ZE50 rejecting lamppost chargers

Onto vehicles
#1

My Zoe ZE50 has taken a dislike to the City EV 3kW lamp post chargers run by Electric Blue here in Brighton.

The car reliably charges on a variety of other charging points (networks, connectors and charging speeds).

It once charged successfully on an Electric Blue lamppost charger but has failed every time since.

When starting the charge the ZE indicator flashes orange for a minute or so then starts flashing red and the dashboard display says “check charging station”.

I’m at a loss. Any suggestions?

Another day, another problem
#2

Sounds like Zoe being Zoe, picky as usual if she’s not happy with the earth.

Let the network know so that they can resolve the problem on current posts, and take this issue into account when installing new ones.

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#3

Have you tried a few different Electric Blue posts to rule out a fault? Are they showing on Zap Map are working and not faulty? And does the chargepost appear to be responding to the app when you tell it to start charging, as in, are the correct lights showing on the post?

They tend to be fairly reliable in my experience. But as @E7EV has pointed out it’s likely an earth issue which the Zoe is super picky about. To put that theory to the test, try plugging in again after it’s been raining and if it starts working again you can put it down to that.

3 Likes
#4

I had a look on Zap-Map and there aren’t that many comments from other users. Often this helps when you see lots of other Zoes having the same issue. At least then you know it’s not just yours!

@sdmr Try leaving a comment yourself, as this may lead to others doing the same. Also inform the network directly.

In addition to what @Koda said about trying it on a wet day, try supporting the plug on Zoe’s end of the cable while she does her checks. This will ensure a good contact. This often works on a tethered rapids where the cable is heavy, but may be an issue here as well.

2 Likes
#5

Thanks for all the advice. I have been trying multiple different lampposts and leaving Zap-Map comments, but to be fair the network is very new and not very heavily used, so I’m not surprised by the lack of comments from others.

The rain suggestion is interesting! I will have to try that next time it rains. That’s about the only thing that could explain how it worked once and then never again.

Will let you know how I get on.

1 Like
#6

Earthing is the bane of some products and I well remember old BT landline phones used to have crackly reception in dry weather, so all you had to do was go outside and water the earthing rod and presto all clear again.
Seems bizarre in this day and age that the same solution is needed for high tech chargers/EV’s.
Even more so when water and electricity don’t mix well. :smirk:

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#7

For crying out loud, can we stop saying the earths aren’t up to the ZOE’s specifications and say it as it really is…

ALL OTHER EV MAKES ACCEPT THE CHARGERS ZOES REFUSE

THE CHARGERS THE ZOE GIVES A RLOD ON, ARE NOT DANGEROUS

THERE IS (AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN) AN ISSUE WITH RENAULTS AND COMPATIBITITY WITH 'UNIVERSAL CHARGERS ’

#8

@Kev. I entirely agree.

1 Like
#9

So… in the defence of Electric Blue and City EV, I received this reply by email. I will try what they suggest next time I can get to a lamppost that’s not ICEd

Our charges in Brighton and Hove are currently experiencing a technical difficulty that is causing ‘ghost’ charges.

This occurs when charging sessions appear to commence normally, with the app reflecting this, but are stopping themselves after some time, with no power having been taken from the charge point. We recommend you confirm the charge has started properly by pressing start on the charge point once you have started the charge on our app and then checking both the lamppost charger and your vehicle. The charge point will flash amber during charging. To read more about how these charge points in Brighton & Hove work, please visit https://cityev.net/street-how-to/.

If this does not work, we will do our best to get an engineer to look at the charge points and resolve the issue.

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