New Owner Charging Configuration Question

[luvmy356]

Long time VW owner just picked up a "new" 2015 SEL from a 3rd party dealer. Is there a way to manage charging without subscribing to Car-Net?

I read how you can maximize the battery life by not charging all the way, but I could not find a way in the car menus to configure when to shut off the charging.

My garage has a unused 14-50 plug so I was going to buy a smart charger like the WiFi Juicebox. Could I configure the level of charge with this device if I can't via the car?

 

[miimura]

Long time VW owner just picked up a "new" 2015 SEL from a 3rd party dealer. Is there a way to manage charging without subscribing to Car-Net?

I read how you can maximize the battery life by not charging all the way, but I could not find a way in the car menus to configure when to shut off the charging.

My garage has a unused 14-50 plug so I was going to buy a smart charger like the WiFi Juicebox. Could I configure the level of charge with this device if I can't via the car?

Nope. This is one of the lame things about the 2015 - you can't control the charging from inside the car, only from CarNet. I would call VW and get them to activate the CarNet EV features for free due to this limitation. Don't pay for CarNet, this was their stupid decision.

The JuiceBox is a good EVSE, but it doesn't know the battery's state of charge, so it cannot charge to a certain level for you. Only the car can do that - or you can do a little math before every single time you plug in and set the JuiceBox charging window to stop at the right time. So not worth it. Just lean on VW for free CarNet EV access.

 

[luvmy356]

Nope. This is one of the lame things about the 2015 - you can't control the charging from inside the car, only from CarNet. I would call VW and get them to activate the CarNet EV features for free due to this limitation. Don't pay for CarNet, this was their stupid decision.

The JuiceBox is a good EVSE, but it doesn't know the battery's state of charge, so it cannot charge to a certain level for you. Only the car can do that - or you can do a little math before every single time you plug in and set the JuiceBox charging window to stop at the right time. So not worth it. Just lean on VW for free CarNet EV access.

Ugh, thats what I was afraid of. I'll see if my local VW dealer can help even though my state doesn't offer the e-Golf. Thanks for the info.

 

[miimura]

Nope. This is one of the lame things about the 2015 - you can't control the charging from inside the car, only from CarNet. I would call VW and get them to activate the CarNet EV features for free due to this limitation. Don't pay for CarNet, this was their stupid decision.

The JuiceBox is a good EVSE, but it doesn't know the battery's state of charge, so it cannot charge to a certain level for you. Only the car can do that - or you can do a little math before every single time you plug in and set the JuiceBox charging window to stop at the right time. So not worth it. Just lean on VW for free CarNet EV access.

Ugh, thats what I was afraid of. I'll see if my local VW dealer can help even though my state doesn't offer the e-Golf. Thanks for the info.

Dealer? Forget the dealer. They don't know squat - especially if they don't sell e-Golfs. Call VW Customer Service at 800-822-8987.

 

[RonDawg]

My eGolf does not play well with my Clipper Creek EVSE so to stop charging early what I do is determine how long the car thinks it will take to charge; this can be done without using CarNet by opening the door after charging has initiated, and on the lower right corner of the center display (between the speedometer and regen/power gauge) it will tell you how long it would take. If you subtract 90 minutes from this figure, that will take you to around 80% charge. Note the display will only show this for few seconds, so if you miss it, close the door and try again.

My Clipper Creek EVSE is a simple EVSE with no frills, so I just set my iPhone's countdown timer as a reminder. For example, if the car says it will take 4:30 to charge, I set the countdown timer for 3 hours. If the JuiceBox can be set to do this automatically, even better.

 

[luvmy356]

Dealer? Forget the dealer. They don't know squat - especially if they don't sell e-Golfs. Call VW Customer Service at 800-822-8987.

After talking to VW Customer Care and the CarNet rep, I got the CarNet activated and my max battery charge set. Thanks for the info.

 

[miimura]

Dealer? Forget the dealer. They don't know squat - especially if they don't sell e-Golfs. Call VW Customer Service at 800-822-8987.

After talking to VW Customer Care and the CarNet rep, I got the CarNet activated and my max battery charge set. Thanks for the info.

Glad you got it straightened out and working.

 

[JoulesThief]

VW's version of 100% charged on Car-net is probably in real world only 92% SOC capacity. The battery is a 24.2kwh battery, but useable has been determined to be at most 21.2 to 21.4 kwh.