Travel Charger Issue

[mobrien118]

Hello,

I know that there are issues with the Travel Charger. I am one of the affected. I have my charging circuit on a dedicated monitor that supposedly samples 1M times per second (although it only records second-by-second). My Emporia charger, on the same circuit, has no problem consistently delivering the full capacity.

I used my travel charger very frequently early on. It was producing 7kW+ relatively consistently. Over time, it degraded to where it would rarely allow the 7.6kW max. The amber/red/orange light comes on the charger when it is not able to allow the full output. Here is what it has been doing recently (the peak at the beginning is about 7.5kW):

(it is interesting that it seems to "step" up and down)

The average power it produces (this does include pre-conditioning, so presume charging is a little higher) is about 2.4kW:

I have taken it to the dealer twice and the first time, they thought it was something wrong with the car, as I was having my HBJV replaced at the time, and said to check back if it is still happening. Took it home, plugged it in - 5 minutes later, orange light. Called them, they said I would have to leave the car and charger with them to test.

Had the car in for something else yesterday, asked them to test the charger. They stated that they are unable to replicate the issue and that I need to have the circuit in my home tested by a qualified electrician. Not to go into details, but the circuit has been thoroughly tested and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. Again, no issues using an Emporia charger on the same circuit.

My warranty is about to run out in a couple months due to mileage so I would like to get this replaced before that happens. How can I get the dealer or Ford to take some ownership/responsibility for this?

Thanks!

 

[generaltso]

Did the dealer test it on a 14-50 outlet? Most of the time, they just plug it into a 120V outlet and say there's no problem.

 

[RickMachE]

This is a great example, unfortunately, of how the dealers are failing. Plug it into a 14-50 outlet. Done. If you don't have one, you should not be a dealer.

 

[mobrien118]

Did the dealer test it on a 14-50 outlet? Most of the time, they just plug it into a 120V outlet and say there's no problem.

Re-reading her message, it looks like that's exactly what they did...
"As for the charger he is recommending having an electrician come out to the house to make sure everything is wired properly at home for the 220 charger. We tested it with other plugs and the charger worked just fine so the tech is thinking there may be an issue at home with the 220. We can't test that one here because we do not have anywhere to plug it in."

 

[generaltso]

We can't test that one here because we do not have anywhere to plug it in."

Well, since they admitted they don't have the ability to test it, they can't really say that it's working properly.

 

[milepost1]

Hello,

I know that there are issues with the Travel Charger. I am one of the affected. I have my charging circuit on a dedicated monitor that supposedly samples 1M times per second (although it only records second-by-second). My Emporia charger, on the same circuit, has no problem consistently delivering the full capacity.

I used my travel charger very frequently early on. It was producing 7kW+ relatively consistently. Over time, it degraded to where it would rarely allow the 7.6kW max. The amber/red/orange light comes on the charger when it is not able to allow the full output. Here is what it has been doing recently (the peak at the beginning is about 7.5kW):

(it is interesting that it seems to "step" up and down)

The average power it produces (this does include pre-conditioning, so presume charging is a little higher) is about 2.4kW:

I have taken it to the dealer twice and the first time, they thought it was something wrong with the car, as I was having my HBJV replaced at the time, and said to check back if it is still happening. Took it home, plugged it in - 5 minutes later, orange light. Called them, they said I would have to leave the car and charger with them to test.

Had the car in for something else yesterday, asked them to test the charger. They stated that they are unable to replicate the issue and that I need to have the circuit in my home tested by a qualified electrician. Not to go into details, but the circuit has been thoroughly tested and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. Again, no issues using an Emporia charger on the same circuit.

My warranty is about to run out in a couple months due to mileage so I would like to get this replaced before that happens. How can I get the dealer or Ford to take some ownership/responsibility for this?

Thanks!

Going through this right now. Dealer said needed car and charger to test. Ok have to make appt, can't test while rotating tires. So 30 days later finally have appt. Dropped car and charger off over 24 hours ago. Now I am not factory trained but figured out was charger In less than an hour. I would guess first step would be plug charger in and see if I could re create error. Still "testing" but car has not charged in 24 hours. So really? You testing everything before plugging in charger? No wonder service takes so long, 24-48 hours to test a charger? It takes 15 min to get glowing orange and blue light. 2ND test using other evse everything works as expected. Finally use 2nd Ford charger no overheating. 1st charger overheats on every car. In less than an hour have it narrowed down to charger. In 24 hours they can not recreate issue? Seems plugging in charger and trying to charge would be 1st step. But I am not factory trained.

 

[mobrien118]

In less than an hour have it narrowed down to charger. In 24 hours they can not recreate issue?

Exactly - less than an hour, and you can be doing something else and just check on it periodically. I have pictures of the orange light on mine - that should be nearly enough to cut down the testing time by 15 minutes if the issue is simply exhibited on another vehicle. A known good charger can be plugged into mine at the same time (assuming they have *2* 15-50 outlets) and they could test the whole thing in 15-30 minutes total while heads up working on something else.

Also - what do I know. Computer/Electrical engineering degree from a highly internationally rated University and work for an electrical contractor supporting 500+ electricians, but I'm also not "factory trained" on how to test this complex device... Would love to see the procedure manual for something like this, if it even exists.

I'm going to call the BEV team and see if they can help navigate this. I'll report back once (/if) I get a chance to do so.

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