Functional Third Party Charging Control Software

[gnuarm]

The Tesla software doesn't support time of charging in a way that is useful to me. I need to be able to set two peak rate time windows during which the car should not charge, and the Tesla software simply can't handle this.

Are there any third party apps that handle this properly? Something I can run under Android, or even Windows? Heck, a web based tool would be fine as well.

Here's an example that happened to me when the Tesla was completely unable to support off-peak charging.

The peak window was 3 to 7pm, and I arrived home at 2pm. I wanted to go back out at 9 pm and needed to charge the car as much as possible. So it should start charging right away, stop charging at 3pm, restart charging at 7pm. Then I would have significant charge on the car at 9pm when I was ready to leave. Tesla can't do this, not even close.

In general use, this would let me leave the car connected, and just have it charge anytime it can, off-peak, and I wouldn't need to give it much thought, just remember to plug it in.

My utility doesn't have special meters, or any other means of enforcing off-peak charging. They don't measure my charging in any way. They simply give a small discount on the bill, in exchange for my promise to not charge during peak times. So I want to honor that promise, and the Tesla software is woefully inadequate for that.

BTW, I just set up the Charge Stats for my utility and without a doubt, it is the most difficult to use software I've ever seen. It took me some time just to figure out how to enter a price, not to mention the general slowness and clumsiness of that entire interface. You might think you just put the cursor where you want to type digits, but the Tesla software doesn't work that way. WTF?

 

[AlexHung]

I think I’ve suggested this in other threads. Give Charge your EV for less a try.

 

[gnuarm]

I think I’ve suggested this in other threads. Give Charge your EV for less a try.

Yes, I recall seeing that product. Like most phone apps, they won't let you see how it works, or what it does, unless you sign up. I don't go for such BS. Once they have your info, they never let it go.

Heck, you can't even get started without downloading a phone app. I prefer a company that at least tells you what you are getting into.

Thanks anyway.

 

[gnuarm]

I think I’ve suggested this in other threads. Give Charge your EV for less a try.

Ok, I thought I'd get over my paranoia and give it a try. I had some trouble installing it, but finally got it. The setup was a pain. They don't list the ToU service, so I had to enter it manually, which was another exercise in self-torture. I finally got that done after having to repeat every step at least three times to come up the learning curve. Finally, it's set up and ready to use. But it has a very spartan interface with the choices of charging to minimize CO2, or to minimize cost. It says nothing about when the car might charge... oh, it's the weekend when the costs are all the same. So I won't be able to test this until Monday. Oops, no, not then. I'll be on my way to the airport.

So I guess we'll find out in a couple of weeks when the car is back on the charge, needing some charge. So far I'm not a fan. If it ever needs the schedule set up again, I'm pulling the plug on this app.

 

[Sophias_dad]

If you have an android phone, this might do what you want:

Dashboard for Tesla - Apps on Google Play

The better app for your Tesla.

play.google.com

 

[AlexHung]

Yes, I recall seeing that product. Like most phone apps, they won't let you see how it works, or what it does, unless you sign up. I don't go for such BS. Once they have your info, they never let it go.

Heck, you can't even get started without downloading a phone app. I prefer a company that at least tells you what you are getting into.

Thanks anyway.

That's not true. You can use it with a web browser alone.

 

[AlexHung]

Ok, I thought I'd get over my paranoia and give it a try. I had some trouble installing it, but finally got it. The setup was a pain. They don't list the ToU service, so I had to enter it manually, which was another exercise in self-torture. I finally got that done after having to repeat every step at least three times to come up the learning curve. Finally, it's set up and ready to use. But it has a very spartan interface with the choices of charging to minimize CO2, or to minimize cost. It says nothing about when the car might charge... oh, it's the weekend when the costs are all the same. So I won't be able to test this until Monday. Oops, no, not then. I'll be on my way to the airport.

So I guess we'll find out in a couple of weeks when the car is back on the charge, needing some charge. So far I'm not a fan. If it ever needs the schedule set up again, I'm pulling the plug on this app.

I give them my utility company name, and up pop the TOU plan for me to pick. Their data (at the time) wasn't up to date due to recent rate changes so I entered my rate manually but the schedules were automatically filled in and correct. I don't know why you encounter/experienced the manual process but for me, it was very easy and straightforward to get started and setup.

When you choose 'minimize cost', OptiWatt will only charge during the lowest cost TOU period for your plan (or what you entered to the system). That's what I want so it works really well for me. If you have specific trip you need to take with a certain SOC in mind for the start, you can use the 'trip' tab to define how you want to charge.

 

[gnuarm]

That's not true. You can use it with a web browser alone.

Yes, as long as your web browser is their app. The only thing I could do from their web site is download the app from the Apple store or the Google store.

 

[gnuarm]

I give them my utility company name, and up pop the TOU plan for me to pick. Their data (at the time) wasn't up to date due to recent rate changes so I entered my rate manually but the schedules were automatically filled in and correct. I don't know why you encounter/experienced the manual process but for me, it was very easy and straightforward to get started and setup.

As I said, they did not offer the ToU plan from my utility, only the residential and commercial plans. I'm actually on the EV plan, but the charging times are described in their ToU schedule. The rate is the residential A schedule, since it doesn't change with time. My concern is that by signing up for the EV plan, I've promised to not charge at peak times. So that's why I'm looking for something that works.

The fact that they offer your plan as a download, doesn't make their software any easier to use. Setting the hours and months is very counterintuitive. You click "Add plan" to start a new set of months. I selected the months, and clicked something to get into setting the hours. In selecting the hours, it uses a similar interface to the months, where you click "Add Rate" or somesuch term. You then can enter the hours and a price. The price was insanly messed up. Or was that the Tesla app? I think both.

Indicating you are done with all the hour ranges, I forget what you have to click to exit, but it then has forgotten the months you entered and you have to repeat that. Then what do you click to exit? "Add Plan". Yes, very obvious. What a dog's breakfast!

When you choose 'minimize cost', OptiWatt will only charge during the lowest cost TOU period for your plan (or what you entered to the system). That's what I want so it works really well for me. If you have specific trip you need to take with a certain SOC in mind for the start, you can use the 'trip' tab to define how you want to charge.

Yeah, I like to see confirmation of what's going on. It gives none. I guess there's a graph of Charge Forecast, which looks like the state of charge? It shows a steep ramp, and a horizontal line. I think that is the "rate". So on the weekend there's not much to see. Unfortunately, I won't be charging again for a week or so. They still don't have anything I can plug into at the airport for the week I will be away. I tried to open a conversation with someone at the airport about adding level 1 charging at the long term parking, so people could leave the cars plugged in, returning to a well charged car. There was a complete communications failure, meaning they didn't care, or probably understand. Airports! Bah!

Oh yeah, this tool is mind-numbingly slow too.

 

[AlexHung]

Here is OptiWatt running on my Safari browser on my iPad.

 

[gnuarm]

Yes, I was confused about the login. Previously, I had tried the browser first, and it offered to let me download the app to my phone. I see now I can also log into the website.

That helps with being able to see the tiny graph, but I still find the information that I'm interested in to be sparse. On the main page, Dashboard, the only useful info is the charging graph. Meanwhile, it's telling me all manner of essential information, such as how many pounds of coal something unspecified equates to.

Maybe you can explain the controls on the left. If I click on Dashboard, that seems to be obvious, but nothing on the left is highlighted/selected. If I click on Charging, it shows my car and the charge limit, but Schedule is selected (darker background). Clicking Schedule gives the same display. Clicking Calendar highlights the word Calendar with the darker background, and shows the calendar. Clicking Settings, again highlights/selects nothing, but it shows settings. Is this intended? Why is there nothing to correspond with Charging?

I entered a trip for tomorrow, with a very early departure, thinking it would be good to let the battery be a bit warmer, preconditioning, as it were. I see no sign that this is going into effect. The car is still charging now! Perhaps I have to lower the target charge state, so it shuts off now, then the Calendar will turn it back on with that charge state goal at the appropriate time?

I don't much trust these tools, including the Tesla charging tool. I've had it simply never turn on. There's no way to know what was wrong. It provides very little feedback when it is set.

The Optiwatt tool seems to be obsessed with informing you how ecologically helpful you are, without giving much feedback about the actual state of the car and the planned charging. Heck, I can't even tell if the car is charging or not! At least the website is not so slow.

 

[gnuarm]

I think I figured out the left-hand controls. "Charging" is a category with two subcategories, Schedule and Calendar. So clicking Charging is like clicking Schedule by default. Still, I can't seem to tell if the car is charging or not. I have to pull up the Tesla app on the phone, and then I have no idea how the two are going to interact.

 

[moa999]

Another option - ChargeHQ.
By an Australian Tesla owner. Initial focus was on interaction with solar inverters, but it also has some fairly smart features with regards to grid feed.

EV Charging from Home Solar

Start charging your EV from your home solar panels with a 60-day free trial. Works with popular solar inverters + Tesla EVs or compatible smart chargers.

chargehq.net

 

[gnuarm]

Another option - ChargeHQ.
By an Australian Tesla owner. Initial focus was on interaction with solar inverters, but it also has some fairly smart features with regards to grid feed.

EV Charging from Home Solar

Start charging your EV from your home solar panels with a 60-day free trial. Works with popular solar inverters + Tesla EVs or compatible smart chargers.

chargehq.net

I'll give it a try at some point. Right now, I would like to see if the other program will work the way I want. Even that is a PITA to set up. Some of the controls, like entering a number, are nearly dysfunctional. It took quite a bit of work to figure it out.. I'm talking about typing a number, for Peat's sake!

 

[grayguy]

I think I’ve suggested this in other threads. Give Charge your EV for less a try.

Does this company not allow you to provide Tesla credentials other than giving them your login information? I would think there is a 3rd party login option, or a key access like ABetterRoutePlanner offers?

I know that conventional wisdom says that if it is free, then you are the product, but I'd rather not be the product and give them my login.