Thwarted by iSmart gosh dang it

[timeades]

So had an interesting day trying to charge.

Started off at a Gridserve which was all going well until the other half decided to clean the screen and stop the charging by accident. Tried to re-connect and got an error, moved to 2 others and got the connection error but had enough charge so set off.

Got to Clackett Lane services and thought I'd charge there, again a Gridserve charger but it connected and started charging then after a couple of minutes stopped. Tried to re-connect but go an error. So at this point I'm quietly cursing Gridserve under my breath.

Set off again in search of another charger and this time headed to Tonbridge and found a BP pulse, so opened the app selected the charger pushed go only to be told that my app had no internet connection (this might be an issue with MG hotspot but will investigate that when I have time)

Feeling more than little frustrated at this point I searched zap-map to find I had 2 Instavolt chargers near, I like Instavolt they are easy to use, so headed to them. Plugged in started to charge with no problem but agin the bloomin thing stopped charging after a couple of minutes.

Out of pure frustration I thought I'd open iSmart to see if there was an FAQ or help menu and it is at this point I realise that the iSmart app had set itself to only charge to 40%, no idea why or when it happened as when I set it up I set it at 80%

Anyway a little swipe of the bar, car plugged in and it charged to 85% with no further issues. But better to have these teething problems now than on the long trip in a couple of weeks

 

[tsedge]

Experiences vary, but I have had more problems with Gridserve chargers than any other type.

 

[Ian Key]

Thanks for sharing your problem with charging. It's another bit of information to be filed under "could be useful"

 

[wandle MG4 trophy]

iSmart has autonomously changed my charging target upwards or downwards about 4 times now. Dealer is investigating ………
There‘s a thread about this somewhere but I cannot recall the title.

 

[timeades]

iSmart has autonomously changed my charging target upwards or downwards about 4 times now. Dealer is investigating ………
There‘s a thread about this somewhere but I cannot recall the title.

That's good to know, checking iSmart will be part of my pre-charging routine from now for a little while

Experiences vary, but I have had more problems with Gridserve chargers than any other type.

My biggest problem with Gridserve so far is the steps printed on the box are completely wrong and it only works if you follow the on-screen steps. No idea who designed the box graphics but I think the need to go back to the beginning and start again

 

[tsedge]

My biggest problem with Gridserve so far is the steps printed on the box are completely wrong and it only works if you follow the on-screen steps. No idea who designed the box graphics but I think the need to go back to the beginning and start again

Yes and also I have found the charger can say it is working but actually it isn't and needs rebooting remotely.

 

[timeades]

Yes and also I have found the charger can say it is working but actually it isn't and needs rebooting remotely.

Reflecting on yesterday I'm wondering if it is 100% a Gridserve issue or if it's an MG/Gridserve issue. The first stop was at Heston Services Westbound and there was a bank of 12 Gridserve and 12 newly installed Tesla chargers. 6 of the Gridserve boxes were in use all by non MGs.

2nd Stop at Clacketts there were 2 Gridserve fast chargers and a slower non tethered Gridserve box. On the slow charger was an MG 5 as it failed on the fast, I failed on the fast but a Kia on the other was having no issues at all

 

[tsedge]

Reflecting on yesterday I'm wondering if it is 100% a Gridserve issue or if it's an MG/Gridserve issue. The first stop was at Heston Services Westbound and there was a bank of 12 Gridserve and 12 newly installed Tesla chargers. 6 of the Gridserve boxes were in use all by non MGs.

2nd Stop at Clacketts there were 2 Gridserve fast chargers and a slower non tethered Gridserve box. On the slow charger was an MG 5 as it failed on the fast, I failed on the fast but a Kia on the other was having no issues at all

It could be a bit of both. I have been at Gridserve chargers when lots of people have been having issues but some still able to charge.

Tesla chargers just work

 

[timeades]

It could be a bit of both. I have been at Gridserve chargers when lots of people have been having issues but some still able to charge.

Had an interesting chat with a chap at some chargers in Warwick on Sunday. He works for a charger manufacturer and they are currently working on the functionality to get rid of charging cards and apps. All communication will be done car to charger to server.

Idea is you drive up and plug in to any charger on any network. Charger then handshakes with the car to get user & payment info once acknowledged charging starts

Tesla chargers just work

I would have used the Tesla chargers at Heston but when I pulled up to them and opened the app they were not available to none Tesla owners. Talking to a taxi driver, in a Tesla, they were only commissioned a week ago so probably haven't made it to the app yet or I need to check for an app update

 

[tsedge]

Had an interesting chat with a chap at some chargers in Warwick on Sunday. He works for a charger manufacturer and they are currently working on the functionality to get rid of charging cards and apps. All communication will be done car to charger to server.

Idea is you drive up and plug in to any charger on any network. Charger then handshakes with the car to get user & payment info once acknowledged charging starts

Yes, this is part of a new standard and essentially how Teslas charge. However, does require manufacturer support I believe.

 

[Rolfe]

My first charge away from home was on a Gridserve charger at Southwaite services on the M6. I fumbled a bit but it worked fine and charged my car right up while I had lunch. My only problem was that it wouldn't let go of the car! But I realised from the screen that in fact I had been so slow that it thought it had a new customer. I showed it my card again then aborted the charge and we were free!

A few days later at Gretna a Gridserve charger saved my bacon. Multiple attempts to get an AppleGreen charger to talk to my car failed but when I moved it to a Gridserve one we were up and charging in no time.

In common with some of the posters above, the Gridserve charger then broke down when my car was only 67% charged, but it did me a favour really as 67% was plenty to get home on, and being broken down it didn't debit my card!

Also, Gridserve only take £1 "authorisation charge" from your card when you start the process. AppleGreen take £30, with the result that I had £90 tied up in my bank account for nearly a week after failing to get their charger to work at all.

 

[Rolfe]

This iSmart bug is only going to affect the long range batteries anyway. No matter what the app thinks it's set at, the SR goes on greedily slurping up electrons until it's full to bursting, or you physically take its plate away.

 

[siteguru]

FWIW the only DC rapid I've used is the GridServe charger at Gretna Green ... worked flawlessly both times I used it (albeit I only got about 40kW max, though I started from about 50% first time and 40% second time).

 

[Rolfe]

That's the one that broke down on me mid-charge!

 

[PeteC]

It could be a bit of both. I have been at Gridserve chargers when lots of people have been having issues but some still able to charge.

Tesla chargers just work

We've used the 350kW Gridserve chargers at Wetherby six times. Most times they have worked well and given a very quick charge. As there are 12 of them, it's usually possible to get straight on one. The screen on the charger does give an odd message about being unauthorised to charge just after it's accepted my payment card but that disappears and it starts charging.

One time at least 4 chargers were out of action. On two of the supposedly working chargers, our car started charging and then each time stopped after about 30 seconds. There was a Gridserve employee there who noticed our problems and checked we were doing things properly. He was managing any queue that might build up and after no more than 3 or 4 minutes he put us on a different charger and stayed to check it worked ok, which it did. Since then, if I see someone leaving a charger as we arrive I go straight to that one on the assumption that it might be working!

We've also used Tesla chargers six times and, yes, they just work!

 

[evcog]

I wonder if the problems people have had with Gridserve chargers are associated with how old they are. I used Gridserve several times recently and all, apart from one service area, were brand new, On these the process of charging was as easy as any I have tried. However, as soon as I returned down south the chargers were all much older and I did have to try 2 different chargers before one worked. I'm not sure if the car communicates back to MG China when a vehicle is negociating with a charger? That would seem a really bad idea because several locations I have charged in the past have had poor 4G connectivity. Why is it the charge companies thought it would be a good idea to place them in the darkest, most remote location at service areas?

I checked on google earth where the chargers currently are at the last service area I used and the walk distance to the cafe guarantees about 2 gallons of extra rain soaking on the way there. There was a big sign saying that they will be installing 12 rapid chargers later this year although I'm afraid that all the planning applications and Grid Infrastructure improvements are in the hands of the Government at the moment. I think they call it Catch 22.

 

[Rolfe]

While ICE car drivers get a canopy and lights and a shop with an actual human being in it...

At least the service stations I investigated all had the chargers close to the food court, although still no shelter or light (or indeed shade from the sun that stops you reading the charger screens). Someone is going to be seriously assaulted using one of these locations late at night.

 

[timeades]

I wonder if the problems people have had with Gridserve chargers are associated with how old they are. I used Gridserve several times recently and all, apart from one service area, were brand new, On these the process of charging was as easy as any I have tried. However, as soon as I returned down south the chargers were all much older and I did have to try 2 different chargers before one worked. I'm not sure if the car communicates back to MG China when a vehicle is negociating with a charger? That would seem a really bad idea because several locations I have charged in the past have had poor 4G connectivity. Why is it the charge companies thought it would be a good idea to place them in the darkest, most remote location at service areas?

I checked on google earth where the chargers currently are at the last service area I used and the walk distance to the cafe guarantees about 2 gallons of extra rain soaking on the way there. There was a big sign saying that they will be installing 12 rapid chargers later this year although I'm afraid that all the planning applications and Grid Infrastructure improvements are in the hands of the Government at the moment. I think they call it Catch 22.

Heston Services went from 3 old to 12 new + the addition of 12 Tesla ones in their own mini carpark right outside the entrance to the services. The grass area in the first pic has been dug up and that's where the 2nd pic is taken from

 

[timeades]

While ICE car drivers get a canopy and lights and a shop with an actual human being in it...

At least the service stations I investigated all had the chargers close to the food court, although still no shelter or light (or indeed shade from the sun that stops you reading the charger screens). Someone is going to be seriously assaulted using one of these locations late at night.

We have a nice new EV service station in Fulham that's like a traditional service station, I want to go and try it out in the next week or so

 

[Rolfe]

Oh, that's fantastic! That's how it should be everywhere.

So disappointed to see that the brand new chargers installed at Gretna and Abington are open to the elements just like the old ones.