I tried to charge my Model 3 LR at our local supermarket- Tesco offers 15 min of complimentary charging via 7 KWh chargers paired with Podpoint. When I tried to make use of this opportunity I found that though the charger recognised the podpoint source it could not charge and an error message came up stating "no power source detected" but this was a functioning EV charger and I saw other EVs being charged. Have other users faced this and do I need to change something in settings to enable non TESLA chargers to charge? I use Podpoint Home Charging with no problems.
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Charging problems using Podpoint chargers
- Thread starter coluna
- Start date
Yes- I did that as well and got a tick on the app that it was now activated- but no charge coming in to my Tesla.
15 minutes at 7kWh is not a lot. I suspect the 15 minutes relates to this bit in the instructions:
You would need to use a port on a charger that you knew was working. Just because one port on the charger is working doesn't mean both are.
I've yet to be able to charge with PodPoint, tried several times and mostly at Tesco. What I have found though is that when you enable or acknowledge through the app (to go beyond the 15 minute mark), it simply cuts off with a similar error "no power source" or something. I haven't waited the full 15 minutes (grace time) as I expect to be able to plug in, acknowledge and shop for my exotic beers, overpriced cheese, crackers and extravagant condiments which can take a while.
I also noticed on one occasion, after I left and parked normally, a guy came in and used the same station without any issues (he wasn't driving a Tesla).
I also noticed on one occasion, after I left and parked normally, a guy came in and used the same station without any issues (he wasn't driving a Tesla).
MrBadger
Badger out
Last time we charged on PodPoint we had an issue. It was almost certainly caused by the person who had tried to use the stall before us, but it did highlight an issue with the PodPoint way of doing things.
Basically my wife connected up and started the charge, but whilst it looked like she was charging, the charger had already been claimed by some 'phantom' car so my wife could not confirm the charge. I suspect either someone previously had tried to confirm the wrong stall, or someone remotely had confirmed the charge... As expected, the car stopped charging within the 15 minute window and the only way to fix was to start all over, which was inconvenient as she was already mid shop.
I had been tipped off about what was going on, so was able to try and sort things remotely. Even when the PodPoint stall had 'timed out', I was unable to remotely confirm it then restart the charge - it required a physical disconnect. It didn't help matters that the app didn't give any indication that the charge had already been confirmed, so whilst the stall was physically and in the app available and was offering us to confirm the charge, that operation would ultimately fail as it had been previously confirmed by someone else who was not at the site, or at least, not plugged into that stall.
Working remotely without sight of the situation, I found no way to reset the charge point and take over the charge without waiting for the previous one to expire, by which point, the then terminated charge could not be restarted in the car.
My guess is that the incorrect stall had previously been confirmed by someone (easily done by someone not familiar with the pair naming convention or not getting any feedback that their charge is confirmed so reconfirming the wrong stall) although the only way to test that theory is to risk putting a still out of operation for 15 minutes by trying to confirm a stall that you were not plugged into.
PodPoint could improve matters by making the 'confirm charge' button reflect whether a charge on that stall is already confirmed (if you check back in the app having confirmed a charge it still offers you to confirm the charge) and/or mitigate against the lasting effects of a confirmed charge on a stall that is not physically connected.
Basically my wife connected up and started the charge, but whilst it looked like she was charging, the charger had already been claimed by some 'phantom' car so my wife could not confirm the charge. I suspect either someone previously had tried to confirm the wrong stall, or someone remotely had confirmed the charge... As expected, the car stopped charging within the 15 minute window and the only way to fix was to start all over, which was inconvenient as she was already mid shop.
I had been tipped off about what was going on, so was able to try and sort things remotely. Even when the PodPoint stall had 'timed out', I was unable to remotely confirm it then restart the charge - it required a physical disconnect. It didn't help matters that the app didn't give any indication that the charge had already been confirmed, so whilst the stall was physically and in the app available and was offering us to confirm the charge, that operation would ultimately fail as it had been previously confirmed by someone else who was not at the site, or at least, not plugged into that stall.
Working remotely without sight of the situation, I found no way to reset the charge point and take over the charge without waiting for the previous one to expire, by which point, the then terminated charge could not be restarted in the car.
My guess is that the incorrect stall had previously been confirmed by someone (easily done by someone not familiar with the pair naming convention or not getting any feedback that their charge is confirmed so reconfirming the wrong stall) although the only way to test that theory is to risk putting a still out of operation for 15 minutes by trying to confirm a stall that you were not plugged into.
PodPoint could improve matters by making the 'confirm charge' button reflect whether a charge on that stall is already confirmed (if you check back in the app having confirmed a charge it still offers you to confirm the charge) and/or mitigate against the lasting effects of a confirmed charge on a stall that is not physically connected.
This was my experience as well. You could argue that 15 min of charging isn't much but as per their motto, every little helps. I had another non Tesla EV charge successfully- which is why I submitted this post to see if it was a compatibility issue, but clearly some drivers are having no problems whereas others are having problems...
Tesco Extra Salisbury (A36 South) works flawlessly, but the 4 points a increasingly all occupied.
One thought: there are charged PodPoints at the local hospital, so I put £10.00 credit on my Pod Account: I wonder if that "helps" when connecting?
One thought: there are charged PodPoints at the local hospital, so I put £10.00 credit on my Pod Account: I wonder if that "helps" when connecting?
Funnily enough, I done the same yesterday and managed to charge using PodPoint for the first time. Now to be fair, this was a CCS charger and not a free one so may not really mean anything, but I may just try the free ones again now that I have more than 0 in my account.
On another note, this was the first time that I've paid to charge since getting the car, some 1000 miles or so ago, £6 for 23.1kwh
Please update us regarding how you got on with this? A valid point!! I too haven't needed to charge outside the house yet.
Mr H
Active Member
No problems here today at our local Tesco, the usual 6kw - i've used lots of these and only ever gotten the full 7kw at the Haslingden Tesco, our local one has packed up a couple of times though and even vanished from the app once, so you couldn't 'claim' the charge and it stopped after 15 mins.
I have been using the 22kW PodPoint chargers at my workplace since I got the M3LR last December as my main charging method unless I am travelling when I have used the SuperChargers.
I activate the charge via the PodPoint app within 15 minutes of connecting but started having problems yesterday when the first port on one of the chargers refused to activate (I had used the same charger and port the previous week with no issue) switching to the second port on the same post I got a full charge before setting off on a long day trip. I returned today and the same port (second) started working ok but the charge stopped after about 1 hour at 70% (limit was set to 90%). I was unable then to use either port on this charging post trying to reconnect and reactivate the charge several times. I connected to another charging post but had the same issue with the charge stopping after c. 30 mins and the port then becoming unresponsive.
I logged a service request with Tesla (appointment booked for 3rd May) and they did a remote diagnosis saying the fault was with the charger. However I suspect they may be looking at the reconnection attempts after the charger has developed the fault.
I tried another PodPoint charger (7kW) at a supermarket in my drive home and this time the charge stopped after 10 minutes. I called PodPoint when I got home and they could see the interrupted charges and said it was the car causing a hardware fault on each charger - putting it out of action.
Has anyone had similar experiences with PodPoint chargers? If so how did you identify if the fault is with the car or the chargers - or possibly the charging cable? Tesla Service tried to call me three times at 5pm but were closed by the time I called them back.
I activate the charge via the PodPoint app within 15 minutes of connecting but started having problems yesterday when the first port on one of the chargers refused to activate (I had used the same charger and port the previous week with no issue) switching to the second port on the same post I got a full charge before setting off on a long day trip. I returned today and the same port (second) started working ok but the charge stopped after about 1 hour at 70% (limit was set to 90%). I was unable then to use either port on this charging post trying to reconnect and reactivate the charge several times. I connected to another charging post but had the same issue with the charge stopping after c. 30 mins and the port then becoming unresponsive.
I logged a service request with Tesla (appointment booked for 3rd May) and they did a remote diagnosis saying the fault was with the charger. However I suspect they may be looking at the reconnection attempts after the charger has developed the fault.
I tried another PodPoint charger (7kW) at a supermarket in my drive home and this time the charge stopped after 10 minutes. I called PodPoint when I got home and they could see the interrupted charges and said it was the car causing a hardware fault on each charger - putting it out of action.
Has anyone had similar experiences with PodPoint chargers? If so how did you identify if the fault is with the car or the chargers - or possibly the charging cable? Tesla Service tried to call me three times at 5pm but were closed by the time I called them back.
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