Tesla officially launches Charge On Solar

[bay74]

I have an Enphase solar sytem, and no power wall.
But I am wondering: with net metering, why would I even want something like this new feature? Are there still electric companies out there that don't offer net metering of any kind? Or am I missing something?

Here in Australia net metering has never been a thing (except for early on where some people were allowed to keep their spinning disc meter, but back then systems were 1 to 2 kW, and few), and we have one of the highest per-capita rate of rooftop solar (2022, but probably still the case). Typical off-peak rate is 20 c/kWh and peak (3pm to 9 or 10pm) between 40 and 50, while the feed-in tariff is about 5 c/kWh. So yeah I definitely want my car to stop charging if a cloud comes over!

I am of the understanding that net metering is pretty rare, almost non-existent outside of the USA (though my news would be largely reflecting western Europe and other 'rich' countries) - anyone know if this has been looked at somewhere?

 

[sunwarriors]

I have an Enphase solar sytem, and no power wall.
But I am wondering: with net metering, why would I even want something like this new feature? Are there still electric companies out there that don't offer net metering of any kind? Or am I missing something?

Another reason is to avoid non bypassable charges in CA. If you pull any energy from the grid, you get charged. Slow charging or charging from the sun vs. even charging with net metering and off-peak, you are still pulling from the grid so this would avoid that (that probably doesn't affect NEM1.0 folks).

During non-crazy hot times like now though, as it has been mentioned before by others, this can easily be done by just plugging in and slow charging (depending on how much panels you have) after your batteries are full. This is not possible of course for people who are not at home or simply drive too much.

But if you don't drive a ton, one doesn't need to overthink this to maximize "charge from the sun" or need any special apps. I just plug in on days when I have excess solar.

 

[flixden]

Thanks for the responses, never stop learning!
These cases you guys mentioned make perfect sense.
In my case, we have one electric rate 24/7, and net metering (unfortunately only monthly, I wish it was annual net metering, like it is for most of the power companies around here). So this feature wouldn't save me any money.

 

[DrPhil]

I should be good to go - EXCEPT my powerwalls are stuck on firmware version 23.12.2. How often do you all see PW firmware updates? Anyway to hasten?

 

[h2ofun]

Another reason is to avoid non bypassable charges in CA. If you pull any energy from the grid, you get charged. Slow charging or charging from the sun vs. even charging with net metering and off-peak, you are still pulling from the grid so this would avoid that (that probably doesn't affect NEM1.0 folks).

During non-crazy hot times like now though, as it has been mentioned before by others, this can easily be done by just plugging in and slow charging (depending on how much panels you have) after your batteries are full. This is not possible of course for people who are not at home or simply drive too much.

But if you don't drive a ton, one doesn't need to overthink this to maximize "charge from the sun" or need any special apps. I just plug in on days when I have excess solar.

This is all I do, when my batteries are full, I plug the car in like after lunch. Still would be easy if I were not home, I would leave the car plugged in, and just start it charging via the app, assuming I am driving my ICE car. Some times KISS is the best. I do not need anything else to play with.

 

[holeydonut]

This is all I do, when my batteries are full, I plug the car in like after lunch. Still would be easy if I were not home, I would leave the car plugged in, and just start it charging via the app, assuming I am driving my ICE car. Some times KISS is the best. I do not need anything else to play with.

Not everybody is retired and can monkey with their car charging after taking a casual lunch at home

 

[holeydonut]

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).

I dunno man, the only reason I ever wanted the "charge with solar" option is because there's a ton of people who are very vocal about the "virtue signaling" of BEVs. These folks always complain the trope about how BEVs charged from the grid are worse than gasoline. And I'm in NorCal. I can't imagine how much BS folks in other states hear about the evil BEVs.

Like one guy at work was ranting about how all these Tesla owners brag about saving the planet, but are actually just taking advantage of tax breaks to make things worse for everybody else. He was citing some stuff about how Diablo Canyon can't be shut down because BEV folks all charge at midnight so now all folks in California have to pay all those billions of extra costs (forgivable loans) to allow Diablo Canyon to keep running. Or how EVs were the reason the California grid was collapsing during the heat wave last year. He was also complaining about how solar customers were making his energy costs go up har har har.

I hear the same thing at my kid's day care. Some of the parents keep saying how they hate the indoctrination their kids keep hearing about how BEVs are saving the planet. They think it's bad to teach kids about BEVs being a magic solution due to all the evils cited above. But they seem to agree that electricity is cheaper than gas, so the selfish ROI argument still holds water in favor of BEV.

I used to show folks how BEV charging from rooftop solar means no stress on the grid during peak time and no added reliance from Diablo Canyon at night. And how the Powerwalls on my house mean I draw zero energy from the grid during peak time. But I've found most people don't care heh.

But, people do seem to have a ton of complaints about how artisanal Cobalt miners are treated, and how solar panels come from China so they're bad. Unfortunately the app can't resolve these things.

 

[jjrandorin]

I dont hear (and dont care) about anyone signaling anything about BEV this or that. I dont care about other peoples opinion that much. I didnt buy a Tesla to "save the planet" and dont give a !!@$@43 about anyone else thinking I did, or didnt.

 

[holeydonut]

I dont hear (and dont care) about anyone signaling anything about BEV this or that. I dont care about other peoples opinion that much. I didnt buy a Tesla to "save the planet" and dont give a !!@$@43 about anyone else thinking I did, or didnt.

I remember back in the late 90s meeting some engineers who were competing in those races where they were taking solar powered cars around. If it weren't for me being a dumb-azz maybe I could have put my low-end-brain-powers into stuff like this. But instead all I knew was how to fix the carb on a lawn mower hah.

American Solar Challenge - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

What's crazy is no win 2023 you can literally have a solar powered car take your kids to school and go really fast. Technology advancements like this are soo cool.

 

[Redhill_qik]

This is all I do, when my batteries are full, I plug the car in like after lunch. Still would be easy if I were not home, I would leave the car plugged in, and just start it charging via the app, assuming I am driving my ICE car. Some times KISS is the best. I do not need anything else to play with.

The California IOU/solar/EV cost optimizations are now very complicated with NEM 1.0/2.0/3.0 rules and different TOU rates for E-TOU-C/EV2A/E-ELEC. What may be cost optimized for one person may not be cost optimized for another.

Being on NEM 2.0 and a net generator, I'm in the camp of I don't really care that much about charge-on-solar.

However, if I'm was on NEM 3.0 even as a net generator, I would care about charge-on-solar as my compensation for exporting to the grid is so low during the day. Consuming my own solar during the day would be much higher priority so that I could avoid the higher charging costs at night.

Daily commuters will be in a bind, but you should be able to get a decent recharge at home on the weekends from solar. I'm on a 3 day hybrid return-to-office which consumes 60% if my M3 battery or 36.3 kWh/weekly easy enough to recharge from solar on the weekends for about 8 months a year with my system, going to 5 days a week would require at least some charge during the week to avoid return home with 0%.

 

[h2ofun]

Not everybody is retired and can monkey with their car charging after taking a casual lunch at home

All you have to do is have it plugged in and control from work

 

[wwu123]

I remember back in the late 90s meeting some engineers who were competing in those races where they were taking solar powered cars around. If it weren't for me being a dumb-azz maybe I could have put my low-end-brain-powers into stuff like this. But instead all I knew was how to fix the carb on a lawn mower hah.

American Solar Challenge - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

What's crazy is no win 2023 you can literally have a solar powered car take your kids to school and go really fast. Technology advancements like this are soo cool.

Those races started a decade earlier than that even. In fact, GM of all folks won the first global race in 1987 with their Sunraycer:

GM Sunraycer, 1987

I only recall as I started interning at Hughes spacecraft division back then, and GM for some weird reason owned Hughes at the time - a bunch of aerospace summer interns got to work on the original Sunraycer, I missed out by a year on all the fun but knew a bunch of the older interns who got to go to Australia even...

Any, just venting sour grapes for all the vast majority of Tesla solar or auto customers who won't get to use this feature. It is true that many solar-only installs may not be equipped with a net meter, but that $50 set of old-school CT's (and an Internet connection) is really the ONLY thing in a Tesla Powerwall install that is really needed to implement this for solar-only users. And I feel like it is mainly the non-Powerwall solar users who have been coming up with their own custom python, HomeAssistant or other roll-your-own equivalents, because they precisely don't have the Powerwall to act as a giant buffer.

I'll be trying the HomeAssistant hack at some point, I'm on NEM 1.0 but just experimenting to plan for when I get kicked off in a decade....

 

[holeydonut]

All you have to do is have it plugged in and control from work

How do you get to work if your car is plugged in at home ?

 

[jjrandorin]

How do you get to work if your car is plugged in at home ?

Silly.... Obviously, you have your driver drive you to work, drop you off, carry your backpack / computer to your office, then go back to the car, drive it to your house and plug it in.

 

[flixden]

How do you get to work if your car is plugged in at home ?

LOL

 

[holeydonut]

Lol crap I just realized if you're at work you can't charge at home with solar anyway with or without the app. Sucks.

Going back to ICE has made me even dumberz.

 

[h2ofun]

How do you get to work if your car is plugged in at home ?

Well if it is at work, then worrying about charging from your solar on your house is, well, ...

 

[h2ofun]

Lol crap I just realized if you're at work you can't charge at home with solar anyway with or without the app. Sucks.

Going back to ICE has made me even dumberz.

Thought you had a senior moment there

 

[CrazyRabbit]

How do you get to work if your car is plugged in at home ?

I charge on weekends, or in the morning when the sun comes up. I’m making 4kw by 8:00am.

 

[Jeffrub]

I’m really excited to get this feature. I have two Teslas w a Tesla solar system with Powerwalls and signed up for Tesla electric NA about 1.5 years ago. I’m really happy with it although it’s not working perfectly yet. Right now, I have to take my house off the grid to charge my Teslas. This is what they recommended I do otherwise I am buying kW at retail prices and almost simultaneously selling at wholesale prices (sometimes zero or even negative). The only way to stop that from happening is to take my house of the grid each morning when I have a lot of solar and prices are low.

Really hoping to get this new feature soon! I’ve asked support about it, but so far don’t have a solid answer. I think both my car and PW don’t have the required versions although they both say they are up to date and no updates are available,