Wallbox vs Lightning

[Maxx]

I need your collective wisdom to get some answers. I just got to the vacation place we are renting. Plugged the wallbox into the truck. Truck tells me it will take two days to charge. I plug-in the car scanner; it tells me I am getting 1 KW juice from the charger. I unplug and plug in again. The same thing.

I called the property owner and he tells me he charged his Lightning at the same place yesterday and it was OK and asked me to check it again. I am not sure what to check and how to check but I did. The same thing. He says the disconnect for the charger is not where I am staying at and it is in property next door. He will send someone to reset it. A little later, he tells me the guy checked everything and things seem OK. Check it again. I checked the OBD2 again without unplugging and now I am getting 9.5 KW. He says he does not know what was the problem but he is glad it is fixed. Now I am thinking if he does not know what happened and I don’t know what happened, it may happen again. Coming to this place at the end of the day out of juice and not knowing if I can charge can take the fun out of the vacation especially when the wife is looking for an excuse to say we should have brought the ICE.

Here are the questions:

• Has anyone seen the same type of thing and what was the problem?
• Is it a wallbox thing? The truck thing? Or a connection thing?
• If it happens again, is there anything I can do about it at my end? I understand it was too much of a coincidence for things to get fixed as soon as the dude gets to property next door and he probably did take the power off and turned it back on but I don’t know for sure if that happened and even if it did, it does not explain how the problem happened in the first place.

Any input is greatly appreciated.

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[Garyl]

I have a Wallbox Pulsar Plus that I use occasionally for the truck, but I haven't run into your issue. You might try downloading the Wallbox app and see if you can log into the charger. It should show up in your blue tooth list. The Pulsar plus is software adjustable but I haven't had it derate on its own

 

[RickLightning]

There is nothing you can do.

 

[Mike G]

I have a Wallbox Pulsar Plus that I use occasionally for the truck, but I haven't run into your issue. You might try downloading the Wallbox app and see if you can log into the charger. It should show up in your blue tooth list. The Pulsar plus is software adjustable but I haven't had it derate on its own

I have that same unit. Works great.

Couple of things struck me as odd though.

So this WallBox unit is controlled/connected to a circuit that's on somebody else's property?

How long is the run?

It's possible that whoever is the owner of the circuit it's connected to intentionally dialed it down from the app thinking they were going to save money on their electric bill.

Or it could have been limited due to the wiring or the length of the run.

Mine is set to the max for a 60A circuit with the correct gage wire.

My rate here in AL on the TVA grid (Nuke and Hydro) is a steady .11KWH no matter what time of day. So there's no point in setting a schedule. I plug in whenever.

 

[Adventureboy]

Just a theory, but it could be the truck may have seen only 120V and dropped to L1. Most EVSEs will not function if one side of the breaker kicks out, and I've seen this happen on a couple of occasions even when the breaker switches are bridged together and it is hard to tell one side has actually tripped. Perhaps the Wallbox has a backup L1 delivery if this happens?
Otherwise it may have been what @Mike G said and it had been intentionally dialed down.

 

[Maxx]

There is nothing you can do.

This is by far my most favorite comment of the forum. With one sentence, you lifted all the pressure and burden of needing and wanting a solution. Helplessness is where it’s at. Those empowerment guys are so misguided. If you ran for president and your slogan was “No you can’t”, I would vote for you.

 

[Peddyr]

This is by far my most favorite comment of the forum. With one sentence, you lifted all the pressure and burden of needing and wanting a solution. Helplessness is where it’s at. Those empowerment guys are so misguided. If you ran for president and your slogan was “No you can’t”, I would vote for you.

Abandon all hope here

 

[Maxx]

So this WallBox unit is controlled/connected to a circuit that's on somebody else's property?

How long is the run?

It's possible that whoever is the owner of the circuit it's connected to intentionally dialed it down from the app thinking they were going to save money on their electric bill.

‘I think it is the same property owned by the same person but separate buildings (one rented out).

No idea how long the run is but the other building I can see is not too far.

I thought the same thing at first and I was pissed because this juicer was the only reason we picked this place. It sounds like the guy that I was texting with regularly used the charger so may he or someone else powered it down when they are not using it so others don’t abuse it and forgot to turn it backup before our arrival. But he sounded like a dude that would tell me if that was the case.

 

[Maxx]

Just a theory, but it could be the truck may have seen only 120V and dropped to L1. Most EVSEs will not function if one side of the breaker kicks out, and I've seen this happen on a couple of occasions even when the breaker switches are bridged together and it is hard to tell one side has actually tripped. Perhaps the Wallbox has a backup L1 delivery if this happens?
Otherwise it may have been what @Mike G said and it had been intentionally dialed down.

Very interesting. I will bring it up with the dude if it happens again. Can that happen if one of the pins does not make a good contact when I plug in?

 

[chl]

I need your collective wisdom to get some answers. I just got to the vacation place we are renting. Plugged the wallbox into the truck. Truck tells me it will take two days to charge. I plug-in the car scanner; it tells me I am getting 1 KW juice from the charger. I unplug and plug in again. The same thing.

I called the property owner and he tells me he charged his Lightning at the same place yesterday and it was OK and asked me to check it again. I am not sure what to check and how to check but I did. The same thing. He says the disconnect for the charger is not where I am staying at and it is in property next door. He will send someone to reset it. A little later, he tells me the guy checked everything and things seem OK. Check it again. I checked the OBD2 again without unplugging and now I am getting 9.5 KW. He says he does not know what was the problem but he is glad it is fixed. Now I am thinking if he does not know what happened and I don’t know what happened, it may happen again. Coming to this place at the end of the day out of juice and not knowing if I can charge can take the fun out of the vacation especially when the wife is looking for an excuse to say we should have brought the ICE.

Here are the questions:

• Has anyone seen the same type of thing and what was the problem?
• Is it a wallbox thing? The truck thing? Or a connection thing?
• If it happens again, is there anything I can do about it at my end? I understand it was too much of a coincidence for things to get fixed as soon as the dude gets to property next door and he probably did take the power off and turned it back on but I don’t know for sure if that happened and even if it did, it does not explain how the problem happened in the first place.

Any input is greatly appreciated.

1) if the WallBox power (via the next door disconnect) was off, you would not have gotten even the 1kW charging the truck reported.

2) There are a few reasons the WallBox might derate according to a search (I am not a wallbox owner so cannot confirm the info), if it was not due to the Wallbox app setting or some overheating somewhere (cord, plug, truck, wallbox itself), then this "PowerBoost feature" seems possible assuming the house next door is using electricity for other things (there are a couple of "ifs" involved to check):

If you have a power meter installed and the Power Boost feature enabled, your Wallbox can adjust charging speed dynamically to prevent overloading your home's electrical panel.

• How it works: When your home's energy consumption is high (e.g., A/C, electric heat, or other high-draw appliances running), the Wallbox will reduce the power delivered to your EV. When home energy use drops, the charging speed increases again.
• How to fix it: If you have this feature, check if other large appliances were in use while your EV was charging slowly

My guess would be, since it went back to full charging current at some point, it is unlikely it was the wire run length, the truck, or an overheating situation, so either the owner adjusted the app or the "Power Boost feature" mentioned above was at play.

A search tells me this:
-----
Wallbox's Power Boost is a home energy management feature that dynamically adjusts the power used for charging your electric vehicle (EV) to prevent overloading your home's electrical system. By measuring the real-time energy usage of your household, it can reduce the charging power when other appliances are running and increase it when there's more available power, allowing you to install a higher-power charger without costly electrical upgrades.


How Power Boost Works

1. Real-time Monitoring:
   A Wallbox power meter, typically using clamp sensors, measures the live energy consumption of your home.
2. Dynamic Adjustment:
   The system uses this information to adjust the EV charger's power output.
3. Load Balancing:
   If your household's energy use increases (e.g., when the oven is on or the air conditioning is running), Power Boost will automatically reduce the EV charging power.
4. Maximum Speed:
   When your household's energy consumption decreases, Power Boost will increase the EV charging power to its maximum allowed level, ensuring faster charging.

Key Benefits

• Cost Savings:
  It helps you avoid expensive and complex electrical installation upgrades, as you don't need to expand your home's electrical capacity.

• Flexibility:
  You can install a more powerful EV charger, which means faster charging, even in homes with limited electrical capacity.
  
  
• Protection:
  It prevents the electrical system from being overloaded, avoiding blown fuses and potential blackouts.
  
  
• Compatibility:
  Power Boost is an optional feature that requires a compatible Wallbox charger and a power meter for installation, according to this YouTube video.

-----
The video link:

 

[Maxx]

1) if the WallBox power (via the next door disconnect) was off, you would not have gotten even the 1kW charging the truck reported.

2) There are a few reasons the WallBox might derate according to a search (I am not a wallbox owner so cannot confirm the info), if it was not due to the Wallbox app setting or some overheating somewhere (cord, plug, truck, wallbox itself), then this "PowerBoost feature" seems possible assuming the house next door is using electricity for other things (there are a couple of "ifs" involved to check):

If you have a power meter installed and the Power Boost feature enabled, your Wallbox can adjust charging speed dynamically to prevent overloading your home's electrical panel.

• How it works: When your home's energy consumption is high (e.g., A/C, electric heat, or other high-draw appliances running), the Wallbox will reduce the power delivered to your EV. When home energy use drops, the charging speed increases again.
• How to fix it: If you have this feature, check if other large appliances were in use while your EV was charging slowly

My guess would be, since it went back to full charging current at some point, it is unlikely it was the wire run length, the truck, or an overheating situation, so either the owner adjusted the app or the "Power Boost feature" mentioned above was at play.

A search tells me this:
-----
Wallbox's Power Boost is a home energy management feature that dynamically adjusts the power used for charging your electric vehicle (EV) to prevent overloading your home's electrical system. By measuring the real-time energy usage of your household, it can reduce the charging power when other appliances are running and increase it when there's more available power, allowing you to install a higher-power charger without costly electrical upgrades.


How Power Boost Works

1. Real-time Monitoring:
   A Wallbox power meter, typically using clamp sensors, measures the live energy consumption of your home.
2. Dynamic Adjustment:
   The system uses this information to adjust the EV charger's power output.
3. Load Balancing:
   If your household's energy use increases (e.g., when the oven is on or the air conditioning is running), Power Boost will automatically reduce the EV charging power.
4. Maximum Speed:
   When your household's energy consumption decreases, Power Boost will increase the EV charging power to its maximum allowed level, ensuring faster charging.

Key Benefits

• Cost Savings:
  It helps you avoid expensive and complex electrical installation upgrades, as you don't need to expand your home's electrical capacity.

• Flexibility:
  You can install a more powerful EV charger, which means faster charging, even in homes with limited electrical capacity.
  
  
• Protection:
  It prevents the electrical system from being overloaded, avoiding blown fuses and potential blackouts.
  
  
• Compatibility:
  Power Boost is an optional feature that requires a compatible Wallbox charger and a power meter for installation, according to this YouTube video.

-----
The video link:

‘Very helpful. Thank you.

 

[RLXXI]

It's also possible you didn't have it plugged in good the first time or perhaps there was some corrosion on the terminals that didn't get cleaned the 1st time and when you disconnected and reconnected it made the proper connection.

Happens a lot with regular connectors thru out the truck over time.

Ford even mentions this in the shop manual when running diagnostics on systems. Disconnect, check for pushed out pins, corrosion, water intrusion and reconnect.

There's been many times a repair for something was nothing more than that.

 

[RickLightning]

This is by far my most favorite comment of the forum. With one sentence, you lifted all the pressure and burden of needing and wanting a solution. Helplessness is where it’s at. Those empowerment guys are so misguided. If you ran for president and your slogan was “No you can’t”, I would vote for you.

You expressed a desire to take matters into your hands to resolve the situation. After a half dozen posts, there isn't one actionable item YOU can do to remedy the situation, which is what I told you.

While the Wallbox can be setup to adjust to demand, 1kW is a very unlikely setting, but even if it is adjusting, which I doubt, you can't alter that.

Suggestions that you could simply download the app and adjust it yourself are not correct in my opinion- either the wallbox would require power off and then on to connect (which you can't do), or it has a pin/password set.

Lastly, you stated you are on vacation. You're spending your time asking what you can do, and I gave you the only viable answer - nothing. In other words, relax, and enjoy your vacation.

 

[MrLoganRoss]

I have been using a Wallbox to charge lighting and Mache for a year and a half. No issue. There is a hardware limiter that can be set )overrides what is in the app). I think the lowest setting is 16 amps, which maybe is equal to L1.

it may have been set that way by mistake or because they rightfully limited it to match the limitations of the circuit.

 

[Maxx]

I have been using a Wallbox to charge lighting and Mache for a year and a half. No issue. There is a hardware limiter that can be set )overrides what is in the app). I think the lowest setting is 16 amps, which maybe is equal to L1.

it may have been set that way by mistake or because they rightfully limited it to match the limitations of the circuit.

Thanks for great info on how Wallbox works.

The issue was fixed (Truck getting 9.5 Kw/40A) remotely. In other-words as far as I know they never showed up at the charger when it started working. When I had the issue, I was getting around 1 KW, so it could not be hardware setting, since 16A x 240V = 3,840 (3.8 Kw).

This is the second night and I am getting what I am supposed to be getting so if this keeps up for the rest of the week, I should be fine.

If I ever figure out what the problem was, I will post it here.

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