EV charger [Cable stuck in the socket]what to check

A cable that will not come out of an untethered chargepoint is one of the more distressing things that can happen on a driveway, and the instinct — to pull harder — is the wrong one. Untethered units hold the plug with a lock actuator while charging, so that nobody can unplug a live connection or walk off with your cable. When the unit cannot move that actuator as expected, it reports a lock failure and the plug stays where it is. Myenergi publish the cause and the remedy together, and the remedy is the counterintuitive part: it happens when the plug is not fully inserted, or is twisted or pulled, and the fix is to push the plug fully in to release it, then press and hold the button to reset.

In other words the lock has jammed part way because the plug was not seated properly, and seating it properly is what lets the mechanism complete its travel and let go. Pulling loads the mechanism in the direction that keeps it jammed. There is a related situation that is not a lock failure at all, which is worth ruling out first because it is more common: the vehicle holding the cable rather than the charger. Most cars lock the plug at the car end while charging or while the vehicle is locked, so a cable that will not come out of the car is usually a matter of unlocking the car, ending the charge session in the car's menu, or in some vehicles pulling an emergency release inside the boot. Establish which end is holding it before you do anything.

Tethered units have their own published version of this: bp pulse list the cable will not disconnect from the vehicle as a troubleshooting entry, with the remedy of resetting the unit by holding the function button for ten seconds and, if that does not release it, powering the charger down at the distribution board. Two related things are worth knowing about untethered units generally. Manufacturers are specific that you should use a genuine compliant cable — myenergi state that adaptors or conversion adapters and cord extension sets are not allowed to be used, and Easee say the same in their own words. And dirt in the plug is a real cause of connection faults: myenergi's published remedy for a pilot signal problem is to unplug, check for dirt in the plug, and retry.

1. 1

   Work out which end is holding the cable. Try the car end and the charger end separately — in most cases it is the vehicle rather than the charger.

2. 2

   If the car is holding it, unlock the vehicle and end the charging session from inside the car. Some models have an emergency cable release in the boot if that fails.

3. 3

   At the charger end, push the plug firmly all the way in rather than pulling. Myenergi publish this as the release for a lock failure and it is the opposite of the instinct.

4. 4

   With the plug fully seated, press and hold the reset control your manufacturer names — on a zappi it is the menu button, held for three seconds according to the installation manual; on a bp pulse the function button for ten seconds — then try withdrawing the plug straight rather than at an angle.

5. 5

   Check the plug for dirt before re-using it. Manufacturers name debris in the plug as a cause of connection faults, and a driveway cable collects plenty.

6. 6

   If it is still trapped, switch the charger off at its breaker and contact the manufacturer. bp pulse publish that step — power down at the distribution board — as the next move when a reset does not release a tethered cable. Do not lever, cut or force the plug.

   Do not use an adaptor or an extension lead to work around a socket problem. Myenergi state that adaptors, conversion adapters and cord extension sets are not allowed to be used, and Easee publish the same restriction.