The energy management in our house is orchestrated and managed by the Solar Manager. On the one hand, he has the heat pump under control, the HP boiler and numerous smart plugs, but on the other hand he also has the charging stations for the two electric cars. Now there has been a welcome update that provides significantly more comfort in exactly the last point. The charge level of the electric cars is now also read by the HEMS (Home Energy Management System) and can be incorporated into the optimization.
Read the car’s charge level
Unfortunately, it is still not technically possible for AC charging stations to query and transmit the charging status of the electric car. The SoC (“State of Charge” of the battery) is important because it enables more intelligent charging modes. Since this is not yet possible via the charging station, Solar Manager offers the integration of the car platforms into the system. Accordingly, the company initially starts with compatibility with the following manufacturers:
Audi e-tron BMW Volkswagen Seat Skoda Tesla Compatible vehicles for SoC charging
Intelligent charging modes according to SoC
By integrating the car’s current charge level, I can integrate the electric car more deeply into energy management. This allows targeted charging to, for example, 80% at 8:00 a.m. the next day. In this case, the Solar Manager takes over the intelligent control of the charging station and charges the required amount of energy into the car with solar power, if possible, and otherwise with the cheapest available grid power. Using the two turntables in the app, you can easily change the target time and the desired SoC value in percent.
Conclusion
The update came at the right time; in winter, an intelligent charging mode that takes the charge level into account is exactly the right thing for me. In the summer months up to October I can get by with pure solar charging, but now the PV production is no longer sufficient. This mode is just right for me and I also have a practical overview of the charge levels of the two electric cars.