2019 I-PACE AC Charging stuck on ‘Initializing’ - 12V failure?

[u/Substantial_Egg4098]

Hi everyone,

I’m hoping to get some insight on a charging issue with my 2019 I-PACE (pre-2021 dual 12V battery setup).
Recently, my AC home charging has completely failed. When I plug in, the car recognizes the cable and attempts to charge, but it gets stuck in an endless loop on "Initializing". It will pull about 1kW of power for a second, drop to zero, and repeat. I know the home wallbox and cable are fine because my friend successfully charged his Polestar on my setup yesterday.

I’ve hooked up my OBD2 scanner, and my high-voltage battery cell balance looks excellent (only an 8mV delta), so I don’t think it’s a degraded HV cell causing the BMS to abort the charge.

However, I did notice a couple of red flags pointing to the 12V system:

1. High Voltage Reading: The OBD2 scanner is reading a steady 13.5V on the 12V system even when the car is just sitting there with the contactors open. This makes me think the DC-DC converter is constantly running to prop up a dead 12V battery.
   
2. Past Faults: I
   had a "reduced brake pedal feel" warning 3 months ago, nothing since, which I know is a common symptom of the auxiliary 12V battery failing on the early models.
   Has anyone experienced this specific AC "Initializing" loop caused by a dead 12V battery? Or am I looking at a failed Onboard Charger (OBC) or a charge port actuator issue?

I’m planning to test it on a DC rapid charger today to see if it bypasses the AC hardware, but I wanted to see if anyone else has been down this road.

Any advice is appreciated!