No Way to Unlock Charge Port from Console?

[Ben W]

I had a situation today where I was using a ChargePoint J1772 adapter in an underground garage, and the charge port got into a state where it was open but locked. (The adapter could not be removed.) From the car console, the only control seemed to be to "close" the charge port; but not to unlock it so I could remove the adapter. The Tesla app on my iPhone has its own 'unlock charge port' button, but underground without a cell signal it wasn't able to connect to the car. I tried various combinations of turning the car off and on, locking and unlocking the doors, but nothing seemed to help with the locked charge port.

Is there some other way to unlock the charge port in this situation? As it was, I had to drive out of the garage with the charge port hanging open, then later use the iPhone app to unlock the port and remove the adapter. This didn't feel like the most elegant solution. I'm hoping there's a better one! (I use this garage frequently; it's at my workplace.)

Thanks,
Ben

 

[silentsnow31802]

I had a situation today where I was using a ChargePoint J1772 adapter in an underground garage, and the charge port got into a state where it was open but locked. (The adapter could not be removed.) From the car console, the only control seemed to be to "close" the charge port; but not to unlock it so I could remove the adapter. The Tesla app on my iPhone has its own 'unlock charge port' button, but underground without a cell signal it wasn't able to connect to the car. I tried various combinations of turning the car off and on, locking and unlocking the doors, but nothing seemed to help with the locked charge port.

Is there some other way to unlock the charge port in this situation? As it was, I had to drive out of the garage with the charge port hanging open, then later use the iPhone app to unlock the port and remove the adapter. This didn't feel like the most elegant solution. I'm hoping there's a better one! (I use this garage frequently; it's at my workplace.)

Thanks,
Ben

There should be a manual release accessible from the trunk just behind the charge port itself. Its a small hole with a cable inside. Pull the cable and it should release the adapter.

 

[BerTX]

I'm surprised it would drive with the adapter in there and the port open...

 

[outdoors]

Is this it?

 

[SigNC]

Isn't the charge port unlocked when the car is unlocked?

 

[hacer]

I had a situation today where I was using a ChargePoint J1772 adapter in an underground garage, and the charge port got into a state where it was open but locked. (The adapter could not be removed.) From the car console, the only control seemed to be to "close" the charge port; but not to unlock it so I could remove the adapter. The Tesla app on my iPhone has its own 'unlock charge port' button, but underground without a cell signal it wasn't able to connect to the car. I tried various combinations of turning the car off and on, locking and unlocking the doors, but nothing seemed to help with the locked charge port.

Is there some other way to unlock the charge port in this situation? As it was, I had to drive out of the garage with the charge port hanging open, then later use the iPhone app to unlock the port and remove the adapter. This didn't feel like the most elegant solution. I'm hoping there's a better one! (I use this garage frequently; it's at my workplace.)

Thanks,
Ben

From page 110 of the owners manual:

6. Shows if the charge cable is locked in the
charge port or not. If Model 3 is not
charging, you can touch the lock icon to
unlock the charge cable from the charge
port.

A bit counter-intuitive maybe but the lock icon is itself a button.

 

[SigNC]

From page 110 of the owners manual:


A bit counter-intuitive maybe but the lock icon is itself a button.

The lock icon is absolutely how you unlock the car while in it.Took me a few to get this as well after looking around for a way to unlock the doors.

 

[hacer]

The lock icon is absolutely how you unlock the car while in it.Took me a few to get this as well after looking around for a way to unlock the doors.

Yes, the doors are a similar thing. I was referring to the lock icon on the charging screen for the charge-port lock (item 6):

 

[SigNC]

ah understood. I just assumed if the car was unlocked so is the charging port.

 

[Ben W]

Thanks all! I never even noticed the lock icon, let alone realize that it would unlock if you tap it. I think I had in my head that the iPhone app has an explicit 'Unlock' button, so I expected the car console to have similar UI. Live and learn! (and hope Tesla makes their UI more intuitive!)

 

[03DSG]

View attachment 279413
Is this it?

Sure looks like it. Exactly in the right place for it. Manual release.

 

[AllDigital]

There is another thread on this. It happened to me the day we got the car. No need to use the app or release in the trunk. Just use two hands to remove by pressing the ChargePoint charger release button with one hand (automatically unlocks adapter) and pulling out the adapter with the other hand. Quick and easy.

 

[Ulmo]

There is another thread on this. It happened to me the day we got the car. No need to use the app or release in the trunk. Just use two hands to remove by pressing the ChargePoint charger release button with one hand (automatically unlocks adapter) and pulling out the adapter with the other hand. Quick and easy.

That sometimes does work. Good to try it. Here's my list of ways to unlock charge port from back when I had my Model S, but I think the Model 3 is slightly different; note that each of these does not always work, but there are more ways to try as you go down the list, so eventually, one will work:

• Press stop button in EVSE app (such as ChargePoint). Not all EVSEs have this.
  
• Press stop button on the EVSE box itself.
  
• Press button on J1772 plug.
  
• Press button (long press?) on HPWC plug (if you're near one).
• Press unlock button in app (Remote S, official Tesla app, etc.)
• Press unlock button on console
• For Model S & X: Press key fob unlock button (long press? on the back?). The key fob for the Model 3 doesn't have buttons. (Can you waive it by the charge port to unlock it?)
• Some people built a HPWC plug button as a stand-alone device, since they were designing their own EVSE's for the Teslas. It behaved identical to HPWC button. Of course, they installed it into their EVSE plugs, but there was also a standalone device. This would be useful to those people who need to unlock charge port when smartphone app is not available and there is no nearby charger with its own buttons (no cell coverage?), but they don't want to climb inside the car to press the console commands; essentially, I can't think of a great reason for this except for some EVSE's that commonly have this problem (maybe in the mountains at a hotel or nice restaurant or something).
• I just learned about the manual release. That's a nice backup if the car is disabled.