Electrify America Charging Station Problems

[MrDRMorgan]

OK Spark EV with DCFC owners …. What has been your experience charging at the new Electrify America stations? Mine has been terrible - especially at the stations located at the San Francisco Premium Outlets in Livermore, CA. I have been unable to get any of the 10 stations to charge my 2016 Spark EV. Most other locations failed too, but, I did find three EA 150 kwh stations at two other locations that actually did work.

 

[JAMMan]

What fortuitous timing with this post.

I purchased a 2015 with DCFC on 6/1/2019 and was just looking for an excuse to sign up and post (guess I'll do a formal Welcome post later).

So, I planned this trip with a bud to visit a shooting range 50 miles away. And took a separate way home passing a brand new Electrify America site at WalMart in Commerce, GA. The other route had only 1 DCFC and I didn't want to chance a waiting line... I tried every single plug, and worked with their customer service over the phone for 30 minutes who even started a free session to get things rolling and NO DICE. I even remembered reading that the plug receptacle in the Spark EV might need to be modified a little for a smoother plug fit, but I hacked that thing down to no effect.

The car would stop the session during the initializing stage every. single. time. So frustrating, I had to make due with a slow-as-molasses L2 at the Tanger Outlets in Commerce and sit for 2 hours to make it home.

I've been testing local stations by EVGO and ChargePoint and haven't had any failures at these at all. What could the problem be? I know the charge cords at EA are humongous and heavy, after I plug them in they noticeably sag and pull themselves down a bit due to the weight. But I also tried keep it propped up and without tension and still nothing.

 

[MrDRMorgan]

What fortuitous timing with this post.

I purchased a 2015 with DCFC on 6/1/2019 and was just looking for an excuse to sign up and post (guess I'll do a formal Welcome post later).

So, I planned this trip with a bud to visit a shooting range 50 miles away. And took a separate way home passing a brand new Electrify America site at WalMart in Commerce, GA. The other route had only 1 DCFC and I didn't want to chance a waiting line... I tried every single plug, and worked with their customer service over the phone for 30 minutes who even started a free session to get things rolling and NO DICE. I even remembered reading that the plug receptacle in the Spark EV might need to be modified a little for a smoother plug fit, but I hacked that thing down to no effect.

The car would stop the session during the initializing stage every. single. time. So frustrating, I had to make due with a slow-as-molasses L2 at the Tanger Outlets in Commerce and sit for 2 hours to make it home.

<span>I've been testing local stations by EVGO and <a class="interlinkr" href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?field-keywords=ChargePoint&tag=myelecarfor-20" target="_blank">ChargePoint</a> and haven't had any failures at these at all. What could the problem be? I know the charge cords at EA are humongous and heavy, after I plug them in they noticeably sag and pull themselves down a bit due to the weight. But I also tried keep it propped up and without tension and still nothing.</span>

What fortuitous timing with this post.

I purchased a 2015 with DCFC on 6/1/2019 and was just looking for an excuse to sign up and post (guess I'll do a formal Welcome post later).

So, I planned this trip with a bud to visit a shooting range 50 miles away. And took a separate way home passing a brand new Electrify America site at WalMart in Commerce, GA. The other route had only 1 DCFC and I didn't want to chance a waiting line... I tried every single plug, and worked with their customer service over the phone for 30 minutes who even started a free session to get things rolling and NO DICE. I even remembered reading that the plug receptacle in the Spark EV might need to be modified a little for a smoother plug fit, but I hacked that thing down to no effect.

The car would stop the session during the initializing stage every. single. time. So frustrating, I had to make due with a slow-as-molasses L2 at the Tanger Outlets in Commerce and sit for 2 hours to make it home.

I've been testing local stations by EVGO and ChargePoint and haven't had any failures at these at all. What could the problem be? I know the charge cords at EA are humongous and heavy, after I plug them in they noticeably sag and pull themselves down a bit due to the weight. But I also tried keep it propped up and without tension and still nothing.

HALLELUJAH!! Another Spark EV driver has experienced the EXACT same EA charging failures as I have experienced!! I have been working with EA customer service for a few weeks now to see if EA can resolve the problem. I figured if we Spark EV drivers can muster enough complaints, EA might get it fixed sooner than later. What is most frustrating to me is I found a total of three 150 kwh EA chargers that actually worked the first time. You would think someone at EA could figure out why these three chargers work and the rest fail just as you and I have experienced. With your permission, I will share your post with the EA customer service representative with whom I have been working.

 

[JAMMan]

With your permission, I will share your post with the EA customer service representative with whom I have been working.

Oh absolutely you can! You can even involve me personally if you want, PM me if we need to get something set up to get on the phone with them.

Unfortunately, so few Spark EV's in the wild doing DCFC that it may not be a priority for them.

Lastly, I will say that I was watching the dash of the Spark EV during charging and every time, while the EA unit was reporting "initializing" the car would say "Charging has stopped" and then the EA unit would close out. I honestly wonder if there's a problem with the Spark EV's software which would require some work from Chevy.....

 

[MrDRMorgan]

With your permission, I will share your post with the EA customer service representative with whom I have been working.

Oh absolutely you can! You can even involve me personally if you want, PM me if we need to get something set up to get on the phone with them.

Unfortunately, so few Spark EV's in the wild doing DCFC that it may not be a priority for them.

Lastly, I will say that I was watching the dash of the Spark EV during charging and every time, while the EA unit was reporting "initializing" the car would say "Charging has stopped" and then the EA unit would close out. I honestly wonder if there's a problem with the Spark EV's software which would require some work from Chevy.....

I have had the same experiences and share the same thoughts regarding the Spark EV. However, I have charged at three different 150 kwh EA chargers and they worked - two of them on two separate occasions.

Today, I plan to go back to that location - 45 miles from my home - and try all of them again and also try out EA's new APP. If they work, then there is something in the other non-working chargers that is not right. EA should be able to figure that out. But, as you said, the small number of Spark EVs with DCFC may just be written off by EA as TOO BAD - SO SAD! I just forwarded your comments to EA Customer Service along with a few of my own.

Fortunately, EVgo and ChargePoint chargers are working fine but are just not as readily available.

 

[JAMMan]

Agreed!

Also, yes I started downloading the app to give that a try as well but they wanted $10 account setup balance, and then automatically top off once it drops below $5 so my stop would have been a minimum $15+ since I didn't have an account yet and I just wasn't ready to go all-in on this malfunctioning unit.

Plus, they let you pay at the unit same rates so I figured why bother with the added expense, but it was a question on my mind..

 

[MrDRMorgan]

I just returned from my trip to test the new EA phone APP. I drove to the Laguna Village Shopping Center located in South Sacramento, CA. They have four 150 kw EA chargers there. Using the EA phone APP, I was able to initialize and charge at each of the four chargers. Only two of the four worked before. Then I drove to the Walmart in Elk Grove, CA where they have three 50 kw EA chargers. I have had very little success with these chargers. However, this time, using the EA phone APP, I was able to initialize and charge on all three chargers! I am now thinking there may be a problem with the credit card reader interface and not with the charger itself.

My next test will be later this week at the San Francisco Premium Outlets located in Livermore, CA. This location has eight 150 kw EA chargers and two 350 kw EA chargers. I have had no success getting any of the ten chargers to initialize and charge my 2016 Spark EV.

 

[JAMMan]

I just returned from my trip to test the new EA phone APP. I drove to the Laguna Village Shopping Center located in South Sacramento, CA. They have four 150 kw EA chargers there. Using the EA phone APP, I was able to initialize and charge at each of the four chargers. Only two of the four worked before. Then I drove to the Walmart in Elk Grove, CA where they have three 50 kw EA chargers. I have had very little success with these chargers. However, this time, using the EA phone APP, I was able to initialize and charge on all three chargers! I am now thinking there may be a problem with the credit card reader interface and not with the charger itself.

My next test will be later this week at the San Francisco Premium Outlets located in Livermore, CA. This location has eight 150 kw EA chargers and two 350 kw EA chargers. I have had no success getting any of the ten chargers to initialize and charge my 2016 Spark EV.

Very, very interesting.... I'll have to find time to give mine a try then! It'd be worth the investigation just to know.. I'll be upset if I was literally a credit card entry away from being able to charge lol...

 

[MrDRMorgan]

I just returned from my trip to test the new EA phone APP. I drove to the Laguna Village Shopping Center located in South Sacramento, CA. They have four 150 kw EA chargers there. Using the EA phone APP, I was able to initialize and charge at each of the four chargers. Only two of the four worked before. Then I drove to the Walmart in Elk Grove, CA where they have three 50 kw EA chargers. I have had very little success with these chargers. However, this time, using the EA phone APP, I was able to initialize and charge on all three chargers! I am now thinking there may be a problem with the credit card reader interface and not with the charger itself.

My next test will be later this week at the San Francisco Premium Outlets located in Livermore, CA. This location has eight 150 kw EA chargers and two 350 kw EA chargers. I have had no success getting any of the ten chargers to initialize and charge my 2016 Spark EV.

Very, very interesting.... I'll have to find time to give mine a try then! It'd be worth the investigation just to know.. I'll be upset if I was literally a credit card entry away from being able to charge lol...

I am not 100% sure this fixes the problem. Once, while trying to charge at the EA chargers located at the San Francisco Premium Outlets, I too contacted customer service for help and they could not get the charger to work remotely either. I am thinking about driving to Livermore tomorrow (45 miles one way) to see if the APP fixes the problem or not. I will have time to test all 10 EA chargers. Then I will know for sure.

 

[JAMMan]

Appreciate your work! Will be anxiously waiting

 

[MrDRMorgan]

Appreciate your work! Will be anxiously waiting

I went down in flames this morning. Using the EA APP that worked great for me yesterday, I tried to charge at the EA chargers located at Walmart in Patterson, CA. This location has two 150 kw chargers and two 350 kw chargers. When I used the APP to start charging, the latch in the car's socket closed (you can hear it) and the initialization cycle began. However, no sooner had the initialization cycle begun when the latch opened and the display on the charger went to the UNPLUG screen. All four chargers did the same thing. EA customer service has been notified.

July 5: Tried one EA 150 kw charger at San Francisco Premium Outlets in Livermore, CA. I could not charge - same failure mode as above. I spoke with EA customer service and notified them of the problem.

 

[JAMMan]

Ughh, what an annoyance!

Thanks for your work here, I wonder what next steps are?

 

[MrDRMorgan]

Ughh, what an annoyance!

Thanks for your work here, I wonder what next steps are?

I think it is going to require Spark EV drivers with DCFC to try EA chargers and report any unsatisfactory charging experiences directly to EA. Spark EVs with DCFC are few in number compared with other EVs like Nissan Leaf and Chevy Bolt so it may be hard to get EA's attention. Looking at EA's location map on PlugShare, there are many EA locations within 100 miles of me that are still under construction. How many of them that will eventually work for a Spark EV is anyone's guess. But, I have already signed up for EA's Charge + plan so I am ready if they can ever figure out the problem. The EA phone APP works great too if the charger works.

Tomorrow, I plan to drive 60 miles to Sacramento to try three more EA chargers located at the Cannery in Sacramento. I will report the results when I return. I have also offered to meet the EA technicians at one of the non-working locations to show and explain what I am experiencing.

 

[SparkE]

Ughh, what an annoyance!

Thanks for your work here, I wonder what next steps are?

I think it is going to require Spark EV drivers with DCFC to try EA chargers and report any unsatisfactory charging experiences directly to EA. Spark EVs with DCFC are few in number compared with other EVs like Nissan Leaf and Chevy Bolt so it may be hard to get EA's attention. Looking at EA's location map on PlugShare, there are many EA locations within 100 miles of me that are still under construction. How many of them that will eventually work for a Spark EV is anyone's guess. But, I have already signed up for EA's Charge + plan so I am ready if they can ever figure out the problem. The EA phone APP works great too if the charger works.

Tomorrow, I plan to drive 60 miles to Sacramento to try three more EA chargers located at the Cannery in Sacramento. I will report the results when I return. I have also offered to meet the EA technicians at one of the non-working locations to show and explain what I am experiencing.

Wasn't there a site where some worked, and some didn't? And the failure mode was the same at that site as the site(s) where no charge at all was possible? If so, it might be more instructive to meet EA at the "half work, half don't" to show what is right and what is wrong.

Also, it would be useful if you could collect the info about the actual charge stations that work and don't work : manufacturer of unit, type of charge cable, charge rate. ( EA uses different vendors for the chargers, and even different vendors for the charge cables!) A picture of the "specification label" (manufacturer, max charge rate, max amps out at what max voltage), a pic of the unit itself, and (if possible) a picture that shows the manufacturer of the cable - for each unit, success or fail - might go a long way towards identifying the culprit(s) of non-success.

 

[MrDRMorgan]

Ughh, what an annoyance!

Thanks for your work here, I wonder what next steps are?

I think it is going to require Spark EV drivers with DCFC to try EA chargers and report any unsatisfactory charging experiences directly to EA. Spark EVs with DCFC are few in number compared with other EVs like Nissan Leaf and Chevy Bolt so it may be hard to get EA's attention. Looking at EA's location map on PlugShare, there are many EA locations within 100 miles of me that are still under construction. How many of them that will eventually work for a Spark EV is anyone's guess. But, I have already signed up for EA's Charge + plan so I am ready if they can ever figure out the problem. The EA phone APP works great too if the charger works.

Tomorrow, I plan to drive 60 miles to Sacramento to try three more EA chargers located at the Cannery in Sacramento. I will report the results when I return. I have also offered to meet the EA technicians at one of the non-working locations to show and explain what I am experiencing.

Wasn't there a site where some worked, and some didn't? And the failure mode was the same at that site as the site(s) where no charge at all was possible? If so, it might be more instructive to meet EA at the "half work, half don't" to show what is right and what is wrong.

Also, it would be useful if you could collect the info about the actual charge stations that work and don't work : manufacturer of unit, type of charge cable, charge rate. ( EA uses different vendors for the chargers, and even different vendors for the charge cables!) A picture of the "specification label" (manufacturer, max charge rate, max amps out at what max voltage), a pic of the unit itself, and (if possible) a picture that shows the manufacturer of the cable - for each unit, success or fail - might go a long way towards identifying the culprit(s) of non-success.

I made a 120 mile round trip today and successfully charged at (1) the EA station located by Walmart in Elk Grove, CA, (2) the EA station located in the Laguna Village in Sacramento and (3) the EA station at the Cannery located in the City of Sacramento. What I learned today is that all three locations have chargers manufactured by BTCP and not ABB. I believe the chargers at which I have been unable to charge (Patterson , CA and Livermore, CA) are all manufactured by ABB. All three locations appeared to be using the new cables but I am not sure about Walmart. For sure, Laguna Village and The Cannery used the new cables because there were much stiffer. The Walmart chargers are all 50 kw. The chargers at Laguna Village and The Cannery are all 150 kw. I have only seen 2 of the 350 kw chargers at the Livermore, CA location.

I did take a photo of the manufacturer's label for each charger I used. The label on the front of two of the chargers showed 150 kw. The manufacturer's label model number the side of the case on one read EVDSP-350-4-120-0-2-C-4-0. The other read EVDSP-350-5-120-0-2-C-4-0. The manufacturer's label model number on the 50 kw charger read EVDSP-50-4-120-0-2-C-4-0. The labels also have electrical specifications if they are of any benefit to you.

The charger company's website is www.btcpower.com. BTCP's product data sheet shows only their 350 kw charger has liquid cooled cables.

Update: Today, I noticed on PlugShare that a Spark EV owner had successfully charged twice at the EA chargers located in Arbor Faire on Shaw Avenue in Fresno. I confirmed with EA that this location has chargers manufactured by BTCP (BTC Power). Spark EVs seem to be able to successfully charge at EA locations where BTCP chargers have been installed.

 

[A10Pilot]

I have a 2016 Spark EV in the Dallas/FtWorth area in Texas and I am sooooo glad to find this thread.

I actually bought the vehicle a few weeks ago in Austin which is 180 miles away but it has DCFC so i thought no problem. I also scouted out the chargers on the way down to pick it up because I wanted to drive it back as an experiment on it's range. It was low miles (8000) so I was banking on it having enough range.

I made it the 85 miles from one fast charger in Austin to Waco, Texas, with 4 miles left to arrive at the EA chargers there. It was then that my experiment hit a snag LOL. None of the 6 DCFCs there would work and like so many of you I spent almost an hour speaking with the representative there trying to make it work to no avail. So, I trickle charged for a couple hours and made reservations at a Holiday Inn there that has a J1772 charger and just spent the night to make it home the next day.

From further investigation online and from visiting other EA stations here in the DFW area, ALL of them appear to be made by ABB in this area. And now this makes sense with info as mentioned by MrDRMorgan. Your research into this made me finally understand what the problem is (I think).

I also sent in a report of these findings to EA on their website. I sure hope they can fix this easily as the locations of these chargers would allow me to travel with it quite a bit but otherwise I am locked into this area pretty much.

 

[MrDRMorgan]

I have a 2016 Spark EV in the Dallas/FtWorth area in Texas and I am sooooo glad to find this thread.

I actually bought the vehicle a few weeks ago in Austin which is 180 miles away but it has DCFC so i thought no problem. I also scouted out the chargers on the way down to pick it up because I wanted to drive it back as an experiment on it's range. It was low miles (8000) so I was banking on it having enough range.

I made it the 85 miles from one fast charger in Austin to Waco, Texas, with 4 miles left to arrive at the EA chargers there. It was then that my experiment hit a snag LOL. None of the 6 DCFCs there would work and like so many of you I spent almost an hour speaking with the representative there trying to make it work to no avail. So, I trickle charged for a couple hours and made reservations at a Holiday Inn there that has a J1772 charger and just spent the night to make it home the next day.

From further investigation online and from visiting other EA stations here in the DFW area, ALL of them appear to be made by ABB in this area. And now this makes sense with info as mentioned by MrDRMorgan. Your research into this made me finally understand what the problem is (I think).

I also sent in a report of these findings to EA on their website. I sure hope they can fix this easily as the locations of these chargers would allow me to travel with it quite a bit but otherwise I am locked into this area pretty much.

THANK YOU for your post. I forwarded it to the EA customer service person with whom I have been communicating. She assures me that ABB is working on the problem so I am hoping for a quick fix. My suggestion for Spark EV drivers who travel long routes and need EA DCFC availability is to call EA customer service before leaving and check the EA charger manufacturer for each EA location along their route. Right now I know BTC Power chargers work great and ABB do not work at all for Spark EVs.

 

[JAMMan]

WOW! Great work all!
Hopefully we can see some progress here because using the ABB machines will allow me to travel farther out northeast! Plus as EA gains popularity and market share, we don't want to be excluded from the network access!

 

[MrDRMorgan]

WOW! Great work all!
Hopefully we can see some progress here because using the ABB machines will allow me to travel farther out northeast! Plus as EA gains popularity and market share, we don't want to be excluded from the network access!

Exactly! If, using PlugShare, you review the current and proposed EA locations, the travel possibilities for a Spark EV with DCFC are fantastic when the chargers work. Like the BTC Power chargers - the EA phone APP works great too! I am hopeful that EA will be able to quickly rectify the ABB charger problem and quickly complete all of the EA charging locations so we Spark EV drivers can push the travel limits of our EVs.

GOOD NEWS! On Monday, I have an appointment to meet with the EA Technicians at the Livermore, CA location to see if they can determine why the ABB chargers do not work for Spark EVs.

 

[A10Pilot]

WOW! Great work all!
Hopefully we can see some progress here because using the ABB machines will allow me to travel farther out northeast! Plus as EA gains popularity and market share, we don't want to be excluded from the network access!

Exactly! If, using PlugShare, you review the current and proposed EA locations, the travel possibilities for a Spark EV with DCFC are fantastic when the chargers work. Like the BTC Power chargers - the EA phone APP works great too! I am hopeful that EA will be able to quickly rectify the ABB charger problem and quickly complete all of the EA charging locations so we Spark EV drivers can push the travel limits of our EVs.

GOOD NEWS! On Monday, I have an appointment to meet with the EA Technicians at the Livermore, CA location to see if they can determine why the ABB chargers do not work for Spark EVs.

Hey that's great to hear! I hope it gets resolved. EA is doing a great job imo of filling in major routes across the country and I want them to succeed!