Problems charging at public stations

[Scorpix00]

Hello all,

I've just recently received my brand new MG4 last week in Australia and I'm currently having trouble charging at public charging stations so I'd like a bit of advice on what else to try. When doing my test drive, I was told that the MG4 should be chargeable at most Tesla destination chargers. However I've tried a couple of them now at different locations and could not get it to work properly.

I've tried unlocking and locking the doors, attempted to press "Start Charging" on the touchscreen panel, and unplugging / replugging numerous times. The infotainment screen only ever shows "Connected - Not charging". I've confirmed that I don't have any schedules set.

Contacting the dealership, they've advised the following:
"...please use other public chargers not Tesla it could be the charging point out that you happen to use is not compatible to our software program."

This is the complete opposite of what they told me about charging when I did the test drive. Is it true that Tesla stations are incompatible with the MG4? Granny cable charging has been fine for the moment, but I don't want to rely only on being able to charge at home.

Any tips on what I can try next would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks all.

 

[JoeBlow]

There could be a few things going on:

1. Some Tesla destination chargers can indeed be restricted to Tesla only. This is up to the charger owner to configure.
2. Some random AC chargers (of all types) are just broken and nobody fixes them
3. Are you definitely using destination chargers (small grey box) or superchargers (big white and red things)?
4. Only some superchargers are open to non Tesla.

The answer to all of these questions can usually be answered in the "plugshare" app - PlugShare - EV Charging Station Map - Find a place to charge .

In the case of 1 and 2, look for recent checkins from drivers of non-teslas who said it worked or not.

In the case of 3 and 4, check for the "Tesla Drivers Only" designation. They won't work for you if marked that way.

I've charged mine at Tesla, Evie, etc chargers in Sydney without issue (at least no more issues than my other EV) - public charging can be flakey sometimes. It can take 2 or more tries to get chargers to work.

 

[Scorpix00]

There could be a few things going on:

1. Some Tesla destination chargers can indeed be restricted to Tesla only. This is up to the charger owner to configure.
2. Some random AC chargers (of all types) are just broken and nobody fixes them
3. Are you definitely using destination chargers (small grey box) or superchargers (big white and red things)?
4. Only some superchargers are open to non Tesla.

The answer to all of these questions can usually be answered in the "plugshare" app.

In the case of 1 and 2, look for recent checkins from drivers of non-teslas who said it worked or not.

In the case of 3 and 4, check for the "Tesla Drivers Only" designation. They won't work for you if marked that way.

I've charged mine at Tesla, Evie, etc chargers in Sydney without issue (at least no more issues than my other EV) - public charging can be flakey sometimes. It can take 2 or more tries to get chargers to work.

I'm fairly certain the one's I've tried are destination chargers - they're the small grey boxes you mentioned and I've definitely seen other Tesla cars charging there for long periods of time. No non-Tesla cars have checked in on Plugshare at these ones so far though.

I can confirm I tried a charger that was supposedly "open" for other EVs, as I saw the "Teslas only" sign only in the bay opposite mine but not for the one I was in.

I have yet to try a supercharger - that's probably a good idea to see if I can at least get something other than the granny charger to work. I'll give that a go on my next charge.

When you charge yours at a public station, how long does it take for the MG4 to connect once you plug the cable in? It seems to take a minute or two for me (stays "Connecting" for a while), before it eventually goes "Connected - Not Charging".

 

[JoeBlow]

Yeah the "Teslas Only" sign can just be random since it's controlled by the owner, on superchargers it's accurate, Tesla makes sure of that.

Destination and AC chargers should start fairly quickly. Sometimes they have a reset button, try that. But I admit I haven't tried an AC charger out and about yet (I very rarely use them, not worth the hassle for how slow they are).

But on a DC charger it can take 30 seconds to 1 minute to start working once you activate the charger on the providers app.

 

[Ian Key]

I believe with some destination chargers the charge has to be authorised by the owner. So if it's in a hotel car park for example you might have to ask reception to authorise the charge as it might be only for guests.

 

[siteguru]

Find Us | Tesla

Use the interactive Find Us map to locate Tesla charging stations, service centers, galleries and stores on the go.

www.tesla.com

Try that, at least for superchargers open to all. It also shows destination chargers but doesn't differentiate between Tesla-only and non-Tesla. (Another app like Zap Map etc. may provide additional details).

 

[Scorpix00]

A quick update - I tested a supercharger on the "ChargeFox" network and it seemed to charge just fine. I guess the Tesla destination chargers I've tried so far were indeed all Tesla-Only.

I took at look at the Tesla Find Us map and there doesn't appear to be any superchargers open to non-Tesla in Sydney (wow...). Looks like I'll have to keep testing destination chargers at various locations until I luck out and find one that works.

Thanks all.

 

[JoeBlow]

There is blaxland that is open to all. Although that depends on your definition of Sydney.

On the way out there you can try the destination charger at super cheap auto Penrith. That has recent PlugShare checking from all brands.