GAC under fire from customers over incompatible chargers

GAC owners have hit out at the brand for supplying home chargers that can’t be scheduled, with some paying thousands of dollars in installation costs they can’t recoup.

As part of the launch promotion for the car maker’s Aion UT electric hatch, the first 600 buyers were given a free 22kW charger. 

However, the unit is not a 'smart' charger, so it isn’t compatible with GAC’s app, which allows owners to schedule charging during off-peak hours.

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Karl Tikoft from Sydney, who recently purchased an Aion UT for his young daughter as her first car, said the chargers are not fit for purpose.

“Most people would expect that if one of the big marketing points is that they can schedule charging, that the charger GAC provides would do it,” he told Drive.

“I would've assumed, and I think a lot of people assume that it should be able to do that.

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“A lot of people have spent all the money putting it in, and then realised it's not working.

“People are frustrated.”

Dozens of customers have contacted GAC about the issue.

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“I wish I had known before installing, so I didn't have to pay an electrician twice,” one owner posted in an Aion UT Facebook group.

“I honestly would have rather had floor mats included with the car than a charger that has very limited use.”

Others have noted that the car can schedule charging itself using a non-GAC unit or via the three-pin plug provided, but the 22kW promotional charger can’t, as it powers down after 20 minutes of idle time and can’t be woken by the vehicle.

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Initially, GAC shipped three-phase units to customers, but later recalled them and replaced them with single-phase 7kW chargers after realising that the majority of Australians don’t have three-phase power at home.

Tikoft said he is particularly frustrated because GAC claims it is different to other new Chinese brands entering the Australian market due to its decades of experience working with legacy brands Toyota and Honda.

At the launch of the Aion UT earlier this year, Andrew Ratajczak, Director of Aftersales for GAC in Australia, said one of the brand’s USPs was its strong after-sales service.

MORE: GAC says it’s different to other Chinese brands because of Toyota and Honda partnerships

“At this point, there is a small window for GAC to address this before more chargers are shipped to customers in bulk,” Tikoft added.

“Once several thousand customers have the chargers and encounter the issue, they will start sharing their concerns.”

A spokesperson for GAC Australia said it has received several customer enquiries about the functionality of the free charger.

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“GAC Australia has received a number of customer enquiries regarding the functionality and capability of the complimentary GAC 22kW Wall Charger provided with vehicle purchase,” a spokesperson told Drive.

“These enquiries are primarily related to the unit’s design as a basic charging solution without smart networking features. This matter has been escalated to GAC Headquarters, where potential software enhancements are currently being explored.

“To ensure transparency and set appropriate expectations, the GAC dealer network has been briefed to clearly communicate the current capabilities and limitations of the supplied charger to customers prior to vehicle delivery.”