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Charging Troubleshooting and Tips

Charger Troubleshooting

If you're following our How To Charge guide and still having problems, here's some common troubleshooting steps.

EV Spot Charger won't unplug

  • Have you pressed the charger release button? Be sure to press the release button on the charger plug. If the button cannot be pressed, this will require further maintenance. Please reach out to Member Services at info@hourcar.org to report it.

  • Is there enough slack in the charger to release the plug? Grab cord an arm's length away and pull towards you, away from the charging tower, then use other hand to unclip charging cable.

  • Is the charger physically stuck or frozen to the car? It should be able to be released with some wiggling, or by pulling the cable away from the charger to relieve tension in the cable.

For Nissan Leafs:

  • Is the trip is started and the car unlocked? The Leaf has a cable lock that can be switched on. If the trip is not started, do so now, and this should release the lock.

    • If the trip was started, try pausing and then resuming the trip via the app and try unplugging the cable again. The cable lock should release on trip start, but sometimes it needs an extra unlock signal.

  • Hitting the charge door release button inside the car will unlock the cable lock to release the charger plug.

EV Spot Charger not working

  • Are you at the right tower? Make sure you're at green tower that says "Evie Carshare Charging Only" on the street side of the tower, NOT the blue tower that says "Public Electric Charging".

  • Is the plug fully inserted? There should be a loud click when the plug is engaged, and the car will beep.

  • Are you using the right card? Make sure you're using the green card that says Evie Charging Card.

  • Check directions on the charger screen - is it giving instructions on what to do?

    • If there's an error on the screen or the screen will not wake up when you press buttons, the charger may be down. Issues can be reported directly to charger operator, Zef Energy, at 888.493.3638 or give us a call at 612.343.2277.

  • Check the charger light at the top of the console to see if that helps identify an issue.

  • If you still cannot charge, give us a call at 612.343.2277.

Electric HOURCAR charger won't unplug

  • Have you pressed the charger release button? Be sure to press the release button on the charger plug. If the button cannot be pressed, this will require further maintenance. Please reach out to Member Services at info@hourcar.org to report it.

  • Is the charger physically stuck or frozen to the car? It should be able to be released with some wiggling, or by pulling the cable away from the charger to relieve tension in the cable.

For Nissan Leafs:

  • Is the trip is started and the car unlocked? The Leaf has a cable lock that can be switched on. If the trip is not started, do so now, and this should release the lock.

    • If the trip was started, try pausing and then resuming the trip via the app and try unplugging the cable again. The cable lock should release on trip start, but sometimes it needs an extra unlock signal.

  • Hitting the charge door release button inside the car will unlock the cable lock to release the charger plug.

Electric HOURCAR charger not working

Charger Light Meaning

If you're having issues activating a charger, the lights can help indicate the issue. Click the charger type below to see the light key.

Light Color Meaning
⚪ White/Pale Blue No connectivity to charger
🔴 Red Charger error
🟢 Green Station should be available for charging
🔵 Blue Charging plugged in but not active
🟠 Orange Vehicle is charging

Red vs Orange Lights

The red light and orange light on the charger look very similar.

If the charger light looks red or orange when you arrive to the station, that is likely the red "error" light.

If the charger light was green or blue when you arrived at the station and then looks red or orange after you activate and plug in, that is likely the orange "charging" light.

Ring Light Color Meaning
⚪ Solid White No connectivity to charger
🔴 Solid Red Card is not valid
☀ Pulsing Yellow Charger is booting up or validating card
🟢 Solid Green Card is approved and the station is ready to charge
🔵 Solid Blue Vehicle is plugged in but not charging
Pulsing Blue Vehicle is charging

Charging Speed

Charging an electric car will take some time. Similar to when you plug in a cell phone, the car will need to sit and charge for a while to reach full charge. Charging a car from empty to full on most chargers will take around 8 hours.

However, just like your cell phone can be charged faster with special equipment, fast chargers exist for vehicles as well. These are called DC Fast Chargers (DCFC). They are less common and more expensive, but output very large amounts of energy quickly. These will usually recharge our electric vehicles enough to continue your trip in under an hour.

Standard Electric Vehicle Chargers (Level 2)

The standard EV charging at public chargers is this type of charger. It has moderate speeds (0-100% in 6-8 hours) and is great for charging overnight or while at work. EV Spot chargers and chargers at electric HOURCAR hubs are all the standard charger, sometimes called Level 2.

These chargers all use the same plug-in port, which is standardized across all electric vehicles in our fleet - this port is called J1227.

DC Fast Chargers (DCFC)

These chargers can charge a car 2-10x faster than standard chargers, depending on conditions. They are the fastest (0-80% in 1 hour), and most expensive charging. These chargers are not recommended for everyday charging, but very useful to quickly refill the battery on longer trips.

Fast chargers have a variety of plug-in port types which can serve some cars but not others. Nissan Leaf vehicles have a CHAdeMO port and Chevy Bolts have a CCS/SAE port.

For more information about how to fast charge, please see our Electric Vehicle Road Trip Tips, which explains some standard etiquette, how to maximize your charging stops, and which plugs to keep an eye out for!