Troubleshooting Common Issues with EV Charger Piles: A Guide for Electric Vehicle Owners

Common Problems with Electric Vehicle Charging Pile

[1] Power Selection

The power of the AC charging pile should not be less than the power of the on-board charger (OBC).

But the question that is often encountered is whether it is necessary to choose a higher power such as 22KW?

In terms of practicality, the effect is basically the same, and the actual power limit is the maximum power of the OBC.

If there are multiple cars in the family, or if you will change cars in the future, especially for 800V high-voltage fast-charging models, you can consider using a 22KW charging pile directly.

The advantage is that it can be compatible with different powers such as 7KW, 11KW and 3.5KW at the same time. No matter what car you change in the future, you don’t need to rewire and install the charging pile. Now high-capacity battery packs such as 100 degrees and 140 degrees are already a trend, so if you can have a 380V meter and live in the house for a long time, try to install a 22KW AC charging pile.

Secondly, the 22KW charging pile is designed to handle larger currents, so the cable material specifications and workmanship are better, the charging power loss is lower, and the theoretical safety is higher.

[2] Is the original pile better?

The answer is yes. Whether it is original or not has nothing to do with the quality.

First of all, it should be noted that using a third-party charging pile will not damage the battery and will not affect the car warranty.

As mentioned earlier, the real charging is done by the on-board charger (OBC) built into the car. The AC charging pile can be understood as a set of connection and control equipment with a protection system. As long as it is a national standard car, it can be charged with the same national standard charging pile.

Secondly, the original charging pile that comes with the car is not necessarily better than the third-party charging pile.

Most car manufacturers do not manufacture charging piles themselves, and their matching charging piles are manufactured or purchased by third parties. Therefore, the function and quality of the charging piles that come with the original factory are also uneven, and some are even considered "low-end". Moreover, the current mainstream third-party brand charging piles are no worse than the original piles in terms of function performance, safety workmanship and even appearance, and they are affordable. This is why some car owners will abandon the original piles and re-purchase third-party piles.

On the other hand, third-party piles may also have poor quality. In addition, although they are all national standards, there may also be a small probability of local compatibility issues. For example, manufacturers such as Tesla and Ideal have their own vehicle-machine communication protocols, and third-party charging piles also need to provide targeted support. Therefore, we can see that the product page says that it supports 99% of the models, not 100%. Of course, you can only confirm with the customer service before purchasing to see if there are any problems.

Of course, if you have a preference for the original manufacturer and pursue a match of texture, personality and appearance, then choose the original manufacturer. For example, Tesla's original charging pile uses a glass panel, and its appearance and design have typical Tesla language.

In short, if the functions and performance are similar, choose a third party if you pursue cost-effectiveness; if you care about a more perfect match, choose the original manufacturer.

[3] Which is better for protecting the battery, fast charging or slow charging?

In theory, fast charging uses a larger current and power, which has a greater impact on the life of the battery pack, because in the case of high-power fast charging, the battery temperature is higher, the ion activity is more intense, and the polarization of the battery cell will accelerate, thereby affecting the battery life. If the battery temperature is too high, it will also cause vehicle safety hazards under extreme conditions.

In addition, low-temperature fast charging has a great impact on battery life.

There is a saying that if fast and slow charging are alternated, the impact of fast charging on battery life can be reduced to a certain extent.

The mode of daily slow charging as the main method and fast charging as the auxiliary method for travel is also recommended by many manufacturers.

The above are all theoretical, and according to the actual usage data of car owners, the difference in battery life between fast charging and slow charging of new energy vehicles is not as obvious as imagined.

What really affects the battery life is bad charging habits, and some are listed specifically:

1. Untimely charging: Electric vehicles should be charged in time before the power is less than 20%, otherwise the battery will be over-discharged, which will directly affect the battery life;

2. Frequent full charging: Frequently filling the battery of an electric vehicle will also cause the battery to be overcharged, which will reduce the battery life and capacity over time;

3. Irregular charging: If you often use electrical equipment such as air conditioning when charging the vehicle, it will increase the load inside the power battery and shorten the battery life. The vehicle should remain off during charging.

4. Avoid low-temperature fast charging.

Try to put the car in the underground garage in winter to increase the battery temperature.

Therefore, forming a good charging habit and then alternating between fast charging and slow charging can better protect the battery.

[4] Install a DC charging station or an AC charging station

There are also DC charging stations for home or shared charging stations, which require a 380V meter and theoretically support a peak power of 39KW. Of course, the power of DC charging stations on the market is generally 20KW or 30KW. This can exceed the limitations of the on-board charger (OBC) and can charge faster.

The price of DC charging stations is also much higher.

If you can install a 380V meter at home and have enough funds, 7KW or 11KW slow charging stations cannot meet your needs, or you have a need for shared charging, or you are considering changing your car in the future.

Then you can consider a DC charging station.

Of course, you should also consider the disadvantages -

1. High budget investment,

2. High noise, because DC charging stations have high heat dissipation requirements and are generally air-cooled with a large fan.

3. There are currently few home DC charging stations on the market, and they are not competitive enough. The overall quality level is still worse than AC charging.

So you need to compare and understand each brand and product.

4. Ugly appearance, some look exactly like a water heater. Of course, you may not care too much.

[5] Installation and construction｜Price calculation applet

The installation cost of charging piles mainly includes-

Materials, including cables, protective tubes, air switches, or protective boxes.

Labor costs in each link.

Cables are crucial to the safety and charging efficiency of charging piles, so the distance between the meter and the parking space is the biggest cost determinant.

For example, 7KW generally recommends starting with a 3-core 6-square-meter cable. If the distance is longer, such as 30/40 meters or more, due to the need for transmission efficiency, the cable specifications need to be increased, and a 3-core 10-square-meter cable is used. If the distance is more than 80-100 meters, a 3-core 16-square-meter cable is required. If it is 22KW, a 380V meter is used with a 5-core cable, which is even more expensive.

In short, the longer the distance, the more the cost of the main materials, auxiliary materials, and construction costs will increase dramatically, and the overall installation cost can easily exceed the price of the charging pile itself.

Therefore, if the distance is short, the difference is not big. Generally, manufacturers provide installation packages such as 5 meters or 20 meters.

If the distance is long or exceeds the package distance, you need to compare different installation methods:

Or prepare the cable materials yourself and pay the installation fee (such as 10 yuan per meter);

Or the labor and materials package (such as 47 yuan per meter).

Now third-party manufacturers will clearly mark the details of the above various costs, so you can compare them according to your own installation environment and other conditions.

In addition, the technical experience level of the installer is also very important.

If you have decorated your home, you will understand that the entire process, from materials to construction to every link of the master, actually requires money, time or energy to grasp. That is, you need to understand the content of the relevant links in advance and pay attention to them.

In addition, after the wiring construction and installation are completed, the master will generally use a charging pile tester to test it.

[6]4G networking function

Charging piles with 4G function are more expensive, but they bring more convenient and fast remote information monitoring and control.

If there is a reliable network signal at the parking space, it is recommended to use one with 4G networking function.

I personally don’t think you need to worry too much about data traffic. Most manufacturers will provide data traffic. Even if you need to renew it later, it’s only about 30 yuan per year, which is not a burden.

Then go to the charging station to test the 4G signal strength to avoid finding that the 4G control function is not working after installation.

For example, use a mobile phone with a 4G card, or set the mobile phone to 4G mode to test (such as Settings - SIM Card - Enable 5G Off). Of course, it would be better to ask the manufacturer to send a technician to test it.

[7] Car charger

The following usage environments or methods can consider buying a car charger:

When you often go back to your hometown, travel to places with imperfect charging facilities, or in case of emergency on the road.

The frequency of car use is low, or the battery capacity of hybrid cars is small.

There is no way to install a charging station.

In addition, there are now portable 7KW DC chargers that can be used in cars, of course, there are requirements for sockets and wires.

Notes on car chargers:

Find a reliable socket. Generally, if you connect to a 10A ordinary socket, the peak power is 2.2KW, and if you connect to a 16A air-conditioning socket, the peak power is 3.5KW.

In terms of safety protection, if it is used outdoors, the higher the IP level of dust and water resistance, the better; there must be overheating protection; pay attention to the materials used for the gun head and cable. Try to choose brand products.

If you want to use an extension cord, be careful to buy a car charger without grounding protection. Otherwise, even if the socket used by the extension cord is grounded, the car charger will not work.

It is best to have a car charger with a timing function, which can use valley electricity.

It will be accumulated in the family's ladder electricity consumption. If the electricity consumption is too much, it may increase the family's electricity bill.

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