chargepoint home flex weirdness

[johnmark]

I've been charging my MMEGT with my 50A rated CPHF since I bought the car in April. Today I plugged in and noticed after a couple of hours that the chargepoint app showed an error of "charge interrupted check vehicle". But it seemed to continue to charge normally. The CP app showed increasing kWs , and fordpass didn't show any errors. I usually get an average of 9.3 kWs charge per hour and the math seemed to show that the EVSE continued to supply power at the usual rate. But the CP app continued to show the "charge interrupted" error, even though everything seemed to be operating as normal.

I've attached the charge logs from both fordpass and CP. Everything seems to have worked - it just makes me nervous. I searched online and couldn't find anything that would explain this - maybe there was a temporary power spike? Or just a bug in the app? The CP is a mobile unit with a NEMA 6-50 plug. I checked the cables and the CP unit during the charge and they didn't feel unusually warm. Anybody else seen this?

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[ShadowCVL]

That looks a whole lot like the car stopped talking to the EVSE and just kept the charger going, the EVSE never received the break in the connection to actually stop charging. So the EVSE likely threw the error because it stopped communicating even though current was flowing.

You may already know this, but if you multiple shallow charges are better then long low to full charges, also, unless you need the extra range it is recommended to charge to 90% for the life of the battery.

 

[connoisseurr]

Something is up with you CPHF... I'm also a bit confused with your comments. You say you're hardwired but also mention you have the NEMA 6-50 version. Did you remove the NEMA plug and hardwire directly to the CPHF?

I'm hardwired @ 50A and my EVSE delivers 11.5kWh consistently - I believe others have noted similar power delivery.

 

[ShadowCVL]

Something is up with you CPHF... I'm also a bit confused with your comments. You say you're hardwired but also mention you have the NEMA 6-50 version. Did you remove the NEMA plug and hardwire directly to the CPHF?

I'm hardwired @ 50A and my EVSE delivers 11.5kWh consistently - I believe others have noted similar power delivery.

I get 9.2 on my 50A circuit, the Chargepoint charges at 42A because I told it that it has a 50A circuit. Your numbers are consistent with a 60 amp circuit charging appropriately at 50A.

50 amps at 240 is 12000 watts (12.0KW), so if you have a 50 amp circuit you should NOT be getting that much unless it is set wrong. you never want to exceed 80% of the circuit capacity for an extended period of time. 42A at 240 is 9200 watts and some change.

 

[connoisseurr]

I get 9.2 on my 50A circuit, the Chargepoint charges at 42A because I told it that it has a 50A circuit. Your numbers are consistent with a 60 amp circuit charging appropriately at 50A.

50 amps at 240 is 12000 watts (12.0KW), so if you have a 50 amp circuit you should NOT be getting that much unless it is set wrong. you never want to exceed 80% of the circuit capacity for an extended period of time. 42A at 240 is 9200 watts and some change.

Yes - exactly; however I'm setup for 50A hardwired on a 70A circuit. Are you saying that you're hardwired as well, with the CPHF configured for 42A?

I believe the OP's comments were a bit confusing and I was just trying to confirm their setup. The combination of hardwired + 50A rated + mentioning of the NEMA 6-50 plug. Just want to make sure there isn't an uh-oh somewhere in their setup.

 

[ShadowCVL]

Yes - exactly; however I'm setup for 50A hardwired on a 70A circuit. Are you saying that you're hardwired as well, with the CPHF configured for 42A?

I believe the OP's comments were a bit confusing and I was just trying to confirm their setup. The combination of hardwired + 50A rated + mentioning of the NEMA 6-50 plug. Just want to make sure there isn't an uh-oh somewhere in their setup.

I am "now" All the posts about plugs melting made me just go for the hardwire. Originally I was on the 6-50, but with chargepoint, its the same unit just different pigtail ends. Fortunately I mounted my junction box with 6 feet of 6/3 in metal flex, so it took me 10 minutes to take it out of the metal box, take the plug off and snap it in. I Was never a fan of wago style connectors til recently, now I get it.

Anyway, yes, I am on a 50A circuit (already had 6/2 in the garage, so i didnt want to go higher, and just mounted a GFCI box above where the EVSE was gonna go, then 6/3 flex out of that NC on the Neutral if that raises an eyebrow)) So the chargepoint correctly configured to 42A.

So, even hardwired or plug on a 50A circuit he is getting the correct KWh usage at 42A.

That was a lot of words to say yes.

 

[johnmark]

Something is up with you CPHF... I'm also a bit confused with your comments. You say you're hardwired but also mention you have the NEMA 6-50 version. Did you remove the NEMA plug and hardwire directly to the CPHF?

No, I'm not hardwired - it's a mobile unit with a 6-50 plug on a 50A rated circuit. Doing the math (9,300W / 240V) looks like I'm pulling 38-39A

 

[johnmark]

You may already know this, but if you multiple shallow charges are better then long low to full charges, also, unless you need the extra range it is recommended to charge to 90% for the life of the battery.

I see a lot of conflicting guidance on this. I see a lot of "it doesn't matter if you always charge all the way to 100%" and then I also see some "charge sparingly in small time alotments, stapping at 80-90%"

I'd like to see if there's any data to support either conclusion.

 

[ShadowCVL]

I see a lot of conflicting guidance on this. I see a lot of "it doesn't matter if you always charge all the way to 100%" and then I also see some "charge sparingly in small time alotments, stapping at 80-90%"

I'd like to see if there's any data to support either conclusion.

The cells are lithium ion, just like your phone and other mobile electronics. They all say to only charge to 100% unless you have to. Same for short charges, as more/longer heat damages the cells.

I dont know where conflicts are coming from, if you google "Charge EV to 100%" or "Charge phone to 100%" you can see the overwhelming support of not doing that for longevity.

Its the same reason:

iPhones charge to 85% then stop until overnight if left on the charger
Mac's charge to 80% and wont go to full unless you go mobile a lot
The Steam Deck charges to 100 then lets it drop to 90 and holds there

Fords own site:
WHAT CHARGE LEVEL SHOULD I SET MY VEHICLE TO?
For most Ford electric vehicles, the recommended charge level is 90%. Avoid charging to 100% when you don’t need that range, though 100% charge is is recommended before beginning a longer trip.

https://www.ford.com/mustang/ev-charging/mache/



So, the reason for shorter charges is heat kills the chemical reaction in the Lithium Ion Cells...

A lithium ion battery sitting at 100% over long periods of time also starts to swell and off-gas, into the casing, which also causes, uh, safety issues...

Hope that helps counter whatever conflicting information you have seen. I have replaced a lot of laptop batteries that were just left on 100%

 

[johnmark]

Thanks for the great info - I think the "conflicting info" comes from several EV owners (several in these forums) who claim to charge to 100% and never experience any issues. I know there's also "extra space" above the usable 91kWh, which I assume is there as buffer for the reasons you stated.

But in keeping with best practices, better to err on the side of caution, especially with a $70K car

Thanks!

 

[ShadowCVL]

Thanks for the great info - I think the "conflicting info" comes from several EV owners (several in these forums) who claim to charge to 100% and never experience any issues. I know there's also "extra space" above the usable 91kWh, which I assume is there as buffer for the reasons you stated.

But in keeping with best practices, better to err on the side of caution, especially with a $70K car

Thanks!

LOL, yes, I dont want to criticize anyone, I want their cars to last longer.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Maybe the current sensor in the ChargePoint failed?

You’ll have to see what it does next time you charge. If it’s set for a 50A breaker you should be getting around 9.5 kW if you hover on the graph.

 

[johnmark]

Yup - it ordinarily ranges between 9.32 and 9.45.

 

[ripperAZ]

There is no lack of guidance. Everyone knows that charging lithium cells past 90% heats them and degrades them. It’s the same kind of thing happens when you drain them below 20 or 10% it stresses them with heat that degrades the chemical properties of the battery it’s science get an issue, of popular science and you can read about


Apple Computer was class action sued about it and now they created intelligent charging that doesn’t allow any other device to go over 80% for that very reason.

Now watch the video. Trust SCIENCE


Jes sayin. You get the Thomas Dolby shouting SCIENCE. award for tonight.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...=V83JR2IoI8k&usg=AOvVaw1YZH7NPz2kFYQyKGJwfuAn

 

[scoopman]

Getting back to your question, I would call ChargePoint. They are available 24/7 by phone and located in Quebec I think so they’re very nice and actually really well trained, and you get an interesting accent to speak with as well.

i would have them make sure your charger is set up for the proper amperage for your circuit. This isn’t something they let you do in the app yourself, you have to call them.

They can also tell you if they are seeing any errors with your charger, which might be the case here since you were doing fine with the same setup until recently.

are you getting this fault consistently or only one time?

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