Unreliable timed charging, car or charger problem?

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AlbertTatlock

Member
Joined
Dec 24, 2022
Messages
18
Good morning. Looking for advice on charging my 2020 Outlander PHEV and don't see anything here similar?

I have one of the round shaped Podpoint chargers, about 18 months old and have had issues with timed charging the last two or three months. I don't know whether it's a charger issue, a car timer issue or both.

Here's what's been happening.

For over a year the Podpoint provided reliable scheduled overnight charging in the off peak tariff period I have. The schedule is set on the car, not on the Podpoint.

About two or three months ago the scheduled charge occasionally failed. Then it consistently failed. I noticed the Podpoint was continuously calling home. That's the LED flashing pink + blue. The Podpoint has been connected through a WiFi extender in the adjacent garage. It's worked OK till recently but I turned the WiFi extender off.

I rebooted the Podpoint and it sits there with a white LED showing which means standby and no WiFi. When the car is plugged in the LED flashes green which is correct for a scheduled charge. For a few weeks this has proved reliable and scheduled overnight charging has resumed. Schedule at all times set on the car, not the charger.

Recently however, when plugging in the car the LED has failed to flash green and stayed solid white which is standby. Rebooting the Podpoint gets the white LED on. But plugging the car in results in a solid green LED which means it's actively charging. Even when the car schedule is set. To activate the scheduled charging again I have found that I have to delete the car schedule and recreate the car charging schedule. Then it works normally again for a few days.

I hope that all makes sense. I think the underlying issue is a faulty Podpoint. But this latest behaviour where plugging in results in activating charging even when the schedule is set bothers me. I can't understand why recently I have had to start resetting both the Podpoint and the car schedule to get it to work correctly.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts on this.

I will probably have to call Podpoint but I think they charge £180 just to send someone out. Something I am obviously trying to avoid.
 
A bit more on this. The touch screen control display seems to be developing several different intermittent faults and I suspect now that with the charger disconnected from the WiFi that it's actually the car controls that are to blame for charging problems. The touch screen unit -

1 Scrolls through menus without being touched.
2 Touch screen freezes and is unresponsive.
3 Charge timer fails to start a charge on time.
4 Charging starts immediately car is plugged into charger in spite of charge timer being set.
5 Charge timer has to be reset, car restarted then stopped and charge timer set again for timed charging to work again.

All of those are intermittent faults but are getting more frequent. Will be talking to local Mitsubishi dealer next week about a warranty replacement.

Thanks for any feed back. If other owners have had touch screen unit issues, would be keen to hear about it.
 
Sorry to hear of your problems, I have a 2020 as well. The only times that charging has been an issue with mine is when the phone app schedule ended up different to the dash schedule. I deleted all schedules and reentered them, making sure the car was accepting the changes. When daylight savings occurs, the car does not account for it and is an hour late on the schedule. Occasionally the charger will not start and goes back to ready. This may be because I have interrupted a charge for some reason, I just disconnect, switch off at wall, plug into the car again and switch back on. It goes straight into charge mode if it is in the scheduled time.
Good Luck with yours and Happy New Year
 
SilverD said:
Sorry to hear of your problems, I have a 2020 as well. The only times that charging has been an issue with mine is when the phone app schedule ended up different to the dash schedule. I deleted all schedules and reentered them, making sure the car was accepting the changes. When daylight savings occurs, the car does not account for it and is an hour late on the schedule. Occasionally the charger will not start and goes back to ready. This may be because I have interrupted a charge for some reason, I just disconnect, switch off at wall, plug into the car again and switch back on. It goes straight into charge mode if it is in the scheduled time.
Good Luck with yours and Happy New Year
Click to expand...

Thanks. Yes HNY. I don't use an app to set the charge timer, I do it directly on the touch screen and yes the system isn't smart enough to change automatically for daylight saving autumn/spring. Surprising, as most electronic goods are capable of that these days.

Will report back what the dealer says next week. I guess they'll say there's no issue with the touch screen unit. That's what always happens these days with intermittent faults in my experience. We have a video of the unit changing screen on it's own without being touched and hopefully that'll convince them I'm not just imagining issues with it.
 
It's possible that the issue you're experiencing could be related to daylight saving time. Many devices, including chargers and vehicles, have internal clocks that need to be manually adjusted when daylight saving time begins or ends. If the clocks are not adjusted, it can cause issues with scheduling and other features that rely on time.

To get a better understanding of where the issue is coming from, I would recommend trying a different charger to see if the issue persists. This will help to rule out whether the problem is with the charger or with the vehicle. If the issue does not occur when using a different charger, it's likely that the Podpoint charger is the root cause of the problem. If the issue persists even when using a different charger, it's more likely that the issue is with the vehicle.

If you do decide to contact Podpoint for support, it's worth noting that they may charge a fee for service calls. However, it's also possible that the issue you're experiencing is covered under the warranty for the charger, in which case the repair or replacement would be free of charge. I recommend consulting with Podpoint or the manufacturer of your vehicle for more information on this.
 
nrayanov said:
It's possible that the issue you're experiencing could be related to daylight saving time. Many devices, including chargers and vehicles, have internal clocks that need to be manually adjusted when daylight saving time begins or ends. If the clocks are not adjusted, it can cause issues with scheduling and other features that rely on time.

To get a better understanding of where the issue is coming from, I would recommend trying a different charger to see if the issue persists. This will help to rule out whether the problem is with the charger or with the vehicle. If the issue does not occur when using a different charger, it's likely that the Podpoint charger is the root cause of the problem. If the issue persists even when using a different charger, it's more likely that the issue is with the vehicle.

If you do decide to contact Podpoint for support, it's worth noting that they may charge a fee for service calls. However, it's also possible that the issue you're experiencing is covered under the warranty for the charger, in which case the repair or replacement would be free of charge. I recommend consulting with Podpoint or the manufacturer of your vehicle for more information on this.
Click to expand...

Thanks. The Podpoint itself is running in dumb mode since it has an issue with continuously calling home when connected to the WiFi. The WiFi is switched off and the Podpoint is a lot more reliable without it. But I never scheduled charging on the Podpoint anyway, always the car.

There is in fact an issue with summer/winter time but it's in the smart meter. I have determined by trial and error that the smart meter clock is 1hr 15min ahead of real-time and it fails to adjust when the clocks change. Incredibly a user cannot actually view the time clock setting on the smart meter. The energy supplier has failed miserably to reset the meter clock. So I allow for the meter being wrong when I set the timer schedule on the car display unit.

There's definitely an issue with the in car display unit. I have videoed it scrolling through the menus when nobody has touched it. Other times it is entirely unresponsive until the car is restarted. Taking it to the dealer later this week.
 
AlbertTatlock said:
Good morning. Looking for advice on charging my 2020 Outlander PHEV and don't see anything here similar?

I have one of the round shaped Podpoint chargers, about 18 months old and have had issues with timed charging the last two or three months. I don't know whether it's a charger issue, a car timer issue or both.

Here's what's been happening.

For over a year the Podpoint provided reliable scheduled overnight charging in the off peak tariff period I have. The schedule is set on the car, not on the Podpoint.

About two or three months ago the scheduled charge occasionally failed. Then it consistently failed. I noticed the Podpoint was continuously calling home. That's the LED flashing pink + blue. The Podpoint has been connected through a WiFi extender in the adjacent garage. It's worked OK till recently but I turned the WiFi extender off.

I rebooted the Podpoint and it sits there with a white LED showing which means standby and no WiFi. When the car is plugged in the LED flashes green which is correct for a scheduled charge. For a few weeks this has proved reliable and scheduled overnight charging has resumed. Schedule at all times set on the car, not the charger.

Recently however, when plugging in the car the LED has failed to flash green and stayed solid white which is standby. Rebooting the Podpoint gets the white LED on. But plugging the car in results in a solid green LED which means it's actively charging. Even when the car schedule is set. To activate the scheduled charging again I have found that I have to delete the car schedule and recreate the car charging schedule. Then it works normally again for a few days.

I hope that all makes sense. I think the underlying issue is a faulty Podpoint. But this latest behaviour where plugging in results in activating charging even when the schedule is set bothers me. I can't understand why recently I have had to start resetting both the Podpoint and the car schedule to get it to work correctly.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts on this.

I will probably have to call Podpoint but I think they charge £180 just to send someone out. Something I am obviously trying to avoid.
Click to expand...

I have exactly the same problem Mitsubishi are fully aware of the problem.
 
Car was taken to the local Mitsubishi garage today. Touch screen unit has had a firmware upgrade to the latest version. Garage said that they have taken the details from the head unit and will order a new unit if the firmware update doesn't fix the issue. Personally, I doubt it is just a software issue. The touch screen has developed a mind of it's own. It beeps and scrolls though menus all by itself. We showed the garage a video we made yesterday where the head unit was scrolling through the charge timer settings and randomly changing timer settings. I think the touch screen has failed. It thinks it is being touched when it isn't. Anyway, I guess by the end of this week we'll know for certain if it's still faulty.

Edited to add - Before I got home the touch screen had stopped responding. Frozen. Garage has been called and they've ordered a new unit.
 
AlbertTatlock said:
Car was taken to the local Mitsubishi garage today. Touch screen unit has had a firmware upgrade to the latest version. Garage said that they have taken the details from the head unit and will order a new unit if the firmware update doesn't fix the issue. Personally, I doubt it is just a software issue. The touch screen has developed a mind of it's own. It beeps and scrolls though menus all by itself. We showed the garage a video we made yesterday where the head unit was scrolling through the charge timer settings and randomly changing timer settings. I think the touch screen has failed. It thinks it is being touched when it isn't. Anyway, I guess by the end of this week we'll know for certain if it's still faulty.

Edited to add - Before I got home the touch screen had stopped responding. Frozen. Garage has been called and they've ordered a new unit.
Click to expand...

Mine has completely failed this morning, dealer has booked the PHEV for tomorrow morning for a diagnostic test, prior to ordering a new head unit, there is a 2 month waiting list for new units.
 
oscarmax said:
AlbertTatlock said:
Car was taken to the local Mitsubishi garage today. Touch screen unit has had a firmware upgrade to the latest version. Garage said that they have taken the details from the head unit and will order a new unit if the firmware update doesn't fix the issue. Personally, I doubt it is just a software issue. The touch screen has developed a mind of it's own. It beeps and scrolls though menus all by itself. We showed the garage a video we made yesterday where the head unit was scrolling through the charge timer settings and randomly changing timer settings. I think the touch screen has failed. It thinks it is being touched when it isn't. Anyway, I guess by the end of this week we'll know for certain if it's still faulty.

Edited to add - Before I got home the touch screen had stopped responding. Frozen. Garage has been called and they've ordered a new unit.
Click to expand...

Mine has completely failed this morning, dealer has booked the PHEV for tomorrow morning for a diagnostic test, prior to ordering a new head unit, there is a 2 month waiting list for new units.
Click to expand...

Good luck for a quicker fix. I never thought to ask what the likely lead time on new touch screen units is. I will give it a couple of weeks and then I will start asking questions.

There has been absolutely no improvement in the unit after the firmware update. Failed to go on to charge timer again today. It's more or less everyday now that I have to reset the touch screen unit and re-enter the charge timer programme again. Then it registers with the charger that it's set on the charge timer. Sometimes it has to be unplugged/plugged to register with the charger. Took about three or four attempts today after resetting the time schedule. It's pretty disappointing really. I thought Mitsubishi quality was better than this.
 
The plug/unplug part at the end suggests that you should also be checking the charging cable.

Make sure none of the pins have moved.

(When this issue came up in the past, people found that one pin had slid back inside the plug and was causing communication issues.)
 
AndyInOz said:
The plug/unplug part at the end suggests that you should also be checking the charging cable.

Make sure none of the pins have moved.

(When this issue came up in the past, people found that one pin had slid back inside the plug and was causing communication issues.)
Click to expand...

Thanks for that. I had actually wondered about that. It looks OK but I don't have another cable to check it against. Once the touch screen unit has been replaced I'll see if the cable behaves itself, if not I'll have an electrician check the cable out.
 
Well here we are in April. Dealer still has no idea when a replacement head unit will be available for our vehicle. Fortunately the remote app still works for timed charging. Though sometimes I have to delete the schedule, plug the car in which starts it charging, then enter the schedule which interrupts the charging and puts it on the timed schedule. I haven't found a way to alter the car's clock now the time has moved forward an hour.

Frankly, it's getting beyond a joke. The incessant random beeping from the unit throughout every journey is like a water torture. Mitsubishi should be ashamed of themselves. The dealership couldn't care less.
 
AndyInOz said:
The plug/unplug part at the end suggests that you should also be checking the charging cable.

Make sure none of the pins have moved.

(When this issue came up in the past, people found that one pin had slid back inside the plug and was causing communication issues.)
Click to expand...

Very astute actually. I have had several charging issues. Firstly the touch screen failure, Then WiFi issues with the Podpoint charger. Having fixed those two issues - The charging schedule became hit or miss again. Moving the cable while plugged in stopped or started the charging. There's an intermittent fault in the charge cable. A new charging cable and the charging is now reliable again. FWIW, The pins in the plugs are fine, I suspect one of the 0.5mm conductors in the cable is faulty.
 
I have a 2018 model in NZ and we have Daylight saving this summer from Sun, 24 Sept 2023 – Sun, 7 Apr 2024. Last Sunday in Sept to First Sunday in April.

I find timed charging to be a total pain in the arse at change time. The clock display in the car will be correct if I apply the appropriate setting GMT +13 but the charging time clock seems to be wholly independant of that and only sees Standard GMT+12 so it always gets it wrong UNTIL Some date after. It appears the firmware has an older Daylight savings schedule pre-dating the last NZ govt definition for 2006-2007 onwards
 
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