I got my first issue with the Kona.. It's not something that I'm too much concerned about but it is an issue.. At least when charging with my home EVSE, the charging handle no longer locks to the car. The car charges normally and you can hear the lock mechanism but it does not lock the handle to the car. I can push down the tab on the J1772 handle and it allows me to push it down all the way.. I did not disconnect the J1772 while charging.. All that I did was to push down the disconnect tab on the handle. If the handle is locked in place, I'm not supposed to be able to push the disconnect tab. I can't really take it to the dealer as dealers in Florida are likely not equipped to work on the Electric Kona and I'm not going to bring the car up to Maryland for such minor issue. I wonder if anybody else here had such issue and if there may be a way to fix this myself??
Have you tested this on other chargers or just your home EVSE? Is it possible that the issue is with the home EVSE and not the Kona?
I only noticed it last night at my home EVSE. I even changed the setting on the car not to release the handle when done charging. Neither during charging nor after it finished charging was the handle locked in place. May try tonight at a public charger.. Not sure if this could be an issue with my home charger as it's not the handle that's supposed to do the lock.. It's the car... The lock lever on the handle is undamaged, so I don't see why it would not lock.. You can hear the locking mechanism being activated when I connect the handle but despite the locking noise, the handle is not locked in place.
I guess the only way to know for sure is to test it at another charger. Not sure exactly how the locking mechanism works so hard to say what is potentially at fault.
I have found it varies from one EVSE to the next, some lock better than others. It seems the all metal J1772 mechanisms work better where the plastic combo ones might wear a bit. At least that's better than not being able to disconnect it.
While messing with a variety of J-plugs, it's felt to me that if the end of the plug is tilted down a little [e.g. raise the handle slightly until the locking process is done] it makes the process more reliable. The lock motor has to push a piece out over the latch so if it's cocked upward, it might be in the way.. _H*
I tried a public Chargepoint EVSE yesterday and I was also able to disconnect it without unlocking the car first.. There was some resistence but I was still able to push the lever a little harder and I was able to get the handle out without unlocking.
I have encountered the same results, even on quite a number of brand new "out of the box" EVSEs - some lock better than others.
I'd think that the J1772 handle is standardized and should be identical or close to identical on all EVSE's
If the Hyundai charger that came with the car doesn't lock then you might be able to make a warranty claim on it. Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk
I would imagine so but I am sure you are aware the term "plastic" incorporates wide range of synthetic , semi-synthetic or even combinations of organic compounds.
