Electrify America Charging Station Problems

[TheLondonBroiler]

The one in Charlotte worked as well! Looks like the problem has been resolved.

 

[Randy960]

I am currently charging at a 350kw Efacec unit! It worked first try! I carefully held the plug in place while it was initializing, but next time I'll try without holding it.

 

[Randy960]

I went to the next-closest EA station (Fredonia, NY) and was able to charge without doing anything special. Plugged it in and started the charge from the phone without holding the plug in any way.

 

[Ramerica]

Just got a random voicemail from someone at EA, saying the issue has been solved with abb chargers. Currently charging at an abb EA charger with no issues! I'm so happy!

 

[SparkE]

Recap of the entire "charging problems" topic (so people don't have to read all 17 pages) :


Last Year :

Sparks could not charge at some EA chargers. Thru trial and error, it was determined that it depended on WHO manufactured the unit :

- ABB chargers never, ever worked
- BTC Power chargers always worked
- report that Signet chargers worked
- EFACEC chargers sometimes worked, but often didn't

The EA chargers from ABB are 150 kW units (and 350 kW units). The older 50 kW ABB units work fine - but EA doesn't use them. EA claims that a fix has been found and that it is currently being rolled out across the country. BUT, the unit you want to use may not have the fix yet, and apparently only for the 150 kW units, so a workaround follows :

There have been reports that this is probably a cable-to-DCFC-port connection issue, due to weight of the cable stopping the safety pin from properly engaging. Many reports of being able to initialize and charge if the cable is supported until the charger starts supplying power. Pull up to the charger as close as possible (safely) because you want as little "twist" when you insert the plug as possible. Reports were that the 150 kW unit this sometimes (?usually?) works, but not with the 350 kW unit. How and where you park your Spark EV when making the connection affects how much you have to twist the plug to get it inserted into the car's socket (depending on the length of the cable.) You want as little "twist" as possible.

How to:
1. Pull up close to the charger so the left cable is aligned with the left side of your Spark EV.
2. Turn on your phone and activate the Electrify America APP. Locate the charging location and charger you are going to use. Go to the screen that starts the charging cycle by sliding you finger across the screen.
3. Plug the charger handle into the car's DCFC socket. If you have to use anything but a light twisting force to get the handle and socket to align, it probably will not work.
3. Plug the handle into the DCFC socket and make sure it is completely seated in the socket.
4. Gently push in on and lift the handle to counter any pulling by the heavy cable.
5. While doing step 4, activate charging on your phone by sliding your finger across the screen as shown on the screen. I put a piece of anti-slip material on my hood and put the phone on it so I can use one hand to activate charging while supporting the handle.
6. The charger screen should show INITIALIZING. Continue to hold the handle in place until you hear the car's horn beep. Then you can release the handle and the car should be charging and will continue until the battery is full or you interrupt charging.

Video about this problem and the workaround :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lAFLpxcgk4


When a charge fails, please log onto the EA website and comment on what happened and that you drive a Spark EV. The more failure reports around the country are reported, the greater the chance of getting the problem fixed. Please keep it civil and don't rant, we want EA to fix the problem.

How to identify :
Electrify America ABB chargers are square across the top and are also painted green in the open interior space at the top of the charger. BTC Power chargers have a rounded top and are not painted green in the open interior space at the top of the charger. If you have access to the charger(s), check the manufacturer's label on the side of the cabinet. (And please take a picture of the label and upload it to PlugShare when you get a chance, to identify which sites have which types of chargers.)

Also there have been HUGE problems with the credit card readers at many sites. The EA phone APP works great for starting charges, and for finding EA sites (in real time) that have open chargers available.

How exactly does the APP work? Pull up to an open charger, plug in and note the charger ID number located at the top front section on the charger. Then I open the APP, find my charging location on the map and select that location. Then I select the charger using the number at the top of the charger. This will bring up a screen that says ACTIVATE (you may have to scroll down to get to it). On the screen I slide my finger left to right to activate the charging session. You will see the activation start on the charger's screen. When I have finished charging, I use the App again to end the session. During charging, the screen on my phone mimics the screen on the charger. (Note: ChargePoint and EVgo also have apps that allow you to locate avail chargers and start the charging.)


Lastly, VERY informative post on identifying manufacturers of DCFC units, with pics :

https://www.mychevysparkev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=9026&start=140#p27507

 

[SparkE]

Oh, and if you want to reply to the above post PLEASE edit it down to only the relevant thing you want to discuss or comment on. It's a looooong post and we don't need 3 or 5 copies of it on the thread. Thanks.

 

[Randy960]

Oh, and if you want to reply to the above post PLEASE edit it down to only the relevant thing you want to discuss or comment on. It's a looooong post and we don't need 3 or 5 copies of it on the thread. Thanks.

Efacec chargers seem to be working now, no special handle techniques needed.

 

[ElDobro]

I finally had a chance to stop by a Walmart that had 10 EA charging stations. They're made by Efacec. I was driving the Volt at the time, so the next time I go by, I'll use the Spark and see if there are any issues with charging it.

 

[Randy960]

Two of the EA stations near me have ripped out the chargers and seem to be replacing them. They say this on plugshare: "This site is currently being upgraded to improve the performance of the chargers. As a result, the station is closed at this time."

No idea what they're doing. NY state is getting worse with fast charger infrastructure, since those two EA stations represent a significant percentage of what's actually around. Cuomo keeps promising tens of millions of dollars of fast chargers, meanwhile I think they have a total of 11 state-owned 50kw chargers throughout the state.

 

[Randy960]

So the EA station near me is replacing the Efacec chargers with ABB chargers.

 

[TheLondonBroiler]

So the EA station near me is replacing the Efacec chargers with ABB chargers.

Good eye Randy! That's pretty strange. There's a lot of stuff going on at existing Efacec sites in the Southeast here with EA too.... I'll keep my eyes peeled.

 

[TheLondonBroiler]

So the EA station near me is replacing the Efacec chargers with ABB chargers.

Just found this:

https://electricrevs.com/2019/06/28/some-electrify-america-sites-have-been-going-offline-due-to-a-cooling-system-issue/

Pure speculation, but maybe it was a major engineering problem that couldn't be resolved or now that a number of etrons and taycans (ccs vehicles that charge at significantly more than 50kw) are on the road, maybe "people that matter" are being inconvenienced by slow charge speeds and EA isn't willing to wait anymore on Efacec to fix the issue?

Edited for swipe keyboard incorrect word choice.

 

[TheLondonBroiler]

The Efacec stations are all "unofficially" being replaced.
https://youtu.be/NBRi-Ps-B9s

 

[SparkE]

Why do people have to video themselves into their youtube posts, and try to pretend it is an informational post?

 

[TheLondonBroiler]

Why do people have to video themselves into their youtube posts, and try to pretend it is an informational post?

I challenge your assertion that this wasn't informational. I alluded to it being a big problem a week ago and why, then I confirmed it and made a video, because no EV news or even general news entity has covered this sizeable transition (it is shockingly absent from EA's News and Updates feed on their website) to different chargers, and NO INDIVIDUAL I HAVE FOUND put the WHOLE puzzle together and realized/announced the magnitude of the situation or why it was occurring (I thanked all the sources I could find that mentioned stations being replaced, including Randy960 on this forum, that mentioned two stations being replaced), which is sites down for extended periods of time and hundreds of stations being replaced, with an untold minimum eight figure repercussion, from an entity that is building a network they were forced or forced themselves to build and wouldn't fix their chargers to let our cars charge until I called a higher up in EA, told him what was what, and that I expected the problem to bre resolved.

On top of all of this, the Efacec stations being replaced in the southeast, are seemingly getting Signet equipment, which is a company that has littered over seventy confirmed 50kw chargers across the country, that were garbage, and none of which function at more than half capability, with the vast majority of stations being completely non functional due the trifecta of crap equipment, and both private and government entities that don't care and that aren't living up to contractual and moral obligations to provide the charging solution they agreed to, because no-one holds them accountable.

Bottom line, I'm trying to spread WHAT I FEEL is relevant information about the Spark EV and all things EV. If you don't like it, don't watch/look at it (there are many threads and replies I don't look at because I have no desire to), or if your voluntary position as a moderator requires you to do so and you can't help yourself to make derogatory remarks, maybe you don't need to be a moderator.

 

[SparkE]

1) you never claimed the video was of you, so I am sorry for criticizing a board member.

2) I have a hot button topic of "reports" that show the "reporter" (whether it be on TV or the internet) when it adds nothing to the report. "NewsColumb" is a perfect example. So, I change my comment to "Why do people have to video themselves into their youtube posts, and not just leave it as an informational post".

Yes, the video was informational. The pan across somebody's face wasn't. My personal opinion.

 

[TheLondonBroiler]

That footage was only used because it had Efacec stations in it. If I had other footage without me in it, it would have been used (like the first two clips).

While I agree looking at someone talking has zero added benefit, it does sometimes help me concentrate on the subject at hand (a benefit my video would not have conveyed).

I appreciate you addressing this quickly and I do appreciate the work that you and other moderators do.

 

[Randy960]

If you look around on Plugshare and EA's app, they are currently replacing Efacec chargers all over. I assume they're staggering them somewhat, but the three stations east of me along I-90 are getting replaced (Cheektowaga, Waterloo outlets, and a Dennys near Utica). The closest one west of me is Fredonia, which has Efacec units that are still there, although they go down regularly. Pretty much the same story in Erie, PA.




free image hosting

All of those grey wrenches and a few of the orange ones are EA stations being "upgraded".

 

[Randy960]

 

[TheLondonBroiler]

While there are a lot of aggravating factors here, to me, chief amongst those is that EA has decided to "legitimately upgrade" the actual 50kw BTC Power station sites they installed in many places (some of those grey wrenches are comprised of those). Whether they just decided it was better to put many sites down and get it all done at once or something more nefarious (perhaps EA sorta concealing that they installed tens of millions of dollars of equipment that didn't work properly because it either wasn't thoroughly tested or they just didn't care? I wouldn't expect anything shady from an entity born out of criminal activity).

Regardless, the whole VW emissions/EA creation is a done deal as far as that government is concerned, outside of flagrant criminal activity, so we just have to deal with whatever we get, because I guarantee they keep getting the funding money from the EPA (who holds the purse strings of the VW settlement).