XC40 EV Charging

Faults and Technical chat for the Volvo XC40
Wheaters55
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Aug 04, 2020 8:13 pm

Post by Wheaters55 »

I took the factory standard 3 pin cable which is at least 7m long. I paid my local friendly spark to fit an outdoor socket on it's own fuse (32 amp for the future) for £200. And I can use it for outdoor power as well as the car.
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Timbo
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Nov 14, 2020 3:11 pm

Post by Timbo »

Connecting your 3 pin charger to an extension lead is not recommended....

But, if you buy a quality lead and unwind it fully, its do-able. The issue is that you are taking the full 13A capacity of the wire for a several hours so risk it can overheat. So its a case of using a higher quality cable (thicker, so less electrical resistance, and better connectors where the wire is screwed on to the pins). In the scheme of things an xc40 battery is not that big - ive charged a leaf from an extension without issue in the past.
Peter8642
Posts: 56
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2020 12:22 pm

Post by Peter8642 »

Mine came with a 7m cable. See above image from web site. I can confirm that the 2020 model was also specified with a 7m lead.

If they really won’t play ball you could get an electrician to dismantle and replace the lead with a longer one, or diy if competent. Note you need 5 core flex for live, neutral, earth, and two 12v control wires.

You must not cobble together an adapter to use your public charge point lead. Depending on what you do with the 12v control cables it will either fail to draw current or it will pull 16 amps and blow the fuse in the plug. You may also electrocute yourself if you use it in the rain.

If buying a new lead you absolutely don’t need a Volvo one. They all work to a common standard, and you can find them for about £180 if you shop around.

Despite the helpful Screwfix link above, extension leads are an absolute no no. Many are OK with high currents for short periods but overheat when carrying high currents for 5 hours straight, not to mention the risk of electrocution in the rain again.

With a proper cable, the aforementioned 12v control leads allow the car to sense the capacity of the power outlet used, draw current within that capacity, and crucially to switch the power off close to the mains outlet if any fault condition is detected. Given that the mains lead runs across the stony ground exposed to rain, snow and people walking on it, this system must not be compromised.

Stay safe.

Pete.
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Leoniums
Posts: 22
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2020 9:15 pm

Post by Leoniums »

I post here so to avoid a new thread about charging.
In 2 weeks i am going to receive mine and i am not sure yet if i should follow the sellers instruction about charging my car.
A simple 10-12Amp socket.
Should i get a "smart" charger and be able to adjust time of charging etc or a simple socket is enough and there is none difference?
Anyone knows more about it?
Thanks
Peter8642
Posts: 56
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2020 12:22 pm

Post by Peter8642 »

Hi

The car can draw 10 amps through its lead that plugs in to a 13A socket, or 16 Amps if plugged in to a wall box. 16A is the maximum capacity of the car’s on board charger, so if you plug in to a 32 Amp wall box the car will still draw only 16A.

On 10A via a 13A socket, it takes 5 hours to charge. At 16 A it takes a little less than 3 hours.

For eight years I’ve used an outdoor 13A socket for my 2012 Plug in Prius, as that car can only draw a max of 10A so no point at all in a wall box. I was going to get one for the Volvo, but haven’t wanted workmen in the house during lockdown and so far am finding 13A socket/5 hour charge is fine as most of our charges are in the overnight 7 hours of economy seven electricity anyway. The other advantage of sticking with the slower charge is that on a sunny day it runs within the capacity of our solar panels.

If you are going for a wall box, consider getting a 32A one even though it is overkill for your PHEV. They are not much more expensive than 16A ones, and you will definitely want 32A when you trade your PHEV in for a proper EV

Regarding timers, there is a thread elsewhere about the big problem Volvo are having with this https://www.xc40forums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=2385 ... see page 2 of the thread for an account of my bitter experience. The car could be set to charge overnight, even from a 13A constantly on socket, but the facility has been disabled by Volvo because of a software glitch that caused the car’s 12v battery to drain whilst in this mode. Volvo will presumably roll out a software fix at some point, in which case you won’t need a wall box solely for the purpose of timing your charge for overnight. Pending Volvo’s fix, I’ve inserted a timer in to the feed to the outdoor socket- the wiring is accessible inside the house.

I have looked with interest at systems that can be set up to put the output of my solar panels firstly in to the car, then secondly in to an electric immersion heater, but the payback arithmetic gets very complicated according to the whims of when the sun shines and what time of day you are mostly using the car. After several sessions of brain ache and still not wanting workmen in the house, I’ve failed to commit. Let me know if you get your head round the sums on this.

Hope you have fun when the new car arrives

Pete.
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Deleted User 2507

Post by Deleted User 2507 »

My solution is an heavy duty extension lead in a waterproof box, I think they sell them for outdoor Xmas Decs. Perfectly dry in the heaviest downpour. Don't see the point having a dedicated charge point when it only saves 2 hours over the 3-pin charger.

This is what I use if interested
NitramA
Posts: 110
Joined: Thu Aug 02, 2018 7:22 pm

Post by NitramA »

I’ve currently got my sons Tesla plugged into a 13 amp socket in the garage via a 10amp extension reel (fully wound out) and it’s charging at 4.9kw with no issues.
The cable is still cold to the touch.
Even my wife is impressed so maybe I can get permission to look at a new car! 😂😂
Boxybutgood
Posts: 89
Joined: Fri Oct 26, 2018 1:52 pm
Location: Scotland

Post by Boxybutgood »

NitramA wrote: Fri Dec 11, 2020 10:28 am I’ve currently got my sons Tesla plugged into a 13 amp socket in the garage via a 10amp extension reel (fully wound out) and it’s charging at 4.9kw with no issues.
The cable is still cold to the touch.
Even my wife is impressed so maybe I can get permission to look at a new car! 😂😂
4.9kw at a nominal 230 volts equals 21 amps! so something doesn't add up here. The maximum wattage from a 13 amp socket is 3kw (13x230) .
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NitramA
Posts: 110
Joined: Thu Aug 02, 2018 7:22 pm

Post by NitramA »

Looks like my old school report! Must try harder.
4.9kw was showing on the Smartmeter.
Looking at the Tesla app it’s currently showing 2kw / 10 amps.
I think I was looking at the Smartmeter whilst waiting for the kettle to boil with the washing machine on 🤡🤡
I’ll get back to my ICE.
Brandyman
Posts: 62
Joined: Mon May 14, 2018 1:36 pm
Location: West Yorkshire

Post by Brandyman »

Still pricey but I have had no problem with this cable and a lot cheaper than Volvo

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