NRG EvGo SAE Combo chargers DO NOT WORK!

[FutureFolly]

Weird. I'm sure if the computer is throwing back codes GM wants to inspect the battery pack thoroughly, but happening so quickly after a DC-FC I assume it's related to the charging session. I'm curious how much the dealer tells you about the problem.

 

[Tdk408]

I'm curious how much the dealer tells you about the problem.

My dealer, Momentum Chevrolet of San Jose, are shitty thieves. I go there for nothing whatsoever.

My first Spark was a fiasco. Multiple salespeople lied outright about whether it had the DC Fast Charge option, and lied outright about the financing. When I threatened to sue them for breach of contract they allow me to return it, and undo all the financing(!), and wait for a refund from them. (Damn, I wish I had just sued them.) Then like a fool I bought another one from them, which is by far the worst car I have ever owned, by far. I am literally nauseous to think about this.

The last time I visited Momentum Chevrolet was to get the "new car detailing", a term which was complete bullshit. As far as I can tell, "detailing" meant a chimpanzee took the mats out of the plastic, partially vacuumed and did literally nothing else. You could draw your initials in the dust on the dashboard. The mat behind the drivers seat was diagonal as if it had been thrown in from a distance. All of this would have been hysterically funny if I hadn't taken three hours off work for a half-assed rug vacuum that a lower primate could have done better in two minutes.

And to the original charging issue, I have been to three different NRG EvGo fast chargers, a total of five times, over eight months, and none have ever worked. I have spend years of my life on the phone with them and gotten nothing at all.

 

[cwerdna]

I'm curious how much the dealer tells you about the problem.

My dealer, Momentum Chevrolet of San Jose, are shitty thieves. I go there for nothing whatsoever.
...
And to the original charging issue, I have been to three different NRG EvGo fast chargers, a total of five times, over eight months, and none have ever worked. I have spend years of my life on the phone with them and gotten nothing at all.

Since you're in the Bay Area, I'm fairly sure I've seen Bay Area BMW i3 Facebook group members DC FC successfully on NRG eVgo's Combo1 DC FCs. I can update this post if I come across examples. Facebook's search is crap.

There are a ton of So Cal members of that group that seem to have little/no trouble on the NRG eVgo Combo1 units down there.

 

[Tdk408]

Since you're in the Bay Area, I'm fairly sure I've seen Bay Area BMW i3 Facebook group members DC FC successfully on NRG eVgo's Combo1 DC FCs. There are a ton of So Cal members of that group that seem to have little/no trouble on the NRG eVgo Combo1 units down there.

I don't doubt that BMWs can use the NRG Fast Chargers. Since the Chevy Spark is such a crappy car, I'm sure the charging fault is with my Spark. But since my car would not charge five out of five times I tried, after eight months of trying, I have given up on NRG. I can only afford to charge with NRG if I don't actually need a charge. But then, what's the point?

My experience at the VW Fast Charger at 500 Clipper Drive, Belmont, CA has been flawless and wonderful. Not operated by NRG.

 

[nozferatu]

Note that if the car is charging at full power (~50 kW) at a station rated for the same amount, and you turn on the heat/AC, the few kW being used by the HVAC will slightly reduce your charging rate into the battery (so only ~45 kW into the battery). It's minor, but interesting.

Bryce

Yes I've noticed that too when I charge at home....the A/C draw is about 2-3 kWh. So if the car is plugged in and it's a hot day, I pre-cool the car before I get going.

 

[cwerdna]

Since you're in the Bay Area, I'm fairly sure I've seen Bay Area BMW i3 Facebook group members DC FC successfully on NRG eVgo's Combo1 DC FCs. There are a ton of So Cal members of that group that seem to have little/no trouble on the NRG eVgo Combo1 units down there.

Since the Chevy Spark is such a crappy car, I wouldn't be surprised if the fault is with my Spark. So I wouldn't be surprised if BMWs can use the NRG Fast Chargers. But since my car would not charge five out of five times I tried, after eight months of trying, I have given up. I can only afford to charge with NRG if I don't actually need a charge. But then, what's the point?

My experience at the Fast Charger at 500 Clipper Drive, Belmont, CA has been flawless and wonderful. Not operated by NRG.

Ahh, I guess you're talking about http://api.plugshare.com/view/location/8428.

Looks like someone had luck at http://api.plugshare.com/view/location/7446 w/a Spark EV.

 

[Anonymous]

I've successfully used the NRG combo in Pacifica with my Spark EV twice... http://api.plugshare.com/view/location/53811

 

[SparkevBlogspot]

Note that if the car is charging at full power (~50 kW) at a station rated for the same amount, and you turn on the heat/AC, the few kW being used by the HVAC will slightly reduce your charging rate into the battery (so only ~45 kW into the battery). It's minor, but interesting.

At eVgo, I see about 0.01kWh per 1 second, which is about 36 kW. This is fairly consistent from about 10% to 80% SoC.

Yes I've noticed that too when I charge at home....the A/C draw is about 2-3 kWh. So if the car is plugged in and it's a hot day, I pre-cool the car before I get going.

Using A/C draws about 2kW (never saw 3, mostly 1), so 1.75/36 = 5%. Assuming 20 minutes + 5%, 21 minutes.

But I'd rather walk around and do things rather than sit in the car for 21 minutes. Beauty of electric car is that one never waste time while "fueling", unlike gas cars that require dedicated 5 minutes of standing around. Lunch time is perfect, although I have to learn to eat faster.

 

[Chocula]

The dealership did performed this modification to my Spark EV back in December/January. Prior to this, I had not been able to use any DC fast chargers (NRG were the only thing in the area available to test). After this modification, I have successfully charged at 5 different DC fast chargers for a total of about 10 charges. Sometimes it took a few minutes to get everything started, but I have been able to charge each time I have tried since this modification.

http://vitalysmobileautodiagnostics...m-dc-fast-charge-2014-2015-chevrolet-spark-ev

 

[MrDRMorgan]

I followed the instructions in the post from Chocula above and did the modification myself as a precautionary measure. Today I tried my first DCFC at an NRG station in Tracy, CA and everything went perfectly. Was it because I made the modification? I do not know. Only charging attempts at other NRG stations will tell for sure.

Monday, June 8: I drove to the Livermore Premium Outlets in Livermore, CA (45 miles and over the Altamont Pass) and tried their charger. This station has had multiple reports of charging problems for the Spark EV. As I mentioned above, previously I had modified my Spark EV's charging socket per instructions I found on this forum. Today, I had absolutely no connection or charging problems at this station. I also stopped in at the West Valley Mall in Tracy, CA to top off my battery. Again, absolutely no connection or charging problems.

My 2015 Spark EV 2LT is extremely fun to drive. In one week I have put almost 400 miles on the car and have not paid for one drop of gas for my other gas-powered vehicles.

 

[Nashco]

I heard a rumor that new cars (2015+) should have the socket correct from the factory, but I haven't been able to compare my 2014 to my friend's 2015 cars to confirm this, nor did I get a specific time the connector changed (build dates, VIN, etc.). Of course, any of us can bring the car into the dealer to get it checked/modified for free to prevent charging problems.

Bryce

 

[MrDRMorgan]

Bryce -

It is possible my 2015 Spark EV may have not needed the socket modification to function correctly at NRG eVgo charge stations. The modification was simple for me to do and, by doing it, hopefully I eliminated the possibility of having a socket / plug charging issue at a location that could have prevented me from getting home. So far, I have not had any problems.

I plan to perform my next charging test drive by driving to an NRG eVgo charge station in Sacramento 60 miles away. If the Sacramento station were to be out of order, I would have to continue on to Citrus Heights to a second station which is about 15 - 20 miles from the Sacramento station. Getting home from Citrus Heights would probably push the limits of a full charge.

Please let me know if you find out anything about the 2015 models not needing the modification.

I sure would like to see more NRG eVgo DCFC charging stations along HWY 99 in the cities of Elk Grove, Stockton, Manteca and Modesto.

11 June: I drove 60 miles to the GreenLots DCFC charge station at the SMUD HQ in Sacramento- 30 miles still on the green gauge. Connection worked perfectly - 13.86 kWh in 25 minutes. Final charge was 100%. This station has one charge coupling for SAE Combo CCS and one for CHAdeMO. There is a credit card reader if you do not have a GreenLots RFID FOB account.

 

[Sparkler]

My dealer, Momentum Chevrolet of San Jose, are shitty thieves. I go there for nothing whatsoever.

My sentiments exactly! Took them 2 months to get a pair of wiper blades so that the streaking ones the car came with could be swapped, by me, next to the service writer's cube. Took about an hour to get them to hand me the new blades, mostly because all the people have changed/quit/moved on to better places...

And to the original charging issue, I have been to three different NRG EvGo fast chargers, a total of five times, over eight months, and none have ever worked. I have spend years of my life on the phone with them and gotten nothing at all.

As for NRG EVgo DCFC, I used to have a hard time getting them to work, but recently they have been no problem. (I was told that the connectors were out of spec and have been replaced.)

Did two trips last month where I charged twice at the same charger in Vallejo, and on the last one, went to the Whole Foods on Stockton St. SJ to top up for an evening out. That was very nice, as the BMW driver I was waiting for started the session using his free card.

 

[SparkevBlogspot]

That was very nice, as the BMW driver I was waiting for started the session using his free card.

I was also helped by BMW driver when shitty eVgo couldn't figure out my account. I hope I can "pay it forward". You meet the nicest people in EV.

http://sparkev.blogspot.com/2015/05/you-meet-nicest-people-in-ev.html

 

[CSW]

I did the modification to my 2014 spark and now the NRG chargers work when they did not before. I'm HAPPY!

 

[MrDRMorgan]

CSW:

That's great! This is what I really like about this forum. You can usually find an answer to any Spark EV question you might have.

 

[tonybrasunas]

So are dealerships making this fix or not? Anyone have stories about this. We have had this issue with our 2015 Spark EV, where at NRG EVGO level 3 chargers often it won't charge at all, or struggles to connect many times.

It's an inconvenience for sure, and I will consider making the mod myself. But of course I'd rather have the dealership do it if they are willing and able.

 

[CSW]

I don't think the dealers will do it since it is not an "official" fix. It is super easy to do and will resolve the issue, the NRG chargers have worked 100% for me since I did it. You do not have to be as precise as the fix shows, just shave off some of the material on your car and it is fine.

 

[MrDRMorgan]

So are dealerships making this fix or not? Anyone have stories about this. We have had this issue with our 2015 Spark EV, where at NRG EVGO level 3 chargers often it won't charge at all, or struggles to connect many times.

As I posted above, I made the socket modification on my 2015 Spark EV 2LT in June and I have not had any problems until recently. At 3 different NRG eVgo Combo stations the charging process would start and then default to an error message regarding an isolation error and being unsafe. At one station I kept getting a second notice that the car was drawing too much current and then I was disconnected. I sent this info to NRG eVgo and asked them to see what is going on. No reply so far.

The one thing different I noted, when these problems occurred, was there was always another EV charging at the same time. The other EV was using the combo station or, in one case, the separate CHAdeMO station next to the Combo station. Normally, no other EV is charging when I charge.

Yesterday I was a few minutes into a relaxing charging session when a Leaf pulled up to charge. The combo unit would not let the driver charge until I disconnected. I did not experience any problems during the charging of my Spark EV.

Also yesterday, Green Car Reports posted an article titled "Energy Firm NRG's Business Reset: Will It Affect Electric-Car Charging Network?" This article is worth reading if you use NRG eVgo charging stations.

 

[Nashco]

So are dealerships making this fix or not? Anyone have stories about this. We have had this issue with our 2015 Spark EV, where at NRG EVGO level 3 chargers often it won't charge at all, or struggles to connect many times.

It's an inconvenience for sure, and I will consider making the mod myself. But of course I'd rather have the dealership do it if they are willing and able.

The original documentation is from a GM technical service bulletin (TSB PI1382), which is used to inform service techs of methods to solve common issues seen in the field. The GM dealer will absolutely do this for you, but you'd save yourself a lot of time by calling ahead, discussing what you want them to do, explaining that there is a TSB issued, and letting them find the TSB information before scheduling an appointment. People jump to conclusions about "EV" stuff, but given just a bit of information they build confidence in helping out pretty quickly.

It will help your service desk save some time if you tell them it's service bulletin PI1382 (that's pee eye 1382).

Bryce