Timer charging restricted to 16A?

[HenryT]

I have also been having the same problem with my Model S P85 (2014 model) since the start of 2021. It went in to Tesla but the situation was not resolved and they appear to be blaming the wall charger (a Rolec Wallpod), but I have never had a problem with it previously and if I force the charge to start then it charges at 32A with no problem.
I have done various tests on scheduling a charge at different times of the day. Curiously if the scheduled time is the same calendar day and less than 120 mins from when I connect the tether, then it charges at 32A but if the time is over two hours it always, or in the next calendar day, it charges at 16A.

I feel your pain @Dezthe.

Mine was never resolved, I just learned to live with it as we weren't doing much mileage anyway. In the event I replaced my car with a M3 which charges perfectly happily on a timed charge, using the same "faulty" WallBox charge point. Big surprise (not).

 

[arg]

I was having possibly related problems (2014 S85, wouldn’t charge in winter due to bug whereby it switched off the supply if only running the battery heater and not yet charging; workaround by manually turning on the heat from the app).

Eventually this appeared to be fixed in a software update, though hard to be completely sure it wasn’t just warmer weather.

Sadly Tesla’s software QA seems to have got (even) worse in recent years.

 

[M3LR21]

Hi, my M3LR updated to 21.40 a few days back. Until then, timed charging had worked just fine at 30a, but now, on plugging in, the app and dashboard report 16a max. And the car charges at 16a unless I increase the charge rate on the app when the car is actually charging (on Octopus Go, so that's between 00.30 and 04.30). This evening I went back to the car after plugging and locking. As I got into the car it started to draw current, and I was able to increase the charge rate from 16a to 30a on the dashboard. All very confusing and frustrating. And all sounds very similar to OP's and others' issues.

The software upgrade was done while the car was plugged in and scheduled to charge later that evening. Perhaps that combination is what's triggered a reset of something in software and caused the issue. Whatever the reason, if anyone has already found the magic way to remind it how to work properly, please let me know!

 

[lookatbowen]

Hi, my M3LR updated to 21.40 a few days back. Until then, timed charging had worked just fine at 30a, but now, on plugging in, the app and dashboard report 16a max. And the car charges at 16a unless I increase the charge rate on the app when the car is actually charging (on Octopus Go, so that's between 00.30 and 04.30). This evening I went back to the car after plugging and locking. As I got into the car it started to draw current, and I was able to increase the charge rate from 16a to 30a on the dashboard. All very confusing and frustrating. And all sounds very similar to OP's and others' issues.

The software upgrade was done while the car was plugged in and scheduled to charge later that evening. Perhaps that combination is what's triggered a reset of something in software and caused the issue. Whatever the reason, if anyone has already found the magic way to remind it how to work properly, please let me know!

Interesting M3LR21, the same thing is now happening to me and I am on the same version as you 21.40.

Prior to the 2nd November 2021, I was getting 28.7kWh which was taking 3:47hrs. Fast forward to the 6th November 2021 and I am now getting 14.6kWh for the same 3:47hr window. I called my supplier of the home charger (Andersen A2) and they confirmed they can see the car/charger starting at 16A and not 32A which is where it use to be. It makes no difference upping the Amp to 32 from the App or going into the car, when the charge starts it drops it back to 16A.

I only ever upgrade the firmware via the phone and definitely not while the car is charging, but I too would like this sorted out and put back to the 32A as the whole point of having a fast charger installed is to get those speeds else I would have used the wall plug option Tesla supplied with the car.

I have reported the fault to Tesla and will be taking the car in for a service on Tuesday 16th November. I am hoping they can fix this problem.

 

[M3LR21]

I have reported the fault to Tesla and will be taking the car in for a service on Tuesday 16th November. I am hoping they can fix this problem.

Do let us know how you get on. My hunch is it's a bug introduced by 2021.40 which will need another upgrade to fix, but fingers crossed I'm wrong.

 

[lookatbowen]

Do let us know how you get on. My hunch is it's a bug introduced by 2021.40 which will need another upgrade to fix, but fingers crossed I'm wrong.

Going to have to wait until the 22nd of November now, because I used the opportunity to point out a few other problems I am experiencing with wind noise and rattles at the back somewhere, so Tesla Gatwick swapped the appointments and have offered a loan car for the day. I hope it is a performance model 3. I will update here once the service is over. Who knows, maybe there will be a new firmware update soon that addresses this problem and adds a few more extra features (Waypoints )

 

[M3LR21]

Going to have to wait until the 22nd of November now, because I used the opportunity to point out a few other problems I am experiencing with wind noise and rattles at the back somewhere, so Tesla Gatwick swapped the appointments and have offered a loan car for the day. I hope it is a performance model 3. I will update here once the service is over. Who knows, maybe there will be a new firmware update soon that addresses this problem and adds a few more extra features (Waypoints )

I decided to follow your example and report the issue to Tesla. I've an appointment scheduled for Tuesday but since the service centre is an hour away I'm hoping we can discuss it (and perhaps even fix it) remotely.

In the meantime, my workaround is to get back into the car after plugging the cable in, and turn the scheduled start off. Momentarily the car begins to charge, and I can increase from16A to 30A. Then I switch the scheduled charge back on, and it will then recharge overnight at the faster rate. Looking forward to dropping this rigmarole!

Good luck with eliminating the rattles and wind noise. I've also had rattles sorted successfully, although the first time they handed the car back they'd introduced a new one that they then fixed! I'm glad we checked before driving back home.

 

[lookatbowen]

I decided to follow your example and report the issue to Tesla. I've an appointment scheduled for Tuesday but since the service centre is an hour away I'm hoping we can discuss it (and perhaps even fix it) remotely.

In the meantime, my workaround is to get back into the car after plugging the cable in, and turn the scheduled start off. Momentarily the car begins to charge, and I can increase from16A to 30A. Then I switch the scheduled charge back on, and it will then recharge overnight at the faster rate. Looking forward to dropping this rigmarole!

Good luck with eliminating the rattles and wind noise. I've also had rattles sorted successfully, although the first time they handed the car back they'd introduced a new one that they then fixed! I'm glad we checked before driving back home.

Hi M3LR21,

There has definitely been no software update since I wrote about the same issue you were experiencing.

All I have done differently is this past Saturday via the app, I turned the 5A dial to 32A and started charging the car on Saturday morning. Of course, it was a lot more expensive ;-) as you can see on my screenshot.

It took 5 hours 44 minutes to do 21.3kWh. That got the car charging to roughly 90% full.

The following night it hardly needed charging and it ran for 22 minutes for a 2.7kWh and then the following night (13th November) it charged for exactly 1 hour and I got 7.4kWh, which is correct. Yay!

Last night it was back to normal again. I got 13.4kWh in 1h50m, versus a very similar 14.5kWh back on 9th November when it took 3h48m.

So the car has reset itself somehow and is now working. I have no other explanation why it suddenly started working.

I am wondering if it has anything to do with the car being empty. Seems daft to think it has, but just putting it out there.

 

[M3LR21]

Hi M3LR21,

There has definitely been no software update since I wrote about the same issue you were experiencing.

All I have done differently is this past Saturday via the app, I turned the 5A dial to 32A and started charging the car on Saturday morning. Of course, it was a lot more expensive ;-) as you can see on my screenshot.

It took 5 hours 44 minutes to do 21.3kWh. That got the car charging to roughly 90% full.

The following night it hardly needed charging and it ran for 22 minutes for a 2.7kWh and then the following night (13th November) it charged for exactly 1 hour and I got 7.4kWh, which is correct. Yay!

Last night it was back to normal again. I got 13.4kWh in 1h50m, versus a very similar 14.5kWh back on 9th November when it took 3h48m.

So the car has reset itself somehow and is now working. I have no other explanation why it suddenly started working.

I am wondering if it has anything to do with the car being empty. Seems daft to think it has, but just putting it out there.

Hi @lookatbowen

Thanks for the info. Glad to hear things are sorted for you. Today I did some extensive testing at home, texting Rob at Tesla Leeds each time I did a step. He's going to examine the logs tomorrow and we'll see where we go from there.

However, it's clear from today's work that the detailed process you go through after plugging in can be critical in determing whether you get the full 30A. For example, if I get out of the car, close the door, go to the back, open the charge port and insert the cable, I get 16A. However, if I go back to the car and open the door, then the car draws a current (to run the heating/AC I think) and as soon as it does that, the charge rate set for the scheduled charging jumps to 30A without me having to touch anything on the dash or app.

As far as I can recall, prior to the 2021.40 update, the car would always do a quick check of the charger capability immediately after plugging in, and as soon as it drew current, it would automatically set itself to run at 30A. Since the update, it no longer does this step automatically unless I intervene in some way. As I say, that could be a simple as opening the door, triggering the heating and promoting the car to draw current from the charger.

I'll update with Rob's findings as soon as he reaches a conclusion.

 

[lookatbowen]

Oh wow, @M3LR21 that is quite the observation and well done for taking the time to understand what is happening? Yes definitely looking forward to your findings or conclusion. I just hope Tesla have a firmware update that resolves the randomness of this problem.

 

[lookatbowen]

I decided to stay up and see what my TM3LR was doing during the cheap charging period.

I am definitely getting the right charge from my Andersen A2 wall charger and for once in the Tesla app I'm seeing the 31/32A 31mi/HR charge.

I am happy everything is working as per normal. One less thing Tesla need to worry about when I take the car in for a service.
Cheers

 

[MrBadger]

I am definitely getting the right charge from my Andersen A2 wall charger and for once in the Tesla app I'm seeing the 31/32A 31mi/HR charge.

I am happy everything is working as per normal. One less thing Tesla need to worry about when I take the car in for a service.

But its not working correctly. The 31/32A should be 32/32A and the car has started charge 1A too low - this seems to be a recent bug and will do it irrespective of opening the app, but at least in the app you can bump it back up by 1A if you are awake at 12:30am

 

[Adopado]

But its not working correctly. The 31/32A should be 32/32A and the car has started charge 1A too low - this seems to be a recent bug and will do it irrespective of opening the app, but at least in the app you can bump it back up by 1A if you are awake at 12:30am

Exactly that. Usually after charging has stopped the app is still showing 31amps but it makes no difference if I nudge it back up to 32 in advance of the next charge starting; it's only possible to get the 32amps that the charge point is offering if you make that change "live" during a charge. It makes only a small difference to charging times but it's still not right.

 

[lookatbowen]

Exactly that. Usually after charging has stopped the app is still showing 31amps but it makes no difference if I nudge it back up to 32 in advance of the next charge starting; it's only possible to get the 32amps that the charge point is offering if you make that change "live" during a charge. It makes only a small difference to charging times but it's still not right.

So what you are saying is I need to bump it up to 32A while it is charging and then it will stay at 32A. Okay, I don't recall ever seeing it at 32A, but I will stay awake tonight and make the change.

 

[Adopado]

So what you are saying is I need to bump it up to 32A while it is charging and then it will stay at 32A. Okay, I don't recall ever seeing it at 32A, but I will stay awake tonight and make the change.

That worked for me (except it dropped back to 31 amps later in the charge). It will also enable you to confirm whether the issue is your car or the charge point not offering the full whack.

 

[M3LR21]

Well, after extensive testing at home, with the support of an engineer at Tesla Leeds, Rob, analysing the logs, my car is charging at the full rate offered by the charger when it starts it's scheduled charge. Probably it had been doing that anyway, but since I'd been using a workaround to the problem I'd encountered, I wouldn't have seen that. We got greater clarity on the car's process, but didn't establish why it went wrong in the first place, so as far as I'm aware, nothing was done to fix it.

According to Rob, when charging went wrong on Sunday 7 November immediately after the update, the logs recorded that the car received an instruction to reduce the requested charge rate, but the source of the request remains a mystery. Rob says it wasn't anything originating from Tesla, so he had me disable my ev.energy and TeslaLogger apps. We did that, and confirmed that the scheduled charging operated at the full charge rate. Of course, as I expected, re-enabling them made no difference at all. I contacted ev.energy who responded that their system only updates a charge start and finish time, and never the charge rate. My suspicion remains that it was a Tesla process to do with re-establishing the car's setting after the software update that probably Tesla have not been transparent with their engineers about. I guess we'll never know.

As far as the process the car goes through, Rob believes that there has been a change, but was unclear whether it was with 2021.40 or an earlier update. The previous behaviour was that the car would automatically establish the maximum charge rate immediately after plugging in by briefly drawing current. This step now takes place only at the point of the scheduled charge, unless the car is prompted to do so sooner by some other activity such as I described before, like getting back into the car or briefly starting and stopping charging via the app. I said to Rob that this is a retrograde step as it means that the charge rate reported by the app and dash (16A) does not accurately state the rate that will be used for the scheduled charge (30A). Rob said he'd relay the comment to Tesla.

Mystery ... unsolved, but at least it's working!

 

[lookatbowen]

At least it's working. Mine on the other hand is working perfectly. I bumped up the amp about 3 nights ago to 32A from 31A and it's been charging at fast ever since then. For me problem is solved.

 

[M3LR21]

At least it's working. Mine on the other hand is working perfectly. I bumped up the amp about 3 nights ago to 32A from 31A and it's been charging at fast ever since then. For me problem is solved.

Good to hear the problem is solved for you.

For clarity in case my previous post was confusing, the problem is solved for me too. What hasn't been resolved is why it went wrong in the first place and why it now works. Just one small addition to the amazing, dazzling, myriad mysteries of the universe ...

 

[M3LR21]

As the process the car goes through, Rob believes that there has been a change, but was unclear whether it was with 2021.40 or an earlier update. The previous behaviour was that the car would automatically establish the maximum charge rate immediately after plugging in by briefly drawing current. This step now takes place only at the point of the scheduled charge, unless the car is prompted to do so sooner by some other activity such as I described before, like getting back into the car or briefly starting and stopping charging via the app. I said to Rob that this is a retrograde step as it means that the charge rate reported by the app and dash (16A) does not accurately state the rate that will be used for the scheduled charge (30A). Rob said he'd relay the comment to Tesla.

Looks like the latest update on my car (2021.40.6) has changed the behaviour back to the way it used to be. I'm sure we weren't the only ones to highlight the glitch in the previous upgrade to Tesla.

 

[M3LR21]

Looks like the latest update on my car (2021.40.6) has changed the behaviour back to the way it used to be. I'm sure we weren't the only ones to highlight the glitch in the previous upgrade to Tesla.

Sadly it's proven not to be the case. There must have been a quirk on the first day, but since then I'm back to the previous situation: when I plug in for a scheduled charge, the dash and app show a max charge rate of 16A, but when the charging starts around 00:30 the rate is the full 30A. So the scheduled charging works fine - it's simply that the displayed charge rate is rubbish before the charging starts. No big deal to just ignore it.