German ADAC finds fault with Ora’s Funky Cat
The German car club ADAC says it found a safety defect in the Chinese electric model Ora Funky Cat. It is possible to pull the plug during the charging process. If a locked electric car is unlocked via the radio key, the same happens with the charging plug.
And this is the crux of the matter: According to ADAC tests, the Ora Funky Cat does not stop the charging process during this time and the current continues to flow – in contrast to other electric cars that stop charging as soon as the plug is unlocked. If the plug is not pulled out in the Funky Cat, it locks again after about 15 seconds.
But: According to the ADAC, during these 15 seconds it is possible to pull out the Type 2 plug while charging under load with up to 16 amps flowing. “In extreme cases, the result is a bang, flying sparks and a burning smell. In the long term, this can lead to wear of the contacts and heating of the contact surfaces,” says the car club. “Charging is only stopped when the charging plug is disconnected.”
The ADAC does not specify whether the charging process is still stopped in the normal way when the cable is disconnected – but since there is talk of “bangs, flying sparks and a burning smell”, it seems that electricity was still flowing. Actually, the communication pin (CP) of the Type 2 plug is slightly shorter. When the cable moves, this pin loses contact first, communication between the column and the car fails and the charging process is terminated immediately as a result.
Journalist cannot reproduce ADAC error
“The manufacturer or importer informed ADAC upon request that the vehicle complies with all applicable standards and is therefore safe,” the statement reads. In the view of the automobile club, this is not permissible and represents a safety risk. It has informed the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) about the test results. For the time being, the club advises users to make sure that the charging process is finished before unplugging the charger.
However, it remains to be seen whether other factors such as the wallbox or charging pole play a role in whether or not the charging cable can be disconnected in the scenario described above. On Twitter, technology journalist Dominik Lux, who says he currently has “exactly the same car (same registration plate) as the ADAC”, got in touch. “I can’t pull the plug when the car is locked. It’s locked. And when I unlock it, it stops charging. At least with my wallbox does,” reads the tweet.
Plus, the error only occurs when AC charging. “With DC fast charging, it is a legal requirement that the charge must be interrupted before the cable can be disconnected. This is checked by the charging station, among others. This means that even if there would be an error at the vehicle and charging cannot be interrupted via the vehicle (e.g. due to a communication error with the charging pole), the charging plug remains locked until the charging process is interrupted at the DC charging pole,” an ADAC spokeswoman explained when asked.
But it is not only the Ora Funky Cat that is showing some limps. Like Ora, the Wey brand also belongs to the Chinese car company Great Wall, and both brands are sold in Europe through a cooperation with the Emil Frey Group. Both brands have had a bumpy start in Germany: from January to May, the Ora Funky Cat was registered 423 times, the Wey Coffee 01 only seven times. According to the Manager Magazin, there is an internal dispute about Wey distribution. While the Emil Frey Group distributes Ora’s Funky Cat to around 160 dealers after it arrives in Bremerhaven, it leaves the Wey SUVs at the port. It is still unclear “how distribution at Wey is supposed to work at all – and who is responsible for collection and distribution”.
Reporting by Sebastian Schaal, Germany.
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