EV.Energy app may stop your home charging

[MariaC]

September 24, 2022

Good Morning:

I used this EV.Energy app for my iPhone. I had issues correlating the EV.Energy numbers with the actual charges being delivered so I deleted the app.

The app started shutting down my Tesla’s ability to home charge. Tesla spent thousands changing out my charging system twice before they found the code they sent to my car telling it to shut off my charging.

I had to change my password. I have asked them to please address this issue so it will not happen to others. No third party app should be able to shut anyones charging down.

Big Moe

 

[outdoors]

September 24, 2022

Good Morning:

I used this EV.Energy app for my iPhone. I had issues correlating the EV.Energy numbers with the actual charges being delivered so I deleted the app.

The app started shutting down my Tesla’s ability to home charge. Tesla spent thousands changing out my charging system twice before they found the code they sent to my car telling it to shut off my charging.

I had to change my password. I have asked them to please address this issue so it will not happen to others. No third party app should be able to shut anyones charging down.

Big Moe

Did you give the app your Tesla credentials? Or are you saying the EV.energy app fought with the Tesla App on the phone?

Tesla can usually see something ping from the outside, and would tell you to remove it or change password. If one provides credentials it's kind of like handing the keys and the ability to ping your car. Wouldn't recommend unless you really know the app, and that they aren't a bunch of fools. Even when they are smart, Tesla moves stuff around that may change how the car reacts to commands from the outside.

 

[VegasMYP]

Thank you sharing and making us aware

 

[MariaC]

Did you give the app your Tesla credentials? Or are you saying the EV.energy app fought with the Tesla App on the phone?

Tesla can usually see something ping from the outside, and would tell you to remove it or change password. If one provides credentials it's kind of like handing the keys and the ability to ping your car. Wouldn't recommend unless you really know the app, and that they aren't a bunch of fools. Even when they are smart, Tesla moves stuff around that may change how the car reacts to commands from the outside.

I just cant remember what I filled out. I learned a good lesson. I thought they were just going to pull my charge data not control my car. Tesla was so good about it. Their IT guy found the line of code that stopped my charging. It stopped the charging at home and told the car to go to an EV.Smart charger. No more third person apps for me.

 

[jschroebel]

The whole point of ev.energy is to control your charging, specifically to only charge when electricity is cheap and “clean.” I suspect that incorrectly setting up the app (e.g. entering the wrong electric rate plan or setting the price limit too low) may have led to your problems.

For what it’s worth, I use ev.energy and have had no issues. I really appreciate the more granular control over charging times compared to what Tesla offers. I use it to only charge off-peak and to use clean energy when possible.

 

[SkyDog]

FYI, the Optiwatt app can do the same thing and stop your car charging. This is, after all, one of the purposes of this app. But I have to admit that it really confused me the first time I experience this. Just be aware of what an app is designed to do - before installing it, and giving it login credentials to your Tesla.

 

[MariaC]

ev.energy and your Tesla login data

Logging in with your Tesla Account on app sign up allows you to Smart Charge your Tesla on any brand of home charger. It also means you'll be able to track your charging away from home and better optimize your at home charging. If you own a Rolec...

support.ev.energy

 

[MariaC]

Did you give the app your Tesla credentials? Or are you saying the EV.energy app fought with the Tesla App on the phone?

Tesla can usually see something ping from the outside, and would tell you to remove it or change password. If one provides credentials it's kind of like handing the keys and the ability to ping your car. Wouldn't recommend unless you really know the app, and that they aren't a bunch of fools. Even when they are smart, Tesla moves stuff around that may change how the car reacts to commands from the outside.

I don’t understand your question: Or are you saying the EV.energy app fought with the Tesla App on the phone? Is it a wisecrack?

 

[outdoors]

I don’t understand your question: Or are you saying the EV.energy app fought with the Tesla App on the phone? Is it a wisecrack?

Well it sounds like you gave someone your login or Tesla credentials. If you do that you are at the mercy of something that could literally open your car doors without your permission.

No wisecrack, but please think before you handover your login and ask Tesla to do all the work to find out your issues if that is the case. Your settings or the app settings are not Tesla's problem. They make the car if you want to interface it is on their terms not yours.

You kind of inferred that Tesla spent thousands of dollars looking at the issue of an outside app. Is that wrong?

 

[jjrandorin]

Well it sounds like you gave someone your login or Tesla credentials. If you do that you are at the mercy of something that could literally open your car doors without your permission.

No wisecrack, but please think before you handover your login and ask Tesla to do all the work to find out your issues if that is the case. Your settings or the app settings are not Tesla's problem. They make the car if you want to interface it is on their terms not yours.

You kind of inferred that Tesla spent thousands of dollars looking at the issue of an outside app. Is that wrong?

Thats how it read to me, as well. Basically as a Public Service Announcement (PSA) from the OP, boiled down to:


==========================

1. I used this third party app that has the ability to control my charging
2. I had issues with charging. I brought those issues to tesla
3. Tesla spent a lot of time troubleshooting the issue, including changing out a bunch of hardware, and determined it was this third party app.
4. After Tesla determined that, I changed my password and the charging issues stopped.
5. I think no one should use this third party app or this could happen to you

=========================

The above is how it read to me, anyway.

 

[MariaC]

Well it sounds like you gave someone your login or Tesla credentials. If you do that you are at the mercy of something that could literally open your car doors without your permission.

No wisecrack, but please think before you handover your login and ask Tesla to do all the work to find out your issues if that is the case. Your settings or the app settings are not Tesla's problem. They make the car if you want to interface it is on their terms not yours.

You kind of inferred that Tesla spent thousands of dollars looking at the issue of an outside app. Is that wrong?

Yes it is wrong. I had no idea that any outside app could shut my charging down. I thought it was a mechanical issue. How would I know that a program that would track how much I was spending on electric could shut my car charging down. I do know now and have posted it for others to not make the same mistake I did. I didn’t infer anything. I stated the facts as I I knew them at the time. Not everyone is as smart as you are.

 

[qdeathstar]

Yes it is wrong. I had no idea that any outside app could shut my charging down. I thought it was a mechanical issue. How would I know that a program that would track how much I was spending on electric could shut my car charging down. I do know now and have posted it for others to not make the same mistake I did. I didn’t infer anything. I stated the facts as I I knew them at the time. Not everyone is as smart as you are.

It says what it does on the tin

 

[MariaC]

It says what it does on the tin

What is “The TIN” I feel that as a Moderator you you’d guide us and help us through issues NOT berate us with wise guy answers like :
“Or are you saying the EV app fought with the Tesla app on the phone”

 

[outdoors]

What is “The TIN” I feel that as a Moderator you you’d guide us and help us through issues NOT berate us with wise guy answers like :
“Or are you saying the EV app fought with the Tesla app on the phone”

That was a serious question. Also was not asked by a moderator. I am not one.

One question is if you had an app that was disabling another app.

Other question was Did you gave permission to an application to control charging.

I find that I usually give pretty darn spot-on advice when I can. One time help somebody find a place to get a flat tire fixed and they were not familiar with the area and I think it was 10:00 at night. Day in the life of a forum member.

Sounds to me like you are a little embarrassed by the situation and what Tesla found. I have been in your shoes exactly one time as well. I gave permission to an outside app and they basically told me what it can do. I'm sharing that with you.

That being said, I also use an outside app but I understand how it works and can control it. I drive north of 50,000 mi a year. I need to monitor my car and everything that goes on with it. So yes I might be a little more knowledgeable than some.

Best of luck in your situation.

 

[qdeathstar]

What is “The TIN” I feel that as a Moderator you you’d guide us and help us through issues NOT berate us with wise guy answers like :
“Or are you saying the EV app fought with the Tesla app on the phone”

I’m not a moderator… at least as far as I know. And I’m not berating you. The app said it controls your charging. It does what it says it will do. I don’t understand the difficulty.

 

[jjrandorin]

What is “The TIN” I feel that as a Moderator you you’d guide us and help us through issues NOT berate us with wise guy answers like :
“Or are you saying the EV app fought with the Tesla app on the phone”

Im a bit confused, because I didnt say that, nor is the person you quoted there a moderator here.

In reference to "whats on the tin" however, their statement is saying that the app does what it says it does. You mention that you didnt know it would interact with charging, but right on their website it says the following:

==============================

ev.energy - Smart EV Charging App

Smart charge your car at home with ev.energy: a cheaper, greener way to charge electric vehicles at home. Let’s plug into better!

ev.energy

===========================

So, it pretty clearly states it interacts with charging, on their website. Your warning has merit, but it boils down to " Dont use third party apps without knowing what they may or may not do with your car". That applies to any third party app, which is what the other posters are mentioning to you.

 

[integraguy2001]

Thank you, thank you. I was going crazy as well... Here's my thread before i found yours.

Need some serious help with my charging issue

I am in NJ, I purchased my Model 3 RWD 2023 around Feb of this year. I bought a Juicebox 40 amp plugin charger and had an electrician installed it for me. I am starting to having some issues with it. So at times it will intermittently stop charging, I had to manually going into the Tesla App...

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[drdumont]

Well it sounds like you gave someone your login or Tesla credentials. If you do that you are at the mercy of something that could literally open your car doors without your permission.

No wisecrack, but please think before you handover your login and ask Tesla to do all the work to find out your issues if that is the case. Your settings or the app settings are not Tesla's problem. They make the car if you want to interface it is on their terms not yours.

You kind of inferred that Tesla spent thousands of dollars looking at the issue of an outside app. Is that wrong?

He didn't imply or infer. He STATED that Tesla spent a lot of money chasing this thing.
Tesla spent over 2 hours on the phone and I don't know how many text messages trying to figure out why my Phone as a key was stopping several times a week. The guy with whom I was speaking finally found an issue with someone else with the same Samsung phone as I had. "Power Saver" or whatever it was called was shutting off the app, and when it came back up, the app was confused. Note I said the Samsung phone I HAD. No issues with my Motorola Flip Phone version 2.

I have always been leery of giving my Tesla info for apps downloaded from Play Store or wherever. I don't even give it to abetterrouteplanner.com.

 

[integraguy2001]

tesla should at least put this in their knowledge based so all the technicians know this was a possibility because I brought my car in and they just claim it's working fine. and the manager simply told me to get a tesla wall connector.. very unprofessional. Totally ignore my frustration.

Should at least ask me if I have any 3rd party app that could potential messing with the charging.

 

[jjrandorin]

tesla should at least put this in their knowledge based so all the technicians know this was a possibility because I brought my car in and they just claim it's working fine. and the manager simply told me to get a tesla wall connector.. very unprofessional. Totally ignore my frustration.

Should at least ask me if I have any 3rd party app that could potential messing with the charging.

View attachment 943735

Teslas stance is no one should use any third party apps. Its even called out in their warranty information document, as a specific warranty limitation:

https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/downloads/tesla-new-vehicle-limited-warranty-en-us.pdf

if you have anything strange happen with your car at all, the first place you should look is any third party application you may have installed, or even previously installed but stopped using, if you did not change your tesla account password to invalidate that apps access token to your car.

You should also never talk to tesla technicians about "Well I installed XXX / YYY third party app" as they can (and sometimes do) stop all discussion about warranty coverage if the problem is anything that the third party app might interact with, which is most of the things the tesla app can interact with, which is basically most of the car.