BMW DC fast charger not compatible with Spark EV?

[sTeeve]

I have a 2014 Spark EV 2LT w/SAE-Combo. I tried and failed to charge at a BMW DC fast charge station recently.

The charging station would timeout after no communication with the vehicle.

Another Spark EV owner in my area also tried and failed at the same charging station. Same result.

Is anyone aware of an incompatibility? Chevy tells me "don't use the BMW charging station, it's not compatible".

That doesn't make sense. It's a charging standard.

I've not yet found that Chevy has released a Service Bulletin for the Spark EV based on this "fix":
http://vitalysmobileautodiagnostics...m-dc-fast-charge-2014-2015-chevrolet-spark-ev.

It's so far only a rumor.

-Bob K.

 

[Carney]

Disquieting.

Kudos to BMW for being willing to charge a non-BMW car at least. Small consolation I know.

 

[Chocula]

I have successfully charged at one the BMW DC chargers with my 2014 Spark EV. This was after the "fix" linked too above had been done by the dealer. I had to use my charge point card to active the charge, but there was no cost and everything worked as expected.

I had the dealer make a copy of the service bulletin which is somewhere at home. If I can find it, I will post the bulletin numbers.

Chocula

 

[siata94]

2015 Spark EV, I've charged DCFC at BMW quite a few times but the process (not sure if it's the stations' fault) seems rather finicky... jiggling the handle w/out pushing the button sometimes work, removing and plugging back in sometimes work, ending and re-starting the process sometimes work... but more than once nothing works and the adjacent station would work on first try (which didn't work previous visit). Hopefully there are more than one you can try on.

update: the charge port on my Spark looks the same as from a 2014 Spark.

 

[NORTON]

CCS or SAE Combo is an industry standard.
Soon there will be lots of EV's using it.
There are no car manufacturer propriety chargers, except for Tesla.

All the DCFC in my area have both CCS and CHADeMO cords and at log in you pick one.

 

[Chocula]

...I had the dealer make a copy of the service bulletin which is somewhere at home. If I can find it, I will post the bulletin numbers.

I found the paperwork I got from GM.
Document ID: 4003620
PI1382
Dec 18, 2014

The url printed at the bottom is https://gsi.ext.gm.com/gsi/showDoc.do?docSyskey=4003620&from=ns
This reports that I am not authorized to view this information, but this is the same document as http://vitalysmobileautodiagnostics...m-dc-fast-charge-2014-2015-chevrolet-spark-ev which I can access.

Chocula

 

[cwerdna]

CCS or SAE Combo is an industry standard.
Soon there will be lots of EV's using it.

Lots? From who?

Hopefully you've seen US sales numbers like http://insideevs.com/monthly-plug-in-sales-scorecard/ and know which ones have standard or optional SAE Combo inlet...

 

[NORTON]

From who?
Hopefully you've seen US sales numbers like http://insideevs.com/monthly-plug-in-sales-scorecard/ and know which ones have standard or optional SAE Combo inlet...

Yeah, good point.
Of the 43,973 sold in 2015 up to May, there is no data to show how many of these have DCFC capability. Most PHEV's on this list will never have DCFC. The BEV's are the ones that really need it.

Probably all future BEV will have DCFC as standard or optional equipment.
The Bolt might be the next new BEV to show up and I suspect it will have CCS as standard equipment. It's standard on the eGolf.

 

[nikwax]

The BMW i series are CCS. There are a few of the i3 around.

 

[NORTON]

Right, the Germans and America went with CCS.
Japan the CHADeMO.
The DCFC stations where I live have both cords but one car at a time.
On the i3 it was optional to have DCFC.

 

[sTeeve]

...I had the dealer make a copy of the service bulletin which is somewhere at home. If I can find it, I will post the bulletin numbers.

I found the paperwork I got from GM.
Document ID: 4003620
PI1382
Dec 18, 2014

The url printed at the bottom is https://gsi.ext.gm.com/gsi/showDoc.do?docSyskey=4003620&from=ns
This reports that I am not authorized to view this information, but this is the same document as http://vitalysmobileautodiagnostics...m-dc-fast-charge-2014-2015-chevrolet-spark-ev which I can access.

Chocula

Thanks, Choc. I'll be taking this info to my dealer.

-Bob K.

 

[Porsche]

The links posted above don't work any more. If you're looking for this service bulletin (Nov. 2016, GM service bulletin PI1382A, "Intermittent Unable to Charge from DC Fast Charge") see:

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2016/MC-10138002-9999.pdf

I had this same problem at an ABB DC fast charger near me that's available for free charging. I could not get it to work at all, just kept getting communications errors. I tried holding the heavy cable up higher, moving it around, still no joy. Sometimes it would start for maybe a minute, then fail again. I had the dealer do the mod. It worked like a charm. No more problems. They did charge me an hour of labor though.