delayed charging not working anymore

[emotodude]

I swear I didn't change anything but my car now begins charging as soon as I plug it in. I have tried switching charging modes back and forth and messing with the schedule to no avail. The only thing I haven't tried is the "factory defaults" option. Thoughts?

 

[Nashco]

There's a really great section in the owners manual that covers charging in depth.

Section 9:

http://www.chevrolet.com/content/dam/Chevrolet/northamerica/usa/nscwebsite/en/Home/Ownership/Manuals%20and%20Videos/02_pdf/2k14spark_ev.pdf

Bryce

 

[emotodude]

Thanks for the link but I've already re-read the charging section about a dozen times. I had it programmed and working. And now for some reason it just refuses to obey the "delayed charging" setting. Also of interest is the "estimated charge completion time" field is now yellow (or is it always?) and seem to be inaccurate. As in, it says 3 hours to charge when the pack is almost full. Actually it seems like it estimates 3 hours to charge no matter what?

See attached pic, car wants to charge immediately despite being in "delayed charge" mode with the rate schedule set correctly. And yes I verified the vehicle time/date is also correct....

 

[Anonymous]

What is your Priority charge set to? I can't tell from the picture. Also are you using the 120V or 240V charger?

 

[emotodude]

In the pic, priority charge is "on", as I have always had it. I did try it both ways without success.

As you can see I plugged it in this morning at 10:45am, and even with the settings set to only charge during off-peak, from 11pm-7am it still starts charging right away. I'll take it to the dealer this weekend if I can't figure it out by then.

Can someone tell me if the charge "complete" field is yellow normally?

 

[emissionfree]

The charge "complete" field is not yellow normally. It turns yellow only when the estimated completion time is after your next planned departure time. In other words, the car thinks it won't be done charging until after your next planned departure time. Something does seem strange since this should only happen on a 120V cord.

I would try a good'ole fashion reboot if I were you:
Open the hood. Turn off the car. Get out and make sure all the doors are shut. Don't leave the key in the car. Wait 2 minutes, then carefully remove the negative cable from the 12V battery. Wait another minute, then re-connect the negative cable to the 12V battery.

Maybe that will clear out whatever strange 'time' that has calculated.

 

[emotodude]

Does this "reboot" actually reset the cars main computer, or at least the part that controls the charging? I am also tempted to try the "factory settings" option in the menu, but it would be a pain to reset all my preferences.

Also, I have now been paying very close attention to the charge behavior and can say with confidence that it has gone "wonky". At least the car charges immediately, but the estimated time of completion is now totally bonkers, it seems to have a strange affinity for 7:30pm or 7:45pm regardless of SOC or type of charger plugged in. I ran a quick errand this morning, still had full bars when I plugged it in (immediate charge mode) and it was estimating completing at 7:45pm (though not yellow!). I have checked it several times and it has not updated despite being only minutes away from a full charge.

A GM rep has reached out to me (apparently they monitor these forums!) and we are working on a resolution now. Now that's service! I'll keep ya'll posted.

 

[Sesamecrunch]

Please do tell us the resolution. I have the same issue.

 

[emotodude]

Just wanted to say GM has been very helpful. They sent out a service tech, he pulled some logs and then "reset" the car by unplugging the 12v battery for a minute or so. This fixed the issue and seems to have retained all my settings and such. So I'm not sure it's exactly "fixed" , but at least it's easy to reset if it happens again, and hopefully they now have the data they need to issue a a firmware fix.

 

[corwin]

Just wanted to say GM has been very helpful. They sent out a service tech, he pulled some logs and then "reset" the car by unplugging the 12v battery for a minute or so. This fixed the issue and seems to have retained all my settings and such. So I'm not sure it's exactly "fixed" , but at least it's easy to reset if it happens again, and hopefully they now have the data they need to issue a a firmware fix.

Interesting note: The early 2011 Leafs had a firmware bug preventing them from starting, depending upon how you had the climate controls set. The short-term fix was to disconnect the battery. So I drove around with a 10mm wrench handy so I could do the disconnect. Needless to say Nissan was quick to fix that one, but I still keep that wrench handy, computers being what they are...
-Corwin

 

[nozferatu]

I'm new to this stuff so pardon my ignorance but why go through all this when all you need to do is basically just plug it in whenever and where ever you can?

I've a few reminders set on my RemoteLink App...which by the way stopped working....such as plug-in before a certain time and send text and emails to let me know charging has finished...worked once and doesn't work anymore. Is this car riddled with software bugs?

 

[MysteriousJ]

I'm new to this stuff so pardon my ignorance but why go through all this when all you need to do is basically just plug it in whenever and where ever you can?

I've a few reminders set on my RemoteLink App...which by the way stopped working....such as plug-in before a certain time and send text and emails to let me know charging has finished...worked once and doesn't work anymore. Is this car riddled with software bugs?

It's all about saving money.

Depending on the rates you get from your Utility company you can save money by charging during off-peak hours, alternatively when summer rolls by you will get charged alot more during peak hours so you would ideally set up delayed charging to charge at night/early morning.

For example, up here in North and Central Cal we typically have PGE as the utility. With PGE you normally pay a Flat rate for electricity (E-1) for residential. If you let them know you have an EV, they offer several rates (EV-A, or EV-B) where if you charge during off-peak hours, your monthly cost will be less than staying on the typical E-1 rates. BUT, if you charge alot during peak hours on an EV-A rate, then you'll end up paying more than you would normally on the standard E-1 rate.

 

[nozferatu]

I'm new to this stuff so pardon my ignorance but why go through all this when all you need to do is basically just plug it in whenever and where ever you can?

I've a few reminders set on my RemoteLink App...which by the way stopped working....such as plug-in before a certain time and send text and emails to let me know charging has finished...worked once and doesn't work anymore. Is this car riddled with software bugs?

It's all about saving money.

Depending on the rates you get from your Utility company you can save money by charging during off-peak hours, alternatively when summer rolls by you will get charged alot more during peak hours so you would ideally set up delayed charging to charge at night/early morning.

For example, up here in North and Central Cal we typically have PGE as the utility. With PGE you normally pay a Flat rate for electricity (E-1) for residential. If you let them know you have an EV, they offer several rates (EV-A, or EV-B) where if you charge during off-peak hours, your monthly cost will be less than staying on the typical E-1 rates. BUT, if you charge alot during peak hours on an EV-A rate, then you'll end up paying more than you would normally on the standard E-1 rate.

My city is Burbank and it's a constant .15c per kWh unless I sign up for TOC or go over a certain kWh usage..which when I figure out isn't worth it really. I want my car charging every chance I get...you never know when you want to hop in and go somewhere. But of course that's me. Everyone has different needs and purposes for driving their car.

Here are my city's rates:

http://www.burbankwaterandpower.com/electric/residential-electric-rates-and-charges

 

[Anonymous]

I know this is an older thread but I just noticed my spark is no longer charging as was scheduled. I actually notice the interface is completely locked now. The charging is set to immediate, and there is no option to change it to anything else. There is no option for scheduling peak hours or anything at all really.

I have tried unplugging the battery, but it doesnt change anything other than losing current settings. The charging mode section is still the same with no option to change anything away from "immediate". Has anyone else had to deal with this? It almost seems like there is a factory lock menu, or safe mode that I may be in, or that there was a firmware update that changed the interface and deleted any charging options. I dont have a local gm service tech anywhere nearby so I need to figure this out on my own.