HyperVolt Charge Points [megathread]

[browellm]

I've had one for about 9 months and count myself lucky I haven't had the issues newer owners are having. I do remember some early problems I had with it dropping off my WiFi which is a BT mesh system. I have no idea why it helped me, but when I was troubleshooting it, I enabled my WiFi's guest SSID and put the Hypervolt on there on its own. It's been perfect ever since.

Hope you guys get a resolution soon.

 

[Casss]

I've had one for about 9 months and count myself lucky I haven't had the issues newer owners are having. I do remember some early problems I had with it dropping off my WiFi which is a BT mesh system. I have no idea why it helped me, but when I was troubleshooting it, I enabled my WiFi's guest SSID and put the Hypervolt on there on its own. It's been perfect ever since.

Hope you guys get a resolution soon.

Likewise.

For those waiting for email responses I’d thoroughly recommend just calling them if you can. Have always had a quick resolution that way. It may be that some of the issues on newer units are still being uncovered though, so different issue different response etc.

 

[Pants]

Likewise.

For those waiting for email responses I’d thoroughly recommend just calling them if you can. Have always had a quick resolution that way. It may be that some of the issues on newer units are still being uncovered though, so different issue different response etc.

I did phone in the first instance and was asked to email with details of the problem and the S/N of the unit. Since then nothing, despite a couple of follow up emails. I’ve phoned a few times in the last hour but have gone straight to voicemail

 

[_MJF_]

For those finding their Hypervolts were dropping off the wi-fi network...how have they been ?

Tempting fate...but since deciding I'd simply power-cycle it before each charge it's then been connected for over a couple of weeks. No idea if it's had a software update (how can you tell ?) and they still haven't replied to my e-mail, but it's remained connected far longer than it ever has.

 

[Casss]

For those finding their Hypervolt's were dropping off the wi-fi network...how have they been ?

Tempting fate...but since deciding I'd simply power-cycle it before each charge it's then been connected for over a couple of weeks. No idea if it's had a software update (how can you tell ?) and they still haven't replied to my e-mail, but it's remained connected far longer than it ever has.

If they’ve pushed a firmware update to your unit you won’t be able to tell unless you speak to them.

 

[_MJF_]

Just had an update to the app (Android), it now shows the firmware version and mentioned something about a box to let people know they need an update.

The button to copy the firmware version doesn't seem to work but looks like a timestamp - mine is pi4.202203292212..., so ~10pm on 29th March.

 

[Casss]

Just had an update to the app (Android), it now shows the firmware version and mentioned something about a box to let people know they need an update.

The button to copy the firmware version doesn't seem to work but looks like a timestamp - mine is pi4.202203292212..., so ~10pm on 29th March.

Interesting. No update on iOS currently, and tariffs still not factored correctly.

 

[_MJF_]

Interesting. No update on iOS currently, and tariffs still not factored correctly.

Tariffs still wrong following the Android update, in that the kWh seem right but the £ not.

 

[Casss]

Tariffs still wrong following the Android update, in that the kWh seem right but the £ not.

It's just so odd that of all the things they do brilliantly, this is still eluding us. I'm not on the Facebook group so probably out of the loop and maybe there are other factors or critical fixes that have been going on, but is this not a basic sum that they can calculate themselves, with existing logic, in the app? kWh used x p/kWh entered in settings? I'm confused that there is still a blocker on this...

 

[qwickshot]

The new energy tracking feature got delayed by that WiFi issue that’s been plaguing new units apparently but we should start seeing it in the next few weeks as it’s pretty much ready.

 

[_MJF_]

Given it had remained wi-fi connected for a couple of weeks...then power-cycled the wi-fi extender. Pleased to say it automatically re-connected to the wi-fi network, something it didn't previously do without a power-cycle.

Credit where credit's due, regarding wi-fi connectivity there seems like some great improvements.

 

[_MJF_]

A bit more info if it helps anyone...

Seems the charger can update itself which involves a reboot, and it won't do it whilst charging. Whilst there's no way for the user to instigate an update, Hypervolt can push one remotely.

Mine's now on pi4.202204212120... (was pi4.202203292212...) and pleased to say the wi-fi connection has remained OK for weeks now, although not actually noticed any difference between these versions.

 

[ukmy]

Despite firmware update, WiFi is still unreliable may be due to mesh WiFi others also reported. Mobile app has other usability problems over and above energy tracking issues so it’s not over yet.

 

[_MJF_]

Despite firmware update, WiFi is still unreliable may be due to mesh WiFi others also reported.

Hadn't realised there was a problem with mesh wi-fi, when I first got it I connected to the mesh network and the connection dropped, but in fairness was a fair distance away so didn't think much of it. Currently got a wireless extender the other side of the external wall to it, but now it seems to re-connect to wi-fi without a power-cycle then it's worth trying it on the mesh again.

Would've thought any problem with mesh wi-fi might be inherent in the Pi though, unless there's some sort of additional wi-fi dongle/antenna in the unit.

 

[Release]

Still on the fence about which EV charger to buy when my car arrives. Would you guys still recommend the hypervolt despite the wifi issues and app not tracking energy prices correctly? Others have pushed me toward the Gen3 TWC but I like the idea of a smart charger and I may install solar at some point..

 

[_MJF_]

Still on the fence about which EV charger to buy when my car arrives. Would you guys still recommend the hypervolt despite the wifi issues and app not tracking energy prices correctly? Others have pushed me toward the Gen3 TWC but I like the idea of a smart charger and I may install solar at some point..

I don't have any regrets now the wi-fi issue seems sorted, although some above are reporting there are still problems with mesh wi-fi. I keep meaning to re-try it on the mesh but now the charger wi-fi is more stable I've been able to move the wireless extender further away and out of sight, so not got round to it.

If I had to make the choice again I'd still go for the Hypervolt, but depends on what you want from a charger. Due to the grant expiring I had to get mine before the car but knew I wanted :-

• built-in PEN fault protection
• tethered cable
• something that coiled the cable around the unit itself
• something that looked vaguely good
• some level of smart functionality/app

Since getting it I only actually use the Hypervolt app for :-

• locking/unlocking it (maybe overkill)
• seeing how much it's actually used and eyeballing this in comparison to what the car's actually charged

It's a bit frustrating that the app can't do the simple sum of multiplying the configured electricity tariff by the amount it's used, that really does seem basic stuff but if you can multiply by 30p in your head it's no big deal.

One thing I hadn't appreciated was the load balancing, if you've got other high-powered things which could be on at the same time.

 

[Pants]

I received a software update a couple of weeks ago and since then the Wi-Fi connection has been stable . . . . until yesterday. Connection has dropped twice in 24 hours. I’m using an Orbi mesh system with the satellite being about 5 feet away from the Hypervolt.

 

[WannabeOwner]

I like the idea of a smart charger

I have a older generation Tesla charger and a Zappi (and no experience of HyperVolt).

My approach is to schedule (from the car) to start charging at start of Off Peak. Thus that always happens, regardless of network / cloud connection etc. Tesla will also start charging if I come home considerably after the start time (I don't know how long that leeway is, but it is at least several hours)

I would not want to rely on some smart charger which might not start, as scheduled, if e.g. Internet was down (and not require me to change it to "dumb" mode, as internet might go down at 11:59 when I'm tucked up in bed, and I need the car charged for 7AM departure ...). Maybe Hypervolt would never fail in that way?

I then use a 3rd party APP (TeslaFi in my case) to schedule other stuff. That includes "Stop charging at end of Off Peak". Of course there are times when I need a full charge, so then I have to remember that a "Keep charging to 100% for imminent trip" doesn't get stopped by some other schedule ... if that is all done within one APP then that can take care of scheduling conflicts

Thus personally all I want the charger to do is provide power ... and if the car wants to charge then it will.

I bought a Zappi for my second charger - on the basis that it is able to divert excess Solar into the car (when Export is detected). However, my Solar PV can generate more than 32 AMPs, so I would still get export at "best peak". So what I actually need is something to control all of that:

What rate is PowerWall charging at?

Which of the two cars are plugged in?

Is either car "needed soon" (if so prioritise). If not then which has lower SoC and prioritise that.

Prioritise getting PowerWalls charged at a steady rate through the day (they will charge fast faster off PV than they do off Grid, because Grid charge rate is chosen to prolong battery life, so I don't actually want to charge the PowerWall flat out from PV, so rather than wait for Export, to then divert excess to Car I instead want to charge PowerWall at a gentle rate, and if there is any excess then put that into the car (and if more then 32AMPs then charge the second car too).

I'm sceptical that an "intelligent charger" is going to handle all that. What if you add a different brand of charger in future? and two different brands of car? Is everything going to talk to everything else? and will the charger firmware be updated in future to take care of all that?

I think it much more likely that a 3rd party APP will do all that scheduling. All it needs is API to car to detect SoC and to Start/Stop charging, and adjust the AMPs. All the other juggling can be done by the middle-ware.

 

[browellm]

Once scheduled charging is set from the Hypervolt, it will maintain the schedule whether it's network connected or not. It's completely car independent.

It does solar divert but I find its plus points are more prosaic than the app and connectivity.

The at-a-glance status from the LED is much more useful than even they advertise.
It's available in 5m, 7.5m and 10m cable variants at a cost-effective rate. Not many chargers offer this.
It's reasonably priced.

 

[browellm]

I think it much more likely that a 3rd party APP will do all that scheduling. All it needs is API to car to detect SoC and to Start/Stop charging, and adjust the AMPs. All the other juggling can be done by the middle-ware.

heh