Retrofitting Charge Port Open/Unlatch button onto EV plug?

[Dinsdale]

Hey everyone

So, I got my Andersen EV charger and I love it. It's slick, stylish, and the fact the cable wraps away is great. The app is fantastic too.

However, one drawback to the normal Tesla Wall Charger is the lack of a button to open the charge port and unlatch it? I seem to have to fanny on with my phone to unlock it and it's a bit of a ball ache.

I have been looking into how I can change this, and it seems I have a couple of options.

1. Replace plug with an EVChargeKing cable
2. Retrofit a button inside the existing plug

Does anyone have any recommendations on which, or any other options I may not have considered?

Gary

 

[MODEL+]

When you disconnect charging, the lock will automatically unlatch. (I had an adapter stolen from me like this before...).

You can also physical push on the charging port door to open it when it's in the closed position.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

It's a old thread, but you might be able to find an answer here: Open ChargePort

There's probably a newer thread around here somewhere...

 

[Dinsdale]

When you disconnect charging, the lock will automatically unlatch. (I had an adapter stolen from me like this before...).

Mine doesn't do that, I have to unlock after stopping charging.

You can also physical push on the charging port door to open it when it's in the closed position.

This doesn't always work for me, but still, I'd rather just grab my plug, press and plug it in - rather than press the charge port, turn round, get plug, plug in it, or same in another order.

It's a old thread, but you might be able to find an answer here: Open ChargePort

There's probably a newer thread around here somewhere...

Yeah looked at that, didn't really give me answers. I don't want a solution that'll involve complex coding, plus I want the guy who installed my EV charger to do it fairly easily so I can pay him the labour.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

Mine doesn't do that, I have to unlock after stopping charging.



This doesn't always work for me, but still, I'd rather just grab my plug, press and plug it in - rather than press the charge port, turn round, get plug, plug in it, or same in another order.



Yeah looked at that, didn't really give me answers. I don't want a solution that'll involve complex coding, plus I want the guy who installed my EV charger to do it fairly easily so I can pay him the labour.

There are other threads where someone was selling a fob that opened the charge port (instead of you having to build one yourself). I haven't tracked down that thread yet.

 

[Dinsdale]

I'm going keyless in general, to have a fob that does it will defeat the object - but thanks for the suggestion!

I think I'll buy a EV Charge King kit, spray paint the housing black, get the sparky to put it all together and replace my existing plug. That should do the trick.

 

[Rocky_H]

I was starting to formulate my response in my mind about how this is a non-issue, but I noticed that you are in the UK. They Type2 plugs do have that unique problem of not having a release latch button on them, like the Type1 (J1772) plugs do. So yeah, they do have to rely on some kind of software unlock to release the plug.