Hi, Would you say this plug looks like it has enough space inside to install the button kit? Thanks
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Unlock Charge Port / Cable On Type 2 3rd Party Charger
- Thread starter Glen Brooks
- Start date
Cardo
Active Member
That looks a bit like a Duosida plug, but I can’t be certain. It might be possible to do the straight swap with the kit I used. Worth having a look. Tesla mini connector kit - evChargeking
@Glan gluaisne is no longer posting on the forum so I don't think you are going to get the benefit of his comments.
MrBadger
Badger out
Someone mentioned a possible change to charge port behaviour in latest updates. If confirmed, an unlock button may no longer be as useful.
MrBadger
Badger out
erm, its in a post from earlier today... Off top of my head, it was something about charge port being unlocked automatically when plug went to be removed
here you go @Adopado - this post from Wuddie and @Dilly noticing similar behaviour
teslamotorsclub.com
here you go @Adopado - this post from Wuddie and @Dilly noticing similar behaviour
[UK] 2021.24
I don't check my phone very often but I do check more often with TeslaFi. A few times past I've seen a notification on TeslaFi of a software update downloading then gone to the (V3) App to start the software update. Not seen any updates for a while and none since phone App V4 appeared. I hope...
teslamotorsclub.com
Cardo
Active Member
I’ve not tested the very latest 24.5, however on 24.4 the charge port behaved the same as always.
I’d be very concerned if the cable were auto-unlocking without some kind of setting (as was in our old Ioniq and i3), as that’s a sure fire way to get your cable nicked.
MrBadger
Badger out
I would have thought that having the charge port auto-unlock if the car was unlocked or a phone key close was perfectly safe
Hi, I got the 2021.24.5 update last night, but as far as I could tell, the charge port behaviour this morning was just the same as it was before the update - I still needed to use the app or dashboard screen to unlock the charge port before the cable could be removed. So I've not cancelled my order for the Tesla mini connector kit - evChargeking that @Cardo suggested.
I was thinking about the process that the car seems to go through to unlock when I approach with my phone in my pocket. Clearly the car detects my proximity through the Bluetooth link between the car and my phone, but it's only when I try to open the door or boot that it actually unlocks. When I tested that this morning, the charge port light wasn't illuminated until I opened the door, and at that point the light came on blue, indicating that the charge port remained locked. It would be helpful if the charge port unlocked when proximity of the phone key was detected, since, like most people, I would like to unplug the cable before I get into the car, rather than after! However, since the Model 3 doesn't have a button at the charge port to trigger unlocking when proximity is sensed, I suspect it would be a much bigger change to the systems to do that, since that functionality would be very different to that for the doors and boot, which do have handles/buttons to trigger unlocking. Maybe I'll discover that's what has actually been done in this latest release, but if it has, I missed it this morning.
I didn't pay proper attention this morning but I think the cable was released before I actually pressed the app button i.e. when the app/car became awake as I was standing next to the car. Mind you the app used to be able to release the cable before the car was properly awake anyway. I'll pay better attention tomorrow to see if the behaviour has changed!
(on 24.5)
Thanks for pointing out this kit @Cardo. It arrived from evChargeking in 5 days (including the weekend) and was simple enough to fit. Inside the existing plug was a resistor between wires connected to the earth and proximity terminals. That has to be cut off, and then I soldered the switch wires to those disconnected ones. The kit includes shrink sleeves to cover the joints - I have no heat gun, but it wasn't hard to carefully hold a match underneath to do that part. And those were the only slightly tricky bits! The rest just involved unscrewing the two halves of previous plug body and then refitting with the replacement. Easy.
And it works so simply. So this morning I opened the garage door with my phone in the back pocket of my jeans (so not yet sensed by the car), and the car was asleep. The light on the charge port was unlit. As expected, pressing the button on the plug had no effect at this point, as I guessed the car needed to be awake first, and ready to unlock.
Opening the boot would have woken it up. Instead I pulled the boot latch: as I expected, the boot didn't open, but it woke the car. Since my phone was still in the back pocket of my jeans the car wasn't prepared to unlock - if I'd wanted the boot to open I'd have taken my phone out of my pocket, or turned my backside to the car(!) before pulling the latch so the car could sense my phone.
As soon as the car woke, the charge port light came on green to indicate that the car was charged up to the limit. Now pressing the cable plug button released the plug, but by this stage the car must have also sensed the proximity of my phone, even though it was still in my back pocket. So the car went ahead and released the cable, and also reported on the dashboard that it had unlocked.
I replugged the cable, locked the car and went back later without my phone on me to check that last point - that If it couldn't sense my phone, it wouldn't release the cable. That's exactly what happened. Pulling the boot latch woke the car up. Now on pressing the charge cable button the dashboard would message that I needed to "tap the keycard to unlock", and the cable remained firmly locked in. All entirely reassuring!
I've still seen no change with 2021.24.5 from what happened before - any update?
It's been inconsistent with me. I have had the cable release when fully waking the car and being beside the charge port ... but not every time. A change with the new app is that the release button (on the phone app) is no longer visible and active until the car fully wakes up ... so it can be more of a delay than it was before.
That's interesting and good to know as I was tempted with this kit, but then got put off because on the instruction sheet it asks to strip the wires and re-add them to the assembly block not just cut the one resister out. I am a competent DIYer but thought best not to fiddle with charging cables to cause unnecessary hazards (putting it mildly with the potential damage it could do if done incorrectly) was a big no-no for me and not to mention the lack of access to a heavy-duty crimp.
Just altering the 1 cable, does change everything.
Cardo
Active Member
This particular kit only works if you have a compatible plug already. My Zappi v1 had a Duosida plug, which was a simple swap. My PodPoint has a different plug that requires re-crimping.
Is there a way for me to find out what different types there are? Google only brings me the different versions of chargers - I have this (which I know as a type 2). I assumed all type 2 were type 2, had no idea there were different variants unless i've misunderstood..
It’s a lot of trouble and expense for something that you don’t essentially require but yes, you could have a cable swap, I understand. Most people with Teslas don’t use a Tesla charge point at home and therefore don’t have the button on the connector.
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