EA Charge Speed problem
Thread Starter
AudiWorld Member
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 62
Likes: 17
From: Darien, CT
EA Charge Speed problem
I recently had two issues with charge speed at EA locations in Chicopee, MA and Stratford CT. In both cases, the chargers connected and functioned but the rate was limited to 35kw. During the second incident EA customer service had me move to another charger unit and restart, and we were able to get to 147kw rate. Has anyone else had this issue? My road trips are infrequent but I've never had this issue before. Trying to make sure it is not a vehicle or user issue.
2019 Etron Prestige
2019 Etron Prestige
AudiWorld Member
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 473
Likes: 43
From: Phoenix, AZ/Morro Bay, CA/Ashkelon, Israel
I had an ABB tech tell that when it happens unplug, lock the car for around 30 seconds then unlock and plug back in again. It resets something in the car. I haven't needed to try it yet though.
AudiWorld Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 803
Likes: 389
Yes, this happens from time to time. As far as I understand, it's due to a fault in the cooling loop for the cable. If the charger isn't able to positively confirm that coolant is circulating through the cable, and/or the cable starts getting too hot, the charger will decrease its output (generally to somewhere around 35kW) to prevent thermal runaway (melting). There are many reasons why this may happen:
According to an EA service tech that I spoke to a few months ago, there was a service campaign a few months ago to improve the cooling circuits to be more efficient and to recover more gracefully. So that's probably why you were able to disconnect, wait, and try again and have it work.
- The charger hasn't been used in a while and so the coolant pump has gotten air around it, so it takes a few tries before the pump gets primed and coolant starts flowing
- There are bubbles in the coolant line that generate false signals to the sensors indicating that coolant is flowing
- The sensor(s) that detect the cable temperature are faulty
- The fan(s) that are supposed to blow air over the coolant radiator are faulty
- The outside temperature is high enough that the charger's radiator can't remove enough heat from the coolant (I've had this one happen to me)
- ...possibly others
According to an EA service tech that I spoke to a few months ago, there was a service campaign a few months ago to improve the cooling circuits to be more efficient and to recover more gracefully. So that's probably why you were able to disconnect, wait, and try again and have it work.
Thread Starter
AudiWorld Member
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 62
Likes: 17
From: Darien, CT
Thank you Skaven81, that was an incredibly detailed and helpful message. Given the 7 empty chargers around me and the time of day, I'm guessing this could have been a lack of use issue. I was worried that it was somehow the car, but this makes much more sense. For what it's worth, the EA customer service was immediate and helpful.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Jeff Vader - boscoj
NorCal Discussion
8
May 24, 2007 09:53 AM
Wowdi
A8 / S8 (D2 Platform) Discussion
19
Apr 8, 2004 01:14 AM
