When is a Car is Fully Charged?

[00049 (AKA SopFu)]

The i3 thread got me thinking that it would be nice to have a thread for how one would know when an EV is done charging and can be unplugged by someone else needing a charge. I've come across this a few times, and would really like to know. ChargePoint makes it obvious at the EVSE, but there are quite a few charging locations around me that do not give clear indications on whether power is flowing.

So post up type of vehicle, and how you know when it's fully charged.

[protomech]

I guess ChargePoint just shows the .. er, current current? When it goes to 0A you know the charge is complete?

You won't see Zeros at public charging stations frequently, due to the lack of an effective first-party J1772 charging solution. The ones that you might see will likely have third party chargers. 2014 bikes will show the % charge and time remaining on the dash even when off.

IIRC the Empulse shows the charge % on the dash.

The Ford Focus EV shows charge % as a ring of indicator lights around the vehicle J1772 inlet. When they are all lit the EV is fully charged.


(from Inhabitat)

.. actually, here's a good list.

http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?17973-How-to-Tell-if-an-EV-is-Finished-Charging-.-.-.

[benswing]

The list on the Volt forum is the best one I've seen. 

Now that I have a Volt, it is charging when the green light is blinking, then fully charged when it is lit solid green. 

However, unplug at your own peril since they come programmed to sound an alarm if unplugged.  I turned my alarm off, but not everyone is as tech savvy, or cares about other EV drivers needs, as much as me.

[00049 (AKA SopFu)]

.. actually, here's a good list.

http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?17973-How-to-Tell-if-an-EV-is-Finished-Charging-.-.-.

Exactly what I wanted. Thanks!

[Richard230]

If you happen to see a 2014 Zero hooked up to a charger, don't wait for it to show 100% charge, as they typically stop charging when the display indicates 98%.  It is better to look a the green indicator light on the dash.  If the green light is flashing the bike is still charging and if it is a solid green, the charging has stopped.

[00049 (AKA SopFu)]

I've only seen one other Zero, ever, and that's when Ben swung through on his last trip through the US.

But I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for all the input!

[protomech]

In Huntsville and Nashville, I've never seen another full-size electric motorcycle or scooter in the wild. I've met a Vectrix owner at one of the plugin days here, met Ben when he came through, and I've done a city tour with a company using small 25 mph electric scooters.

Nashville has a fair number of both J1772 EVSEs (31 in a square mile of the center of the city) and CHAdeMO quick chargers (5 within a ~6 mile radius of the city center). I've only rarely seen them in use, though I suspect they're mostly in use during work hours.