The display on the EVSE was flickering again this morning. But the new twist was that the car would not release the charging handle.

Had to unplug the EVSE from the supply and then cycle the car's central locking. Then the handle was released by the car.

Plugged the EVSE back in to the supply, and the display returned to normal.

I am going to ask for a new EVSE when the car goes in on Wednesday.

 

I've experienced the display on the Porsche EVSE blinking on and off a few times now. It's clearly a bug or manufacturing error, though I have no idea if it has any consequences for charging. Unplugging the EVSE and then plugging it back in has fixed it, which has me thinking it's a software problem - and it's clearly got a processor in there running software, given the way the display works.

It's only happened a couple of times, and it hasn't prevented the plug from unlatching from the car, so I haven't done anything about it. If I see it happen again I'll bring it up as a warranty issue as well.

 

The car is now a brick in my driveway.

There appears to be no possible way to remove the charging handle from the port this morning. I've tried every combination of locking/unlocking the car and plugging/unplugging the EVSE. I can hear the lock firing off at the port when it should, but the handle is not able to release.

I'm getting solid green and flashing yellow indicators.

The dealership is checking on a decoupling solution.

Best part: I need, need, NEED the vehicle which is being blocked in by the PSeH this morning.

 

Sorry to hear about the locking issue. If you unplug the charger from the wall, will the system let you start the car (to move it out of the way of your other car). Assume if there is no power, it may not know a charger is plugged into the car's port.

 

Unfortunately the car is aware that the handle is engaged, regardless of supply side status on the EVSE.

 

Which gave me an idea that worked. I took a punch and jammed the pin back in which blocks the charging handle latch from functioning. Car is operational. Thx Robo.

 

Same here. It is like the charging system is on a constant reboot but it does not disrupt the charging itself. Most of the times, the charging station will reboot one final time and stops and there are no reboots for days. I have also seen where the charging station display would switch between on and off without the cable being ever connected. Definitely a software issue.

 

Porsche sez:

Whittle yerself a stick.

I mean c'mon. Use a stick to unbrick your car?????

I guess this should be an item that gets kept in the hatch. FFS

 

So to summarize my issues:

1. Charge process dumps out, then restarts .
2. EVSE display flashes erratically.
3. The solenoid pin on the charging port is sticking rendering the car a useless brick.

Car goes in tomorrow. I'm glad that my dealer has at least one tech who is aware of the unique issues facing my car and appears to be willing to search for solutions.

 

Glad I am using an aftermarket charger at home. No issues so far (knock on wood).

I do use the Porsche charger at the airport (they only provide 110v outlet, no J1772 connection). I would hate to be stuck there...so I will whittle a stick also

 

Robo, the issue with the charge handler will not be unique to the Porsche EVSE. The culprit for this problem is the solenoid on the car's charge port. It's exposed to the weather and will stick, either extended or retracted.

 

Did you try the emergency unlock? It's located in the trunk on the left side. There's a description on page 33 of the PSeH supplement.

 

I'm glad I haven't had to whittle a stick so far. It's been very cold here, below zero Fahrenheit, so it's not a matter of it being colder in North Virginia. While the port is theoretically exposed to the elements, it's always in the garage when the port is open.

I was wondering about the issue of charging in the rain before, so I did some reading. The J1772 connector spec takes weather sealing into account, so it should be a nonissue. That document pretty much says "we know we didn't do it quite right."

I think that in your shoes, I'd be completely fed up with the car. I expect my cars to work. I'm only a bit underwhelmed by it so far, but I haven't had the troubles you've had.

 

I think that is for the door release, not the locking latch for the J1772. I haven't tried it, but that is how it appears in my manual.

I found a thin screw driver in my tool box that does the trick. Will keep that in the car just in case.

 

I'd be a bit nervous poking metal bits into a port connected to a 384v battery. The whittled-stick solution is not conductive.