Charging Fun

  • Thread starter Thread starter Toi
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Interesting. Electrify America is basically THE network I use for travelling with my Bolt EV. But that's a different use case than an SE. The only complaint that I have with EA is their app constantly signs you out. So when you arrive, you first have to type out your username AND password (really? you can't save the username?) on a tiny touch-screen keyboard. If it stayed signed in, it would be easy enough to use the app to start a charge.
 
Looks like ISO 15118 is built on OCPP 2.0 (Open Charge Point Protocol). My impression is it should be just a software update to support ISO 15118 in the SE, but how long it would take to implement is another question. MINI may not have an incentive to add the complexity of billing to the SE unless ISO 15118 becomes a huge deal. As nice as it sounds, I wouldn't expect a quick rollout.

Personally I'm anxiously awaiting the update to the Connected app so I can start using EV routing in Apple Maps. And would also really like to see the full-screen Apple CarPlay.
 
GetOffYourGas said:
Interesting. Electrify America is basically THE network I use for travelling with my Bolt EV. But that's a different use case than an SE. The only complaint that I have with EA is their app constantly signs you out. So when you arrive, you first have to type out your username AND password (really? you can't save the username?) on a tiny touch-screen keyboard. If it stayed signed in, it would be easy enough to use the app to start a charge.
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Yeah their network is quite pathetic in this region. Even where family is on the East Coast. Whereas ChargePoint is all over the place here. A half a dozen within a mile and dozens more within a small area. The only EA in my city is somewhere I'd never bother to go and about 10 miles away.
 
I debated creating a new thread, but I think this fits here.

Yesterday I had to sit in a parking lot for two hours, and since it was cold I kept the SE "idling" (on) with the heat going. Everything was fine and I only used about 2.5% in the two hours. Adding: fully charged the guess-o-meter says 86 mile range, so the two hours of heating sure affected the range algorithm.

When I returned home and parked the SE started making a noticeable noise outside the vehicle, which I think might have been battery conditioning. It sounded sort of like fan noise. When I plugged in the EVSE it started charging immediately even though it was set to low cost charging. I double-checked and the SE definitely decided to ignore the low-cost window. I had to unplug from the EVSE and wait until my low-cost period began to plug it back in, at which point the SE started charging again.

Everything seems normal, but I don't think the car should ignore my low-cost setting like that.
 
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I just got a MINI Cooper SE on Saturday, and I've discovered that it only charges when it's unlocked. As soon as I lock it, it stops charging. Is this a glitch? A setting I can change?
 
Pete MINI ES said:
I just got a MINI Cooper SE on Saturday, and I've discovered that it only charges when it's unlocked. As soon as I lock it, it stops charging. Is this a glitch? A setting I can change?
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I would say that would be a big glitch... mine charges just fine locked or not.
 
Pete MINI ES said:
As soon as I lock it, it stops charging.
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That's not right, mine charges either way. When I'm at home I charge unlocked, and when I'm charging at a public store I charge with the car locked.

What I do find a bit amusing, but can be bothersome if you lock the car before plugging in, is the charge port door locks when the vehicle is locked. That seems to be a holdover from ICE vehicles. I don't really see anyone siphoning electrons from my battery while I'm away from the vehicle.
 
Pete MINI ES said:
The yellow flashing light goes out but it's still charging.
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I find it difficult to decipher the symbols inside the charge port door. For reference, from SE Motorist Guide:
  • White - ready to connect/disconnect EVSE cable
  • Orange Flashing - communicating with EVSE
  • Yellow Solid - charging paused (waiting for low-cost window)
  • Yellow Flashing - charging
  • Green Solid - charging complete
  • Red Flashing - fault
Also some more info I did not know until reading this section:
  • Indicator light turns off if vehicle is locked, but yellow flashing stays on if vehicle is unlocked;
  • Pressing the MINI logo button on the key will check the charging state by turning on the indicator light.
 
I posted earlier in this thread that my Mini was only pulling 16A from the EVSE. Further poking around the charge settings revealed that I should have been looking at Mode 3, not Mode 2. This isn't apparent from the owners manual. All sorted now, pulling the full 32A. 4.1/2 hours to charge from 20 to 100%. Happy days!
 
After a late-night jaunt I discovered yet more low-cost charging behavior.

When I plug in before the low-cost window, the car negotiates with the EVSE and then pauses charging until as close as possible to departure time. As an example, when I plug in at 6pm for my 9pm-9am window with a departure time of 8am, car charging is paused until well after midnight.

After I went for a quick drive around 11pm last night, when I plugged in the car immediately began charging. That was correctly within the low-cost window, but strangely different behavior.
 
The EV Puzzle guy discusses whether people should charge their MINI Cooper SE to 100% all the time or be paranoid like Tesla owners who charge to only 80% to stretch the lives of their batteries. I believe that if MINI wanted to encourage such paranoia, they would have included an automatic 80% charging option. However, MINI didn't want people to believe that properly charged their car would yield only 88 miles of range. MINI made the car responsible for protecting the battery. I say charge the hell out of it and hope the battery dies before the warranty expires.
 
Mini limits use of its 33kWh battery to only 29kWh. It is already limiting you to 87% so you don't have to. Yes, charge the heck out of it. And unless there is a manufacturing defect, it will last far longer than the warranty period.
 
Pete MINI ES said:
I just got a MINI Cooper SE on Saturday, and I've discovered that it only charges when it's unlocked. As soon as I lock it, it stops charging. Is this a glitch? A setting I can change?
Click to expand...

I was away a month ago. My cat sitter's car had died, so she got to drive the SE. It point blank refused to charge for her the first week unless it was locked. Everything was set to charge immediately so it was simple for her!
This morning, my SE failed to charge when my EVSE did it's timed thing. 2nd time that has happened. Unplug/replug 'fixed' it. These glitches are disconcerting as well as irritating.
 
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