[rzdw92]

When I plug the stock EVSE charger that came with the bike into my 120 VAC wall outlet in my garage, I get the flashing red light on the charging unit (and fault message on the bike display). When I plug the EVSE charger into a different outlet (e.g. located on the back of my house) the charger works fine. The problem with that solution is I have to use an extension cord (I'm using a heavy-duty 10 gauge cord). Not ideal in bad weather.

I changed the outlet in my garage, trying a couple of different types (GFCI and non-GFCI) but I got the same result: flashing red light. Everything else I plug into that outlet works OK. When I plug an outlet analyzer into the garage outlet, it indicates OK (two LED green lights).

Has anyone run into this before? Anyone troubleshoot this issue before and found a solution? Just wondering what the cause might be?

 

[Phaedrus]

I'm presuming these two outlets are on different breakers.

You could look at the circuit breaker end of your wonky outlet, and make sure the wire ends are clean and panel fittings are securely tightened.

Also, you could take a look at what else is plugged into outlets on the same breaker as the wonky outlet. And, if there happens to be a bunch of other appliances actively using the outlet, unplug them for a bit and see if that affects your charging situaation.

Just thoughts....

 

[rzdw92]

I'm presuming these two outlets are on different breakers.

You could look at the circuit breaker end of your wonky outlet, and make sure the wire ends are clean and panel fittings are securely tightened.

Also, you could take a look at what else is plugged into outlets on the same breaker as the wonky outlet. And, if there happens to be a bunch of other appliances actively using the outlet, unplug them for a bit and see if that affects your charging situaation.

Just thoughts....

thanks for the response. both outlets are on the same circuit breaker. nothing else plugged into the outlets during testing. I forgot to mention that the garage is detached from the house. so my extension cord has been running outside between house and garage.

I had my handyman guy out this morning to take a look. he confirmed with his own tools that everything tested ok so he was a bit perplexed. after much head scratching and trying out different things, he found that the "good" outlet had a better ground than the "bad" outlet. he tested his theory by running a grounding wire direct from the "good" outlet on the house to the "bad" outlet in the garage. once he connected the grounding together, no more flashing red light from the EVSE at the "bad" outlet and it charged fine. Very strange. I guess the inner circuitry of the EVSE is very sensitive to the grounding situation. If it senses that the grounding is not optimal, it refuses to work.

anyhow, I'll try running it this way for a while to make sure this in fact solves the problem.

 

[Ashveratu]

The whole point of the EVSE is safety, safety and more safety. It is basically a glorified extension cord with lots of safety features. Did I mention it was safe?

So, with safety in mind, grounding is very important and if it thinks the grounding is not good enough...you have seen the results. A good EVSE will let you know what the issue is that it is experiencing, ground fault, temp fault, over/under current etc.

 

[Wavshrdr]

Most people don't realize that the charger on most EVs is actually inside the vehicle. A glorified extension cord is an apt description. Here is handy reference table I found some time ago on how many you can put on various extension cords and the resulting wattage.

I had a Ford EV that I could only charge with 110v. I routinely used a 10 gauge extension cord of 100' with no issues at work. From what I understand the ELW needs 15 amps at 110v so a good 12 gauge extension cord to a good ground should be fine up to 50' assuming you have a good ground. I think they say not to use an extentsion for liability reasons mostly. I could see someone putting together about qty (6) of 16 gauge cords to run it about 100'. What could go wrong there?

Obviously if we had 220V 12 gauge would be overkill. Definitely a stupid decision to adopt 110V as the standard.

25 Feet Extension Cord Amp Rating + Wattage Chart

Device Amps:	Extension Cord Size:	Maximum Wattage (At 110V):
Up To 13 Amps	16 AWG (Light Duty Cord)	1,430 Watts
14 To 15 Amps	14 AWG (Medium Duty Cord)	1,650 Watts
16 To 18 Amps	12 AWG (Heavy Duty Cord)	1,980 Watts
19 To 20 Amps	10 AWG (Extra Heavy Duty Cord)	2,200 Watts

50 Feet Extension Cord Amp Rating + Wattage Chart

Device Amps:	Extension Cord Size:	Maximum Wattage (At 110V):
Up To 13 Amps	16 AWG (Light Duty Cord)	1,430 Watts
14 To 15 Amps	14 AWG (Medium Duty Cord)	1,650 Watts
16 To 18 Amps	12 AWG (Heavy Duty Cord)	1,980 Watts
19 To 20 Amps	10 AWG (Extra Heavy Duty Cord)	2,200 Watts

100 Feet Extension Cord Amp Rating + Wattage Chart

Device Amps:	Extension Cord Size:	Maximum Wattage (At 110V):
Up To 10 Amps	16 AWG (Light Duty Cord)	1,100 Watts
11 To 13 Amps	14 AWG (Medium Duty Cord)	1,430 Watts
14 To 15 Amps	12 AWG (Heavy Duty Cord)	1,650 Watts
16 To 20 Amps	10 AWG (Extra Heavy Duty Cord)	2,200 Watts

150 Feet Extension Cord Amp Rating + Wattage Chart

Device Amps:	Extension Cord Size:	Maximum Wattage (At 110V):
Up To 7 Amps	14 AWG (Light Duty Cord)	770 Watts
8 To 10 Amps	12 AWG (Medium Duty Cord)	1,110 Watts
11 To 15 Amps	10 AWG (Heavy Duty Cord)	1,650 Watts
19 To 20 Amps	10 AWG (Extra Heavy Duty Cord)	2,200 Watts

 

[Adventures on Zero]

When I plug the stock EVSE charger that came with the bike into my 120 VAC wall outlet in my garage, I get the flashing red light on the charging unit (and fault message on the bike display). When I plug the EVSE charger into a different outlet (e.g. located on the back of my house) the charger works fine. The problem with that solution is I have to use an extension cord (I'm using a heavy-duty 10 gauge cord). Not ideal in bad weather.

I changed the outlet in my garage, trying a couple of different types (GFCI and non-GFCI) but I got the same result: flashing red light. Everything else I plug into that outlet works OK. When I plug an outlet analyzer into the garage outlet, it indicates OK (two LED green lights).

Has anyone run into this before? Anyone troubleshoot this issue before and found a solution? Just wondering what the cause might be?

I had to replace my EVSE after a few months into my ownership. I would isolate the issue. Go to another location if possible and test out the EVSE there as well. Then go to some L2 and L3 stations and make sure the bike charges fine through those. If the bike charges at public locations, and the EVSE doesn't work at another 110v outlet, then it's likely needing a replacement. Contact LiveWire for a replacement EVSE.