When trying to charge electric vehicles (EVs), one common error that Tesla owners often encounter is “charging equipment not ready.”
Whenever a charger is not ready on Tesla, this implies that something is wrong with the public charging station. It means some hiccups are not allowing communication between the charging station and your Tesla. However, your car and you as the owner can also contribute to the cause of this problem.
This article discusses some of the common reasons Tesla charging equipment may not be ready to charge your vehicle and how you can fix the problem.
Why Does Tesla Say Charging Equipment Not Ready?
Reason 1: You Scheduled a Starting Time
The most common reason for this problem is the fact that EVs like Tesla are made with a smart charging mode that allows owners to optimize their charging process.
The smart charging mode enables your car to adjust the charging rate based on factors like the car’s electricity demand, battery level, and time of use pricing.
If your car is not being charged, it could be because the smart charging mode is being activated to prevent your charger from overcharging or potential damage to the battery.
Sometimes, this problem may occur because you activated the ‘scheduled departure’ feature. This means that your vehicle will not go into a charging session outside the car charging schedule.
The charging station also can actively delay charging because the charger has activated a scheduled charging feature. This could happen when the station is experiencing high demand for electricity. It will, therefore, not allow charging to occur to prevent causing a power outage.
How to fix: Turn off the scheduled time
- Check the station for any instructions that explain the necessary actions to take.
- For instance, look for LED status indicators or a touchscreen terminal that may offer further guidance.
- If you’re not able to charge your car at the station, you can visit another charging station.
Reason 2: User error
In some circumstances, the Tesla charging station may not be functioning due to user error. Some Tesla car owners are unable to use the charging stations correctly. This normally prevents them from charging their cars at the chargers.
One major user error is not connecting the charging cable correctly to your car. This could mean not aligning the connector properly or not plugging the connector securely into the car charging port.
Besides that, charging stations require users to activate the charging session before they can begin charging their cars. If you forget to activate the session, the charging station will not begin charging.
Depending on Tesla charging station and the vehicle, there are different charging rates available. If you select the wrong charging rate, then the charging station may not work.
How to fix: Avoiding conscious mistakes
- An EV charging station is not normally managed by attendants like petrol stations.
- Therefore, as an EV user, you are expected to use these charging stations correctly to charge your car.
- Failure to do so means that the charging process will fail to take place.
Reason 3: Malfunctioning charger
The third possible reason for the problem is that the charging station itself might be malfunctioning.
If you’re at a Tesla charging station and the public charger says, “charging equipment not ready”, it is possible that the charger might be faulty.
For instance, the charger may be unable to connect to the network, which could be caused by issues like signal interference, network congestion, or a technical hitch in the charger’s communication hardware.
Some EV charging stations are located in dead zones and rural areas; therefore sometimes suffer connectivity issues and intermittent speeds.
Some charging stations may not be working because of a power outage in the area. This could be caused by factors like equipment failure, bad weather conditions, or maintenance work on the power grid.
Sometimes, charging station software could have coding errors or bugs that cause malfunctions.
Sometimes, you can come when the charging station software is undergoing firmware updates, so the charging session might get interrupted.
How to fix: Visit another charger
- You can visit a different charging station to see if you can successfully charge your vehicle.
- If you visit and realize that the station is also not working, contact Tesla customer support to find out why their public charging stations are not working.
- You can charge your car at home, though home chargers are usually slow because their capacities are small.
Reason 4: Payment issues
The problem of charging equipment not ready is also connected with not having enough money to pay for the services. Most people assume charging services are free.
Just like fueling your car at a gas station, you’ll need to ensure your payment goes through to charge your vehicle in a public charging station.
The way you charge your car depends on whether you use a public or private charger. But even if you installed a private charger at your home, you still have to pay for the charging services.
You can access and use public chargers, but registration or account creation with a charging point operator is required.
Most charging stations have different options like credit card or billing services. These payment systems mostly require the identification of end users. The system must determine who pays for the electricity used for charging your vehicle.
How to fix: Have enough funds for payments
- Most public EV charging stations take payments through an app.
- Ensure you have the right app to make required payments.
- Ensure your credit card details are correctly linked to your account or updated if the old card expires.
- Ensure you have an adequate amount of money to pay for your charging needs.
- Take advantage of free charging whenever available.
- If you have the means, install a private charger at home as a backup plan.
Reason 5: Faulty electrical system
It’s quite common for public chargers to fail because your car might be having an electrical system problem.
For instance, when your car is unable to charge, it’s a possible indication that the alternator could be faulty.
The most common reason why an alternator is not charging the battery is due to damage and wear out of the alternator. It can also be caused by bad wiring and a blown fuse.
Also, a damaged battery might be the cause of this charging problem. Limited or no charging is a potential signal that your battery might be dead or damaged.
How to fix: Diagnose electrical problem in the car
- There are two ways you can use to find electrical problems in your car.
- The first way is to use a test light to check for power at the fuse box. If there is no power, it could signal that your car’s electrical system is having a problem.
- Inspect the car’s engine compartment to find a blown fuse. Replace a blown fuse with a new one.
- The other way is to use a voltmeter to test the battery’s voltage. If the voltage is low, it could indicate that the battery is faulty.
- Replace the dead battery.
- Consult the car’s manual book as a guide and for safety precautions.
- Also, reach out to a professional mechanic to assess the car and do repair.
Reason 6: Corroded charging port
The other issue that can cause the problem is the condition of your car’s charging port. Debris and dirt can enter the charging port and cause the charging cable not to connect completely with your car.
Closely examine the charging port in your Tesla. If you see some signs of white spots in or around the port, these are indications of corrosion.
If you park your car outside your house for too long, its charging port can start to corrode. Once this occurs, charging will be intermittent and eventually will leave you with a partially charged Tesla.
How to fix: Clean connections
- Regularly clean your car’s charging port and all connection points.
- If you notice any dirt or debris in the connection points, blow it off with compressed air and try again.
- Use a small cotton swab to swipe out the inside of the charging port to clean it out.
- Avoid using any liquids like water or alcohol in these ports.
My Final Thoughts
There is nothing more frustrating than charging equipment not ready for your electric vehicle. Of course, there are only three culprits: your car, the charging station, and yourself.
With the above explained reasons, now you know things that could prevent you from charging your vehicle at a Tesla charging station. The issues range from internet signal problems, user errors, wear and tear on the wires, payment issues, and faulty charging stations, among others.
It’s advisable for Tesla car owners to carefully read the instructions provided by the charging station and follow best practices to ensure an efficient charging experience.