Sometimes, people might think the EVSE (Electric Vehicle Special Equipment) - the thing you plug into your vehicle to charge it - might be bad. Your Arcimoto may have come with a ClipperCreek EVSE.
How do you know your on board charger failed and not the EVSE? There can be many different indicators, not always the same for each failure. And the worst part is a failed on board charger can break an EVSE, which is why I like to test potentially bad on board chargers at a commercial charging station.
Firstly, your touch screen must turn on when touched. If it doesn’t, it may be a different problem: a dead 12v battery.
Otherwise, you may have a failed on board charger if…
1. You plug in your EVSE to charge the vehicle and the little green bar doesn’t move left/right indicating it is charging.
2. You plug in your EVSE and there is an error indicator on the EVSE box. This may also indicate a bad EVSE, that is why you have to go through this checklist.
3. You leave it to charge for a couple hours and you come back with the state of charge (SOC) at the same number or lower.
4. You plug in your EVSE and the fuse for the EVSE circuit is tripped.
5. You plug in your EVSE and hear a “pop” sound from the front of the vehicle, this might possibly be followed by an electrical smell.
6. You plug in your EVSE, let it charge for 24 hours, and the state of charge (SOC) might increase the charge by 1%.
7. You try a different EVSE and it still doesn’t charge.
8. It isn’t charging after you plug your EVSE into a socket in a different house or a plug on a completely different electrical circuit - and the wiring in your home is newer (ruled out poor wiring).
9. You try a commercial charging station EVSE and it either doesn’t move the green bar, the commercial EVSE has a fault, or the EVSE stops working altogether and is now broken.
The solution is to replace the Greenwatt on board charger with the exact same model to ensure fit and that it will work with the system Arcimoto programmed. The charger costs about $1200 and it takes about 1.5 hours to replace if you know how to do it. A competent person can do it themselves, there are instructions out there.
3 comments
I am afraid my onboard charger just died. Several of the things described in the post happened to me. No longer chargers, pop sound, electrical smell, fried my portable charger. Have tried multiple chargers, still no charge. So if this is the case, what is the procedure to get it replaced (Fairfield CA). If I get it to Arcimoto in Eugene can they replace it? My 3 year "warranty" expires in September. Is this covered by the warranty or do I have to pay out of pocket which I don't mind at all. Thanks for any advice here.
Currently the only way to get ahold of Arcimoto for warranty work is via email - support@arcimoto.com Make sure you put your name, VIN number, and your phone number in the subject line and all info in the body of the email with a full description of the problem. Their website, arcimoto.com, is now back up (ish). They might require you to ship the vehicle to Eugene, OR to get the warranty work done. If you are in California, you can get ahold of FUVMods (Brad Harness) who can go out there and replace your charger for a fee. Arcimoto may (or may not), give him a $1200 on board charger for the warranty work. They might also be willing to ship one to you if you or someone you know is competent enough to do the repair. There are instructions.
Post a Comment