-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Tesla officially launches Charge On Solar
- Thread starter danny
- Start date
Tesla has some information pages setup for this, which can be found here (as of this posting, I dont have this feature yet myself)
www.tesla.com
There are also some FAQs that many may who have been waiting for this feature may find interesting.
Frequently Asked QuestionsHide All
Charge on Solar | Tesla Support
With Charge on Solar, your Tesla vehicle can charge using only excess solar energy produced by your solar system. Learn more about using the Tesla app to set Charge on Solar limits and more.
There are also some FAQs that many may who have been waiting for this feature may find interesting.
Frequently Asked QuestionsHide All
- Where is the Charge on Solar feature available?
Charge on Solar is currently only available to customers who own a Powerwall and a Tesla vehicle in the U.S. and Canada.
Note: The site needs to have solar without any export limitations. - Does Charge on Solar require a Powerwall and Tesla vehicle?
Yes. Charge on Solar only works with a Powerwall and will only charge a Tesla vehicle. - How do I resolve Powerwall connection error?
The Charge on Solar feature relies on the vehicle and Powerwall having a stable internet connection. Ensure that the vehicle and Powerwall are both connected to your Wi-Fi before setting up.
In rare instances, you may need to unpair and repair your solar system in the Charge on Solar settings. - Why do I need to select a charging location for Charge on Solar?
A charging location is required to ensure your vehicle does not only accept excess solar energy in locations where no solar energy is available to your vehicle. - Why is my Tesla vehicle not charging on solar when there is less than 1.2kW of excess solar?
When in Charge on Solar mode, your Tesla vehicle may delay the start of charging until there is at least 1.2kW of stable excess solar to maximize efficiency and lifetime of your charging equipment. This helps account for variability in solar power and home loads. - Can I use Charge on Solar for multiple vehicles at the same site?
Yes. If you charge more than one Tesla vehicle at a time using Charge on Solar, the first vehicle to plug in will receive all the excess solar energy until it reaches the charge limit you’ve set. Once that limit is reached, the excess solar energy will be sent to the second vehicle. - How can I charge my Tesla vehicle at full power immediately?
If you are in a rush and need to charge your vehicle quickly, you can increase your lower Charge limit. This will allow your vehicle to charge at the maximum allowed power from solar, storage or the grid. - Where can I access Charge on Solar settings?
To access Charge on Solar settings, tap the lightning bolt icon in your vehicle profile in the Tesla app. Access the menu to disable the feature. These settings are available to you even if the vehicle is not at the Charge on Solar location.
To access Charge by Solar settings on your vehicle touchscreen, check your ‘Charging’ section when your vehicle is parked at the Charge on Solar location.
To turn off Charge on Solar from the Tesla app, tap the lightning bolt icon in your vehicle profile in the Tesla app, then access the menu to disable the feature.
Sonus
Member
This is why:
Charge on Solar | Tesla Support
With Charge on Solar, your Tesla vehicle can charge using only excess solar energy produced by your solar system. Learn more about using the Tesla app to set Charge on Solar limits and more.
| Hardware | Software |
|---|---|
| Model S, Model 3, Model X or Model Y | 2023.26 or Higher |
| Powerwall with solar on site | 23.12.10 or Higher |
| Tesla app | 4.22.5 or Higher |
It is not really out yet for most of us, your hardware needs to catch up with the latest software it will take some time.
I definitely get why you (and anyone else in your situation) feels that way, especially since a "LOT" of "pre-Refresh" S and X customers were some of the customers assuming the most risk as it relates to purchasing Tesla vehicles at high price points and before it was pretty clear the company would survive.
My only thought is, it must be a technical limitation due to "something" that is or isnt present in those vehicles (like how phone as key doesnt work for those vehicles).
I dont know that, im just guessing.
I feel for you all though, I really do.
Sonus
Member
I have a feeling this is a way to drive people into new cars (no pun intended), Tesla is a business like any other.
I doubt it's anything more than just not allocating the programming time/budget to what is now a legacy OS build. I'm literally able to do what this feature does manually within the app, it's just far less elegant and convenient than something that would throttle the car's charge speed automatically.
I mean, you'd think they'd perhaps even want to offer a feature to their customers who might have say, bought Tesla solar (without Powerwall) and a Tesla car, both in 2023; because this feature is arguably more valuable for solar customers without Powerwalls than those with, since your only choice is to export excess solar. But no....
From the website explaining the feature, which I linked above:
====================================
Typical Operation
The scenario below shows typical Charge on Solar behavior when a Tesla vehicle is plugged in at a home with Powerwall. Notice that the vehicle will adjust charge power approximately every 10 seconds to match the excess solar power and power consumption elsewhere in your home.===================================
If its only adjusting "every 10 seconds" then they need something with a buffer, since power on a home changes almost instantly.
Tesla is about to sell out of these…
Sonus
Member
They need to add a note:
Note: 2012-2020 Model S and 2015-2020 Model X are not eligible for this license plate frame.
That's what they say HOW it works, but it seems to me there's no point WHY it works that way if you have a Powerwall .... the Powerwall is such a massive buffer, there's no reason to adjust car charge power every 10 seconds, except to show off. Because all they're really doing in practicality is saying, don't export to the grid, which the Powerwall already does without a car charging - I understand adjusting the Powerwall charge rate every 10 seconds to zero out the grid exports.
But the Powerwall can get full, so you want to dump off to the car during the day. So even if you have a large solar array, and zero home consumption, let's say a 10kw array at full output. In five minutes, that's only 0.8 kwh, or about 5% of a Powerwall used as a temporary buffer. So then you can adjust the car charge rate in the next five minutes interval to keep your buffer at zero. Microwaving some leftovers for 30 seconds, or 3 10-second cycles? The Powerwall absorbs that in the buffer for 3 cycles, there's no real point to the car making two extra adjustments within three 10-second cycles. Wait, got a Model 3 that can only charge at 6 or 8 kw, so can't suck down the buffer? Well, the Powerwall is going to fill up regardless, the transient home usage spikes are minor. And I'm just using 5-minutes as a worst case buffer, basically 10 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes - there's no much practical difference if you have a Powerwall.
So it's really solar customers WITHOUT a Powerwall buffer who need to limit exports, but even then, you only need to do it to the rough granularity of the net metering interval, maybe say 1/4 to 1/2 an interval, since Tesla doesn't know when exactly an interval starts or stops? So I though the interval most POCO's net out import/export was like 5 minutes or 15 minutes - so even adjusting the car charge rate every 1 minute (so using the grid as a 1minute buffer) would lead to effective zero exports?
The only folks who really need a 10 second adjustment would be those who have solar-only with NO net metering, like those unlucky ones in states already where they are under NO EXPORT rules, i.e. not merely getting zero compensation for exports, but you're supposed to curtail rather than export (like Hawaii in certain neighborhoods).
Do solar only installs have the ability to measure grid exports or only solar production?
They specifically say in their FAQs that even power wall customers with export limits are not eligible.
/shrug...
Im not arguing with anyone, as I said I feel bad for those who want this but wont be able to use the Tesla designed solution. I dont even know (for example) if its going to work with my gen 2 wall connectors, or require gen 3 ones, etc.
Sonus
Member
It should work with any charger as the car regulate the rate of charging not the charger, once you have the right software in the car it should work/communicate with the powerwalls software, we will know soon.
The extreme cliff notes version is, there are people who would prefer to use their own solar vs buying from the utility, and 1:1 net metering will likely be going the way of the dodo bird sooner rather than later for most (as it has in CA which is likely one of the, if not "the" biggest market for solar in the US).
(meaning, some form of time of use billing where the price changes based on when you use power, which effectively devalues solar).
Last edited:
Similar threads
