My Nissan Leaf Forum

cwerdna wrote: ↑Fri Sep 30, 2022 1:04 am

GRA wrote: ↑Fri Sep 30, 2022 12:14 am I reduced the max. charge level setting in the Niro (and I think the EV6) when I wanted to stop the charge, or I could have changed the connector to never lock. On the Niro they're both on the EV menu selection on the touchscreen. Setting battery charge level is covered on page 1-11 of the owner's manual (you can set AC and DC charge levels separately), and charging connector lock mode is covered on pg. 1-17. Unfortunately that doesn't help the OP with his LEAF.

Yes, Niro EV has separate max charge level % settings for AC vs. DC charging. I've not tried setting it below the current SoC to see if it'll stop from that, but IIRC, you can't move them below 50%.

it will,, and yes, 50% is the minimum.

cwerdna wrote: ↑Fri Sep 30, 2022 1:04 am Unlike Leaf, there is no never lock setting for Niro EV's charging lock. There's a button on the left side of the dash that toggles between LOCK and AUTO. I have 2 different PDFs of the Niro EV manual. One appears to be a US one that I downloaded w/a prop 65 California cancer warning on page 2. The other doesn't but the discussion of the charging lock is the same.

You may well be right and I'm remembering the EV6 instead. I always just changed the max. charge level for both cars when I wanted to stop the charge and unlock the connector, except the one time I stopped the charge below 50% on the Niro at an EA FC. IIRR I did so using a button on the charger itself, and the connector unlocked itself. But again, none of this is relevant for the OP. Do we not have any current Gen 2 LEAF owners who can advise?

WetEV wrote: ↑Fri Sep 30, 2022 3:25 pm

GRA wrote: ↑Thu Sep 29, 2022 10:45 pm
I had a similar problem a couple of years ago at an EA CCS charger when renting a Bolt. When the charge stopped (at 100%) the connector refused to unlock. Two of us tried everything we could think of for the next 20 minutes and no dice, but then the guy helping me gave it a last, angry yank not expecting anything to happen. It had unlocked itself at some point shortly before, so he almost fell on his butt.

Or he broke a tiny bit of plastic, on some cars, that latches the CCS connector in while the DC voltages and currents are not safe. Yea, should be metal. Hard metal and large enough so that angry yanks don't break it.

Or the latch tab on the CCS connector itself.

Unlikely, as it came free with absolutely no resistance,and he wasn't even yanking on it that hard; just a last, disgusted tug before giving up, which is why he didn't fall on his butt, and just fell back a couple of steps before recovering his balance.

WetEV wrote: ↑Fri Sep 30, 2022 3:25 pm DC high current high voltage arcs are scary. As in potentially deadly scary. Unlike AC arcs, the voltage doesn't go to zero so the arc can continue for long periods of time.

Yup, as I was always telling my off-grid customers, your batteries can supply enough current to arc-weld (if only briefly), and it isn't self -canceling the way AC is, so make sure you use DC not AC-rated fuses/breakers and switches.

WetEV wrote: ↑Fri Sep 30, 2022 3:25 pm DO NOT FORCE A DCFC CONNECTOR, EVER.

An excellent idea in general. Sometimes real life overrides that. In that case charging had (long since) stopped, so there was no current to arc or voltage to worry about.

To the OP:
I have never had the CHAdeMO connector fail to release after charging is stopped either automatically or manually. I am sure it will not release if the communications between the car and charger fail such that either car or charger or both think charging is still active. There are menu settings for locking the J1772 connector to the car during 120- or 240-volt charging sessions--if charge timers were active and timed out, that would explain releasing after 2 hours. However, those menu settings should have no impact on CHAdeMO charging sessions.

Regarding CCS connectors:
I periodically see CCS connectors with broken plastic latches on EVgo combination chargers. Someone with a Bolt attempted to use the last EVgo unit I charged at after my car finished charging. The Bolt would not charge because the broken plastic latch would not trigger the latch safety check switch near the connector on the car. Seeing how the car traps that plastic latch end made it obvious to me why I see so many broken connectors. I am glad I have a car that uses the heavy duty CHAdeMO connector rather than the lightweight plastic CCS connector that is just a J1772 connector with extra pins.

Yep. I've seen broken locking tangs on EVgo CCS chargers, as well. I've also called those in when I can, just like EA.

My Leaf (ZE0) was also stuck at a DC-Charger. But there is a little trick, which will release the Chademo plug immeditately.
You just have to plug in any Typ1 AC plug to your AC port.

This trick helped me some times when there was a problem with the charger and no emergency shutdown button.