charger wont lock while charging

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LadybugDD

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Sep 19, 2018
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:cry: When I plug my car in to the house outlet it will not lock. I can pull it out every time. Am I not doing something? Afraid to plug in a public place I dont want anyone to take my charging cords
 
You mean the Type 1 connector that plugs into your car? The type 1 connector does not support locking. When you are lucky there is a little hole in the release button and you can put a padlock in that hole to prevent the release button from being used.
 
As anko says, if it's a Mitsubishi supplied standard charge cable (which presumably it must be) that fits in a domestic 3-pin socket (make sure the socket is up to the job) then it should have a small hole in the grey, clicky bit that can accommodate a padlock to prevent the 'switch' being depressed, as shown in this picture. I don't think that public chargepoints take this type of 3-pin 'domestic' charge cable (not actually sure as I've never used a public chargepoint).

For public charging access you either need a different cable that costs about £200 that goes into the same socket as the 3-pin charger does, but takes around 3 hours instead of 5 to charge to 100% (me and every other sensible person has one of these at home, along with the charge point to plug it into). I think some 'public' chargers possibly have a tethered cable of this type but it has to be the sort that fits a Mitsubishi - mysteriously not all electric cars have the same type of socket. Or more usually on a public chargepoint you can use the other bigger socket for a half hour charge from a tethered cable (permanently attached to the public charger) that charges up to around 80%.

I've never used a public charger - I'm a cautious person by nature and don't trust them not to be faulty, vandalised or not working at all. So much for my confidence in a national network of electric car charge points :lol: . I reckon we have a very long way to go before that's a reality. I think only people who can afford a Tesla currently enjoy that particular privilage. Although I've not noticed many Tesla charge points in Scotland*. Tesla chargepoints cannot be used by any other type of electric car. Fortunately the Mitsubishi PHEV also has an engine, so as long as you remember to put some petrol in it charging at a public chargepoint doesn't have a great deal of purpose to it.

If you live and work in a city public (or workplace) charge points are more of a realistic proposition - maybe more likely to be maintained and actually work. Especially handy if you have a short commute and your own chargepoint at home too.

*Actually, I've just been looking at the Tesla chargepoint map and virtually all of the Tesla chargepoints shown in Northern Scotland are located at hotels, and surprisingly only available to guests staying at the hotels. How does that work? Do Tesla driver's have no choice but to stay at expensive hotels or do they have to rely on the (not so) superb Scottish 'public' network of chargepoints? Mind you, I've only seen 2 Teslas since I've lived in Scotland.
 

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My domestic electric tarif gives me two years free access to the Polar public charging network. However, a condition of retaining free access is that you have to use one of their charging points at least once every six months. I find myself making a special trip to my nearest Polar public charging point to plug in for a couple of hours just to maintain a free service that I otherwise never use. Go figure!

To use the public chargepoint you need your own type 1 (car end) to type 2 (charger end) cable. With Polar you use a membership card to turn on the charger. Once activated the type 2 connector is automatically locked into the charger. It can only be unlocked using the membership card making it difficult for anyone else to steal. At least this is what happens at the two Polar chargers I have used. I can’t speak for any other networks.
 
WAH64 said:
My domestic electric tarif gives me two years free access to the Polar public charging network. However, a condition of retaining free access is that you have to use one of their charging points at least once every six months. I find myself making a special trip to my nearest Polar public charging point to plug in for a couple of hours just to maintain a free service that I otherwise never use. Go figure!

To use the public chargepoint you need your own type 1 (car end) to type 2 (charger end) cable. With Polar you use a membership card to turn on the charger. Once activated the type 2 connector is automatically locked into the charger. It can only be unlocked using the membership card making it difficult for anyone else to steal. At least this is what happens at the two Polar chargers I have used. I can’t speak for any other networks.
Yes, and when the lady in the next spot makes a mistake in swiping her card she will drive off in a huff, leaving you to find your car charged (to her account!) and the cable locked to your card. It took m the best part of half an hour to get the company to unlock my cable.
 
Here on the west coast of Canada the public charge points all have the correct plug to fit our level 1 socket, and some of these are free to use. Some have the CHaDmo plug for 20 min 80% charge, which you pay for through a card, or a cellphone app, at about $2.00 CDN. You, as the user, don't need any type of cable connector/adapter. Many of these public chargers also have a separate Tesla outlet, as Teslas are very popular here; I probably see 6 to 10 of them every day during my 150 km route.
 
NightPHEVer said:
I don't think that public chargepoints take this type of 3-pin 'domestic' charge cable (not actually sure as I've never used a public chargepoint).

(me and every other sensible person has one of these at home, along with the charge point to plug it into).

I think only people who can afford a Tesla currently enjoy that particular privilage.

Do Tesla driver's have no choice but to stay at expensive hotels .

!. Yes, there are "3 pin" sockets on some Public chargepoints' that I have used

2. Clearly I'm not "sensible" as I don't have a fast chargepoint - an overnight 5 hour charge suits me fine

3. No, I've seen Tesla chargepoints which can used by any EV, if you have the right connector, and are free to use e.g. Luton Airport

4. If you can afford a Tesla you wouldn't want to stay anywhere other than an "expensive" hotel. :lol:
 
I imagined that if you were in the fortunate postion to afford a Tesla (probably on some sort of lease agreement) that you would be able to charge it - no questions asked - at any Tesla chargepoint whenever you felt the need. Interesting to hear that there are Tesla points in existence where other EVs can be charged for free. I noticed about a year ago a whole long line of Tesla chargepoints at the Gonerby Moor 'services' (Moto services as they were in the 1970s) near Grantham on the A1, strangely though there is no indication of these points on Teslas own website map. I guess the Tesla's on-board computer with its giant screen (I do like the look of that screen) will tell you exactly where the chargepoints are.

I currently also use the 3-pin option as I'm in a rented property going through the tedious process of buying a house in Scotland (don't let anybody convince you that buying a house in Scotland is 'easy' compared to England - it isn't. A lot cheaper, but not any easier or quicker) but my trusty Rolec (with its type 1 to type 2 cable) is waiting patiently in its banana box ready to be re-fitted to my new house. My current rental is a 3 year old house but has no EV chargepoint fitted. Niether I suspect do any of the numerous other houses currently popping-up daily on the Inverness skyline.
 
I used to use a 3-pin plug to charge, but found it getting quite hot this summer - not helped by being in full sun during the afternoon, though even some shade didn't cool it. As we already have a 7kW charger for our Zoe, I bought a 32A cable (futureproofing) for £112 and share the point with the Zoe, which tends to be charged overnight and the PHEV during the day. Thank heavens we ordered an untethered one when we bought the Zoe!

I've only ever used a Chademo charger for the PHEV away from home, mostly free at stores like Ikea, etc. Never had a problem, and only once found it occupied. I stick a note in the car with my phone number in case a BEV needs it more
 
I've been using my 3-pin Mitsubishi charge cable on a 5 metre extension lead (proper heavy duty EV job from Tough Leads) and noticed that the 3-pin plug on the end of the Mitsubishi lead - plugged into the extension lead - gets quite hot, but not worryingly so. But the extension lead 3-pin plug into the garage wall socket doesn't even get warm. My rental house is only three years old so has up-to-date wiring but the wall sockets are only the usual cheap twonk that is typically fitted to modern estate houses. The garage socket is on a ring main, not seperate on its own supply cable.
 
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