Tips for using public chargers

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pemmery1965

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Hi.
Not sure if it is something I am doing or if it's a vehicle fault. I have a brand new MG5 Trophy and I cannot get the car to charge using public chargers. I have tried numerous chargers when I plug in the charger I get the two blue lights but the car cannot seem to link to the charger. Only once have I had a seamless connection now I am having major problems. Have tips greatly appreciated.
 
Hi, are you having trouble with CCS DC rapid chargers or AC type2 EVSE (charge points)?
What do you use at home granny or 7kW box?
If Rapid are you using contactless, RFID card or an app?
Some units need you to plug in first others tell you when to plug in.
 
Jomarkh said:
Hi, are you having trouble with CCS DC rapid chargers or AC type2 EVSE (charge points)?
What do you use at home granny or 7kW box?
If Rapid are you using contactless, RFID card or an app?
Some units need you to plug in first others tell you when to plug in.
Click to expand...
Thanks for replying. Using granny at home. Have tried using ccs rapid chargers with app and rfid card. Tried plugging in first and after connecting just not connecting regularly for me. Gave up after three different charging stations today wouldn't connect.
 
pemmery1965 said:
Thanks for replying. Using granny at home. Have tried using ccs rapid chargers with app and rfid card. Tried plugging in first and after connecting just not connecting regularly for me. Gave up after three different charging stations today wouldn't connect.
Click to expand...
It shouldn't be necessary but it can sometimes be helpful to lock the car after plugging in. It locks the cable to the car and makes sure that you have a solid connection.
 
This one is unlikely, but it caught me out earlier this year.

I have my car set to charge between midnight and 5am. While away for the weekend, I tried to charge on a rapid charger in the late morning. I couldn’t get it to charge, phoned the helpline without success and the charger was logged as faulty. Trying the adjacent charger had the same result … until I realised I still had scheduled charging switched on.

D'oh! No wonder it wouldn't charge …
 
Last edited:
M44LCY said:
This one is unlikely, but it caught me out earlier this year.

I have my car set to charge between midnight and 5am. While away for the weekend, I tried to charge n a rapid charger in the late morning. I couldn’t get it to charge, phoned the helpline without success and the charger was looked as faulty. Trying the adjacent charger had the same result … until I realised I still had scheduled charging switched on.

D'oh! No wonder it wouldn't charge …
Click to expand...
Ha! The advantage to having a dumb PFL5...
 
pemmery1965 said:
Hi.
Not sure if it is something I am doing or if it's a vehicle fault. I have a brand new MG5 Trophy and I cannot get the car to charge using public chargers. I have tried numerous chargers when I plug in the charger I get the two blue lights but the car cannot seem to link to the charger. Only once have I had a seamless connection now I am having major problems. Have tips greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Might help us help you if you could go through the steps you take to initiate a charge. I.E. are you doing the basic stuff like making sure the car is turned off, that the doors are closed (until the charge starts then you can open again). Can you hear the car locking the plug into the port?
 
5teep said:
Might help us help you if you could go through the steps you take to initiate a charge. I.E. are you doing the basic stuff like making sure the car is turned off, that the doors are closed (until the charge starts then you can open again). Can you hear the car locking the plug into the port?
Click to expand...
Locking the car and getting the charge port to lock is a very good tip.
 
Thanks for all your insights. I must admit the car wasn't locked, and I tried with doors open and closed. I will do a step-by-step list next time I try to charge.
 
pemmery1965 said:
Thanks for all your insights. I must admit the car wasn't locked, and I tried with doors open and closed. I will do a step-by-step list next time I try to charge.
Click to expand...
Those tips might be helpful, I don't know, but my Trophy just works without any special considerations (probably except for the scheduling!) so I'd be bringing this up with MG as a warranty issue if the steps aren't too wild. Be aware that Tesla chargers may not work anyway without an update to the car. I think I've used about 10 rapid chargers now and all except one worked first time by doing what it said on the screen of the charger. One failed to connect the first time, and worked the second time, but it turned out my wife hadn't shoved the charger plug all the way in.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I agree with @Jaumg . Follow the steps specified by the charger - some tell you to plug in first, others get you to initiate first, then plug in etc. I also suggest you call the charger's helpline if you have a problem - they all should have responsive helplines these days and are often able to start the charge for you if you have issues. It at least will help you confirm if (they say) it's your vehicle rather than the charger.
 
pemmery1965 said:
Thanks for all your insights. I must admit the car wasn't locked, and I tried with doors open and closed. I will do a step-by-step list next time I try to charge.
Click to expand...

I charge on public chargers almost every day and try to always do it the same way.
Car turned off
Doors closed (not locked)
Follow the charger instructions
Plug in to the car and then press start charge - wait to hear it lock in

Sometimes it won't lock in and I have to turn the car on and off again to wake it up.
 
5teep said:
I charge on public chargers almost every day and try to always do it the same way.
Car turned off
Doors closed (not locked)
Follow the charger instructions
Plug in to the car and then press start charge - wait to hear it lock in

Sometimes it won't lock in and I have to turn the car on and off again to wake it up.
Click to expand...
How often do you have a problem where you think it's the car, just out of interest?
 
M44LCY said:
This one is unlikely, but it caught me out earlier this year.

I have my car set to charge between midnight and 5am. While away for the weekend, I tried to charge on a rapid charger in the late morning. I couldn’t get it to charge, phoned the helpline without success and the charger was logged as faulty. Trying the adjacent charger had the same result … until I realised I still had scheduled charging switched on.

D'oh! No wonder it wouldn't charge …
Click to expand...
CCS charging will ignore a schedule set in the car; ours is permanently set from 2-6 am, used a rapid charger on Sat without having to disable it?
 
Jaumg said:
How often do you have a problem where you think it's the car, just out of interest?
Click to expand...

I rarely have problems starting a charge. If there's one issue I come up on often it's the charger being 'slow' i.e. I get maybe 36 kW out of a 50 kW charger. During the summer this has to be the charger but just now with the cold temperatures I reckon it's more likely the car.

My PFL long range tends to go to sleep pretty quickly (within a couple of minutes) when I switch off and if I don't start the charge before it does I can get the doesn't lock in problem. I drove a standard range model for about 2 years and don't remember that being an issue with it.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I always use the same technique regardless of charger instructions. Car off, plug in, do whatever you need to do to start charge, app/RFID card/on screen.
If you do the other stuff first the charger is just waiting for you to plug in, by doing it first it simply means you've done it really really quick, not allowing the car to sleep.
Never been a problem.
 
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slmorgan42 said:
Make sure the car is turned off. That was my newbie mistake.
Click to expand...
slmorgan42 said:
Make sure the car is turned off. That was my newbie mistake.
Click to expand...
Mine as well. They should explain it when you pick up the car. Believing that RFID meant my contactless debit card was another. Doors opened, closed, locked was never an issue in my case. There is a learning curve; some chargers requiere pay first plug later, other plug and pay, there are millions of combination; I still get the weird charger from time to time and waste some valuable time figuring things out. Beats me why they don't do it as easy as in a petrol station: wipe your card, get the fuel.
 
I generally don’t have a problem except for Shell chargers. I was at one last week and it started charging so I went for a drink and came back and it had stopped. Seems that whoever is charging with the same machine can stop charging by pressing the on screen button. I pressed it to stop mine charging as it wouldn’t stop by flashing the RFID card at it. It stopped my and the car in the next bay. Electroverse seem to be the easiest (and Tesla)
 
elenuial said:
Mine as well. They should explain it when you pick up the car. Believing that RFID meant my contactless debit card was another. Doors opened, closed, locked was never an issue in my case. There is a learning curve; some chargers requiere pay first plug later, other plug and pay, there are millions of combination; I still get the weird charger from time to time and waste some valuable time figuring things out. Beats me why they don't do it as easy as in a petrol station: wipe your card, get the fuel.
Click to expand...
Even that isn't the same from petrol station to petrol station. I've seen some that you have to pay up front for fuel, you choose to buy £10-20-50 whatever and pay, then it dispenses petrol to that value.
 

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