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Charging Problems

7K views 15 replies 9 participants last post by  Chevrolet Customer Svc 
#1 ·
Has anyone else had this problem, or does anyone have any suggestions? My Volt is 2 months old and my SPX-Chargepoint-Coulomb 240 volt home charger is one month old. I usually come home at the end of the day and plug the charger in with no problems. Last night I did not plug the charger in (it needed about 1.5 hrs of 240 volt charging), and I plugged it in this morning. Nothing happened-no loud click from the charger and no "handshake" from the car-no lights and no horn beep. Removed the plug three times and waited a minute or two, and tried again. Each time was the same-nothing from the car and the message on the charger "waiting for vehicle to start." I opened the car door, closed it, and plugged the charger in again, and everything worked just fine.

Any thoughts? Problem with the car? Problem with the charger? Thank you.
 
#2 ·
What message was on the Coulomb CT-500 charger display?

When you look at the OnStar app on your PDA or the myvolt.com web site, what is the charging status?

When you turn off your car, what is the sign-off message on the center console?

Ask OnStar to run remote diagnostics, report their findings, and recommend action.
 
#3 ·
What happens when you use the 120v charge cord? Does the car start charging? If so, the 240v unit may have a problem. If neither charge cord works, then it may be the car.
 
#4 · (Edited)
also not charging

Today was the 5th time my car did not charge.
At least it happened one time while at the dealer for the customer satisfactions upgrades. Went out anyway and went onto gas power. Plugged her in when I got home I got 2 red lights on the right side of my Voltec 240 chrager (never happened before). So I unpluged and waited longer than the 5 seconds so as not to immediate charge. And when I plugged in all was fine = 2 beeds and slow flashing light for my delayed charging.

It has been weeks since my calls to onstar were upgraded to techs for a call back and nothing yet. I still am not receiving any messages to my phone for failure to charge or completed charge.

I will call the volt advisors tomorrow to see if they can get anything going from onstgar. Roy Volt #1019
 
#5 ·
Thanks for everyone's replies. The charging station said "waiting for vehicle to start." I do not not receive emails from OnStar, but I do get very prompt emails from SPX of any charging activity. This one said car plugged in, but not charging. I did not think to use the 120 charger. I have not have the battery update performed yet as I am waiting for parts to be available. Seems like to its a very long time to get parts to the dealer. Thank you.
 
#6 ·
The CT-500 message is not one I have seen. It sounds like the charger knows it is connected but has not received the enabling signal from the Volt that specifies the charging rate, but I'm no expert.

Press the OnStar button in your car and ask them to run diagnostics.
 
#7 ·
shrink13, I'v had similar issues when the Coloumb plug hasn't been seated in the Volt's socket just right. I removed it, reseated it and the car proceeded to charge as normal. Have you had the software upgrade installed yet? Apparently this addressed a problem that was specific to the Coloumb 240v charger - I believe it related to a ground fault error code that would prevent the car from charging.

One other thing you may want to try is to hit the reset button on the Coloumb.

Time to get back to doing my taxes......
 
#9 ·
@ shrink13,

Definitely keep an eye on this and also let us know if the 120v charge cord makes any difference. If it doesn't, bring it up to your dealer when you have your battery enhancement done. Hopefully it will not be too much longer and they will have the parts ready to go.
 
#10 ·
Sorry to hear you are still having these issues Roy. I was looking into this and I see the last Volt Advisor you spoke with was Matt. I will notify him and get him into contact with you and OnStar and see if we can get something going.
 
#12 ·
Thanks for the thoughts and ideas. The parts have arrived so I will bring my Volt in on Friday and we shall see if the software update makes a difference. It is interesting that this charging problem has only occurred for me one time. Thanks again.
 
#14 ·
shrink13, Sorry to hear that you're experiencing difficulty charging. If you call the SPX Technical Support Team they can help troubleshoot. If the team cannot determine the problem they will get you in touch with Coulomb. Please do not hesitate to reach out directly to my colleague, Mike at (586) 578-7239. ~Meghan, SPX EV Team
 
#15 ·
Not a problem Roy! Always happy to help!
 
#16 ·
@ shrink13

After a period of being powered off, the Volt will go to sleep and only wake up briefly to check on itself. If you open the charge door, then plug in charge cord hours later, the Volt will not recognize it. When you opened the driver's door, this caused the vehicle to wake up and recognize that the cord set was plugged in. There are several safety checks that the vehicle must perform prior to charging, so plugging in alone does not start the charging process without the controllers being awake.

Here are some easy ways to wake up the vehicle:
- Open any door or the hatch
- Use your key fob to unlock the doors
- Use your key fob to open the charge door

Let me know if you experience any further problems charging your Volt.
 
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