The other 'Pioneers' all know what range anxiety is, but charge anxiety? Well I've got it. I'm still on the 110 and my routine is to get plugged in before 7pm and I'll be at 100% by the time I need to leave for work in the AM. A nightly ritual that has worked pretty well....until now.
Ever since the muggy weather set into NJ it has been effecting the charging of my MINI E. The 110 cables yellow breaker box often pops, that means it sits for 10 or so minutes then tries again. It then pops a bit later, cycles to try again until it just gives up. Meanwhile I am getting very little to no charging. Sometimes this happens in the middle of the night and I wake up to just a 5% increase.
So while the MINI E is charging I look for that blinking LED on the MINI E battery indicator to make sure its blinking, if not I then check the yellow box on the cable to see what it is doing. Then I do my little dance of re-plugging the cable in if it does not cycle, then I run out to the car to see how much I got or didn't get. Then my brain starts spinning, wondering what is the most efficient route to take tomorrow since I'm low on juice and once I get to work then what, where can I plug in to keep my MINI E on the road? You get the picture.
I find myself constantly checking that MINI E LED, just like we glance at the range or % indicator when we drive. My Wife has pointed out I'm obsessed, so now I strategically clear the dirty dishes on the table because I know the walk to the kitchen will offer me a view of the LED. I clear a few at a time so I get multiple opportunities to glance at the LED....I find myself rechecking about every 15 to 30 mins....I call this CHARGE ANXIETY.
Fortunately the MINI E community is charitable. The dealer, Morristown MINI, has always let me come in and get back up to 100% whenever I needed to and other 'Pioneers' like Tom (#250) and John have offered their wall chargers when I need them. I've got a good cushion there, but I still feel the pull of that LED.
Ever since the muggy weather set into NJ it has been effecting the charging of my MINI E. The 110 cables yellow breaker box often pops, that means it sits for 10 or so minutes then tries again. It then pops a bit later, cycles to try again until it just gives up. Meanwhile I am getting very little to no charging. Sometimes this happens in the middle of the night and I wake up to just a 5% increase.
So while the MINI E is charging I look for that blinking LED on the MINI E battery indicator to make sure its blinking, if not I then check the yellow box on the cable to see what it is doing. Then I do my little dance of re-plugging the cable in if it does not cycle, then I run out to the car to see how much I got or didn't get. Then my brain starts spinning, wondering what is the most efficient route to take tomorrow since I'm low on juice and once I get to work then what, where can I plug in to keep my MINI E on the road? You get the picture.
I find myself constantly checking that MINI E LED, just like we glance at the range or % indicator when we drive. My Wife has pointed out I'm obsessed, so now I strategically clear the dirty dishes on the table because I know the walk to the kitchen will offer me a view of the LED. I clear a few at a time so I get multiple opportunities to glance at the LED....I find myself rechecking about every 15 to 30 mins....I call this CHARGE ANXIETY.
Fortunately the MINI E community is charitable. The dealer, Morristown MINI, has always let me come in and get back up to 100% whenever I needed to and other 'Pioneers' like Tom (#250) and John have offered their wall chargers when I need them. I've got a good cushion there, but I still feel the pull of that LED.
So got to run, time to check the LED.......CHARGE ANXIETY. Anyone else got it?
this may be the opposite of charge anxiety.
ReplyDeleteIt was a long 16 hour day with about 100 miles of driving #183. That evening we had to attend a dinner function, I was dog tired and had a couple glasses of wine. We got home around 11 pm and said our goodnights, prayers, and went to bed.
The next morning I awoke and around 8:30 am got ready to go to work. I went out to #183 in the garage and realized to my surprise I had not plugeged the car in the night before.
Thankl goodness i have the 220 40 amp charger as I only had to wait 45 minutes or so to get the 25 miles I needed round trip.
The lesson is you need to be alert and sober in the late evening and remeber to plug in. Thant can be at times a little hard to remember :)
Cheers
Peder #183
I think a couple new terms could be coined here Peder
ReplyDeleteDon't Drink and Plug
PWI - Plugging While Intoxicated
Chris,
ReplyDeleteI ALWAYS check your blinking light when I pass by at 11:30-11:45pm. I can clearly see it from the street. It was definitely blinking last night at around 11:30 so it must have popped after that. I will send you a text if I pass at night and the gauge light is now blinking! I have similar issues witht eh 220v sometimes. It will go into protection mode and just shut down. I want to install a warning light of bell to the wall box that will alert me if the box has tripped. It shouldn't be hare to do. I know it's "against the rules" but sometimes I think it's necessary. We need to know the cars will be charged when we plan to use them
I meant to say I'll text you if it's NOT blinking. ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks Tom , good to know you got my back. ;) Last night I was good to go, though, just two pops earlier in the evening when it was still warmer. It was a cool night and the car charged with no issues overnight just like it used to earlier in the summer...though I was still checking it ;) When my little one woke up at 3am it gave me a chance to look again...ha!
ReplyDelete