Tesla Magic Dock & 2014 Spark EV Not Good News

[LoveMy2014SparkEV]

I was so excited to find out that one of the two locations in California was not too far from me. I got the Tesla app and signed up and inputted my credit card for payments. My car would start charging for about 10 seconds and then I get a charging error. I tried 4 different stalls with multiple attempts on each. I dried a second credit card. I am sure I must have made 15 or 20 attempts.

At one point the Tesla app said for me to look at the list of EVs that are compatible but I accidentally pressed the wrong button on the app and couldn't get back to it. I have scoured the app and googled for a list once I got back home but I can't find anything. The app doesn't even have an 800 number to call for assistance.

Had I been able to charge on the first or second try I would have been thrilled. I pulled into the last stall on the right into a non EV parking spot right next to the charger. This way I wouldn't be blocking any of the other stalls. I must say while the charging cable was pretty short I was able to easily plug it in do to the cable being much thinner and flexible than any other DC Faster Charger I ever used. I was easily able to plug it in one handed. The time it took the Tesla charger to communicate with the car and start charging was pretty quick.

I have the Torque app and saw my car request the usual amount of KW and was able to watch the KW from the charger go up to about 21 KW at its peek very quickly within just one or two seconds. The light on top of the dash had already turned green and the horn honked once as it always does. Then everything went down to zero. The app then said there was an error and to unplug and put the magic dock back and try again. I was at about 55% battery when I arrived. Battery was nice and warm. Outside temperature in the low to mid 60s Fahrenheit. Now on my dash I have a warning light. The same one I get whenever there is a failed charging session at a DCFC. To make sure my car was still capable of DC fast charging I drove a few miles to a ChargePoint and charged for a few minutes. Everything was fine.

Wish Tesla had a way to report problems online. I sure hope they fix whatever is the issue. Having the ability to charge at Tesla chargers would increase the number of available sights by at least 1/3 and make many road trips that are currently impossible a reality for us.

I will give it a go in another month or two. I'll keep you all posted.

 

[Porsche]

Sounds like you have the known DC fast charging problem. It's already been posted about with a solution, here, for example:

https://www.mychevysparkev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=28612#p28612

At some charging stations, the cable doesn't fit securely and charging fails. There's a service bulletin to file down a corner of the charging port on your car. See the link above, or this:

(Nov. 2016, GM service bulletin PI1382A, "Intermittent Unable to Charge from DC Fast Charge") see:

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2016/ ... 2-9999.pdf

Let us know if this helps.

 

[LoveMy2014SparkEV]

Sounds like you have the known DC fast charging problem. It's already been posted about with a solution, here, for example:

https://www.mychevysparkev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=28612#p28612

At some charging stations, the cable doesn't fit securely and charging fails. There's a service bulletin to file down a corner of the charging port on your car. See the link above, or this:

(Nov. 2016, GM service bulletin PI1382A, "Intermittent Unable to Charge from DC Fast Charge") see:

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2016/ ... 2-9999.pdf

Let us know if this helps.

Hi Porsche,
I know the modification you are talking about and did it well over a year ago. I was having problems at Electrify America stations before I did the modification. Afterwards I have had no problems at all. The issue is with the Tesla Charger not my Spark EV.

Good suggestion though had I not already did it.

 

[SmokeyPete]

Guys!, please don't file down plastic parts on your Spark EV due to ancient posts to this forum.
My attempt to use the Tesla Magic Dock in Enfield, CT in 2024 on my 2015 Spark EV was a bust.
Clearly, there is no accommodation for the connector to lock.

for the

 

[SmokeyPete]

Has anyone on planet earth gotten a 2015 Spark EV to work at a Tesla Magicdock as of May 2024?

 

[SmokeyPete]

Has anyone on planet earth gotten a 2015 Spark EV to work at a Tesla Magicdock as of May 2024?

Has anyone tried the A2Z Tesla to CCS adapter? It looks like it doesn't have as much of a bar in the way and obviously filing down your own adapter means less time in the back of the squad car..

 

[Randy960]

Guys!, please don't file down plastic parts on your Spark EV due to ancient posts to this forum.
My attempt to use the Tesla Magic Dock in Enfield, CT in 2024 on my 2015 Spark EV was a bust.
Clearly, there is no accommodation for the connector to lock.

View attachment 27 for the

Is the latch on the magic dock too wide for the lock or something? I can't really tell what I'm looking at here. There is a supercharger w/md location close enough that I want to try it some day.

I'm also curious about the A2Z adapter, but not $215 curious when the spark is my only EV right now.

 

[SmokeyPete]

See the silver colored bar pattern on top? It prevents the clasps of the Spark CCS port from engaging. At Electrify America stations this needs to occur for charging to begin. That is why support tells you to lift the connector slightly. I don't know if this is 100% the reason for the incompatibility but from a visual standpoint it seems to be the case.

 

[Randy960]

Does the lock on the car side actually come down and try to lock the latch on the connector side? Based on the picture, nothing looks like it's in the way of that happening. I'm willing to bet that the issue is with communication protocol, not anything physical.

 

[SmokeyPete]

So far crickets. I went to the A2Z website for their $203 TYPHOON PRO | NACS DC CHARGERS to CCS1 Adapter | 500A | 1000V | DC adapter and when you attempt to use their compatibility wizard it says "Rivian" and "All other CCS EVs".

 

[Randy960]

Yeah, I can't find any adapter that has a real compatibility list. Not that tesla has a real compatibility list either.

 

[LoveMy2014SparkEV]

Guys!, please don't file down plastic parts on your Spark EV due to ancient posts to this forum.
My attempt to use the Tesla Magic Dock in Enfield, CT in 2024 on my 2015 Spark EV was a bust.
Clearly, there is no accommodation for the connector to lock.

View attachment 27 for the

It looks like the latching mechanism, that is the silver thing on top, is too wide so it isn't dropping down into place. I had a look at my current level 2 EVSE and the part that drops down is considerably narrower. I found a few photos of the Magic Dock which clearly shows the end of the latching mechanism and it is as wide as the long silver part you see in the photo here.

Photo 1
Photo 2
Photo 3

So basically no proper latching mean no charging. I been meaning to take a drive back to the Magic Dock chargers and try again. This time I will take my measuring calipers and measure the latching mechanism on the Magic Dock. May not go for a few weeks. Got to find the time since it is a bit of a drive.

 

[Randy960]

I'm going to start carrying calipers, and comparing latch sizes.

As for adapters, this comparability list for the Lectron adapter made me laugh.

 

[Randy960]

Theoretically "all" GM EVs now have access to the supercharger network. Bets on if the Spark is included in "all"?
https://insideevs.com/news/734194/gm-ev-charging-tesla-guide/

I've done a little more reading, and bolt owners are saying it works without an update. I think the update referenced is just to be able to access it through the infotainment system. No mention of the Spark(shocking). I do have closer Supercharger locations that I could try if I decide to buy an adapter. I also just found out there's an almost complete V4 supercharger location near me that seems to have been abandoned since the spring (lol tesla).

 

[Randy960]

Ok, as for dimensions of the latching mechanism.

I measured the Spark's Level 1 EVSE, and the overall width of the latch was .570 with actual inner part of the latch about .320

I checked the two different Level 2 EVSEs I have at home are .450 and .540 on the outside, .320 and .380 on the inside.

I wasn't able to get a direct measurement of the charge port, but the inside where the latch sits is about .440

I haven't checked any CCS latches yet, but I have my calipers in my car now so I can check them as I come across them.

 

[Randy960]

I have a friend that just bought the A2Z NACS adapter, that I will probably borrow to test with. But it definitely latches in, and the overall width of the latch is .490 and the inner catch is .340.

 

[LoveMy2014SparkEV]

I have a friend that just bought the A2Z NACS adapter, that I will probably borrow to test with. But it definitely latches in, and the overall width of the latch is .490 and the inner catch is .340.

Thanks for all the measurements. I have looked at a number of EVSE J1772 connectors. All of them are wide at the top and notched thinner and it is this thinner part that drops down and latches on the J1772 receptor on the Chevy Spark. Looking at the photos of Tesla's Magic Dock the part that is supposed to drop down and latch is not thinner so my guess is it isn't latching properly. I won't know for sure until I can take a drive to actually measure the Magic Dock latch.

I have been looking at diagrams of EVSE J1772 connectors. When you push the button or lever on an EVSE connector it pushes a switch inside the handle. This causes a change in resistance in one of the wires that connect the EVSE to the EV. Thus letting the EVSE know the connector is no longer latched and to stop the charge.

If Tesla's Magic Dock isn't fully latching the switch in the handle is being pressed down and telling the Tesla Charger the connector isn't fully engaged and not to continue the charge.

It would be really nice to know if Spark EVs can charge at Tesla Super Chargers before we start going out buying adapters that cost at minimum $225 from GM directly.