If your CCS to CHAdeMO adapter fails to start a charging session, it can feel strangely binary. Everything looks connected, the app says the station is ready, and then you get an error or nothing happens.
The first thing to understand is that not all CCS to CHAdeMO adapters behave exactly the same way. Different brands can have slightly different startup sequences, firmware behaviour, and “what works best” habits. The guidance below is written with our Longood CCS2 to CHAdeMO adapter in mind, because that’s what we sell and support at Autonlaturit.com. That said, many of the troubleshooting steps and habits can apply to other adapter brands as well.
This article focuses on the most common reasons a session fails to start, how to recover quickly at the station, and how to prevent repeat problems. It stays practical on purpose. You don’t need to understand charging protocols to solve most startup failures.
Why does a CCS to CHAdeMO charging session fail to start?
A CCS to CHAdeMO session has more moving parts than a normal “car with CCS plugs into CCS station” session.
With an adapter in the middle, the system has to align three things at the same time: the charging station, your car’s CHAdeMO handshake, and the adapter’s own internal state. If any one of those pieces is not ready at the right moment, the session can fail before it even begins.
Most startup failures fall into a few broad buckets.
One bucket is sequencing. Some chargers are picky about the order of steps, and some adapters behave more reliably with a particular sequence.
Another bucket is power and readiness. Our adapter is an active device and it needs its internal battery to be in good shape. If the adapter is not powered on properly, or its internal battery is low, the handshake can time out.
The third bucket is physical connection quality. Slightly loose seating, a latch that didn’t fully lock, dirt, moisture, or strain from a heavy cable can be enough to stop the session.
The fourth bucket is the station itself. Even modern sites can have one stall that behaves differently from the next. If a site is busy, power-limited, or has a flaky connector, you might get a “no start” result that looks like an adapter problem but isn’t.
Is your car and the station actually compatible with a CCS2 to CHAdeMO adapter?
Before troubleshooting a complex failure, confirm the basics.
Your vehicle must have a CHAdeMO DC fast-charging port. If your Leaf only has the AC inlet, no adapter can create DC charging.
The station must be a CCS2 DC fast charger. In Europe, that is the common DC connector, but the details still matter. If you’re at an AC post or a station that is out of service, the adapter cannot help.
Finally, remember what the adapter does and does not do. It does not turn your car into a CCS-native vehicle. It is translating the handshake so the session can start. That translation can work with many sites, but it is not realistic to assume “every stall, every network, every time” will behave identically.
If you are testing a new setup, pick a location with multiple stalls. It turns “no start” into a simple stall change instead of a stressful dead end.
What is the most reliable startup order with our adapter?
This is one of the most important tips in this entire article.
Contrary to some videos and even some written instructions you may have seen, the best way to start charging is sometimes this order:
- Connect the adapter to the car
- Start the charger
- Power on the adapter
- Connect the charger to the adapter
Then wait a few seconds. In many cases, charging will start.
Why does this help? You do not need the protocol-level explanation to benefit from it. In practice, this sequence often makes the timing cleaner: your car is already latched and ready, the charger is already in “session started” mode, and the adapter is then powered on at the moment it needs to negotiate between them.
If you are standing at a charger and the “normal” method failed once, this is the first alternate sequence worth trying.
Is the adapter charged and powered on properly?
Our adapter contains an internal battery. That internal battery matters for startup.
Before first use, it can be a good idea to charge the adapter for about 14 hours using a standard USB-A mobile phone charger. Any USB-A to USB-C cable can be used, and one is included in the delivery.
In the future, the internal battery is charged while the adapter is being used.
A practical detail that catches people out is that there is no indicator to check the internal battery status. That means you cannot glance at the adapter and know whether “battery is fine” or “battery is low.” You have to manage it with habits.
If you have not used the adapter in about two months, it is a good idea to charge it for about 14 hours again before relying on it.
At the station, also make sure you actually powered on the adapter. It sounds obvious, but in cold weather or in a hurry it’s easy to assume it is on when it isn’t.
If you suspect the internal battery may be low, don’t fight the charger with endless retries. Go home, charge the adapter properly, then test again at a nearby site.
Could outdated firmware be the reason it used to work, but no longer starts?
Sometimes the charger changes, not your adapter.
Charging networks update station software over time. When that happens, an adapter that worked fine on a specific site can occasionally start failing there, even though nothing on the car side has changed. In that situation it’s worth checking whether your adapter is running the latest firmware.
For our Longood adapter customers, we maintain a shared Drive folder where we publish the newest firmware packages. If you suspect a compatibility regression, update the adapter first, then retest at a familiar location.
If the problem persists, log files can help. You can save logs to a USB stick that show what happened during the startup attempt, and the manufacturer has often been able to use that information to produce a firmware fix quickly. Instructions for saving logs are provided during adapter onboarding. If you can capture logs from a failed attempt and share them with support, it usually speeds up troubleshooting dramatically.
Are the connectors fully seated and properly locked?
A surprising number of failures are simply mechanical.
Your Leaf’s CHAdeMO port needs to be fully seated and locked. If the latch did not engage completely, the car may refuse the session.
The CCS2 plug must be fully inserted into the adapter. If it is not all the way in, the station may detect an abnormal connection and abort.
Also pay attention to strain. CCS cables can be heavy, especially on high-power sites. If the cable pulls down on the adapter, it can slightly unseat the connection. Support the adapter with your hand while connecting, and once charging starts, make sure the assembly is not hanging at an awkward angle.
A quick visual check before you start is worth it:
Is everything straight?
Is anything visibly dirty or wet?
Does the connector look worn or damaged?
If a station’s CCS plug is clearly damaged, don’t use it. Move to another stall.
Could the charger stall be the problem, not the adapter?
Charging stations are not all equal, even within the same location.
One stall can have a worn connector, a weak latch, or a software hiccup while the stall next to it works perfectly.
If you get a “fails to start” outcome, one of the fastest diagnostics is to change only one variable: switch stalls.
If the site has multiple stalls, try a different one before you do anything complicated.
If the site has only one stall, try another nearby site if possible.
This is also why we recommend testing your adapter for the first time close to home. You learn what “normal” looks like and you can separate a site issue from an adapter issue without the pressure of being mid-trip.
Are you starting the session correctly in the app or with RFID?
Some failures are not “hardware failures.” They’re session-flow failures.
Networks vary in how they want you to start a session. Some want you to start in the app first, then plug in. Some tolerate the opposite. Some require that you select the correct stall number. Some have a timeout window where you must complete the plug-in steps quickly.
When an adapter is involved, timing can matter more.
If a session fails to start, check the basics:
Are you authenticated and billed correctly?
Did the station actually enter “charging” mode or did it stay in “preparing” forever?
Did you start the correct stall?
If the network supports it, stopping the session cleanly in the app and restarting it can be better than unplugging mid-state.
And if your first attempt used the “standard” order, try the alternate order described earlier. It often helps with stations that are picky about timing.
What should you do at the station when charging fails to start?
When you’re troubleshooting at a public charger, the biggest mistake is to keep repeating the same action in the same way. That often just triggers timeouts.
Instead, use a calm reset approach.
First, stop the session in the app or on the charger screen if possible.
Then disconnect in a clean order. Don’t yank the cable. Don’t force a latch.
Take ten seconds. This is not wasted time. It lets the station and the adapter return to a neutral state.
Then try again with one change.
The best sequence of “one change at a time” usually looks like this:
Try the alternate startup order.
If that fails, change stall.
If that fails, change site.
If you are still stuck, the adapter may need a proper charge at home, or a firmware update.
That last point is important. If you have not used the adapter in a long time and you cannot start a session at multiple stalls, an undercharged internal battery is a realistic explanation.
What does a “partial start” tell you?
Sometimes the session looks like it starts, then stops.
That pattern is useful information.
If the station begins the handshake and then aborts, it often points to a communication mismatch or a timing issue. In practical terms, that means one of three actions is usually productive:
Try the alternate order.
Try another stall.
Try a different site or network.
It is rarely productive to keep retrying the same stall ten times. If it does not start after one or two clean attempts, change something.
When should you stop troubleshooting and not keep trying?
A good rule is to keep trying only while things still look normal.
Stop and choose another option if you see any of the following:
Visible damage to the connector, the cable, or the adapter.
Water pooled in a connector area, or heavy rain combined with wet contacts.
A strong burning smell, smoke, or anything that suggests overheating.
A station that repeatedly faults before you even plug in.
An adapter that feels unusually hot compared to normal use.
In those cases, the right move is to stop the session and move on. Long-distance reliability comes from avoiding risky equipment, not from forcing one session to work.
How can you reduce “no start” problems in the future?
Most reliable setups come down to habits.
Charge the adapter before first use for a full cycle, and consider recharging it if it has sat unused for a long period.
Make sure your adapter is running the latest firmware.
Do your first tests near home, at a site with multiple stalls.
Keep the connector faces clean and protected during storage.
Support the adapter during connection so the cable is not pulling on it.
And when you are on the road, choose sites with backups. The adapter is a tool that expands options, but you still travel more comfortably when you are not relying on a single stall.
It also helps to keep your expectations grounded. Even with a good adapter, there will be occasional stalls that refuse to start. That is why “backup choices” is the real value. The goal is not to never see a failed attempt. The goal is to recover in two minutes by switching stalls or sites.
When should you contact support, and what information helps?
If you repeatedly cannot start charging across multiple sites, it’s time to contact support instead of guessing.
The fastest way for us to help is if you can describe what happened in plain steps.
Which network or location did you try?
Did the station show an error message?
Which startup order did you use?
Did you try another stall?
When was the last time the adapter was charged via USB?
Which firmware version are you running, and have you checked the Drive folder for the latest update?
You do not need to write a technical report. A simple timeline is enough.
If you bought your adapter from Autonlaturit.com, our support team can help you troubleshoot with the Longood adapter specifically and suggest next steps that fit what you saw at the station.
What’s the simplest takeaway if your adapter won’t start charging?
Most “no start” problems are solvable without technical drama.
Start with the basics: check seating and locking, use a stall with backups, and try the alternate order that often works best with our adapter.
If the adapter has been sitting unused, charge it fully before you judge it.
And if you see repeated failures across multiple sites, stop guessing and reach out with a clear description of what you tried. A calm troubleshooting method beats a dozen rushed retries every time.