ChargePoint start-time olympics: does anyone actually get juice before growing a beard? I keep encountering ChargePoint stations that behave like they’re negotiating a Middle East peace deal just to let 32 amps through a copper noodle. Tap phone. Tap card. Scan QR. Chant softly to the RFID gods. Still waiting. Five minutes later: “Authorization failed.” Next attempt: instant start. Cool, so it’s a vibes-based protocol now? Serious questions for the hive mind, especially folks who’ve dug into site-host settings or the manufacturer side: Start method speed ranking: Has anyone timed plug-to-current for different start methods on ChargePoint (RFID card, app/BLE, QR, Apple/Google Pay, car’s native integration like FordPass/MyHyundai/Mercedes Me)? Is there a consistent winner, or is it RNG with extra steps? Offline weirdness: When the pole’s LTE takes a nap, how does ChargePoint actually handle “offline authorization”? Do stations cache RFID tokens or recent users locally, and for how long? Can hosts enable a local authorization list so regulars still work when the cloud is down? As drivers, can we do anything proactive-like start a session while we still have signal-to pre-authorize and have it “stick” when we plug in? Power sharing fairness on dual-port L2: On the common dual-hose units sharing a 40A circuit, what’s the real algorithm? First-come hoovers until the second one shows up? Equal amps per vehicle? Equal kW? Does the behavior change if the station is offline and can’t phone home to the mothership’s fairness fairy? Scheduled charging faceplant: With cars set to “charge at 1 a.m.”, ChargePoint sometimes starts, realizes the car isn’t drawing, and slaps on idle logic or times out. Any combination of app settings, waitlist toggles, or site-host configs that tell the station “the car is intentionally napping, chill”? Or are we all turning off schedules at public L2 like animals? Plug & Charge on ChargePoint DC fast: Has anyone actually gotten ISO 15118 PnC to work on ChargePoint hardware in the wild? Which models/firmware and which cars? Did it require a special contract binding, or was it true 15118 certificate magic and not “AutoCharge-but-with-extra-marketing”? Detecting duds before docking: Any reliable tells that a ChargePoint is in “pretty light, no brains” mode before you park and unwind the cable? RSSI in the app? Status patterns? Particular error codes on the tiny screen that mean “abandon hope”? If any site hosts are lurking: which combo of settings has given you the fewest angry “it spun forever and failed” reports? Local auth list enabled? Free-vend on comms loss? Idle grace period tweaks? Power management set to equal amps vs demand-charge-aware throttling? I’m all for secure payments and grid-friendly smarts, but I’d also like electrons before the next fiscal quarter. Tips, rituals, or packets to sacrifice appreciated.

Chargepoint Charger

VoltVanguard

ChargePoint start-time olympics: does anyone actually get juice before growing a beard?

I keep encountering ChargePoint stations that behave like they’re negotiating a Middle East peace deal just to let 32 amps through a copper noodle. Tap phone. Tap card. Scan QR. Chant softly to the RFID gods. Still waiting. Five minutes later: “Authorization failed.” Next attempt: instant start. Cool, so it’s a vibes-based protocol now?

Serious questions for the hive mind, especially folks who’ve dug into site-host settings or the manufacturer side:

Start method speed ranking: Has anyone timed plug-to-current for different start methods on ChargePoint (RFID card, app/BLE, QR, Apple/Google Pay, car’s native integration like FordPass/MyHyundai/Mercedes Me)? Is there a consistent winner, or is it RNG with extra steps?
Offline weirdness: When the pole’s LTE takes a nap, how does ChargePoint actually handle “offline authorization”? Do stations cache RFID tokens or recent users locally, and for how long? Can hosts enable a local authorization list so regulars still work when the cloud is down? As drivers, can we do anything proactive-like start a session while we still have signal-to pre-authorize and have it “stick” when we plug in?
Power sharing fairness on dual-port L2: On the common dual-hose units sharing a 40A circuit, what’s the real algorithm? First-come hoovers until the second one shows up? Equal amps per vehicle? Equal kW? Does the behavior change if the station is offline and can’t phone home to the mothership’s fairness fairy?
Scheduled charging faceplant: With cars set to “charge at 1 a.m.”, ChargePoint sometimes starts, realizes the car isn’t drawing, and slaps on idle logic or times out. Any combination of app settings, waitlist toggles, or site-host configs that tell the station “the car is intentionally napping, chill”? Or are we all turning off schedules at public L2 like animals?
Plug & Charge on ChargePoint DC fast: Has anyone actually gotten ISO 15118 PnC to work on ChargePoint hardware in the wild? Which models/firmware and which cars? Did it require a special contract binding, or was it true 15118 certificate magic and not “AutoCharge-but-with-extra-marketing”?
Detecting duds before docking: Any reliable tells that a ChargePoint is in “pretty light, no brains” mode before you park and unwind the cable? RSSI in the app? Status patterns? Particular error codes on the tiny screen that mean “abandon hope”?

If any site hosts are lurking: which combo of settings has given you the fewest angry “it spun forever and failed” reports? Local auth list enabled? Free-vend on comms loss? Idle grace period tweaks? Power management set to equal amps vs demand-charge-aware throttling?

I’m all for secure payments and grid-friendly smarts, but I’d also like electrons before the next fiscal quarter. Tips, rituals, or packets to sacrifice appreciated.