myenergi zappi [Lock Failure]

Lock Failure is code 23, and myenergi describe it as the socket lock actuator being unable to lock or unlock the inserted plug as expected. It applies only to untethered units — the ones with a bare socket you plug your own cable into — because a tethered zappi has no socket lock to fail. What makes it worth its own page is that myenergi's remedy is the opposite of what anybody does instinctively. Their stated causes are that the plug is not fully inserted, or is twisted or pulled. Their stated action is to push the plug fully in to release it, then press and hold the button to reset.

So when the cable will not come out, the answer is to push it in harder before pulling. That is not a trick; it is mechanical. The actuator drives a pin into a recess in the plug, and it can only withdraw cleanly if the plug is sitting square in the socket. A plug that is half-seated, or being pulled sideways by the weight of a heavy cable hanging off it, jams the pin against the side of the recess. Pushing the plug home takes the load off the pin and lets it retract. The weight point is worth acting on rather than just knowing. A 32 amp cable is heavy, and left dangling it applies constant leverage to the plug. Looping it over the unit or into a holster so the connector is not carrying the cable's weight prevents a good proportion of these.

Two related messages sit alongside this one in myenergi's table without numbers, and both look similar from the driveway. Unknown Cable means the unit has not recognised the cable — myenergi say to use genuine IEC 62196-2 compliant plugs, note the supported ranges of 32, 20 and 13 amps, and add that the unit re-tests automatically after five seconds. Pilot problem is an issue with the control pilot signal between the zappi and the car, which also auto-retests after five seconds. For both, myenergi's advice if it persists is the same and it is worth doing here too: unplug, check for dirt in the plug, and retry. Grit in a driveway socket is a genuinely common cause of all three.

1. 1

   Push the plug fully into the socket. This is myenergi’s published action and it is the opposite of the instinct to pull — seating the plug is what lets the lock pin retract.

2. 2

   Take the weight of the cable while you do it, so the connector is not being levered downwards by several kilos of hanging cable.

3. 3

   Press and hold the menu button — the round button with three lines — to reset, which is the second half of myenergi’s stated action.

4. 4

   If it releases, look into the socket and the plug for grit or debris before using it again. myenergi give dirt in the plug as the cause of the neighbouring cable and pilot messages.

5. 5

   Try a different cable if you have one. A fault that follows the cable is a worn plug; a fault that stays with the charger is the actuator.

6. 6

   If the cable is still held after seating and resetting, contact myenergi rather than forcing it.

   Do not pull hard on a locked connector or attempt to release the mechanism with a tool. You will damage the socket, and the cost of a new socket assembly is considerably more than a support call.