Level One Charger Won't Charge

[Ohiofriedcharger]

I just purchased a 2012 MiEV with a level one charger. I drove it around 15 miles home and the display showed 46 miles of range left. I plugged the charger in for around 45 minutes. When I went back to check it looked like the battery was already fully charged so I unplugged it. The next evening I plugged the charger in again to make sure it had a full charge. I plugged the charger into a heavy 3 prong extension cord that only had a 2 prongs on the end plugged into the wall. The green ready light was blinking so I assumed everything was ok. Today I drove the car maybe 20 miles with some expressway driving and had around 30 miles of range left showing on the display when I got home. The battery displayed around 1/2 of charge left. I tried plugging the charger into 2 different 3 prong outlets and both times the green light on the charger was blinking ready. The amber colored charging light wasn't lit. Do I now have a fried charger or could there be something else going on?

 

[tewharaunz]

While EVSEs are often called charger cables, they don't do any current conversions. AFAIK, they are just smart extension cords that only let current flow when both ends are connected. I'm wondering whether your cable was not letting current through because there was no ground detected or due to voltage drop from an extension cord.

I would try to establish whether the problem is with the cable. It sounds like you have only charged using extension cords so I would test with a known working grounded outlet. If that doesn't charge, perhaps you know someone who has a working charge cable or another EV to try your cable on?

Not an engineer so happy to be corrected...

 

[coulomb]

Yes, earth is required for EV charging.

 

[Ohiofriedcharger]

I have it plugged into a grounded outlet now and the charging light isn't displaying on the charging cord. The green ready light is flashing and the amber light is out so it's not charging. Either the charging cable or the onboard charger isn't allowing it to charge. There's no easy way to test the cord it since there are other wires with complex circuits controlling the charging parameters.

 

[kiev]

Sorry to hear that it has given you some trouble right at the beginning. I wouldn't expect that missing the ground pin would cause damage to the charging cord/EVSE level 1 unit, but I suppose it is possible. The unit does a self test to check whether the ground is connected before it will allow charging to occur, seems like it would just say no go without harming itself. Electric saws and hand drills and hedge trimmer tools, etc. can work without the ground pin, but EVs are just too "smart" for that.

 

[Ohiofriedcharger]

Hi kiev- I stopped at my local dealer & was able to get 7 miles worth of charge in around 20 minutes using their level 2 charging station. At least I know my onboard charger isn't fried. The tech there said they've had episodes in the past where a level one power source got blocked by the car's computer when there was a problem. He said that it might correct itself after awhile. In the meantime I'm shopping for a level 2 charge cord to replace the level one cord that won't work.

 

[JoeS]

Ohiofriedcharger, before completely giving up on your Mitsu EVSE (which I believe is different than our 2012 EVSEs as it has a 8A/12A selector switch), could you try simply testing your three-prong outlets to ensure they are properly wired with Neutral and Ground in the right place? Something like this would do the trick: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071FVB35Q/ref=sspa_dk_detail_2

If you do end up needing to buy an EVSE, and although you could buy a Level 1 unit which will do the job for under $150, you might consider something that has both 120vac and 240vac capability and has adjustable current. The advantage of having two voltage levels is that you can, for example, plug into a dryer outlet in a garage if you're visiting friends (I often do that with my i-MiEV) as well as having the slower 120vac wall outlet capability. The advantage of having adjustable current is to give you the ability to dial down (from the usual 12A) if you're using a 120vac outlet in an older home with marginal wiring.

Even though the i-MiEV only draws about 13A-14A @ 240vac (12A@120vac), in order to future-proof your EVSE purchase, you might consider something a little more expensive but which has a 240vac 32A capability which would accommodate most modern EVs.

 

[Don]

Not sure what's happening here, but problems with the 2012 OEM Panasonic EVSE's are pretty rare. If it's the original and hasn't been modified, it should be an 8 amp only unit and that shouldn't have been able to replace 15 miles of charge in only 45 minutes - The OEM 8 amp units are painfully s l o w. I would try the EVSE somewhere else before I gave up and called it fried. Someone else's house or maybe at your dealers. I know from experience that a GFCI outlet often found in many garages will cause problems - Many EVSE's just don't like them

Don

 

[Ohiofriedcharger]

Hi Don- Ever since my blunder I've been testing every outlet I've plugged the power cord into for correct grounding & polarity. The cord or the onboard charger's computer is keeping it from receiving power. I'm plugged into a level 2 at a dealer right now & it's charging fine. I was hoping there was some way to reset the cord or charger but I haven't found anything online about doing so. I opened up the control box of the charging cord & nothing looked damaged so I have my doubts that the cord is bad. I wish there was a Mitsubishi EV tech available online that I could contact.

 

[Ohiofriedcharger]

It turns out the tech was correct at the local dealership I stopped at. The onboard computer must have locked out my level one charging cord until the car received a couple of charges from other levels of charging sources. This evening my level one cord started working again! For now, at least, it appears the problem is solved. A friend recommended that I buy a circuit tester to verify the polarity and the existence of ground circuits before plugging into any unfamiliar 120 volt outlet. I plan on purchasing a level 2 charging cord for faster charging. In the meantime I'll be able to charge at home. Many thanks to all of you who offered your suggestions. I appreciate your help! Can I edit my profile to change my screen name?

 

[JoeS]

Ohiofriedcharger, glad to hear the EVSE and the car talk Level 1 again. Don't forget that Mitsubishi says you should be using a GFCI-protected outlet which ensures proper grounding, but a normal outlet works fine as long as it's correctly wired.

... Can I edit my profile to change my screen name?

I think you're stuck with your Username as I couldn't see any way of changing it. No worries, open up a new account before you rack up many more posts.

 

[Ohiofriedcharger]

Thanks for the advice, Joe. I bought an electrical outlet tester yesterday for $7 & found that many of the outlets I tried using with the charger had open ground circuits. It's no wonder my charger wouldn't work with them! Thanks again to everyone for all of your suggestions!