Testers wanted: connecting your AC to a google calendar

[tbee]

Two months ago I got my first Tesla (Model S) and with winter approaching I tried to set a schedule for activating its AC in the morning, only to find out it was not possible. Being a software engineer I was easily able to fix that for myself, by using a Google Calendar to start and stop the AC.

This works great for me, but I figure more people would like to have that. So I've created a setup (christened TeslaTasks) where I can handle more cars with the same logic. Right now I could use some testers to work out the kinks. But strangely I do not know that many people who own a Tesla ;-)

As a heads up: turning on the AC in your car will require entering your Tesla username and password, since I need to access the unofficial Tesla API. Just like VisibleTesla does.

Let me know if you are interested to help me test.

 

[tbee]

Let me add a little bit of explanation of how the software works;

• you create a special 'Tesla' Google calendar,
• TeslaTasks monitors this Calendar every 3 minutes,
• if it finds the start of an appointment, it will call the Tesla API to start your AC.

This means that if you need to leave at, say, 8 am, you can have an appointment in the Tesla calendar from 7:30 to 8 am, so your car and battery pack are defrosted and preheated when you leave.

 

[IconBoy]

If you're using an Android phone you can use the Tasker Plugin for Tesla which can do all of that for you and more. (Just a satisfied user).
I have it set to turn on AC at a set time before leaving to pick up kids from school. It then waits five minutes, checks if car is in D, and if not, switches off AC.
You can always turn on heat of that's a preferred option.

 

[tbee]

I think the user experience with Google calendar is better At least i like it better

 

[cvonken]

I created a 'pre-heater' myself as well, and it runs on my home-pc. It also takes into account the outside and inside temperature, so it will only trigger when needed. It also stops the AC when a set level has been reached.
When turning on, I also get a notification, as it's not always needed in case of -a day off- or working from home and I do not want to waste any kWh's ;-)

But as with all these kind of services: you need to have a big trust in the service provider (you), as providing your Tesla credentials would make it possible to unlock and drive away people's Tesla without knowing.
Perhaps you should provide an app where users can enter their credentials as well, but it stays on their phone. But then you may need to support iOS and Android code-bases... And iOS apps are hard to run in the background (which would be about 60% of your users)... 1st world problems ;-)

 

[tbee]

I created a 'pre-heater' myself as well, and it runs on my home-pc. It also takes into account the outside and inside temperature, so it will only trigger when needed. It also stops the AC when a set level has been reached.
When turning on, I also get a notification, as it's not always needed in case of -a day off- or working from home and I do not want to waste any kWh's ;-)

But as with all these kind of services: you need to have a big trust in the service provider (you), as providing your Tesla credentials would make it possible to unlock and drive away people's Tesla without knowing.
Perhaps you should provide an app where users can enter their credentials as well, but it stays on their phone. But then you may need to support iOS and Android code-bases... And iOS apps are hard to run in the background (which would be about 60% of your users)... 1st world problems ;-)

The trust issue is a dilemma indeed, that is why I'm upfront and open about it. In the end you also provide your credentials to apps like TeslaFi or VisibleTesla. But you can look me up: tbeernot.wordpress.com, jfxtras.org, or on Twitter @tbeernot. In the end once people start using it, trust will come (I hope).

Oh and I already have an android version, just not in the appstore yet. But there is no guarantee that credentials will stay there pf course. I chose Azure to host the actual logic because my Gardner just broke the glass fiber to my home. It happens.

 

[tbee]

That last sentense is weird, let me try that again: I chose a cloud (Azure) for hosting to not be dependant on my fragile home infrastructure. The gardener just cut the glass fiber for example, stuff happens.

 

[tbee]

I've rewritten the application to use a token instead of a password. It means TeslaTasks can still access your car, but not override pins and such.

 

[tbee]

An app version of TeslaTasks is available for open beta test in the Google Play Store. The iPhone version is being worked on.

 

[gnuarm]

I dug around but I can't find a definition of "AC". Are you turning on the air conditioning as a test rather than the heater?

 

[tbee]

I dug around but I can't find a definition of "AC". Are you turning on the air conditioning as a test rather than the heater?

Yes, or better I'm sending an "auto_conditioning_start". According to Tesla:

Preconditioning will also turn on your seat heaters and defrosters automatically in cold weather for your comfort and convenience. Cold weather upgrades, such as the heated steering wheel and wiper blades, will also be activated. When you start your next drive, your climate settings will automatically revert to your previous settings. NOTE: Requires vehicle software version 2018.4 or above.

 

[gnuarm]

Yes, or better I'm sending an "auto_conditioning_start". According to Tesla:

Preconditioning will also turn on your seat heaters and defrosters automatically in cold weather for your comfort and convenience. Cold weather upgrades, such as the heated steering wheel and wiper blades, will also be activated. When you start your next drive, your climate settings will automatically revert to your previous settings. NOTE: Requires vehicle software version 2018.4 or above.

Ok, AC = Auto Conditioning. Personally I think people use too many obscure abbreviations, but that's the way it is in many forums.

Any idea what capacity outlet is required for this command to work without drawing down the battery?

 

[josher32]

Two months ago I got my first Tesla (Model S) and with winter approaching I tried to set a schedule for activating its AC in the morning, only to find out it was not possible. Being a software engineer I was easily able to fix that for myself, by using a Google Calendar to start and stop the AC.

This works great for me, but I figure more people would like to have that. So I've created a setup (christened TeslaTasks) where I can handle more cars with the same logic. Right now I could use some testers to work out the kinks. But strangely I do not know that many people who own a Tesla ;-)

As a heads up: turning on the AC in your car will require entering your Tesla username and password, since I need to access the unofficial Tesla API. Just like VisibleTesla does.

Let me know if you are interested to help me test.

I’d like to test.

 

[tbee]

Download the app in the Android store, or from teslatasks.com for PC or MacOS to get started.
I've added the option to specify "charge" and optionally a percentage "charge 90%" in the appointment summary, to start charging.

 

[tbee]

I wanted to try, but given all the problems creating an android and ios app has, I've moved the registration logic to the web.

The system itself works pretty reliable. Often, when the app takes long to connect, prefer to create an appointment in Google calendar instead. And let TeslaTasks do the waiting for the car. Oh, and charging was added.
Manual – TeslaTasks