[TomOwens]

The company I work for was nice enough to install two Sun Country EV60 EVSEs for us to use at no charge. Last Friday, about 15 minutes after I connected my 2013 Volt to one of the units, I received a text stating that the charging was interrupted. When I checked, the car was not charging, no light on the dash, and a message on the DIC pretty much saying the same thing.

I tried disconnecting and reconnecting with no luck, but I did not wait very long. I then switched to the other unit and my Volt took a full charge.

Today, I had the same error from the same EVSE, but a few minutes after I switched to the other one I again had that problem. This time I called up myvolt.com and selected the charge now function without disconnecting the EVSE. The charge started again and finished in the proper time.

I have a JuiceBox 40 at home which has never shown a problem of any kind. These Sun Countrys at work have not shown the problem until last week.

What can I look at to begin to determine the cause of this Charge Interruption?

 

[Steverino]

Try some other public charge stations. Maybe the Sun Stations are losing the pilot signal? If it was a voltage drop you should get a fault.

 

[Chris TX]

Make sure the cord isn't coiled up, too much. Also, it could be something faulty in one or more of the connections inside the J1772 plug. Is that station near anything like a big HVAC unit, or close to a 3-phase transformer?

 

[TomOwens]

The cords are not coiled up and there are no 3-phase transformers nearby. However there are two of these EVSEs right next to each other and their cords are tied together for about 8 feet or so.

This morning I experienced the same problem with both EVSEs which is unusual. I have been using them with no trouble since I bought the Volt in mid-November. It may be a power issue at the building. We do run a lot of equipment there. And I have no problems at home with my little JuiceBox 40.

The owners manual mentions a lot about a Utility Interruption with the messages I saw when it happened. The light on the dash was off - not blinking, not yellow or green, and the message was about the charge Interrupted, not the Cannot Charge message. The charge restarted just by clicking the Charge Now button at myvolt.com but would not simply restart on its own.

Strange...

 

[Lumos]

Use an OBD reader to display the incoming AC voltage level

If you can connect an OBD reader then Torque (android) or Engine Link (iOS) can display the incoming ac voltage level. This would be a very handy diagnostic tool to see if the incoming voltage is too low. I don't actually know the cutoff for when the Volt will declare incoming ACV too low - does anyone have a definitive answer?

I find this handy for figuring which L2 charging spots are at 208Vrms ( and which often sag to 198Vrms or below) and which are at 240Vrms. Since we are current limited with the Volt's on-board charger, the difference in charging time is very noticable. I often note this info on plugshare comments.

If you haven't picked on the theme, I really want Chevy to offer a faster charger option - 6.6kW or 7.2kW would be great - I don't think a DC charger would get used enough on a Volt, but having it as an option would placate those that want it.

Lumos
2014 gen 1

 

[TomOwens]

I didn't think about low voltage. I have an OBD II adapter which I use with MyGreenVolt. I use Torque often for troubleshooting other cars - I'll give that a try.

 

[edk-austin]

I've seen ChargePoint stations display a Low Voltage warning on a public station. Attempting to charge from it resulted in Volt trying for a minute, then like you say, turn off. And I got a CEL from it too (which cleared on its own).

 

[TomOwens]

I think low voltage may be the correct explanation for this.

I plugged in as I got to work this morning and saw the voltage fluctuating between 204 and 206 volts as displayed on the MyGreenVolt app. It apparently has not dropped low enough yet because he's still charging now. At home, I see a consistent 240v.

Does anyone know what the low voltage cutoff point is for a 2013 Volt?