ChargePoint Problem... anyone else?

I had trouble with public Chargepoint units, but found that uncoiling the cable seemed to work better (at least it made me feel like I was doing something?).

 

I'm going to take my charger apart and see if there is anything obvious. It could be the relay or the circuit that drives it. If there is a serial number or part number on the board, maybe I could find a refurb board. I have to admit that it wouldn't break Chargepoint to provide the board as there are companies that rebuild boards and you can purchase them and then get a core charge back for the old one.

 

I'm also pretty frustrated with Chargepoint Home. After using a CPH25-P for a couple of years, my unit will now only draw 3.8kw (it's specified for double that). Suspecting some firmware update they did recently has caused a problem. Support, while responsive when I call, is not much help. I've tried a new account, rebooting, resetting and two different EVs with the same result. It's also possible something in their network is throttling based on the unit MAC address.
That's the main issue with this charger - you can't opt-out of updates and the network based configuration adds a lot of complexity. My next charger will be dumb.
EDIT: After my fourth call to support, someone finally determined my charge rate in their network was locked at 20amps - they reset and pushed to the charger and it appears to be working now.

 

I just got the same problem three days ago!

I plugged in my ChargePoint Home Charger into my Clarity and it wouldn’t charge.

The blue light comes on as if it’s charging too. I’ve tried resetting the panel in my basement and everything.

I’ve only had this thing for a year. So disappointed. I don’t even know how to install or uninstall it. I paid someone $1000 to do it.

I’m basically out $2000.


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs

 

Hello,
So after multiple times trying to get some sort of resolution with Chargepoint, I decided to take the unit apart. There are two boards inside. They are connected by a board to board connector. My guess is the upper one is the CPU as it has a back up lithium battery. The main board has the relay on it. I tried looking up the boards both with their numbers and QR code but no luck. I decided to try replacing the relay as it did have a number which was easy to find and at 20 bucks if it fixed the problem. See the board with the relay. The cup board has been removed. reat if not I'm out 20 bucks. There are 12 lens that are soldered to the board. I was able to replace the relay. After reassembly I plugged it in and it passed its health check. I connected it to the car and it works perfectly. Please see the attached photo showing the location of the relay. Note: The upper CPU Board has been removed.

 

Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in a while...
It probably helped that I built an EVSE with an OpenEVSE board and display I bought on the internet. I had to source the transformer, relay, box, etc from Ebay, etc. The first relay I bought used from Ebay and it would not work. I think I paid like $10, so I didn't even try to get the money back. I tried a second different manufacturer and bought new (still off Ebay) and have had no problems with that one. I'm glad I guessed correctly with your EVSE.

 

Yes, thanks for the advice. Chargepoint is absolutely no help. If its not the internet, replace it. It even had a diagnostic port. You would think they would want to know what components fail or the the MTBF would be OR maybe they just care about their commercial stations.

 

I have not heard the clicking, but after unplugging & replugging in sometimes helps. At one point, it was plugged in and after 10 minutes, just started changing. I own a 2019 Bolt, no issues till August, had receptacle replaced, helped for a few months, however, started again.
Would the relay help my issue? My 32 amp hardwired charger has been installed since 2015, babied, in perfect condition, without plug even dropped, and had no issues with Volt or Bolt till recently.
What would the relay part number be, as wife has many things limiting my access to pull it apart?

 

I have the same problem. ChargePoint Home installed since 2017. Just died on me last night. What really sucks is that we have two EVs (a 2017 Bolt and a 2021 Model Y). We will manage with level 1 chargers for now I guess. I plan on changing the relay on the motherboard as suggested by others to see if that will do the trick. Just ordered the part from Digi-Key (Canada) for $30.51. To answer your question the part is T92S7D12-12 made by Potter & Brumfield. There are 6 double connectors soldered on the main board. Hopefully not too hard to replace for a newbie such as myself. Will post an update next week.

 

I look forward to hearing how it went
I do not have a de-solder iron; guessing a regular iron will work?

 

My experiment did not go well. Perhaps I didn't have the right tools or perhaps I am too much of am amateur but changing the relay did not fix my problem.
I've decided to try a Grizzl-e charger instead. Good luck to all.

 

Would you be interested in selling the defective ChargePoint?

 

I have 2020 Bolt and had new Charge Point installed. 6awg wire connected to 50 amp breaker. No issues for 6 months. All of sudden charger make clicking sound, will charge for an hour or sometimes a bit longer then stops. I see a RED light on the SIDE. circle light remains Blue. No FAQ on CP sites covers issue with RED light on SIDE. it is a Fault light. I have been calling and E-mailing Charge Point since Tuesday. all i get is a case #. 3 case #'s now 4 days later and no support. Extremely frustrating since they claim to offer world class support. simple fix is to keep unplugging station from wall for 15 minutes, it resets and allows another short charge with clicking noises.
disappointing support can not resolve issue in a timely fashion. In my opinion Charge Point Sucks. I ordered Juice Box today, will have on the 29th. Hoping i will get a call from charge point engineer. I am sure they are aware of this issue since forums talk about issue.

sadly, charge point is no longer a brand i trust. Buyer beware. $699.00 at least i got 6 months usage. Sure they don't care.

if anyone knows of a ideal Fix please advise. i will be purchasing a 2nd EV in next year so i can hope to fix and use for 2nd vehicle.
Wishful thinking!!
Bob

 

The only "moving part" that would likely produce a "clicking" sound is the relay. See the post from @John Fleckenstein above where he ordered the relay from the internet and successfully repaired his Chargepoint. If yours is only 6 months old, Chargepoint should warranty it, it seems to me.

 

I’m sorry to hear you’re having problems with a unit that is not that old. Don’t throw it away though. Sometimes these things can be fixed without too much effort. You should be able to get at least $100 for it sold “as is” on eBay.

 

Wanted to add my Charge Point Home 25 information in case it helps anyone else. I purchased mine used recently on FB Marketplace from a seller who said they sold their car an were no longer using it. I have no reason to believe it was exhibiting symptoms based on his use case, which was 3.3 Kw/h versus my 7.6Kw/h. Since I was pulling more amps through it the poor relay connection couldn't reliably sustain the amount of current necessary for long charging periods.

My symptoms were, it would randomly stop charging and surge up and down when it was charging. No errors on the ChargePoint were registered via lights or in the app. I couldn't pinpoint the issue, I thoroughly went over all of the wiring in the breaker panel and outlet and it never did this anywhere else I charged, only at home. When it had this issue it would also throw a check engine light due to a charging issue when this happened.

I have attached pictures of the board with the relay removed. I opened the relay to show the problem with the relay contacts which were in pretty bad shape. It is too bad these are such a pain to replace, since I imagine over time this will be an issue many will have unless the design is changed.

My steps to open the unit included using a Torx secure bit to open the back and then access the two boards as previously mentioned. In order to remove the relay, I found it helped to take the plastic apart piece by piece until I could isolate each of the standoffs so that I could cut/break them off clean at the board and then go about using a solder sucker and solder braid to remove and clean up the holes. This is not a trivial task and takes patience and care. It may be frustrating for those who are inexperienced in soldering. Due to the size and amount of thickness to the traces, it requires a lot of heat and care to ensure you don't damage anything along the way. When I replace the new one, I didn't push it through quite as far as the original, so that in the future it would be easier to remove and replace if necessary.

Hope this helps others with this issue. Any questions, let me know.

https://imgur.com/a/c3k2En4

 

Added additional pictures at the bottom of this link showing the charging issue in the graphs and list of charging with 0 or 1 miles added over various timeframes when it should have been fully charged, up to 15KW or so in the app. https://imgur.com/a/c3k2En4

 

A thought just occurred to me while reading your post. Your photographic evidence with the pitted contacts implies that the relay is making / breaking the connection under load. As a charge is completed, the vehicle normally tapers the current down and I would expect that there would be essentially no load when the relay disengages. Likewise, I would think that the vehicle would not present a load until after the relay has connected at the start of a charge cycle. This should be conducive to long relay life in the EVSE.

Now, suppose you command the Chargepoint to terminate charging prematurely (before the vehicle is 'done'), maybe it simply opens the relay causing it to arc.

Is there a chance that a user's modus operende can be either 'good' or 'bad' for the longevity of the relay in the EVSE? Do some EVSE's utilize solid-state relays, or would a SSR tend to be too lossy (excessive heat) for this application?

 

Might was not charging either. Took apart the unit and found a diode had fallen off the circuit board. Looks like the Diode is dead. Anybody have a part number to replace D11?

 

I am about at the same point as you have shown in your photos....I have the old relay out of the circuit board, but need to clean up the holes. My challenge is that the old solder is not melting. I have the iron cranked up to 480C, but it still won't melt. Am I missing something here? Did ChargePoint use some extreme temperature solder to manufacture these things?

Unless someone has some advice to address this, I think I may be to the point of trying to figure out how to connect the relay to the circuit board with wires instead of soldering directly to the circuit board (and that doesn't seem ideal to me).

Thanks for any help folks can offer!!!