Charging Connector Locked/Stuck

[Ed Zwieback]

I found out about this feature the hard way. I used a Volta public charger (Level 2, 7 kW, no controls), after about an hour, I tried to remove the connector so as to get on my way, but the connector was locked/stuck. The car was unlocked and the Charging Auto/Lock button was in Auto mode. I did a lot of car starts/stops , doors lock/unlock but no go.
I called Volta and got good advice. Seems like charger-connector-stuck may be a common problem. All I needed to do with the key fob : "lock the car", then "unlock the car" 3 times quickly. It worked.
Page H27 in the Owners Manual shows a Connector Manual Release feature: Under the hood, there is a Manual Release, with a picture shown (exact location not shown). I looked for it on my 2020 Kona, but could not find it. Anyone find it ?, please describe the location.

 

[FloridaSun]

I had a similar issue with the car when I charged it for the 2nd time at an old Greenlots Charger in Greensboro/NC.. The charger would fail to initiate the charge but the car would keep the plug locked.. Tried unlocking with no success.. Hit the unlock button a few times and it finally came off..

 

[electriceddy]

I found out about this feature the hard way. I used a Volta public charger (Level 2, 7 kW, no controls), after about an hour, I tried to remove the connector so as to get on my way, but the connector was locked/stuck. The car was unlocked and the Charging Auto/Lock button was in Auto mode. I did a lot of car starts/stops , doors lock/unlock but no go.
I called Volta and got good advice. Seems like charger-connector-stuck may be a common problem. All I needed to do with the key fob : "lock the car", then "unlock the car" 3 times quickly. It worked.
Page H27 in the Owners Manual shows a Connector Manual Release feature: Under the hood, there is a Manual Release, with a picture shown (exact location not shown). I looked for it on my 2020 Kona, but could not find it. Anyone find it ?, please describe the location.

Open the hood and see it is an orange button right and behind the hood latch as you look down, pull it and unlock the connector. Came in handy on several failed communication errors when DCFC charging
https://insideevsforum.com/community/index.php?threads/bc-hydro-stations.5252/page-2#post-59257
Things have been better lately with the firmware and machine upgrades

 

[Ed Zwieback]

Hi Bluekona, Glad you released the locked connector by hitting the "unlock button"; is that the "door-unlock" on the key fob, or what ?

Hi electriceddy, Oh, I see the big unmarked orange "button" sticking UP right behind the front edge of the hood opening.
So I pull UP on the button to unlock the connector. Hope I got that right.
Thanks.

 

[KiwiME]

All I needed to do with the key fob : "lock the car", then "unlock the car" 3 times quickly.

You didn't say of the car was still charging but if it was then you must terminate that first. That is done by an "unlock" command via the key or door buttons.
Auto Unlock is only applicable if the charge has already terminated, or can be done so at the EVSE.

 

[Ed Zwieback]

Hah! Seems like I don't know how to manually stop the charging process, and the Volta charging station has no controls (other public stations have controls). I don't see any instructions in the Manual on how to stop charging. Use the "door-unlock" on the keyfob? That doesn't seem so obvious.

 

[KiwiME]

I don't think it's mentioned in the manual but if it is someone will correct me if I'm wrong. Trivia such as this been passed around on forums since the first owners took possession of the Kona, otherwise many of us would have learned the hard way as well. The lack of detail in the manual is frankly bizarre.

I tested this early on myself and found that a door-unlock signal by any means will drop the charging power to about 0.5 kW and unlock the connector for about 15 secs only. At that low power when you pull the connector it is still "live", but at a low enough current as to not damage the connector from arcing when unplugged. The contactor inside the EVSE is supposed to drop off within 100mS of losing the control signal (CP, which is the shortest pin) but that isn't fast enough to beat any normal person breaking the connection. So, controls on an EVSE are not needed unless there are access-control features available.

The 3-times thing amuses me a bit. Perhaps that works on some other EVs. But I used to think it took 2 presses until I tested it myself.

 

[FloridaSun]

Hi Bluekona, Glad you released the locked connector by hitting the "unlock button"; is that the "door-unlock" on the key fob, or what ?

Hi electriceddy, Oh, I see the big unmarked orange "button" sticking UP right behind the front edge of the hood opening.
So I pull UP on the button to unlock the connector. Hope I got that right.
Thanks.

yes, the door unlock button on the fob.

 

[hieronymous]

Door handle button or fob. Once to Unlock if car locked. Twice to Lock/Unlock if car charging unlocked as In your garage.

 

[hobbit]

Actually, the car loses the *proximity* signal as soon as the latch is pressed,
before the plug starts to come out, giving it more chance to unload everything
before disconnect. Thzt's what the little click is when you press the latch --
a microswitch on the latch arm.

_H*

 

[KiwiME]

Actually, the car loses the *proximity* signal as soon as the latch is pressed..

Yes, that's true. I have the Type 2 connector which does not have a manually operated latch but rather an automatic solenoid lock on the receptacle side. The solenoid unlocks the connector while charging is paused but the CP line remains connected. When the connector is actually pulled out you can hear the contactor open a moment later. I have no idea why the standards differs in that area.

Door handle button or fob. Once to Unlock if car locked. Twice to Lock/Unlock if car charging unlocked as In your garage.

Hmm, being accustomed to public chargers I normally always lock the car while charging but tried this today. With doors unlocked I was able to pause charging and remove the plug with one press of the keyfob. Tried it twice to be sure. I have Auto Unlock enabled if that makes any difference?

 

[hieronymous]

Hmm, being accustomed to public chargers I normally always lock the car while charging but tried this today. With doors unlocked I was able to pause charging and remove the plug with one press of the keyfob. Tried it twice to be sure. I have Auto Unlock enabled if that makes any difference?

Mine is enabled also, though I had to check.
Having become a car driver/owner before the days of battery devices, I tend to regard things like key fobs as unnecessary accessories which will fail when you most need them and/or are easily misplaced. A door handle lock does the job as well as ever, so my key fob is buried at the bottom of my bag somewhere, and I press the Kona door handle button.
And here is the basis for any confusion - the fob and handle buttons are not functionally directly equivalent. The fob has a lock button and a separate unlock button. The door handle has one button which cycles from “lock” to “unlock” depending on the current lock/unlock state. So pressing the key fob unlock button gives you unlock directly even if the car is unlocked already, whereas pressing the door handle button when the car is unlocked just locks the car, nothing else, so a 2nd press is required to then initiate unlock for both the door and charge connector.