3D Modeled Energy Assets Found in Latest Firmware

[willow_hiller]

Interesting find from @verygreen on Twitter of 3D modeled and animated Tesla energy assets (generator, solar panels, powerwall, gateway):

https://twitter.com/greentheonly/status/1359226078808670212

I don't know what these models could possibly be for. Green says:

it's obvious, is not it? The objects are to be displayed on your energy gateway screen at home and since they reuse car firmware in the energy gateway - they also share the assets.

But the gateway doesn't have screen. Nor does the inverter or the powerwall. I don't think such detailed models would be used on the phone app. Presumably that means they're planning on adding a screen to the gateway, or displaying these 3D models on your vehicle's screen for some reason.

Also the modeling of a generator is interesting. They discuss pairing a Powerwall with a generator on this page: Combining Systems | Powerwall Support But I don't know if the ecosystem would be able to model the flow of energy from a generator without some additional CT clamps. Maybe Tesla is planning a branded generator for a fully off-grid setup?

Thoughts?

 

[Vines]

Very exciting to see that Tesla is working on a generator integration, it makes so much sense.

It may be a new feature to have a dedicated interface pad or computer app for the home. This way others users of the home can have access to the PW controls without giving them access to the main Tesla account.

 

[Kodemonkey]

I know Elon wanted to get into heat pumps. I wonder if the "generator" is a heat pump integration?

 

[Vines]

I know Elon wanted to get into heat pumps. I wonder if the "generator" is a heat pump integration?

The object is labeled generator if you check out the Twitter thread.

 

[verygreen]

I know Elon wanted to get into heat pumps. I wonder if the "generator" is a heat pump integration?

it does not look like a heatpump.

Also there are two generators, industrial and just generator and images don't look like a heatpump.

My screenshots don't do it justice - there are all sorts of animated energy flows, I just have not figured how to export the actual animation. I'll try to take a video with my phone I guess

Edit: here it is: https://twitter.com/greentheonly/status/1359262475615625220

 

[willow_hiller]

I'll try to take a video with my phone I guess

Thanks for the video and screenshots. That does show energy flowing into the system from the generator, which confirms the label.

I'm curious if anything in the firmware indicates to you where this would be displayed. At present, there aren't any screens on the solar Gateway or any other Tesla energy products. I agree with you that it doesn't make sense for this to appear on a vehicle screen; the only situation where that would make sense would be V2G, and the 3D models do not have any space where a car would hook into the system.

There's usually no relationship between models found in the firmware and anything having to do with the mobile app, correct? The mobile app is the only place presently where Tesla displays this kind of flow data for solar customers.

Most plausible answer is probably as @Vines said, some sort of dedicated interior Home/Industrial Energy Hub panel with a screen to display these. I don't think Tesla would put a big screen on an exterior Gateway.

 

[verygreen]

the stuff is going to be shown on some sort of a status screen. That there's no such thing today only means that the product is not public yet. Just as generators are not yet public either, I guess.

These assets have nothing to do whatsoever with the phone app too.

Now it's totally possible the car would display this status when at home, but it sort of makes little sense esp. since while there's even a "wall connector" asset, it's not part of the home yet and there's no way to corresponding scene to include it and the car (now it could be added of course, but while it makes a tiny-tiny bit of sense at home, it still does not explain the industrial site).

 

[Vines]

Also just to be clear, the Generator and Powerwall will play nice together, but the functionality of charging the batteries during a grid outage is missing.

You can currently run an off grid home and charge the batteries just fine though I doubt many do so.

 

[skybluecgreen]

it does not look like a heatpump.

Also there are two generators, industrial and just generator and images don't look like a heatpump.

My screenshots don't do it justice - there are all sorts of animated energy flows, I just have not figured how to export the actual animation. I'll try to take a video with my phone I guess

Edit: here it is: https://twitter.com/greentheonly/status/1359262475615625220

What could power a Tesla generator? Wind? Not gasoline I presume.

 

[verygreen]

What could power a Tesla generator? Wind? Not gasoline I presume.

the one pictured is some sort of natgas/gasoline I would imagine? I did not see a pole for a windmill at least.

 

[willow_hiller]

@verygreen I guess it's possible they were just prototyping the 3D models in the firmware for the mobile app. A screenshot of the visuals on a mobile phone just popped up on Reddit:

 

[verygreen]

@verygreen I guess it's possible they were just prototyping the 3D models in the firmware for the mobile app. A screenshot of the visuals on a mobile phone just popped up on Reddit:

Yes, I just saw that.

But tbf what's the point of prototyping a phone app in the car ui?

Edit: also the generator is missing in that video

 

[willow_hiller]

Yes, I just saw that.

But tbf what's the point of prototyping a phone app in the car ui?

It does look like a major overhaul to the solar UI.

If I recall correctly, you had found some code in the firmware earlier that enabled something like mobile phone mirroring of the vehicle screen, right? Maybe what we're seeing on that phone screen is actually running on the Tesla Inverter or Gateway, and is just being mirrored to the phone?

 

[verygreen]

If I recall correctly, you had found some code in the firmware earlier that enabled something like mobile phone mirroring of the vehicle screen

no, I don't remember anything of the sort.

I mean you can just run vnc on the car and vnc client on the phone (or better yet - a computer) and you get the mirroring you are speaking of, but it's not really anything Tesla specifically created, it had to be hacked in quite a bit.

 

[willow_hiller]

no, I don't remember anything of the sort.

Ah, right. I was misremembering this tweet: https://twitter.com/greentheonly/status/1263671587523477504?s=19

 

[verygreen]

Anyway, returning to the generator. it turns out generators are supported by powerwall and could be controlled by the tesla energy gateway.

As such being able to display them makes total sense.

Combining Systems | Powerwall Support

 

[willow_hiller]

As such being able to display them makes total sense.

Yep. That link is actually in my first post on this thread.

The wrinkle is that at present, I don't think there's any integration between the Gateway and the Automatic Transfer Switch the generator needs. In the event of an outage, the Powerwall will kick in first, and only when the Powerwall is out or the energy draw of the home exceeds the capability of the Powerwall will the ATS switch on the generator. But as far as the Gateway is concerned, power from the generator would be seen as identical to power from the grid. Unless the Gateway is able to infer it's from a generator due to the wave form of the power or something.

 

[verygreen]

The wrinkle is that at present, I don't think there's any integration between the Gateway and the Automatic Transfer Switch the generator needs

the link says there is?

power from the generator would be seen as identical to power from the grid

no. They specifically say that if power of generator is not enough they'll turn on powerwall again?

 

[willow_hiller]

no. They specifically say that if power of generator is not enough they'll turn on powerwall again?

The link states the opposite:

"In an outage, Powerwall responds immediately and provides backup power before the generator can detect the outage. The generator is turned on only when the Powerwall has low charge, or if loads exceed Powerwall's maximum output."

The ATS is just a naive electromechanical device, it's got no method of communicating with the Gateway. It's installed in-between the Gateway and the load, and just monitors "the grid" (in this case the throughput from either the grid or the Powerwall) and starts the generator in case "the grid" goes out. So in the event of an outage, the Gateway detects the grid down first and starts the Powerwall. To the perspective of the ATS it's still receiving input so it doesn't kick on the generator. The ATS only starts the generator when the Powerwall runs dry or cannot handle the full house load.

So the mystery remains on how exactly Tesla is able to determine if a generator is running and how much it's producing, and how those numbers get communicated back to Tesla's servers. In theory, the Gateway would only be able to measure flow from the grid (0 in a power outage), flow from the Powerwall (0 if the Powerwall is dry), and then measure that the net load (actual home load - generator) is 0 or negative.

 

[jhn_]

We have a 3 Powerwall 2 setup with Gateway 2 and a generator in a whole house backup configuration. The whole house is on an sub electrical panel that the generator is off of along with the transfer switch. The powerwalls are on a sub panel as well. Both sub panels are connected to the main panel which is just these two subs plus the gateway which has grid and solar inputs.