Blink EVSE blows out a pin on the Rav4 connector

TonyWilliams · Nov 27, 2012

Link to Schneider EVSE melting and difficult to remove

palmer_md · Nov 27, 2012

wow, the more I hear about Blink, the happier I am that they do not have any service in my area. Everyone who owns one spends far too much time working on keeping them functional, and the public ones are always down as well.

Sorry to hear that it has damaged the inlet on your vehicle. I hope they can fix it quickly.

Dsinned · Nov 27, 2012

Tony, when a connector's electrical contact insulation looks melted like that the cause is usually a very high overload current, or perhaps a short circuit abnormal condition. Another possibility is a severe under voltage source condition. Did your circuit breaker trip open to your charging station? What is the output voltage & current rating of the Blink charger you're using? Is it the one on the following list Toyota says is "compatible"?

Please keep us advised on what they say at the dealership, i.e. cost to repair, how long to repair, warranty coverage, etc.

Toyota Approved - RAV4 Original Equipment:
Leviton's Level 2 (240V) 40A, 30A and 16A Toyota Program models and EVR-green series
Panasonic Level 1 Unit that comes with Rav4

Basic Compatability:
AeroVironment Level 2 EVSE-RS
Blink / ECOtality Level 2 Charge Station
Charge Point / Coulomb Technologies CT2000 Series
Clipper Creek CS Series
Eaton Pow-R-Station (Commercial), EV Charging Station (Residential)
Schneider Electric EVlink Indoor Charging Station (EV2430WS)

TonyWilliams · Nov 27, 2012

Blink (approved list) EVSE at 240v 30 amp (7.2kW).

No circuit breaker popped (on a dedicated 40 amp).

Toyota is flying somebody from Michigan to look at the Blink.

Dsinned said:
Tony, when a connector's electrical contact insulation looks melted like the cause is usually a very high overload current, or perhaps a short circuit abnormal condition. ANother p;ossibility is a severe under voltage source condition. Did your circuit breaker trip open feeding your charging station? What is the output voltage & current rating of the Blink charger you were using? Is it the one on the following list Toyota says is "compatible"?

Please keep us advised on what they say at the dealership, i.e. cost to repair, how long to repair, warranty coverage, etc.

Toyota Approved - RAV4 Original Equipment:
Leviton's Level 2 (240V) 40A, 30A and 16A Toyota Program models and EVR-green series
Panasonic Level 1 Unit that comes with Rav4

Basic Compatability:
AeroVironment Level 2 EVSE-RS
Blink / ECOtality Level 2 Charge Station
Charge Point / Coulomb Technologies CT2000 Series
Clipper Creek CS Series
Eaton Pow-R-Station (Commercial), EV Charging Station (Residential)
Schneider Electric EVlink Indoor Charging Station (EV2430WS)

nealroche · Dec 7, 2012

Hi Tony
I was amazed by the photos your posted on the J1772 connectors.

I publish a newsletter on EVSE safety and compatibility issues. (my company Gridtest sells test equipment for EV Chargers)

Would you mind if I used your photos for a newsletter? Since I don't know the root cause of the issue, I won't comment on the manufacturers.
Thanks
Neal

Gridtest Systems

TonyWilliams · Dec 7, 2012

nealroche said:
Hi Tony
I was amazed by the photos your posted on the J1772 connectors.

I publish a newsletter on EVSE safety and compatibility issues. (my company Gridtest sells test equipment for EV Chargers)

Would you mind if I used your photos for a newsletter? Since I don't know the root cause of the issue, I won't comment on the manufacturers.
Thanks
Neal

Gridtest Systems

Sure, use all you want.

More pics here

My Rav4 was fixed under warranty, and I got a Camry rental for a week, also courtesy of Toyota. Of course, I don't think the Rav4 had anything to do with this, and IR thermometer testing indicates that another Blink/Rema handle got quite hot on one pin (opposite to my pin) on a Rav4. Keep in mind, these are only 30 amp Blinks and the Rav4 is capable of 40 amps.

The conclusion; a poorly crimped connector on the Blink/Rema charging handle. The following is not my work, nor my pictures:

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=247736#p247736

"Here's the bad pin in the blink handle":

"The copper wire and it's insulation are discolored and embrittled from the heat (the other side still is shiny), so it's quite obvious the crimp is defective. It's not evenly squeezed, is oblong, and the metal of the barrel was smushed in the crimper, which was a low-cost 2-jaw type. The crimps in the other handles I have had apart [Yazaki handle was pictured] are so much better, it's a world of difference."

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=247652#p247652

"Here's the new 70A inlet connected to the same Blink, not it looks almost the same as the Rav4 did in my first test!"

"Here's the Blink handle:"

"I think it's safe to say the Blink has a problem on one side."

"Here's an IR thermograph of the external view of the Blink handle on the Rav4 after 2 hours of charging at 30A:"

nealroche · Dec 7, 2012

Thanks for the info.
Neal

toasty · Jan 2, 2013

wow, glad to hear it was fixed

how long did it take them?

TonyWilliams · Jan 2, 2013

toasty said:
wow, glad to hear it was fixed

how long did it take them?

About a week. That didn't slow me down too much, as I'm approaching 5000 miles already.

SeattleRav4 · Jan 6, 2013

I got brave and tried a Blink station yesterday. While I don't have the Blink card yet so it cost me $2 for the 45 min I was plugged in, it seemed to work just fine.

They will all work just fine... until they don't!!!

doug401 · Mar 26, 2013

"Here's the bad pin in the blink handle":

I'm certified to inspect this type of crimp at Boeing 777 QA production. It is reject-able on many levels. The conductor strand insertion is obvious and serious. The sharp edge on the lower side is called flashing. A small sharp edge is ok, but this is way to much, caused by over crimping or mis-placement in the tool. The crimp position on the the crimp barrel measured from the end is good. But the all important inspection hole on the crimp barrel is absent. When I see the excessive stripping of the insulation, and no inspection hole to witness full insertion of the conductor, I suspect the conductor slid out while crimping. Only a cut-a-way cross section would answer that.

But the O-ring is a nice touch

dipper · May 24, 2013

Interesting as I saw a blink was in the process of heating the plastic on the same pin today. I charged it for 3.5 hrs to come out and see (just a little) of plastic melted on the Blink. It is the same exact pin. I used that same charger in the morning for 2 hours but did not see the problem.

This 2nd Blink EVSE with similar problem now.

jspearman · May 25, 2013

dipper said:
Interesting as I saw a blink was in the process of heating the plastic on the same pin today. I charged it for 3.5 hrs to come out and see (just a little) of plastic melted on the Blink. It is the same exact pin. I used that same charger in the morning for 2 hours but did not see the problem.

This 2nd Blink EVSE with similar problem now.

Yikes! Make sure to call Blink ASAP.

arnolddeleon · Jul 13, 2013

I'm finally testing charging w/ the Blink instead of the CT-500 as I'm contemplating car positions in the garage.

After about 45 minutes I measured around 130F with my infrared (pointing in the different spots of the nozzle.

I tried searching the relevant posts but search is failing me.

Thanks.

arnold

srl99 · Jul 13, 2013

What's the ambient temp? It seems too hot. Measure your Chargepoint for a comparison.

arnolddeleon · Jul 13, 2013

Ambient was in the mid 70s. I will have to test again.

arnold

pchilds · Jul 13, 2013

On my replaced Blink cord, the J1772 plug was still cool after 90 minutes charging the RAV4. The cable was warm, maybe 110f.

arnolddeleon · Jul 14, 2013

I retested. The outside was warm around 105F. The IR thermometer was reading highs of around 150F in the plug part (after I stopped charging and unplugged). Inserted a thermocouple in one of the EVSE plug and it also read over 150F.

arnold

occ · Jul 14, 2013

arnolddeleon said:
I retested. The outside was warm around 105F. The IR thermometer was reading highs of around 150F in the plug part (after I stopped charging and unplugged). Inserted a thermocouple in one of the EVSE plug and it also read over 150F.

arnold

That sounds a bit too hot to me. Be careful, and read this thread before you use that Blink j1772 nozzle again:

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=245971#p245971

Also search for "blink melted"

arnolddeleon · Aug 3, 2013

arnolddeleon said:
I retested. The outside was warm around 105F. The IR thermometer was reading highs of around 150F in the plug part (after I stopped charging and unplugged). Inserted a thermocouple in one of the EVSE plug and it also read over 150F.

arnold

I finally got around to calling Blink and they agreed that 150F was too warm and they're ordered a new cord set and will arrange a time do a swap. Their threshold appears to about 50C.

arnold

Blink EVSE blows out a pin on the Rav4 connector

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