[Kowbellski]

So this is not my first EV. Today I stopped at a level 3 charger at the mall. It is a Volta. Volta’s app keeps saying that my car is not connected. However, the car is charging and therefore the charge cable is locked into my vehicle. The good news is I am getting free Level 3 charging though it seems to be at a very slow speed for level 3.

Initially I had 2.5 hours until the car is fully charged (have the car set to stop at 90%) and really only wanted to stay here for about 45 minutes. I still have a hour left until it’s done.
There are no buttons to stop charging on the charger itself. I can’t stop it in Volta’s app because it thinks I’m not connected and lists the charger as available. I don’t have my manual with me, but I think I remember something about locking and unlocking the doors to stop charging and I have tried that and it does not seem to be working. The were a button in my last car to stop charging and unlock the charger but I can’t find that in my Solterra. How do I stop charging from within the vehicle so that I can unplug the charger and go on about my business?

 

[poodlemaster]

LOL Hit the unlock on your key.

 

[Kowbellski]

LOL Hit the unlock on your key.

I tried that. I tried lock, I tried unlock, I tried lock then unlock, then I tried unlock then lock. Still charging and still won’t let go of car.
My Subaru dealer called right as your message came through. He said use the lock and unlock buttons on the door. That didn’t work either. Lol.

unrelated note, I bought the car on 11th on the 13th Subaru had it for two days because the tire pressure was being weird. The tires were inflated to 50 psi but the door said 38 so when we deflated them to 38 the tire pressure monitor came on and Subaru had them keep the car to do all kinds of testing for a day and a half so I had a loaner car. My Subaru dealer said he’s going to drive over to me and see if he can figure it out I will say I absolutely love my Subaru people and their customer service and at least I’m a patient person because I find it entertaining rather than getting angry in a situation like this mostly because I don’t have anywhere. I absolutely have to go right now.

 

[TheMarc]

I don't have a Solterra so I can't really be sure, but I imagine you, still there, 9h later, waiting to unlock the charger and I can't just leave you there... 😂 Did you try pressing "unlock" on the fob three times in a row? I think I read that somewhere...

 

[Kowbellski]

I don't have a Solterra so I can't really be sure, but I imagine you, still there, 9h later, waiting to unlock the charger and I can't just leave you there... 😂 Did you try pressing "unlock" on the fob three times in a row? I think I read that somewhere...

Lol! I don’t think I did try that. I’ll give that a short and report back during my next charge. I did manage to escape the charger finally. Once it charged to the set limit of 90% it unlocked the cord. I know they have it lock in as a safety feature and you can normally stop the charge process on the charger itself but this one was entirely app controlled and the app didn’t register as connected even though I was connected and charging.

My Leaf had a button on the dash and on the key fob to force stop the charging. I was hoping Solterra had something like this. There are two things I could have done….

Had I been in a hurry or had somewhere to go I could have called the phone number in the app or on the charger and have them reset the charging station to get it to unlock.

If it weren’t actively charging, I learned there is an emergency release wire inside the engine compartment. In the pictures in the manual it appears to be at the top of the compartment on the upper right Kinda close to where the hood would set if it were closed. I of course didn’t have the manual with me. It was at home so I could read through a few things in my spare time. So once you locate the wire, you can pull it to manually unlock the charger but I think it’s not supposed to be done while it’s actively charging. I will also take a look for the release wire and put a better description here of where to find it in case anyone ever needs it.

 

[SM Touring]

Thank you for sharing the manual image

 

[JayEM]

There is a pin above the charging port that can be manually pressed in to release the charger. View attachment 1789

If you can get to it (not blocked by the DC charging connector).

 

[SM Touring]

Can definitely access the pin with a small thin screwdriver

 

[Ducatista]

Don’t touch the pin with a small screw driver. Open the hood. There is an emergency/problem release cable/wire for the charging port connector. In the owners manual P.93

 

[JayEM]

Can definitely access the pin with a small thin screwdriver

Notwithstanding what @Ducatista wrote, some DC charger connectors are bulkier than others. I've not used DCFC on my Solterra so I can't say if access to the pin is blocked, or not.

 

[n6nl]

What you want to avoid is a spark when the current is interrupted by the manual disconnection.

That isn't good for the electrical contacts on the car or on the charging cable.

Speak of that, I recommend that everyone take a look at the charging cable contacts of public chargers before they attempt to plug it into their EV. Don't mess up your car's charging socket with a dodgy cable connector.

 

[ammika13]

I thought I read in the manual or heard some where that to stop DCFC you have to hit unlock three times in a row

 

[ajpascucci]

I don't have a Solterra so I can't really be sure, but I imagine you, still there, 9h later, waiting to unlock the charger and I can't just leave you there... 😂 Did you try pressing "unlock" on the fob three times in a row? I think I read that somewhere...

So this is not my first EV. Today I stopped at a level 3 charger at the mall. It is a Volta. Volta’s app keeps saying that my car is not connected. However, the car is charging and therefore the charge cable is locked into my vehicle. The good news is I am getting free Level 3 charging though it seems to be at a very slow speed for level 3.

Initially I had 2.5 hours until the car is fully charged (have the car set to stop at 90%) and really only wanted to stay here for about 45 minutes. I still have a hour left until it’s done.
There are no buttons to stop charging on the charger itself. I can’t stop it in Volta’s app because it thinks I’m not connected and lists the charger as available. I don’t have my manual with me, but I think I remember something about locking and unlocking the doors to stop charging and I have tried that and it does not seem to be working. The were a button in my last car to stop charging and unlock the charger but I can’t find that in my Solterra. How do I stop charging from within the vehicle so that I can unplug the charger and go on about my business?

You unlock car by handle. You should only be charging to 80 percent NOT 90.

 

[JayEM]

You unlock car by handle. You should only be charging to 80 percent NOT 90.

Unless 90% is what you need to make it to your destination (or the next charger).

 

[John Austin]

Don’t touch the pin with a small screw driver. Open the hood. There is an emergency/problem release cable/wire for the charging port connector. In the owners manual P.93
View attachment 1790

Thanks for showing this - important...but hope I never need to use it!

 

[sue.langley]

I tried that. I tried lock, I tried unlock, I tried lock then unlock, then I tried unlock then lock. Still charging and still won’t let go of car.
My Subaru dealer called right as your message came through. He said use the lock and unlock buttons on the door. That didn’t work either. Lol.

unrelated note, I bought the car on 11th on the 13th Subaru had it for two days because the tire pressure was being weird. The tires were inflated to 50 psi but the door said 38 so when we deflated them to 38 the tire pressure monitor came on and Subaru had them keep the car to do all kinds of testing for a day and a half so I had a loaner car. My Subaru dealer said he’s going to drive over to me and see if he can figure it out I will say I absolutely love my Subaru people and their customer service and at least I’m a patient person because I find it entertaining rather than getting angry in a situation like this mostly because I don’t have anywhere. I absolutely have to go right now.

Try unlock at the door. It works for me. To use the key button to unlock works too. I had the same issue in the first two weeks but now I do not have the issue anymore.

 

[monty]

I was going to post something similar. I have a level 2 32A charger from Amazon and having issues with the setup.
I can release the charger by pressing the release lever that stops the charge and releases the plug. However, the unit then has an error code. If the timer on the Solterra stops the charging code there is no error code.
I haven't had the unit long enough to determine if this error code is significant or not - I will reach out to the manufacturer shortly.
I have also had annoying experiences with he scheduled charging not working. I'm still investigating this.

I have tried selecting charging in the infotainment screen and sliding charge now to off when on from scheduled charging. Maybe I haven't waited long enough as the green led by the plug is still lit. Just wondered if anyone had any thoughts or experience on this stuff?

 

[FelineFreddie]

What brand of charger?

 

[Kowbellski]

Lol! I don’t think I did try that. I’ll give that a short and report back during my next charge. I did manage to escape the charger finally. Once it charged to the set limit of 90% it unlocked the cord. I know they have it lock in as a safety feature and you can normally stop the charge process on the charger itself but this

one was entirely app controlled and the app didn’t register as connected even though I was connected and charging.

My Leaf had a button on the dash and on the key fob to force stop the charging. I was hoping Solterra had something like this. There are two things I could have done….

Had I been in a hurry or had somewhere to go I could have called the phone number in the app or on the charger and have them reset the charging station to get it to unlock.

If it weren’t actively charging, I learned there is an emergency release wire inside the engine compartment. In the pictures in the manual it appears to be at the top of the compartment on the upper right Kinda close to where the hood would set if it were closed. I of course didn’t have the manual with me. It was at home so I could read through a few things in my spare time. So once you locate the wire, you can pull it to manually unlock the charger but I think it’s not supposed to be done while it’s actively charging. I will also take a look for the release wire and put a better description here of where to find it in case anyone ever needs it.

Thanks for showing this - important...but hope I never need to use it!

Here is a picture of the cable and where to find it. This is right I’m from if the drivers side windshield in the engine compartment.

 

[Kowbellski]

Don’t touch the pin with a small screw driver. Open the hood. There is an emergency/problem release cable/wire for the charging port connector. In the owners manual P.93
View attachment 1790