Chargepoint plug too big

[ses]

Just got a 2016 e-golf with level 1/2 charging. Tried to use a chargepoint station for the first time yesterday. It had a combo plug (circular L2 plug with the oval DC connector below).

I couldn't physically get the plug to go into my car because the DC part of the connector hits the rubber lining on the inside of the charge door area before it gets close enough to plug in.

Am I doing something dumb here, or is there some kind of adapter (like a 6 inch J1772 extension cord) that would work as a spacer to get the socket a little further from the car so this kind of plug will fit?

 

[f1geek]

You tried to connect a CCS plug to a car that can’t accept DC power. If your car only accepts AC power, you can only connect a L1/L2 (J1772) plug. There is no adapter. The CCS plug only delivers DC power and since your car can’t accept DC power, a physical adapter would be pointless. Don’t try this again as you may brake something on the car or on the public station, which other people rely on to make trips.

 

[ses]

My understanding (and what the dealer told me) was that the combo chargers could do AC or DC charging. Sounds like that's actually not the case, in which case it means I can't use most of the public chargers in our state.

Don't worry, I didn't break anything. I simply held it up to my car and thought "that ain't gonna work". I was relying on it for my trip too, but was just able to make home on Eco+ mode with 2 miles to spare(!)

 

[miimura]

My understanding (and what the dealer told me) was that the combo chargers could do AC or DC charging. Sounds like that's actually not the case, in which case it means I can't use most of the public chargers in our state.

Don't worry, I didn't break anything. I simply held it up to my car and thought "that ain't gonna work". I was relying on it for my trip too, but was just able to make home on Eco+ mode with 2 miles to spare(!)

Dealers say all kinds of stupid stuff. There is no such thing as a station that does AC and DC. A charger SITE may have AC and DC, but the equipment is always separate. In general, there are many more AC charging stations than DC, so there are likely options for you in your area. Use PlugShare and set the filters to J1772 only, with all the others turned off.

 

[f1geek]

Completely agree about dumb dealer remark. My salesman told me the e-Golf has run flat tires, even after I told him I talked to Bridgestone and VW corporate - he was finally convinced otherwise, but claimed his original reasoning for the claim was due to the included fix a flat kit.

Uninformed or disinterested salesman are slowing EV adoption, unfortunately.

 

[koifish]

I just picked up a 2019 SE and seem to be having some issues with charge plugs.

First the charge port doesn't lock, I don't see the metal pin pop out at all. I did read a post that said 2016 SE models do not lock at all, only SEL models do. Is that the case for 2019 models as well?

When level 1 charger that came with the car is plugged into the charge port, no lock, and the immediate charge light stays constant yellow but it still charges the car. Isn't it supposed to be flashing green?

My level 2 charger (2016 model year Juicebox 40) doesn't seem to fit well into the charge port. Shoved the thing in there pretty hard but didn't want to break anything. Not lock, no charge light. I have used this L2 charger for 3 years while I had a Leaf with no issues.

Does the new e-Golf not like older style charge handles? It's not as sleek as the current JuiceBox, Bosch, Leviton ones that I see.

I have checked the all outlets with multimeters and they read correct voltage.

 

[tbier]

Ive got a 2019 SE and a Juicebox Classic and it fits just fine. One thing ive noticed is that any time ive had trouble getting a plug in, its been because the rubber washer in the plug has come loose. Take a look at that.

 

[f1geek]

The J1772 standard recommends a vehicle inlet lock only for unauthorized access and makes it optional. VW has decided to implement a lock but this is not the standard on other EVs: 1. plug locking is optional on the Leaf 2. plug locking is optional post-charging on the i3 3. There is no plug locking using the Tesla - J1772 adapter 4. There is no plug locking on earlier e-Golf models without DCFC capability.

If you can't push the J1772 plug in far enough to trigger the proximity signal, then the car does not know you've inserted a plug and it won't charge - this is for safety.

The CCS plug comes with its own lock built into the plug so the car does not need to lock the plug in the vehicle inlet to prevent removal.

 

[koifish]

Ive got a 2019 SE and a Juicebox Classic and it fits just fine. One thing ive noticed is that any time ive had trouble getting a plug in, its been because the rubber washer in the plug has come loose. Take a look at that.

Rubber washer is in there nice and secure, no debris, nothing. I did notice that the black plastic ring that surrounds the actual connectors is thicker than the one on my level 1 Delphi.

With the L1 Delphi can at least get the orange light and charge the car sometimes.

 

[koifish]

The J1772 standard recommends a vehicle inlet lock only for unauthorized access and makes it optional. VW has decided to implement a lock but this is not the standard on other EVs: 1. plug locking is optional on the Leaf 2. plug locking is optional post-charging on the i3 3. There is no plug locking using the Tesla - J1772 adapter 4. There is no plug locking on earlier e-Golf models without DCFC capability.

If you can't push the J1772 plug in far enough to trigger the proximity signal, then the car does not know you've inserted a plug and it won't charge - this is for safety.

The CCS plug comes with its own lock built into the plug so the car does not need to lock the plug in the vehicle inlet to prevent removal.

I'm wondering if my charge port is just off spec to allow a good connection.

 

[koifish]

Ive got a 2019 SE and a Juicebox Classic and it fits just fine. One thing ive noticed is that any time ive had trouble getting a plug in, its been because the rubber washer in the plug has come loose. Take a look at that.

Rubber washer is in there nice and secure, no debris, nothing. I did notice that the black plastic ring that surrounds the actual connectors is thicker than the one on my level 1 Delphi.

With the L1 Delphi can at least get the orange light and charge the car sometimes.

Which charging handle do have on your Juicebox classic? Mine looks like the one on the left that doesn't seem to fit.

 

[Sparklebeard]

Completely agree about dumb dealer remark. My salesman told me the e-Golf has run flat tires, even after I told him I talked to Bridgestone and VW corporate - he was finally convinced otherwise, but claimed his original reasoning for the claim was due to the included fix a flat kit.

Uninformed or disinterested salesman are slowing EV adoption, unfortunately.

Both times I bought an e-Golf the dealer told me it had run flat Ecopias, even though such a tyre doesn't exist. The dealer who sold me the 2019 was convinced that the tyre manual booklet thing that comes with the car stated it. His reasoning was that on the front cover, where it says something like "Bridgestone tyre warranty guide, including Bridgestone RFT" meant that the car must have run flat tyres, rather than interpreting the document as saying that the booklet covered all Bridgestone tyres, including the ones with RFT..........

 

[koifish]

Update: Finally got the green light when charging. The car was literally rocking back and forth I was shoving it in so hard. Level 1 charger will now click into place. Level 2 charger will not click into place but I can get it in there good enough to get a green charge light. Pretty janky charge port for an otherwise pretty nice car. Hopefully the port will loosen up with more usage.

 

[f1geek]

Glad you were able to charge, but you shouldn't need to push so hard - you are liable to break the charging inlet with repeated weekly (or daily) forceful insertions. On the forum I vaguely remember reading that replacing the charging inlet is NOT cheap. You should bring the car to a VW dealer and have them look at it - maybe there is some defect? Bring along your charging stations, too, so the dealer can experience the issue you are having.

 

[koifish]

UPDATE 2: Looks like I need to have my charge port repaired/replaced. So far dealer says port housing itself and possibly battery wire harness. Parts come in this week and repair is supposed to take 1-2 days.

Been unable to charge with any L2 charger, only my L1 that came with the car will work because the plug is a little thinner and will fit. Appears to be a loose plastic ring in the charge port that is keeping the L2 charging handle from inserting all the way in.

 

[JoulesThief]

How, then, did they fully charge up your car before you took delivery of it?

 

[koifish]

Kinda hard to explain but the thickness of the circular end of the plug can vary plug to plug.

Thin like my L1 (the gray circular plastic at the end of the handle that surrounds the white connectors)

Thicker like my L2 (the black circular plastic that surrounds the black connectors)

The thinner ones fit, thicker ones do not. They charged it for a few hours with the charger in front of the dealership. I didn't look at the handle but I suspect that it looks similar picture #1.

 

[f1geek]

I don't have access to the J1772 standard (need to pay), but I suspect there is very little wiggle room in the dimensions for "thick" and "thin" plugs. I imagine the actual differences between a "thin" and "thick" walled plug is fractions of a mm. But, those fractions may make a difference. Is your L2 EVSE UL or Intertek listed? Is it made in China? I try to avoid made in China products as often as possible because I am suspect of the quality control. I would place more faith in a made in USA, Japan, or Germany J1772 plug than one from China, but of course that's only my opinion. I have used hundreds of different public L2 stations with the Japanese made Yazaki "thick" plug you showed in your picture and never had a hard time making a connection. Here is a link to Yazaki plug and inlet.

https://www.smdinc.com/j1772.php

I hope the dealer is covering the cost of this for you.

 

[wkuballa]

The charging stations at my office used to have the plug as shown above in the second picture. These plugs did not fit until I removed the green rubber band that you can see in the picture. Once removed, the plug fits just fine. They have replaced these plugs since.....

 

[koifish]

My L2 is a JuiceBox Classic 40. I believe these are still made in California. Here's a photo of my charge port. You will have to right-click and open in another window because it won't display here. You should be able to see the thin plastic ring (12 o'clock position) sticking up inside the port. It moves around in there and causes interference.