Onboard Charger Issues

[davidrshelton]

So which one of all those EVs you have owned did you like the best and the least? Why?

To slightly modify a quote my father-in-law would say, "I like all of the EVs that I've owned and wish I could have kept them all." Since it spans almoast 14 years, it covers a great deal a technological advancements over that time period, so direct comparisons aren't totally fair. However, I'll give you my top pros/cons for each:

Th!nk city - Incredibly fun to drive (drove it in the streets/hills of San Fran and SoCal), roomy 2-seater/Slow (56 mph max), limited range (45-51 mi)
RAV4 EV - Great EV roomy workhorse, zero maint /Limited support over time, decaying legacy SPI charging infrastructure
Volt - Great single-car (i.e., don't need backup gas car for long distance) product, best overall PHEV among next-gen (2010 and beyond) EVs / onboard charger only 3.3, making for slow opportunity charging
Honda Fit EV - Sporty, practical EV with fast (6.6 kW) onboard charger (ahead of LEAF by over a year) / Not modernized enough (e.g., no push-button start, no Level 3 DC fast charging) and limited Honda support.
i3-REx - Luxurious, urbane PHEV with latest-gen EV tech / Poor pre-sales misinformation and support, downsized gas tank just to meet TZEV certification but to no greater consumer benefit than a green HOV sticker, outstanding technical issues (tech issues have been the most I've seen for a newly launched EV)

As you can see, they all have their pluses and minuses. As a final comment that I've previously posted, I chose not to get another Volt because though it's a great product, we're still only at Volt v1.1 or v1.2; I'm waiting for Volt 2.0 to arrive.

 

[Zzzoom3]

So which one of all those EVs you have owned did you like the best and the least? Why?

I chose not to get another Volt because though it's a great product, we're still only at Volt v1.1 or v1.2; I'm waiting for Volt 2.0 to arrive.

I would have been happy to buy Volt Gen 1.5 in 2015 if they would have only upgraded the on-board charger to 6.6 kW. With so much Level 2 infrastructure now in our area, it is not difficult to find public charging anymore. But as you know, the Volt only recovers 10 mi back per hour which barely works if you are trying to drive around town without using gas. This is the 1 item that could really have used a refresh IMO.

 

[davidrshelton]

I'm totally there with you. While many articles highlight the top Volt desired feature enhancements as longer range, 5 seats, and lower price, not enough attention is paid to doubling the onboard charger to 6.6 kW and the recharge speed. While I understand GM's overall PHEV design criteria (with most charging done at home overnight, Level 2 charging optional), that really eliminated consideration of anything requiring larger than a 3.3 kW charger. It wasn't until the Honda Fit EV came in 2012 (not counting the Tesla Roadster and prior-gen EVs) that we saw a 6.6 kW come back on the scene with the new crop of EVs arriving in 2010.

I generally could stay under the 38-mile EV range (over 86% EV lifetime), but at a 10 mi/hour recharge rate, it didn't allow for efficient opportunity charging. I would have thought hard about another Volt if that were addressed. Given that I had to turn in my Volt this past month or face an overly high buyout figure, I reluctantly decided that I had to leave the brand. Let's hope for that breakthrough model in the not-so-distant future.

 

[harttim1]

I just need a bit of a clarification with the problem Tom described to start this thread. I posted this in another thread earlier today but then found this one...

My i3 REx (2,000 miles) has been charging fine using the low cost charging setup. I have a power consumption monitor for my home electrical service and I can see that the car draws about 7.2KwH. Last night the car charge failed. I switched it to charge immediately and checked that it is set to maximum charge - the car is drawing only about 3.6 KwH. The i3 dash indicating it would take about 6+ hours to charge. I took it to the public level 2 charger near my home to rule out home charger...same result. On the way home my CEL came on. I have had the software update.

So is this the KLE issue? I have the i3 scheduled for service tomorrow.

Thanks!

 

[jadnashuanh]

It sounds like the charge controller is running in decreased capability mode.

 

[REXBruce]

...The i3 dash indicating it would take about 6+ hours to charge. I took it to the public level 2 charger near my home to rule out home charger...same result. On the way home my CEL came on. I have had the software update.

So is this the KLE issue? I have the i3 scheduled for service tomorrow.

Thanks!

Mine is showing 6+ hours to recharge also. I just set the charge rate to reduced and car displayed the same amount of time needed, so I assume the software patch that was applied to my car disabled the max charge rate on 220v.