24VDC to the 12VDC three terminal regulator that powers the pilot signal.

Thank you for this thread. I wondered why the remote worked differently on the GE Wattstation than the OEM EVSE. I never looked at the Warning light before.

 

[derminghsieh]

Thank you very much for your report, Fiddler John, and your insight into what might be the problem. I hope Mitsubishi engineers are looking at this thread.

 

[nt2w]

Looks like there's a Technical Service Bulletin that might be tied to this- from the NHTSA's safercar.gov website, dated February 2012:




Make : MITSUBISHI Model : I-MIEV Year : 2012
Manufacturer : MITSUBISHI MOTORS NORTH AMERICA, INC.
Service Bulletin Number : TSB-12-54-003 Date of Bulletin : FEB 01, 2012
NHTSA Item Number : 10043650
Component : ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT PANEL

I dug into this a little more and found the Technical Service Bulletin-- thanks to BBB Industries' website. This TSB does not appear to be written in response to the EVSE-generated warning light but rather folks tapping the data connector for 12V signal- text highlighted here:

Aftermarket devices can interfere with CAN-BUS
communication and may cause intermittent
flashing or illumination of the instrument panel
warning lights, multiple DTCs, and possible
drivability concerns. These devices include, but
are not limited to the following:

-Devices that include remote diagnostics
-Data loggers
-GPS vehicle tracking devices
-Other devices that have not been approved
by Mitsubishi Motors.

So, the hunt goes on...

Rich

 

[nt2w]

...


OEM level 1: no yellow Warning light comes on

OEM modified for 240 V, level 2, (but NOT by EVSEUPGRADE) no yellow Warning light comes on

Level 2 GE Wattstation yellow Warning light comes on.

A new question is what's different between the 240V EVSEUPGRADE (with yellow Warning light) and my OEM 240V modification (no yellow Warning light). I suspect it's the 12VDC power supply that powers the pilot signal. I use a tiny LED driver circuit that provides 24VDC to the 12VDC three terminal regulator that powers the pilot signal.

Thank you for this tread. I wondered why the remote worked differently on the GE Wattstation than the OEM EVSE. I never looked at the Warning light before.

And thank you for your response--- and I think the pilot signal might be a clue.

Looking forward to more test results!

Anybody else out there have an AeroVironment charging dock, or am I the only one?

 

[dsmall24us]

I am using the Schneider EV Link 240v EVSE. It has the time delay feature. I do not get a yellow warning light when using the remote. I mainly use the remote for the defrost/AC mode.

Dan

 

[derminghsieh]

Thank you for the result, Dan. When I used EVSEUPGRADE at 240V, I ended up shutting down the charging by simply turning on the remote. It goes like this on the instrument panel when I turn on the remote.
1. Red charging indicator flashing (Good because remote is communicating with on-board charger)
2. Then the yellow EMU warning light turns on. (?????)
3. The EMU light turns off after several seconds.
4. At the same time the red charging indicator also turns off. The charging stops even though the cable is still being connected.

 

[cpdude]

I had the same problem using the remote with both the Schneider and Clipper Creek level 2 chargers. My car when the dealer for service on the SRS (recall). They kept the car for a week and ended up replacing some of the "high voltage" wires.

Brian

 

[Don]

I just bought a 240 volt digital timer and plugged the EVSE into it. It just works. It does not errors or blink lights on the dashboard

It would be interesting to see how your OpenEVSE reacts to the remote - I know the pilot signal technology in it is pretty advanced, largely because Chris has a new Tesla on order and they are super finiky as to what passes for a proper pilot signal.

Since my OpenEVSE has the very latest software and hardware in it, I would test it all out with mine but I have no idea at all how our remote unit operates . . . . I don't even know if mine has a battery in it :?

Don

 

[nt2w]

I had the same problem using the remote with both the Schneider and Clipper Creek level 2 chargers. My car when the dealer for service on the SRS (recall). They kept the car for a week and ended up replacing some of the "high voltage" wires.

Brian

This is interesting-

Did their work correct the EMU light coming on when you turn on the remote? Does everything work normally now?

 

[nt2w]

Since my OpenEVSE has the very latest software and hardware in it, I would test it all out with mine but I have no idea at all how our remote unit operates . . . . I don't even know if mine has a battery in it :?

Don

Hopefully it has a battery in it- dermingshieh put together a pretty good "procedure" to test to see if you have the EMU bug:

1. plug the car into your L2 EVSE to charge.
2. while looking at the dashboard warning lights, press the "transmit/on" button for the remote
3. the remote will talk to the car and display that it's plugged in and charging
4. if you have the bug, in a few seconds, the Electric Motor Unit warning light will come on, you'll hear the relays in the car click while the red charging indicator light flashes, and then the EVSE contactors will open, stopping the charging process. The dashboard lights will both be off. The remote will say that you're still connected and charging.

Give it a try... all the cool people are doing it...

 

[Don]

Hopefully it has a battery in it- dermingshieh put together a pretty good "procedure" to test to see if you have the EMU bug:

1. plug the car into your L2 EVSE to charge.
2. while looking at the dashboard warning lights, press the "transmit/on" button for the remote
3. the remote will talk to the car and display that it's plugged in and charging
4. if you have the bug, in a few seconds, the Electric Motor Unit warning light will come on, you'll hear the relays in the car click while the red charging indicator light flashes, and then the EVSE contactors will open, stopping the charging process. The dashboard lights will both be off. The remote will say that you're still connected and charging.

Give it a try... all the cool people are doing it...

OK, it does indeed have a battery and it reacts just as you say. The yellow EMU light comes on, the Red Charge Indicator flashes, the relay clicks and it quits charging, but . . . . if I press the button a second time, it resumes charging as normal with no indications at all . . . . except the red light comes back on of course

Don