I've a model 3, and for the last 6 months we have charged the car using a 3 pin plug and it has been fine. After 4 attempts we have finally got a smart meter fitted so will be moving from bulb to octopus asap. So how do I charge the car every night but only at the off peak times (mid night to 4.30am?) using just the 3 pin plug? I've the ev.energy app but that only allows schedule finish like the Tesla. Free options are preferred.
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Charging between two times
- Thread starter shuhockey
- Start date
Mr H
Active Member
Plug in and start a charge - set a charge limit that will take 4 hours - Stop the charge - Go to the charging schedule on the charging screen and set the start time as 12.30am as that's the time the Octopus go window starts.
You're only likely to get around 35 miles added on the 3 pin at 2kw
You're only likely to get around 35 miles added on the 3 pin at 2kw
The ev.energy app should do just what you're looking for, charge at the cheapest times that the tariff provides. You can set a maximum per kW/h price within the app so it doesn't exceed charging at off peak rates although beware you may not always get to your desired charge level.
If you haven't yet signed up to Octopus I'd be happy to send you over a referral code for £50 off your bill.
In ev.energy you can tell it to only charge at off-peak rates, which for Octopus Go will be from 00:30 to 4:30. ev.energy uses your Tesla credentials to instruct he car to start and stop the charge at the (roughly) right times. If you switch to Octopus Agile you can then tell ev.energy to only charge if the rate is below x pennies per kWh (so you might get more than 4h per night, or you might get less!). As pointed out above, you aren't going to get a tremendous amount of range from the granny charger in 4h!
Cnixon
Member
The car itself will be able to define the start time. Evenergy defines the end time (ready by). The max price and off peak I have had problems with them working as the car will start the charge if it is plugged in and not yet fully charged or if sentry mode is draining the battery.
darkNstormy
Member
Sometimes the ev.energy app has a delay before it stops the charge. You can do this manually from the Tesla app after you've plugged in - there's a button to stop charging.
To stop the car from charging as soon as you plug it in, make sure the car has a scheduled start of, say, 0:30. Ev.energy will override that anyway when it comes to charge the car, but having that scheduled start enabled stops the car from immediately starting to charge whenever you plug it in.
MrBadger
Badger out
We charge on Go but only at 10A, so numbers will be different at different charge rates.
On car, we set a scheduled start time for 12:30. Prior to charging, I then do a mental calculation and manually set to charge limit to 11% above what the current SoC is present. Car will then charge automatically approximately within the Go window.
I do have a backup on TeslaFi, a start charge action set at 12:35 and a stop charge notification at iirc 04:45. These have never been needed and tbh, I'll probably remove them at some point.
My personal view of charging is that I charge because I need the charge (even if this is a few days hence as is sometimes the case at 10A), so if I don't fill the 4 hour slot, or I overrun slightly (very rare and normally just a few minutes), its no big deal. I'm not out to squeeze every last kW out of the cheap rate window. Same attitude if I am charging off of solar.
On car, we set a scheduled start time for 12:30. Prior to charging, I then do a mental calculation and manually set to charge limit to 11% above what the current SoC is present. Car will then charge automatically approximately within the Go window.
I do have a backup on TeslaFi, a start charge action set at 12:35 and a stop charge notification at iirc 04:45. These have never been needed and tbh, I'll probably remove them at some point.
My personal view of charging is that I charge because I need the charge (even if this is a few days hence as is sometimes the case at 10A), so if I don't fill the 4 hour slot, or I overrun slightly (very rare and normally just a few minutes), its no big deal. I'm not out to squeeze every last kW out of the cheap rate window. Same attitude if I am charging off of solar.
I don’t want to hijack this thread but just nudge it a little further.
With solar fading as we head into winter, I’ll be setting timed boosts in my Zappi to coincide with cheap rate. That’s simple for me and ends at 04:30am.
I also want to pre-heat for a departure at 07:00am a couple of days each week. If the car is fully charged at 04:30 will it still be able to preheat from the car’s own later timer?
The Zappi has a precondition mode that may allow it
Does anyone do similar?
With solar fading as we head into winter, I’ll be setting timed boosts in my Zappi to coincide with cheap rate. That’s simple for me and ends at 04:30am.
I also want to pre-heat for a departure at 07:00am a couple of days each week. If the car is fully charged at 04:30 will it still be able to preheat from the car’s own later timer?
The Zappi has a precondition mode that may allow it
Does anyone do similar?
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