DC Fast charging issue

[johnnyz383]

Ok, I just picked up this 2015 BMWi3 with 72000 kms on it. When I went to DC fast charge it wound not work. I went to another station and same thing. I called the dealer who I bought the car from and he said to call BMW, which I did. They tested and the charger reported that the car was not locking the charger. They set a time to replace the lock. In the meantime I did some research and seems if you just pull up on the charger it will work. I went to a FLO station and sure enough it worked 4 different times, but not if I didnt pull up a little on the handle. However I went to the Charger America /Canada since im in Canada and it wont work no matter. SO BMW replaced the lock at a cost of $635 and still not working. They now say that the charging port and cables need to be replaced at a cost of $2700.00 The dealer is balking at this but in the end he will either have to take the car back or fix the problem Any ideas???...P.S. No error codes from the car at all.

 

[gps1539]

I've heard folks complain that the very thick cables at 150+ Kwh chargers such as Electrify America cause the plug to not quite connect correctly when the charger is trying to talk to the car. Holding the cable to take some of the weight for a few seconds may be required for it to start charging, once started you can let go.

 

[johnnyz383]

Thanks for the reply...I tried that with these chargers and they wouldnt work no matter what. I am going out today and doing the rounds with all the DC Fast Chargers in London...seems the FLO chargers work if I lift up a bit..but that seems to indicate the locking pin isnt working but I noticed after I got the car back with the new locking mechanism in place it will NOT lock the AC charger at my home when I lock the car...did the dealer screw something up??

 

[MagicCarpet]

I find using DC rapid chargers here (ABB brand units) they come up with a communication fault sometimes and wont start charging.
I now make sure to turn off the i3 completely before pluging in then press the start icon on the charger I think thats when the locking latch clicks. It unlatches if the charger is stopped or the plug release trigger is pushed.

AC charging is a different connector for me and doesnt have a locking solenoid.

Absurd to be told you need new wiring.........in NZ there are only 5 places authorised to supply and work on BMWi vehicles this is my first time with the brand I hope they change their attitude going forward

Friends with i3 locally go to an independent BMW/Mini specialist their service car is an i3 so if I really have to see a workshop thats where it will go.
I have never been able to release the fuel filler flap but as I only need to refuel once a year just pop the bonnet and pull the emergency cord.
probably a stuck latch there, have lubricated it once.

 

[johnnyz383]

Thanks for the reply..Well when they supposedly fixed the locking mechanism and charged me $630 , I got it home and while charging on AC I locked the car but the charger handle wouldnt lock to the car, (but my wife's i3 does) so, I complained and told them they need to fix properly as I think this is the issue why if I dont lift up on the handle, it wont start DC fast charging. They refused and only said they need to replace the entire charging socket and wire assembly for $2700. I contacted BMW Canada support and they are looking into it.I told them since the DC fast charger is only reporting a locking fault and the car isnt reporting any errors it has to be the locking mechanism and not the wiring other wise it would not DC fast charge (which the car will do as long as I lift up a little on the handle) or charge via AC. Unbelievable!!!..I will report back on my progress. I told them that the little blue emergency pull cord for releasing the charging lock also is jammed so maybe this is binding on the locking mechanism. They wont listen to me at all.

 

[JohnWasser]

At least your errors happen before charging starts. :|

At the Electrify America chargers at one of the local malls, I get about 10 minutes into a walk around the mall when I get a message telling me that my charging session has ended and I have ten minutes to move the car before they start charging me for parking. :x

 

[artcore]

Similar situation here. I just bought a 2017 w/ 38k miles from BMW. I can't get it to accept a fast charge at all. The trick with holding up the charging cable sometimes works so that the charger will see the car, but as soon as payment is in, it immediately says "Charging start error 64_00H-0" That's at Electrify America. At the Mercedes dealer, which uses Chargepoint, very similar: Processes it and will then say "Waiting for EV" for ever. Charging never starts.

The dealership said they will have Service look at it. They better take care of it, and on them, as I specifically asked them when I bought what would happen if I found something not to be working, and the guy assured me that they would fix anything. We'll see.

 

[EvanstonI3]

At least your errors happen before charging starts. :|

At the Electrify America chargers at one of the local malls, I get about 10 minutes into a walk around the mall when I get a message telling me that my charging session has ended and I have ten minutes to move the car before they start charging me for parking. :x

This is why I stay with the car. Anyone can press the STOP button on the charging station.
Try staying with the car next time and see if it happens again.

 

[dcookfit]

Artcore - any updates from your end? I have the same issue with a 2014 i3 Rex. Haven’t been able to get it to successfully DC fast charge.

 

[EvanstonI3]

Artcore - any updates from your end? I have the same issue with a 2014 i3 Rex. Haven’t been able to get it to successfully DC fast charge.

the most common reason for this is because the Locking Pin does not engage. You either have to "lift up" on the handle to get it to engage or the locking pin and/or mechanism is broken.

The Locking Pin is not necessary for L1 and L2 charging, but will engage if you lock the car while charging.
You can verify if your Locking Pin is working at all by plugging in to L1 or L2 charging, then Lock The Car.
Look at the TOP of the charging port while locking the car to see if the little pin comes out. If it does not, that is your problem.

Here is a crummy GIF I made of it "working":

 

[dcookfit]

EvanstonI3,

Thanks so much for responding! I did a quick test and I'm not sure what to think. The locking mechanism will actually engage, but I'm not sure if it's fully engaged as I was able to lock the vehicle, see the locking mechanism actuate, but depress my charging handle and was able to stop the charge...

I was able to capture it in a short video and did convert to GIF but don't know how to upload to this site. What's the best way for me to share this? [sorry, still a newb]

DC

 

[Hammurabi]

I have the same issue with a 2020 BEV i3s. The locking pin works with L1, L2 after I lock the door. With DC chargers it will engage, then disengage after a second and charging fails due to cable not locking. The car has 3800 miles, any idea on what it could be?

 

[chaseadam]

I haven't confirmed yet, but I have a hypothesis that the i3 has a sensor configuration which is borderline incompatible with some plugs. I believe there is a "presence of latch bar" (on top of the connector) detector under the latching pin which works well with some plugs. I suspect solid face and slightly longer latches, but intermittently either with latches with ribbed/non-flat end and/or "shorter" latches. This would mean the car would refuse to charge early in the process (you can nearly immediately tell because the latch pin retracts).

 

[Dutchi3]

I think one of the weak points of an electric car is the charging port, it is a physical connection that is under all kinds of stress and wear for multiple years. Second weak point is the charging cable and connector. My charging port was replaced under warranty once. The latching pin was involved in the problem, but it was not the only cause. I can't remember more details of that fix unfortunately.