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azbill
Well-Known Member
I do the opposite and it has worked on all my EVs. Select the charger on the app, then swipe before plugging in. The charger screen will then tell you to plug in, once payment is confirmed, plug in and it works.
FYI, EA told me over the phone to do it this way. Many on other EV forums have found the same result. They need to change the instructions, I do not know why they have not updated them.
Dark-Fx
Well-Known Member
Absolutely the battery in the Hummer EV I owned at the time could take that, and did.
jjswan33
Well-Known Member
I would argue that if you are opening the app you are doing it wrong.
Plug in
Open wallet app, select EA
Tap NFC reader
The only time ever open the app to start a charge is if the NFC reader is out of order. I will admit though I don't know if this method is possible on non iPhones.
kurtlikevonnegut
Well-Known Member
I have had more success opening the app to select the charger and then swiping before plugging in. That doesn't mean it's foolproof, but I've certainly had less issues doing that.
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jjswan33
Well-Known Member
To be clear I am not talking about using a CC, no swiping is involved. I've had near 100% success rate with the EA widget in the mobile wallet app as long as the NFC reader is working and when it's not the station will clearly tell you to initiate using the app.
If that is what you mean then confused on how your experience would be so different but if you have something that works for you then great.
kurtlikevonnegut
Well-Known Member
I've used that method as well, but in my experience it has a higher rate of issues than the open app and swipe method. That could be based on my phone or the specific charging stations, but that's been my experience.
azbill
Well-Known Member
Not sure why you think it is wrong, but the key is to pay first then plug in. With my other EVS I can pull up and swipe on the car screen, since I have CarPlay. Then by the time I get out and grab the charger handle, it is ready for me to plug in. Never have to pull the phone out at all.
The other reason I open the app, is because it will tell me if a particular charger is throttled, so I can avoid it.
Joe schmoe
Well-Known Member
I don't think they are a -complete- waste, as I've gotten 200+ kw at least 3 or four times on EA 350kw cabinets. As you've experienced though, most of them at any given time are not working. The EA station in Alabaster AL has had both of its 350kw cabinets down since at least march, which was the last time I went through (looking at plugshare they seem to still be down). A couple of hours south in Greenville, AL one worked fine.
The closest fast DCFC chargers goin northwest on I22 are in Memphis, about 260 miles away. That entire station has been completely dead (as of yesterday morning) since Memorial Day weekend.
When they work, they're great (and cheap). problem is that only 40% of EA sites are fully functional, and the app doesn't always have accurate data. Most of the sites have 150kw cabinets that are reliable, but often the entire site will be throttled.
jjswan33
Well-Known Member
Just takes longer to initiate in my experience. Having CarPlay and initiating from the screen sounds like a wet dream but here we are.
That is fair on the throttling point, I will have usually researched that in advance.
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sub
Well-Known Member
Compared to some of the other EA stories we have seen, I would not consider your experience a disaster.
You didn't need a firetruck or a towtruck - for EA that is considered a success.
Ralph
Well-Known Member
I learned the hard, frustrating way that the directions on the charger do not work. At least not at the only location I have used EA. I've never been able to get the directions on the charger and swiping a card to work. As member or guest.
As azbill describes, app open, select charger, etc. does indeed work.
Acoustic71
Well-Known Member
I envision a future where folks are wandering the earth with silly baseball caps that read "But the port!"
MooneyPilot
Active Member
My EA experience today; pulled up to a de-rated 150KW station (app showed it was operating as a 50KW which meant I got the $0.15/min price 
). It started up and pulled over 200 KW for abit (I was at ~40%) then settled in 170-130. I unplugged at 80% when it dipped to ~60KWH. I was charged ~$3.85 for 58KWs in ~25 mins.
). It started up and pulled over 200 KW for abit (I was at ~40%) then settled in 170-130. I unplugged at 80% when it dipped to ~60KWH. I was charged ~$3.85 for 58KWs in ~25 mins.VSG
Well-Known Member
I really don't understand people.
It seems like your attitude going into this was to assume you would be getting ripped off, and when you encountered something you didn't understand that confirmed what you suspected all along.
The $50 was an authorization, not a charge. Outrageous? More like 100% normal and expected, and many types of businesses do this. They didn't take your money and aren't holding it - the vendor doesn't get a cent from the authorization. Your available credit is temporarily reduced by $50 until the actual charge goes through. They authorize your card because you don't have an account and because they don't know how much energy you are going to use, so the authorization simply ensures that you have the credit to cover the charging session you're about to start. Authorizations are removed immediately when an actual charge is made, and will expire after no more than 10 days if an actual charge isn't made for that transaction. This is how credit cards work, and is not something special about EA. There's nothing a customer service representative can do to remove the authorization - calling them to yell at them about an authorization will accomplish nothing.
The transaction details are shown on the charger's screen once you finish a session. And you can have them emailed to you, or just take a picture of the screen if you want a receipt. If you have the app, you can see your entire charging history. Set up your app now, while still at home, so you will have it when you need it. Set up ALL the apps for ALL the networks you're likely to use. Be prepared. And consider EA membership - the $4/mo EA membership saves me more than $4 each time I use an EA station, so if I'm going to be traveling I turn on membership for that month. If I'm not traveling, I turn off the membership and save the $4.
Sometimes EA stations are throttled - that was probably the case with the one you tried. When that happens and the charger isn't putting out the right amount of power, simply unplug and plug into another pedestal. The thing EA could do better here is to display the charger status on the screen so we know it's throttled before trying to use it. Also be aware that if your battery is pretty full, you're not going to be able to charge at full speed. The 21kW you were seeing could be normal if your battery was 95% full. Look up the Rivian charging curve to know what to expect for maximum charge rate at various battery levels, because that will allow you to judge whether you are getting the expected rate from the charger or not.
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