WannabeOwner
Well-Known Member
I have a number of, reasonably complex, scenarios that I currently have to fiddle about with Phone APP and car Dashboard manually. My drive-to-work is 80% regular, and therefore not regular enough to just have a schedule. I also have recharge at home scheduled for Off Peak (midnight to 7AM), but I also charge at work and when visiting work I do not charge at home (unless SOC is very low). (Charging at work is ... ermmm ... "cheaper"
)I'd like to be able to say:
"Charge car for trip to XXX (or XXX miles) leaving at YYY"
To avoid ambiguity perhaps Locations should be specifically created Favourites, rather than just "towns". That said, Postcode here in UK represents a very small area, so "navigate to XX9 9XX" would be accurate enough for charging calculations (if speech recognised it correctly! Google will translate "XX9 9XX" postcode to an address, so reporting back what that equates to would be a reliable double-check).
What I would want is that:
- If journey is over 160 miles charge to 100%, otherwise charge to 90% (regardless of shorter distance, unless some other criteria applies [e.g. home charging and also visiting work)
- Do not continue charging after Off Peak finishes (unless required for a journey). [Currently no way to control this]
- Start charging at midnight to take advantage of Off Peak. (Start earlier if my leaving time would require it)
- Make sure that, in cold weather, the car is charged for at least one hour before departure (to warm battery etc.)
- (Do not delay start of charging beyond Off peak start, in case of powercut, but stop and restart to get final charge for car warming; perhaps always charge "enough for journey" initially and then "top up further" for subsequent car warming, if required)
- Turn Climate On a suitable period before departure.
I would like to [always] plug in overnight at home, but I don't (except when needed) because scheduled charging would kick in. I leave for work at 5:30 - 6:00 and in Winter its often cold, so being plugged in and some warming before I leave helps. Turning on Climate form Phone when i wake is a pain ... so asking Alexa for it, the night before, would be WAY better
So for that scenario I might actually want an hour's battery charging (automatically [without specific prompt], if weather is cold) at 4:30 AM and also cabin warming at, say, 5:15 AMif Alexa could PREVENT normal scheduled charging when not needed then I would always plug in (AND I would have to remember to specifically ask for charging, when needed). I'd be happy that Alexa automatically charged, at home, to say 50% if it had no other command.
It would be handy to also say "Charge to 100% at work today" - if I have a long evening trip (so after I leave home change the Limit to 100% whilst at work, and then drop it back to 90% afterwards - unless a subsequent counter-command is given). Also, the more complex situation where I won't be at work long enough to get to 100% charge "I will be at work for 3 hours, charge to 100%" - that would require charging at home [the night before] if the drive to work, and then 3 hours charge, would not achieve 100%.
I think it more likely that I should give a specific command each night - e.g. "Prepare car for work at 5AM" to allow Alexa to charge only if needed (low SOC or cold weather). Work is about 40 miles away, so only a very low SOC would actually require charging. But Wifee might have already asked Alexa something, or vice versa, so a status report from Alexa would be useful - "What is [the current] car program?" or just "Car status" - response might be "Car is currently charged to XX%, overnight charge for trip to work leaving at 5:30 AM, N hours stop at work and then 100% charge"
Maybe a detailed status report too - "Car currently charged to 74%; current command is an overnight charge to 100% for trip to XXX leaving at 5:30 AM; Car will charge from Midnight to approx 3AM until 90% achieved; because weather forecast for 5:30 AM tomorrow is below 10C charging has been split. Car will charge again from 4:30 AM until 5:30 AM and 100%, and climate will be turned on at 5:15 AM. When charging finishes at approx 5:30 the charging limit will be reduced back to 90%"
Can't say that I would use Honk Horn or Flash Lights from Alexa (I'm at home, can't think of a reason to do that, but maybe others can suggest one?) I have had situation where Wifee parked in a car park, I had no idea where car was, I used DIRECTIONS on Phone APP to find the car park, and then Flash Lights (could have used Honk too ... bit anti-social!) to find it; but "at home"?
