Extremely Loud Noise During High-Speed Charging at Buc-ees MB Charging Station
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Extremely Loud Noise During High-Speed Charging at Buc-ees MB Charging Station
I've previously charged my EQS at this location for free, but as expected, this session was not free, and I noticed an extremely loud noise during charging. Having never experienced this alarming level of sound before at this location or any other charging station (including Electrify America, ChargePoint, or even my home charger) I was a bit concerned. The only differences from previous charging sessions were the level of speed achieved and there was an actual cost to this session. My charging speed in this session was the highest I've ever experienced, exceeding 150kW all the way up to 207kW for this charging session. I wonder if the increased speed is related to the fact that the session was no longer free, as free charging may be throttled to manage costs. This is merely conjecture, with no basis in fact, just my speculation.
The noise subsided somewhat once the charging rate dropped below 140kW, but even in prior sessions close to 150kW, the car's vocalizations never reached this level. The conditions during this session were quiet, with little ambient noise, and my car was off with the AC, fans, and seats turned off. Even though this was at a Buc-ees, the loudness of the noise was evident even over any ambient sound. The one positive is that I was reminded of how well outside noise is suppressed inside the cabin; what can I say? I'm a glass-half-full kinda guy! Has anyone else experienced this loud noise during high-speed charging? I plan to contact my service advisor, but I wanted to see if anyone in the community has encountered this issue before.
Also, I disconnected and established and started a second session just to see if it was a one-off; it was not.
I did not edit the videos for time, only size.
The noise subsided somewhat once the charging rate dropped below 140kW, but even in prior sessions close to 150kW, the car's vocalizations never reached this level. The conditions during this session were quiet, with little ambient noise, and my car was off with the AC, fans, and seats turned off. Even though this was at a Buc-ees, the loudness of the noise was evident even over any ambient sound. The one positive is that I was reminded of how well outside noise is suppressed inside the cabin; what can I say? I'm a glass-half-full kinda guy! Has anyone else experienced this loud noise during high-speed charging? I plan to contact my service advisor, but I wanted to see if anyone in the community has encountered this issue before.
Also, I disconnected and established and started a second session just to see if it was a one-off; it was not.
I did not edit the videos for time, only size.
#2
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2005 SL 500. 2015 S550. 2016 GLE400 2018 S560
I could be wrong but that sounds like the cooling fan that comes on when the battery pak temp is on the high side. I assume it was relatively warm out when you began to charge. This has happened to me as well. The first time I experienced this I was completely startled by the sound as if I was taking off in a fighter jet. I jumped out of the car to see what the heck was going on. I live in southern Florida so it happens occasionally when I charge, so no big deal.
Last edited by Radman991; 06-15-2024 at 09:23 PM.
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c4004matic (06-18-2024),
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#3
Newbie
I had the same thing happen at an EA charger in Atlanta recently. "UltraFast" 350kW charger at about 2AM. To say that charger was running well is an understatement! My speed never dropped below 175kW and the car was literally HUMMING. LOL. It scared me, and I did the same thing by restarting, but it was the same again. I just assumed it was due to the extremely high charge rate and dismissed it.
#4
MBWorld Fanatic!
I could be wrong but that sounds like the cooling fan that comes on when the battery pak temp is on the high side. I assume it was relatively warm out when you began to charge. This has happened to me as well. The first time I experienced this I was completely startled by the sound as if I was taking off in a fighter jet. I jumped out of the car to see what the heck was going on. I live in southern Florida so it happens occasionally when I charge, so no big deal.
The following users liked this post:
Radman991 (06-18-2024)