Any recommendations for a (US) EV charger with no cloud obligation? - I'd like to be able to control it and retrieve data within my LAN and with no Internet connection.
(EV charger = charger for electric car)
OpenEVSE?
3 Likes
We absolutely love our OpenEVSE kit! I never bothered to integrate it into Hubitat, but the local web interface is running and logging usage data into emoncms.
Just keep in mind that it isn't UL certified, which may be a problem with your insurance if your house burns down.....
1 Like
that one?
1 Like
Well it was nice of them to get that out of the way quickly so I did not waste too much time on it.
Not Available for export to Canada
How about the Tesla Wall Charger? That is, as far as I know, local. It has some API points and there is a Linux tool to read the data from it,
1 Like
I didn't realize that had local access. Very nice! My Tesla WC is older, without WiFi.
The OP didn't specify what type of car they have, so the Tesla WC might not work (without an adapter).
I wrote a basic driver for OpenEVSE in Hubitat for a user a while back, but I never shared it because I couldn't test it myself and I am not sure which versions of OpenEVSE it is compatible with. If anyone wants to try it just PM me and I'll give you access.
5 Likes
You are right, I forgot that Tesla has a proprietary plug in the US. Here in EU we have the Type 2 plug.
1 Like
Teslas in the EU have type 2 plugs? Do you also have a socket for fast charging?
Yes, they have Type 2, and then use what is called a CCS plug for DC fast charging. Basically a Type 2 with 2 additional prongs for DC: Tesla flips to CCS in Europe, what does it mean? – Electric Revs
Ah! That makes sense. That said, I don’t have a Tesla, but would much rather their standard got universal acceptance! So much more sleek!
1 Like
I'm moving to a new home without EV charging and need two of them for the EVs. To limit maximum power draw, it would be nice if a charger allowed a dynamic upper limit, controllable with Hubitat, but I'd be OK with simple on/off control.
Tesla Wall Connectors (TWC) can share a fixed current limit, however there's no possibilty to change the limit with home automation. Numerous hackers are trying to add such control but the secured connection between leader and follower TWCs is the blocker. Tesla is not opening that up, possibly for safety reasons. It is possible to control the limit directly on individual Tesla EVs with the user account through the public API, but that requires cloud connectivity and a Tesla EV.
Tesla has a J1772 version of their TWC so it's also a good solution for folks with EVs from other manufacturers.
Another possibly interesting EV charger for home automation is Smartenit (https://smartenit.com/shop/smartelek/). It also has load balancing capabilities and uses Zigbee connectivity. However, they apparently have a proprietary endpoint/cluster setup for load balancing. I spoke with them and they seem willing to open up their solution to a platform like Hubitat, if they feel it can increase their sales sufficiently. They wanted to know the size of Hubitat's customer base, which I don't know. They said that if it was large enough, they would work with the Hubitat development team to integrate their EV charger.
I think there's a growing number of households facing power constraints with two EVs (and even with one EV during high-demand periods). It would be wonderful to have a solution that allows adaptive power consumption, possibly integrated with other high power devices (electric HVAC, baseboards, heated floors, water heaters, etc.). Even without a hard limit, Time-of-Day billing also makes dynamic limits interesting.
Is it realistic to expect Hubitat to work with Smartenit to develop a built-in App for their EV charger?
I think most newer cars have built-in scheduling that can handle time of use rates. If you just want to charge two EVs at up to 40 amps (when one is plugged in) or 32 amps (when two are plugged in but only one is charging), or 20 amps each (when both are charging) the Grizzl-e Duo can do that. It's a dumb charger (no WiFi), so no Hubitat integration or cloud connections.
I use a Duo to charge two Teslas and any automation and integration is done using the community app that connects the Hubitat to the Tesla API. If the cars are smart enough, there is no need for a smart EVSE.
Thank you for your comment Alan_F. Yes, there are existing solutions to be smart with cloud connectivity to control the EV limits. Tesla is the leader here. I see that Nissan Leaf has an integration with Alexa, but apparently no-one has set up an integration for the Leaf with Hubitat. However, in the Hubitat spirit of being as local as possible, this wouldn't be my preferred choice. I'm guessing there are others out there with similar preferences.
The Grizzl-E Duo does look like a good option for simple power management between 2 EVs. I suppose there's always the possibility of inserting a smart relay switch in the 50 A circuit for binary ON/OFF control with a smarthome hub like Hubitat. But that isn't as cool and flexible as controlling the EV charger like a dimmer.
I suppose there's always the possibility of inserting a smart relay switch in the 50 A circuit for binary ON/OFF control with a smarthome hub like Hubitat.
@jberendsen : Which devices can do this with control via Hubitat?
Ubiquiti has an EV charger in EA... Might be a bit overkill for residential use/not certain on the specs, if it's UL listed, etc., but I'll be curious to see eventual reviews of it
