Unlocking charging cable

M

mille101

New Member
New mini se owner here. Love the car but I always have trouble unlocking the level 2 charging cable at home. I followed all the steps from the user manual. Wait the light to turn white before disconnect. Lock and unlock the car from the key or from the door handle. I even know the pin unlock for a short period of time. Does anyone have the same problem?
Since I only charge at home, can I change the setting to not lock the charging cable at all?
 
mille101 said:
New mini se owner here. Love the car but I always have trouble unlocking the level 2 charging cable at home. I followed all the steps from the user manual. Wait the light to turn white before disconnect. Lock and unlock the car from the key or from the door handle. I even know the pin unlock for a short period of time. Does anyone have the same problem?
Since I only charge at home, can I change the setting to not lock the charging cable at all?
Click to expand...

When your MINI is locked, you cannot remove the charging cable handle.

I was showing off how I can close the windows, sunroof, and fold the mirrors using the key fob--then later I couldn't figure out why I couldn't remove the charging cable handle. Then I remembered I locked the car in my demo, so the handle, too, was locked in place. It's a nice feature so someone can't steal your charging session while you're away from the charging station.

Do you experience the same problem with the included Level 1 EVSE's handle? Some manufacturers' charging cable handles aren't exactly to spec and can be difficult to insert and remove. The problem has been discussed in Inside EVs' Clarity forum. People have tried lubricants and other tricks, but if the handle doesn't fit well, it's tough to remedy.
 
As @insightman says, the cable is locked while the MINI doors are locked, but also it will automatically unlock the cable at 100% charge. The cable remains unlocked if the car is unlocked. Apparently the SE's ability to just yank out the charging cable at any time to stop charging is a bit different from other EVs.

There is also an "unlock cable" option under the charging settings which looks like it's supposed to immediately unlock the cable (see "Charging Process" section
 
Thanks @insightman and @Puppethead.
I usually disconnect the cable when the car is charged to 85-90%. Since the car is inside the garage, I don't usually lock the car doors. But I unlock the car with the key fob anyways before I unplug. Sometimes the unlocking mechanism works and sometimes the cable get stuck. I have to lock the car and unlock the car several times to get the cable out. We have the Grizzle Level 2 charger at home. Plugging is easy. It is just hard sometimes to remove the cable. I will try WD40 on the pin next time.

BTW. I love the handling of the car. I actually look forward driving it to work every morning....lol
 
mille101 said:
Thanks @insightman and @Puppethead.
I usually disconnect the cable when the car is charged to 85-90%. Since the car is inside the garage, I don't usually lock the car doors. But I unlock the car with the key fob anyways before I unplug. Sometimes the unlocking mechanism works and sometimes the cable get stuck. I have to lock the car and unlock the car several times to get the cable out. We have the Grizzle Level 2 charger at home. Plugging is easy. It is just hard sometimes to remove the cable. I will try WD40 on the pin next time.

BTW. I love the handling of the car. I actually look forward driving it to work every morning....lol
Click to expand...
Did you compare the included Level 1 handle to see if it works any easier? Can you easily unplug the Grizzl-e handle immediately after you plug it in?

The lock/unlock cycle you have to go through is puzzling. When you are finally able to pull the handle out does it come out easily? If so, there may be a problem with the locking mechanism.

I'm not sure if WD40 is conductive and I'm not sure what pin you're thinking of using it on. Be careful.
 
If you are having difficulty removing the handle after the car is charged and the cable unlocked, I read here that there were a few Grizzl-e delivered with cables that did not work well with the mini. They were replacing the cable.

The cable angle with the car seems to have some influence. My charger is mounted high and I have to wiggle mine up and down a bit while pulling to get it to release. But if the charger and cable are laying on the ground, the plug releases smoothly.

There is a post around here somewhere that the member shortened the latch so his cable releases smoother, that was another brand charger I think.

So your mileage will vary and there are a few posts discussing difficult cable removal or unlock scenarios. My issue seems to be mechanical tolerance in nature, not the electrical lock/unlock mechanism.
 
mille101 said:
Thanks @insightman and @Puppethead.
I usually disconnect the cable when the car is charged to 85-90%. Since the car is inside the garage, I don't usually lock the car doors. But I unlock the car with the key fob anyways before I unplug. Sometimes the unlocking mechanism works and sometimes the cable get stuck. I have to lock the car and unlock the car several times to get the cable out. We have the Grizzle Level 2 charger at home. Plugging is easy. It is just hard sometimes to remove the cable. I will try WD40 on the pin next time.

BTW. I love the handling of the car. I actually look forward driving it to work every morning....lol
Click to expand...

My Grizzl-e charger is also sometimes "stuck" but not because it is actually locked to the car.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I believe if the charger is locked to the car you will not be able to push the release button on the EVSE handle. There is a little pin on the car that pops out from right above the car's socket that prevents the latch (and release button) from moving.

When my Grizzl-e is stuck, I can fully push down the release button but it still won't come out. I've found that if I push down the release button and push the handle further into the car before pulling, it comes out easier. Seems to be just a tolerance issue with the latch but I haven't bothered to look at where I need to sand it for better clearance.
 
My Grizzl-e is mounted on the wall at eye level and the plug holster is mounted at waist level to align with the height of the mini charging port. So is it handle problem and not the locking mechanism of the mini because I could push down the release button on the handle. I just can't pull the handle out.

@insightman I have harder time unplugging the Grizzle handle immediately after I plug it in. But once I could finally pull the handle out, it comes out smoothly. I will test the level 1 handle for my next charge.
 
This is an interesting one. Never had a J1772 cable give me a problem with the MINI SE. That includes about a dozen stations/connectors.

It's actually the easiest EV I have used in terms of releasing a cable since it never software locks the connector. As long as the car is unlocked it pops right out.

Sounds like a Grizzl-e problem. /2 cents
 
HappyKafka said:
I have the Grizzle-E and had the same problem. I found that by taking a file to the metal piece that latches onto the car and rounding the sharp edges just a bit (a very tiny bit . . don’t go crazy), it comes out easily now. No need to wiggle or pull up and down on it.
Click to expand...

The sticking hasn't bothered me enough to do something about it yet but if that's all it takes I probably should
 
Carsten Haase said:
Same here, I just knocked off the burs on the yellow highlighted edges and it's so much better... Should have done this a while ago!
Click to expand...
@Carsten Haase, that photo is perfect, with Grizzl-e logos in the "Bokeh" (photographer-speak for intentionally out of focus background) framing the in-focus latch with the highlighted area showing where it was fixed. Well done, sir!
 
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