ElectricMotorcycleForum.com
Makes And Models => Zero Motorcycles Forum | 2013+ => Topic started by: Jepe on April 21, 2025, 11:43:01 PM
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Hello.
A small question from a new owner. I bought a grannycharger for home use, and the manual says to first connect it to the grid (220 volts in my case), make adjustments in its display if desired, and after that, connect the mode 2 plug to the motorcycle.
What I wondered: charging can for example end by a full battery, or reaching a set level, but, if you want to end it while it is still charging, do you simply pull the plug (and if so, which side), or is there an other way that you should stop charging when the amps are still running?
Maybe it’s just a detail, but for example, pulling the wallplug while 10 or 16 amps are flowing to me doesn’t seem healthy for the wallconnection in the long run. I couldn’t find anything about interrupting a charge before it has ended on the internet either.
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I've got a short charging cord that I plug into a short extension cord. If I want to stop charging in progress, I separate the cords. That way, any arcing will damage neither the motorcycle receptacle nor the wall receptacle.
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I use a spring wound trimmer to limit the SOC on my DSR & only disconnect the charge cord with the timer contacts open.
You could put a switch on your cord to protect the connections from current interruption arching.
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Shouldn't charging stop when you turn the motorcycle on?
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Charging stops when you depress the button on the side of the plug at the motorcycle to disconnect. This prevents arcing when the plug is pulled free.
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you should probably look to interrupt the charge by pushing a button, turning bike on/off, a stop charge button or something of that nature if possible. This way the charge is ramped down then off and you are not just yanking the cord with amps flowing thru it and kickback to burn stuff.
can you set the charge rate at all or is it just you plug it in and it charges as fast as possible? if it is adjustable, another option may be to dial it down to only an amp or so, so any arcing is neglible.
aaron
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Shouldn't charging stop when you turn the motorcycle on?
Yes, later on I remembered that the dealer said (during an earlier visit) that charging stops when you turn the key, but I don”t know if this is the correct way (for the motor’s electronics).
I also called the shop of the granny charger, they told me to pull the plug on the motor-side because this will first disconnect the communication-pin, but later on I thought that normally the motor-side plug is locked, so this wouldn’t work. Does a Zero lock the plug or does it stay “free”?
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Yes, later on I remembered that the dealer said (during an earlier visit) that charging stops when you turn the key, but I don”t know if this is the correct way (for the motor’s electronics).
I also called the shop of the granny charger, they told me to pull the plug on the motor-side because this will first disconnect the communication-pin, but later on I thought that normally the motor-side plug is locked, so this wouldn’t work. Does a Zero lock the plug or does it stay “free”?
It stays free. Since there is no DCFC with Zeros, they don't need to be so careful with locking things in.
Energica locks in, Zero doesn't.
-Don- Reno, NV
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You need to look at the spec for level 1 and 2 charging. The spec requires charging to stop when you depress the release button on the plug. As Jepe stated, the control pins in the plug are the shortest and disconnect first, also interrupting charging. And the ground pin in the plug is he longest, and disconnects last, as a final precaution against arcing.
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the ground pin is going to do nothing to stop the arcing if you disconnect under load when the pins uncouple on their appropriate polarity / phase. NOTHING is shorting or grounding out, it's just trying to jump the gap you now made, burning and melting the metal, and anything in it's path along the way. Not to mention the huge voltage spike you can potentially cause giving you additional grief.
The control pin initiating an emergency halt, is probably going to open a contact in the charger somewhere, now causing internal damage as the contacts take the interruption arc .vs. say, a cord or something that you can replace easier on the outside.
It really is CRITICAL that you decrease the charge current as much as possible when breaking the connection, or your stuff won't be around for very long. There should be some interruption sequence somewhere / somehow.
aaron
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It's just 220V, I unplug the IEC connector from my bike all the time while it's still charging and a J1772/Mennekes is much more robust.
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the potential flyback from the current interruption can cause you grief as can the gradual pitting of the mating surfaces.
can it be done. sure, but may not be the best thing for longevity, and if you got a crappy design for a charger etc, is just asking for trouble.
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Well on a gen 2 bike there's no way to tell the bike to stop charging, you either hit the switch at the socket (if you're in a country that has them) or you pull the plug. Whether that's at the wall or the bike the risk is the same so I assume the charger is designed to mitigate it. It's also "only" breaking just under 7 amps, I'd be more wary if I was in a 110V country.
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It's also "only" breaking just under 7 amps, I'd be more wary if I was in a 110V country.
Well, my charger can be set to 6 - 8 - 10 - 13 - 16 amps, where 16 is the most the circuitbreaker can handle in the average household installation in my country. I guess I will use 6 or 8, where 8 gives about 1,8 kw/h.
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Yeah I was just talking about my gen 2 bike which charges at ~1.5kW. That said the gen 3 bikes use J1772/Mennekes which is rated for many times the amount of amps.
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It stays free. Since there is no DCFC with Zeros, they don't need to be so careful with locking things in.
Energica locks in, Zero doesn't.
Charged my bike for the first time this afternoon. I’m afraid I have to disappoint you (or not); the plug locks at the beginning, and only unlocks when you turn the key after charging is complete (or maybe also after you turn the key while charging still in progress, still have to find that out). (2025 SR/S).
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Charged my bike for the first time this afternoon. I’m afraid I have to disappoint you (or not); the plug locks at the beginning, and only unlocks when you turn the key after charging is complete (or maybe also after you turn the key while charging still in progress, still have to find that out). (2025 SR/S).
Perhaps we need to define "locked in".
With my 2023 Zero DSR/X, all I need to do is press the button on the charge plug and it releases regardless of how the bike is set. Always releasees instantly.
With my two Energicas, using same charge station, pressing the same button does nothing at all, cannot be pressed in, plug stays locked in until the charge is done unless I turn the bike on and hit the mode switch to tell it to stop the charge.
-Don- Auburn, CA
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sometimes you have to turn your bike on to stop the charging. that way i can't walk up to your vehicle and...as easily... stop it's charge to then plug into mine etc. makes the key be in to actually initiate the stop command, make sure it's YOU stopping it and not someone playing around.
also, since some stations have a pretty hefty idle fee, make sure that you are there to remove the vehicle and avoid those fees..... imagine a station that has a 20 dollar an hour idle fee, you expect the bike to take 2 to 3 hours to charge, so go off for lunch, 5 minutes later i press the stop button to term the charge... being an asshole... and now your parking fee starts racking up. if that key was not in when interrupted you could say, i didn't do it, and avoid that charge.
aaron