Charging from Solar PV panels: iSmart software repeatedly resets Charging Settings and stops charging prematurely

[GadjoDave]

... and now the charging has spontaneously stopped at 87% with the message "Charging Completed" despite the Target charge level being set to 100%, and no interruption to PV surplus (>2.3 kW available throughout; no domestic appliances used).
This time, the car settings confirmed 100% Target charge level, and the Scheduled Charging had not reset itself to "On", yet it still decided that charging was completed at 87%....
(expletive deleted...)

 

[MickeySw]

… does the car charge if you set the Zappi to ‘Fast’?

Just to rule out another thing: there hasn’t been a Zappi FW update since all worked fine?

 

[GadjoDave]

… does the car charge if you set the Zappi to ‘Fast’?

Just to rule out another thing: there hasn’t been a Zappi FW update since all worked fine?

Thanks for your helpful suggestions.

I haven't tried Fast charging the car using the MyEnergi app.
As I understand it, Fast mode imports electricity from the grid if the PV panels are not generating sufficient power; but my aim here is to trickle charge from PV alone when there is sufficient surplus, and avoid any use of the grid.

Also, the problem is not with getting the Zappi to start charging or getting the car to accept the charge.
I can start to charge the car from the PV panels in "Eco+" mode, it's just that it keeps terminating the charging process prematurely every time the surplus electricity falls below a threshold, instead of waiting until surplus becomes available again then re-starting to trickle charge automatically, as it had done up to a couple of weeks ago....

Re: Zappi firmware, I've just checked using the information here:

https://www.evolutionaustralia.com.au/update-firmware-zappi-myenergi-ev-charger

...and it turns out that there is a new version of firmware for the Zappi available.
There's also a new version of the MyEnergi iPhone app available.

I'm not sure whether these updates have come out since my system was working fine; and I don't think this would explain why the MG firmware keeps resetting the Scheduled Charging to "On" after it has been repeatedly saved as "Off".

However, it's important to exclude out-of-date Zappi firmware or MyEnergi app as potential causes for my charging problem, so many thanks for thinking of this.

I've downloaded and installed the latest versions of the Zappi firmware and the MyEnergi iPhone apps and I'll see if these make a difference.

Thanks again for your helpful suggestions.
Best wishes

 

[NLMGSAN]

Thanks for your helpful suggestions.

I haven't tried Fast charging the car using the MyEnergi app.
As I understand it, Fast mode imports electricity from the grid if the PV panels are not generating sufficient power; but my aim here is to trickle charge from PV alone when there is sufficient surplus, and avoid any use of the grid.

Also, the problem is not with getting the Zappi to start charging or getting the car to accept the charge.
I can start to charge the car from the PV panels in "Eco+" mode, it's just that it keeps terminating the charging process prematurely every time the surplus electricity falls below a threshold, instead of waiting until surplus becomes available again then re-starting to trickle charge automatically, as it had done up to a couple of weeks ago....

Re: Zappi firmware, I've just checked using the information here:

https://www.evolutionaustralia.com.au/update-firmware-zappi-myenergi-ev-charger

...and it turns out that there is a new version of firmware for the Zappi available.
There's also a new version of the MyEnergi iPhone app available.

I'm not sure whether these updates have come out since my system was working fine; and I don't think this would explain why the MG firmware keeps resetting the Scheduled Charging to "On" after it has been repeatedly saved as "Off".

However, it's important to exclude out-of-date Zappi firmware or MyEnergi app as potential causes for my charging problem, so many thanks for thinking of this.

I've downloaded and installed the latest versions of the Zappi firmware and the MyEnergi iPhone apps and I'll see if these make a difference.

Thanks again for your helpful suggestions.
Best wishes

This is Android, latest version 2.03 since May 27th. I explicitely set it to 90% last time. Now it shows

It again decides on its own .....

 

[GadjoDave]

This is Android, latest version 2.03 since May 27th. I explicitely set it to 90% last time. Now it shows
View attachment 27071

It again decides on its own .....

Did it set Scheduled Charging to "On" as well as setting the Target Battery Level to 80% ?

 

[NLMGSAN]

Did it set Scheduled Charging to "On" as well as setting the Target Battery Level to 80% ?

No. That's the difference. Only one change. But héh, it's not an Iphone..

 

[GadjoDave]

No. That's the difference. Only one change. But héh, it's not an Iphone..

 

[GadjoDave]

Tried again to charge from PV today in Eco+ mode, with latest versions of Zappi firmware and MyEnergi app.

The starting Battery Level was 86% with a Target Battery Level of 100%.

Charging started and continued without any problems until I diverted the surplus PV generation from the Zappi to domestic appliances by turning on the kettle and the oven.
Charging paused.
The iPhone MyEnergi app gave the message "EV is preventing charging" (see screenshot).
Then the MyEnergi app gave the message "Charging Complete" and stopped at a Battery Level of 87%.

I checked the Charge Settings in the car: Scheduled Charging was still "OFF" (it hadn't turned itself back on again this time); but the main battery status screen showed that the car had stopped charging, and it seemed to be stuck in an endless loop between "Connecting" and "Start Charging".

I checked the Charge settings on the MGiSmart app: it had reverted to "Scheduled Charging: ON (Start Time 22:00, End time 06:00)"; and "Target Battery Level: 80%".

The only way I could get the car to start accepting a charge again was to unlock the car, physically remove and reinsert the charging plug; and cycle the MyEnergi from "Stop" to "Eco+".

So the problem definitely lies with the MG's software: probably both the MGiSmart app and the firmware...

 

[MickeySw]

So the problem definitely lies with the MG's software: probably both the MGiSmart app and the firmware...

I’m more convinced it’s an issue with the car, try disconnecting the 12V Aux for a couple of seconds to do a reset?

 

[shpub]

Not so sure about it being an MG problem...

Seen this a couple of years ago on a Zappi install where the Zappi unit would disconnect the mains instead of using the charging protocol to pause or adjust the judging rate. Naughty Zappi as this is not how you are supposed to do it. Never saw it on simpler installs. Car in question saw it as per the standard as an emergency disconnect and would shutdown. This would require resetting to restart as you have described. It would not know why this fault condition happened and would take the safest option i.e. disconnect and not attempt a further charge.

I suspect that the PV diversion caused the Zappi to disconnect the mains without going through the correct shutdown process. The disconnect could be a simple break before make in the switching to another power source. Only needs a few ms BTW. Car would see this as a fault and stop charging and shuts down - hence the manual reset required. Zappi sees this as the car not taking a charge and reports EV not charging and then times out and reports that the charging function is complete. Zappi thinks that the job is done. MG sulks because it has seen the Zappi generate a fault. Both sit there sulking....

I generally avoid the use of too many apps as they are often not designed to work together. They frequently assume that they are in charge and end up squabbling with one or more going away in a sulk but as the scheduled charging restarted on the Ismart I think it is OK. The fact that it went back to 80% does indicate that it is starting a new session rather than restarting the old one.

 

[DevonMG4]

Since then, if the output from the solar panels dips transiently (eg. clouds moving across the sun; using electricity for domestic appliances such as boiling a kettle or using the electric stove), the MGiSmart app reports "Charging Completed", and the MyEnergi app reports "Charging Delayed" indicating that the MG is no longer accepting charge.

When the sun comes out again or the kettle has finished boiling, the MG subsequently refuses to resume charging, even though the charge in the battery is nowhere near the Target Battery Level, and any surplus electricity from the solar panels is diverted to be exported to the grid.

I'd be grateful for any shared experiences, advice or workarounds.

Just in case it helps. There's a lot here and I apologise as I have not read it properly, but I feel the MG4s ability to charge from excess solar has always been poor and possibly most recently noted here amongst other threads? Although just revealing itself to you, it has possibly always been there??

 

[GadjoDave]

Many thanks.

Just before I got your last post, I had just restarted charging again (required unplugging and reinserting charging plug, checking that Charge Settings on both MGiSmart app and in car firmware are both set to "Scheduled Charging: OFF" and "Target Battery Level: 100%", and toggling the MyEnegi app between "Stop" and "Eco+".

Car is now charging with current battery level of 88%, as confirmed by: Green LED flashing on Zappi, LCD display of Zappi, MyEnergi app, MGiSmart App, and the in car infotainment screen... and hopefully will continue to do so until I next turn the kettle on or the heat pump kicks in...

However, in a new and unexpected development, the 4 rectangular LEDs which surround the charging socket and usually light up blue when charging is stopped; or green (or flashing green) as each 25% increment of 100% Battery Level is achieved are all extinguished. Nothing at all.

This goes along with your thoughts that it might be an issue with the car (? charge management system). Not sure how to do a hard reset or disconnect the 12V aux - please can you give more details of a link?

The cart stopped taking a charge after 5 min. No interruption to surplus this time: Both the firmware and the MGiSmart App have both spontaneously toggled themselves back to Target Battery Level: 80% and Scheduled Charging: On. The MyEnergi app showed charging completed at 89%, "EV not allowing charge" and EV is full".

I did a reset as you recommended, by pressing and holding the home button below the infotainment screen for 10s until it had rebooted.

I then manually reset the firmware and app to Target Battery Level: 100% and Scheduled Charging "Off" (as both had yet again reset themselves following the reboot. Removed the charging plug. Reinserted the charging plug. Toggled the MyEnergi settings several times from "Stop" to "Eco+", and pressed "Start charging" on the infotainment screen. Car has now started to charge again (again, as confirmed by: Green LED flashing on Zappi, LCD display of Zappi, MyEnergi app, MGiSmart App, and the in car infotainment screen); but the 4 rectangular LEDs around the charging port have not lit up.

 

[DevonMG4]

However, in a new and unexpected development, the 4 rectangular LEDs which surround the charging socket and usually light up blue when charging is stopped; or green (or flashing green) as each 25% increment of 100% Battery Level is achieved are all extinguished. Nothing at all.

Sorry to bust in on your conversation but the charge port light problem is probably coincidental and a DIY fix is covered HERE arround post #26

 

[GadjoDave]

Just in case it helps. There's a lot here and I apologise as I have not read it properly, but I feel the MG4s ability to charge from excess solar has always been poor and possibly most recently noted here amongst other threads? Although just revealing itself to you, it has possibly always been there??

Thanks for your reply. Apologies for my lengthy posts: I'm just trying to include as much detail as possible in case it is relevant and helps someone identify a possible cause or solution.

I had the MG4 Trophy LR from new last September, and it used to all work fine when trickle charging from solar PV via the Zappi and Powerwall.

When there was surplus solar PV it would trickle charge.
When there was no surplus it would stop trickle charging; then when surplus returned, it would resume charging automatically
I didn't have to intervene at all: just plug in and leave it to do it's thing

Everything was great until I got it back from the dealership last week where it had had firmware upgrades to the Gateway, BCM and Selector.

Since then, trying to charge it from PV has been a nightmare.
I haven't attempted to charge it from the grid via the Zappi, or via a commercial charger since I got it back from the dealership; but my worry is that if the fault lies in the car's charge management system, I may find problems when charging from any source, not just PV.

In any case, the iSmart App and firmware should not be over-riding saved user settings and automatically toggling back to defaults of "Scheduled Charging: ON" and "Target Battery Level: 80%". And the sudden loss of the LED indicators around the charging port is cause for concern too...

 

[MickeySw]

Hard reset (12V battery disconnect)
Assuming it’s the same as on our MG5:
Open the bonnet, remove the battery cover, take a 10mm spanner and disconnect the battery minus (-) for 30s or so, then reconnect.
Turn on, move steering wheel to both extremes, if necessary clear remaining faults by driving a few yards.

 

[GadjoDave]

Sorry to bust in on your conversation but the charge port light problem is probably coincidental and a DIY fix is covered HERE arround post #26

Thanks for the link and workaround...

I really appreciate your help, and if this was a second hand car that I'd bought cheaply then I'd accept these kind of problems as part of the deal and have a go at fixing them myself.

However this is a 6 month old car that cost me over £ 32K to buy from new and has just been returned to me after 3 weeks of having repairs at the dealership because it spontaneously switched itself from Drive to Reverse mode in a traffic queue...

These problems shouldn't be happening in the first place; and I shouldn't have to spend hours fighting with buggy software, repeatedly resetting all my user settings and defaults, and removing and replacing battery connections and fuses every time I want to charge it up.

... apologies if I'm sounding exasperated, but it's not acceptable for MG to release an expensive product with potentially dangerous faults, and for it to become the responsibility of the owners to spend their own time and money finding workarounds.
I've got experience in medical device software and electronic design. Although I'm capable of implementing workarounds, EVs are also safety-critical devices, and EV manufacturers should take full responsibility for ensuring that the vehicles perform safely, and as intended, otherwise people get can get hurt or killed.

 

[shpub]

I would try charging from a non PV source just to remove that from the equation.

 

[DevonMG4]

Thanks for your reply. Apologies for my lengthy posts: I'm just trying to include as much detail as possible in case it is relevant and helps someone identify a possible cause or solution.

I had the MG4 Trophy LR from new last September, and it used to all work fine when trickle charging from solar PV via the Zappi and Powerwall.

When there was surplus solar PV it would trickle charge.
When there was no surplus it would stop trickle charging; then when surplus returned, it would resume charging automatically
I didn't have to intervene at all: just plug in and leave it to do it's thing

Everything was great until I got it back from the dealership last week where it had had firmware upgrades to the Gateway, BCM and Selector.

Since then, trying to charge it from PV has been a nightmare.
I haven't attempted to charge it from the grid via the Zappi, or via a commercial charger since I got it back from the dealership; but my worry is that if the fault lies in the car's charge management system, I may find problems when charging from any source, not just PV.

In any case, the iSmart App and firmware should not be over-riding saved user settings and automatically toggling back to defaults of "Scheduled Charging: ON" and "Target Battery Level: 80%". And the sudden loss of the LED indicators around the charging port is cause for concern too...

Full detail the only way to go, I've not looked in the forum for a while but as I did the Zappi bit in your post caught my eye.

I've still not read this entire thread but hope I've got the right end of the stick ie - ECO+ sun covered by cloud, kettle boiled etc, car stops charging and won't restart when excess resumes.

I mentally registered this behaviour last summer (2023) and now only bother trying to solar charge if I can guarantee an uninterrupted charge session on a blue sky day especially if it stops mid afternoon and I think the car will charge overnight and it doesn't because it has registered as charge complete. It was my observation that the MG4 would tolerate a handful of interruptions before the charging would halt.

I offer no solution other than I know not to bother. IMO and from what I have observed it is the MG4 at fault. I take consolation personally from the fact I no longer want to self consume excess generation, preferring to be paid 15p for it and charging overnight for 7.5p.

Agreed it's odd you say it used to work. Frustrating, yes, but it's still a great car, could it be better - YES.

Other than this I experience no charging problems on all the mainstream rapids, destination or granny chargers

 

[DevonMG4]

Thanks for the link and workaround...

I really appreciate your help, and if this was a second hand car that I'd bought cheaply then I'd accept these kind of problems as part of the deal and have a go at fixing them myself.

However this is a 6 month old car that cost me over £ 32K to buy from new and has just been returned to me after 3 weeks of having repairs at the dealership because it spontaneously switched itself from Drive to Reverse mode in a traffic queue...

These problems shouldn't be happening in the first place; and I shouldn't have to spend hours fighting with buggy software, repeatedly resetting all my user settings and defaults, and removing and replacing battery connections and fuses every time I want to charge it up.

Absolutely correct.

However, I think I have suffered the charge port light problem once in 27K+ miles on our one and only MG4. Given the option of going to the main dealer, with all the grief that entails, or five minutes on my hands and knees...

Still we are all different and I understand reluctance to 'have' to do things. But I'd rather bite off my own leg than book a trip to the main agent as they are far far less fit for purpose than the car is!

Good luck in your quest.

Just spotted your car was going in reverse! nightmare - you've every right to be peeved.

 

[GadjoDave]

Not so sure about it being an MG problem...

Seen this a couple of years ago on a Zappi install where the Zappi unit would disconnect the mains instead of using the charging protocol to pause or adjust the judging rate. Naughty Zappi as this is not how you are supposed to do it. Never saw it on simpler installs. Car in question saw it as per the standard as an emergency disconnect and would shutdown. This would require resetting to restart as you have described. It would not know why this fault condition happened and would take the safest option i.e. disconnect and not attempt a further charge.

I suspect that the PV diversion caused the Zappi to disconnect the mains without going through the correct shutdown process. The disconnect could be a simple break before make in the switching to another power source. Only needs a few ms BTW. Car would see this as a fault and stop charging and shuts down - hence the manual reset required. Zappi sees this as the car not taking a charge and reports EV not charging and then times out and reports that the charging function is complete. Zappi thinks that the job is done. MG sulks because it has seen the Zappi generate a fault. Both sit there sulking....

I generally avoid the use of too many apps as they are often not designed to work together. They frequently assume that they are in charge and end up squabbling with one or more going away in a sulk but as the scheduled charging restarted on the Ismart I think it is OK. The fact that it went back to 80% does indicate that it is starting a new session rather than restarting the old one.

Thanks - I agree there are all sorts of potential problems in using multiple apps and hardware and getting them to work together as intended without conflict; but this all worked fine for me till last week's MG firmware updates.

My requirements/expectations can't be that exceptional: there must be plenty of EV owners out there with similar hardware who want to charge their EV from PV surplus; so this scenario is one that could and should be anticipated and planned for by the manufacturers...

>> The fact that it went back to 80% does indicate that it is starting a new session rather than restarting the old one.

I hear what you're saying, but I still don't get it though: The MG apps should not be overriding saved user settings, even if a new session is started; and they shouldn't be doing this at random times (pre-charge, mid-charge...) and with random apps (MGiSmart app, firmware, or both simultaneously...). That's got to be buggy MG software.