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PowerUp+ Charger plug getting hot and charging speed slowing down

1.3K views 11 replies 7 participants last post by  DBZ  
#1 ·
Starting to wonder if my 80A PowerUp+ is on the fritz. I’ve recently seen a reduction in charging speed from 30-31 mph when first plugged in, down to about 18-19 mph after about 20-mins, and the plug gets excessively hot to the touch.

Makes me hesitant to plug it in overnight without monitoring. Even has a bit of that scorch smell at the plug when it’s first unplugged and takes a bit to cool down.

And the port on the vehicle is hot enough to slightly burn your fingers when touched. Crazy, huh? Sound like a charger problem or a vehicle battery problem?

And I don’t recall the cooling fan running the entire time of charging before, like it seems to do now.

Any thoughts on how best to test to see if it’s the charger or if it’s the vehicle without taking it to a dealer to check out?
 
#3 ·
You could have some loose connections at the power terminals in the charger, or at your circuit breaker. I would have an electrician check those connections. Bad connections cause high resistance and everything heats up. Sometimes the screws holding the wires can work themselves loose. I had this happen with a 14-50 receptacle once and it melted down.
 
#5 ·
Did you install it yourself? Is it hard wired or are you using a 14-50 receptacle? Either way, the connection at the truck should not be hot at all. I would call the connector manufacturer asap to discuss with them.

If you installed it yourself, what size wire did you use? AZbill is right, the lugs connecting your wires will work loose over time, especially as you put the amount of power we're putting through the system. If you used too high of gauge wire this seems to happen more from what I've seen. Definitely call the manufacturer though, I've had my handle warm, but never hot.
 
#6 ·
Had a licensed electrician install it. And it’s hardwired to 100A. He’s happy to come back out to check the connections, but is convinced that it’s highly unlikely to be the connection or the PowerUp+ unit given that there is no heat anywhere except for right at the truck at the handle and port. Appreciate all the helpful advice from all of you guys and will definitely call the manufacturer as well.
 
#9 ·
Well I had all that to happen to me. They said it’s the charger port housing. It’s in the shop now to be replaced. I have had charger door replaced and battery(ies) replaced….. mine had stopped re-charging when rolling as well. I pray this is the last time it’s in shop. I still love it and love driving it. I was a year in in March….. I’m gonna give it more time and pray this is it! 🫣
 
#10 ·
Did the charger port housing replacement fix your issue? Are you using the PowerUp+ also?

I finally got a warranty replacement PowerUp+ charger after contacting the GM EV Concierge several weeks ago. That model charger is apparently on national backorder, which is concerning because I suspect existing units like the replacement one I just received under warranty, may have issues.

That said, I had it installed today and although I’m getting the expected 30 mi/hr charge rate for the majority the charging time, the handle is still getting hotter than it seems it should. The only time it drops below the 30 mi/hr charge rate seems to be when the batteries are getting too hot, I guess, in the 93-degree garage, the cooling fans are going full blast and the speed drops to 24 mi/hr, but once the fans stop, it shoots back up to 30.

Also, I’m intermittently getting the “spear” warning light too! I think at this point I’m going to have to take the truck in to have the charging port housing tested for potential issues maybe, but am skeptical that they will be able to uncover the issue since they won’t be able to replicate it at the shop without the benefit of the PowerUp+ charger charging it. So frustrating and still makes me afraid to charge overnight given the heat.