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A2Z Tesla and Charge Fault

TheJackel2013

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gotta say. I was on the fence about ordering the A2Z adapter or just wait for my free one from Ford.

The customer service and response to potential issues shown by the A2Z staff/owner on this thread easily pushed me over the edge. I ordered one last night
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VAF84

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So for steps you:

selected the charger in the Tesla app
connected the adapter to the Tesla plug
secured the lock on the bottom
connected the adap to the truck

If so, I think it’s the lock at the bottom that’s your issue. I just completed a 1,200 mi trip using Tesla chargers and the A2z adapter and I encountered multiple charger faults until I figured out the bottom lock.

I now make sure the lock is fully forward, then insert the Tesla plug, pull the lock back toward the Tesla plug. I then hold the adapter and Tesla plug and plug in to the truck while simultaneously ensuring the lock remains fully engaged.

If you hear the audible latching of the truck, you’re going to be successful. If not, you get a charger fault.

The first 3 stops I encountered multiple faults before getting it right. Something clicked and after that I’ve been able to get it on the first try.

The lack of a positive lock (I.e. push in and click) is the Achilles of the A2z. Other than that it’s a great adapter and has worked perfectly thus far.
Agreed. It's hard to know until you get used to it whether the lock is actually engaged.
Thanks y’all! I’ll try it again once I get to another Tesla charger. I think the issue you all mention about with the lock is going to be what’s holding it back. I really struggled trying to figure out if it was locked. So I’d snap it in, then try to pull off to make sure it didn’t unhook. When it seemed firmly in place I’d try to connect. To your point, it was hard to determine if the lock slide was truly engaged.

The adapter itself looks and feels high quality, I don’t doubt it’s a user issue and not a product issue. Agree it would be nice to have a more clear/easier way to engage the lock though.
 

Lightning Rod

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I tried my A2Z yesterday on 4 different stalls and I too kept getting the Charger Fault error. After reading this thread, I will try it again in a couple days when I have time.

Thank goodness for this forum and this thread.
 

TomB985

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I tried my A2Z yesterday on 4 different stalls and I too kept getting the Charger Fault error. After reading this thread, I will try it again in a couple days when I have time.

Thank goodness for this forum and this thread.
Are you sure you were using an avaialble Supercharger location? There are lots of old V2 units that aren’t compatible, and not every V3 location is open for us.

The locking switch can be a bit finnicky, and the Tesla plug is a tight fit. The locking switch won’t lock if it’s not slid all the way in, and I sometimes force it in by slapping the end of the adapter. I sometimes had to slap the adapter all the way onto the Tesla plug, but it consistently worked on my recent road trip. I got to the point where I’d activate the charger with the Tesla app, plug in, and walk away knowing that it was gonna work.

I’m real happy with the quality of A2Z’s adapter. I’m thinking about ordering their Level 2 adapter because of how well they seem to build their hardware.

Ford F-150 Lightning A2Z Tesla and Charge Fault PXL_20240412_232448769_Original
 
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sdingeldein

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Are you sure you were using an avaialble Supercharger location? There are lots of old V2 units that aren’t compatible, and not every V3 location is open for us.

The locking switch can be a bit finnicky, and the Tesla plug is a tight fit. The locking switch won’t lock if it’s not slid all the way in, and I sometimes force it in by slapping the end of the adapter. I sometimes had to slap the adapter all the way onto the Tesla plug, but it consistently worked on my recent road trip. I got to the point where I’d activate the charger with the Tesla app, plug in, and walk away knowing that it was gonna work.

I’m real happy with the quality of A2Z’s adapter. I’m thinking about ordering their Level 2 adapter because of how well they seem to build their hardware.

PXL_20240412_232448769_Original.jpeg
Since posting the start of the the thread my experience is what you detailed so well. When failing with the A2Z it is either user error (and the lock is "fiddly" as I put it - hard to tell if locked but it loosens up fine over time) or the chargers aren't available to us if V2 or other reasons.
 

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Pioneer74

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Since posting the start of the the thread my experience is what you detailed so well. When failing with the A2Z it is either user error (and the lock is "fiddly" as I put it - hard to tell if locked but it loosens up fine over time) or the chargers aren't available to us if V2 or other reasons.
You can look the chargers up to see if they are compatible. Use the filter tool to only look for Superchargers open to other EV's and Magic Dock sites.

https://www.tesla.com/findus?v=2&bo...zoom=3&filters=destination charger,party,nacs
 

RickLightning

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Thanks y’all! I’ll try it again once I get to another Tesla charger. I think the issue you all mention about with the lock is going to be what’s holding it back. I really struggled trying to figure out if it was locked. So I’d snap it in, then try to pull off to make sure it didn’t unhook. When it seemed firmly in place I’d try to connect. To your point, it was hard to determine if the lock slide was truly engaged.

The adapter itself looks and feels high quality, I don’t doubt it’s a user issue and not a product issue. Agree it would be nice to have a more clear/easier way to engage the lock though.
Here is my method:

1) Make sure lock is slid open before putting on charger (always has been).

2) Put it on firmly.

3) Slide lock in Lock direction of arrow.

Has not been any issue.

Hardest part is reading the printing on it.
 
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sdingeldein

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Here is my method:

1) Make sure lock is slid open before putting on charger (always has been).

2) Put it on firmly.

3) Slide lock in Lock direction of arrow.

Has not been any issue.

Hardest part is reading the printing on it.
Perfect advice!
 

dkrueger

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Yes, I did plug and charge. I'll go back tomorrow and try the Tesla app. Good thought.
Do we need the tesla app to use a tesla charger? I thought Ford worked that out where billing would be through the Fordpass?
 

TheWoo

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Do we need the tesla app to use a tesla charger? I thought Ford worked that out where billing would be through the Fordpass?
You should be able to plug and charge through Fordpass, but if that isn't working or you want to subscribe and save a few bucks you can use the Tesla app to activate a charger prior to plugging in.
 

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LazyLightningATX

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Do we need the tesla app to use a tesla charger? I thought Ford worked that out where billing would be through the Fordpass?
The truck needs an update (I am still waiting on mine too) to be able to plug and charge. But you can use the Tesla app until then.
 

TomB985

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Do we need the tesla app to use a tesla charger? I thought Ford worked that out where billing would be through the Fordpass?
I don’t think anyone should use Ford’s billing unless it’s a one-time charge. Tesla offers a membership in the same manner that EA and EVGo do, where you give them $13/mo and you get a 25% discount on their charge rates. That reduces them to the same price that Tesla drivers pay. The downside is you have to take 20 seconds to open the Tesla app and manually activate the station.

That membership saved me $140 on my trip to Texas earlier this month. Plug and Charge is nice, but full price is for the birds.
 

TheWoo

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I don’t think anyone should use Ford’s billing unless it’s a one-time charge. Tesla offers a membership in the same manner that EA and EVGo do, where you give them $13/mo and you get a 25% discount on their charge rates. That reduces them to the same price that Tesla drivers pay. The downside is you have to take 20 seconds to open the Tesla app and manually activate the station.

That membership saved me $140 on my trip to Texas earlier this month. Plug and Charge is nice, but full price is for the birds.
Totally use-case dependent, and for me I'll use it a lot like my EA Pass - activate when I'm heading on a road trip where I'll charge more than once, cancel it and not activate again until the next time. I don't road trip enough where I use either of those that it makes sense to have an always-on subscription.

I like the convenience of P&C for the very occasional charge, and even at two charging stops in a month it's more or less break-even on Tesla. But, if a person is going to be using them at all regularly, definitely worth the subscription and activating from the app, IMO.
 

metroshot

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Do we need the tesla app to use a tesla charger? I thought Ford worked that out where billing would be through the Fordpass?
Yes, only if you have Tesla membership.

If you don't, then just plug and charge.

I have a Tesla membership and saves me $0.15-$0.23 per kWh over the regular non member rate.

Just 2 charges a month and it pays for the $12.99 monthly membership.

Takes a few more seconds using the Tesla app, but you would select the charger number, then plug in.

Loving my A2Z adapter - charging flawlessly at all Tesla SC for the past month.

Ford F-150 Lightning A2Z Tesla and Charge Fault Screenshot 2024-04-04 at 4.03.39 PM
 

VAF84

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Sorry everyone, I thought I posted on here that I finally got it to charge. What I do now is attach adapter, then push solidly into the ground to make sure it's in all the way, then it's good to go.

I charged using all Tesla on my way back from KY last week. So many benefits. Member pass saved me a bundle even when compared against EA pass. On average Tesla was $.31kwh and EA $.56. Both of those are member prices.

The stops were more convenient and closer to the highway.

The stops had a decent option of places to eat vs just Walmart over my 18 hour trip.

No more range anxiety. I mean, I still want more range. However, I pushed the limit a little more to save me from unnecessary additional spots.

Only complaint is on the Ford side. I had to use ABRP because Ford kept trying to send me to non-Tesla stops. Also a pain because ABRP would tell me how long to stop for whereas Ford Nav wouldn't. I basically used Ford nav to go to another nearby charge to trigger preconditioning, while running a second phone with ABRP trip since you can't run two maps simulatneously in the LER using CarPlay.
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