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[TonyHelms]

Hello All, 

My charging system on my 2013 DS has become very finikey lately... It will start charging (blinky green light) then the red fault light will flash a few times, then blank.  Then other times I will plug in and nothing, no Contactor click, no lights... dead.  Then other times the green charging light will STAY on but still be charging (verified via App and warm chargers).  Then other times it works totally normal... Every time it's on the same plug, no extension cord, nothing else on the circuit, and tried 2 different charge cords. Any advice?

Doesn't seem to happen during any specific event like washing, etc... and the bike otherwise rides and works perfect!

Is there a way to "Hard reset" the bike perhaps?

PS, I am a Tesla Tech by trait, so don't be afraid to throw some complicated stuff my way. I just am sick of dragging this bike 60 miles away for warranty work I can possibly do myself.

PPS, as of right now, the bike flashed the green light for probably 10 minutes, but now it's solid.  The charge was at 50% so I KNOW it was not finished.

Any help is appreciated.

[nigezero]

Hey Tony

The chargers used on the '13 and '14 bikes are known to be a bit unreliable so it could be related to that. Plenty of cases of failed units out there and a few stories of odd behaviour and warnings before they go kaput.

A simple way to verify this is to plug an auxiliary charger into the aux charge port and if that works then you know it's a charger fault. After being sidelined for a few weeks with this same issue I realised that a spare charger was a) extremely valuable in the rare case it does go out because it can keep you on the road, b) handy for longer range riding/faster charging c) pretty cheap

[TonyHelms]

Thanks for the Advice, Unfortunately I just sold my 2500 Elcon charger because I am planning on upgrading to a 2016 DS with Charge-Tank in the spring 

So last night, the bike was in the corner of my garage plugged in and was flipping out, not charging, APP wouldnt connect, and generally not liking life.  I move the car out of the way and move the bike to the center of the garage.  Suddenly everything works PERFECT. I tried moving the handlebars back-and-fourth thinking maybe a CAN short in the wiring, etc... nothing.  Bike works perfect again.  I believe the bike is possessed with a Demon 

Anyway,  I got the bike to 100% charge and downloaded logs. I attached the file to this post (hopefully it works)

Thanks for the help so far!

[Lipo423]

+1 on nigezero.

It has actually happened also in some 15' units…(I got a demo unit and also broke after 500 miles)
My new 2014 one also lasted around 500 miles, and was replaced for a "upgraded version" which is 1.2Kw not 1.3

My dealer service tech suggested it could be my house net/grid…and I said, oh yes, it could be…if I hadn't had the 2nd failure/broke 20 miles away! 

Although you are replacing your bike, I would speak to Zero. There seems to be 3 series, but I do not know which one is the faulty one 

[codeoptimist]

I had some strange charging problems with my 2015 S and had to get the BMS and some other components replaced through my dealer. All covered under warranty, and it's working fine now.

After being sidelined for a few weeks with this same issue I realised that a spare charger was a) extremely valuable in the rare case it does go out because it can keep you on the road, b) handy for longer range riding/faster charging c) pretty cheap

Are you talking about the external Quick Charger that Zero sells, or something else?

[TonyHelms]

This is just the standard 120 volt on-board charger. 

[Killroy]

Thanks for the Advice, Unfortunately I just sold my 2500 Elcon charger because I am planning on upgrading to a 2016 DS with Charge-Tank in the spring 

How much is the Elcon charger ?  And is that the best budget option for a off-board charger?  Why the 2500?

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

Thanks for the Advice, Unfortunately I just sold my 2500 Elcon charger because I am planning on upgrading to a 2016 DS with Charge-Tank in the spring 

How much is the Elcon charger ?  And is that the best budget option for a off-board charger?  Why the 2500?

This is because Hollywood Electrics customized that model for use with a Zero: https://hollywoodelectrics.com/product/elcon-quick-charger/

The higher-powered Elcon PFC models also weigh (mostly proportionally) more and are bulkier, so that's a factor. The 2500 fits in a Givi E22 side-case.

[benswing]

There will soon be several Elcon 2500W chargers on the market as several of us are upgrading to Diginow.  Both of mine will be available on the East Coast as soon as I get mine.


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[Killroy]

There will soon be several Elcon 2500W chargers on the market as several of us are upgrading to Diginow.  Both of mine will be available on the East Coast as soon as I get mine.

What cost are you guys getting the Diginow chargers for?

[mrwilsn]

There will soon be several Elcon 2500W chargers on the market as several of us are upgrading to Diginow.  Both of mine will be available on the East Coast as soon as I get mine.

What cost are you guys getting the Diginow chargers for?

DigiNow SuperCharger is about $3k.

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[benswing]

Yes, it was a hair under $3,000 for 12kW of charging in a single box.  My Elcons cost about $2,500 for 5kW in the form of 2 shoebox sized chargers.  Rock solid, though!


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[Killroy]

Yes, it was a hair under $3,000 for 12kW of charging in a single box.  My Elcons cost about $2,500 for 5kW in the form of 2 shoebox sized chargers.  Rock solid, though!

The stats on the Diginow are impressive.   Unfortunately, they have devalued the Elnons.  5kW, that is nothing these days.  PM me if you need to get ride of a of board charger.