General profile v timer

Henke

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So I took my car to the airport for the first time and snared one of the free slow charge parking spots. I had recently charged successfully at EA so what’s around 70% SOC when I reached the airport. I wanted to test profiles and timers and I guess I have my understanding wrong.

I set the general profile to charge to a minimum of 85% and activated it. I set a timer to charge to a minimum of 90% SOC by the time I returned to the car.

I thought that with both these profiles set, the car would charge to 85% and then charge up to 90% in time for my return to the car. However, general was over ridden by the timer and did not fire up at all.

Is that how it’s supposed to work? Is there a way of getting the charge to say 50% or whatever number prior to the timer kicking in?
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So I took my car to the airport for the first time and snared one of the free slow charge parking spots. I had recently charged successfully at EA so what’s around 70% SOC when I reached the airport. I wanted to test profiles and timers and I guess I have my understanding wrong.

I set the general profile to charge to a minimum of 85% and activated it. I set a timer to charge to a minimum of 90% SOC by the time I returned to the car.

I thought that with both these profiles set, the car would charge to 85% and then charge up to 90% in time for my return to the car. However, general was over ridden by the timer and did not fire up at all.

Is that how it’s supposed to work? Is there a way of getting the charge to say 50% or whatever number prior to the timer kicking in?
Great question!!
 

W1NGE

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So I took my car to the airport for the first time and snared one of the free slow charge parking spots. I had recently charged successfully at EA so what’s around 70% SOC when I reached the airport. I wanted to test profiles and timers and I guess I have my understanding wrong.

I set the general profile to charge to a minimum of 85% and activated it. I set a timer to charge to a minimum of 90% SOC by the time I returned to the car.

I thought that with both these profiles set, the car would charge to 85% and then charge up to 90% in time for my return to the car. However, general was over ridden by the timer and did not fire up at all.

Is that how it’s supposed to work? Is there a way of getting the charge to say 50% or whatever number prior to the timer kicking in?
Can you share a screenshot of both your timer and your profile as this will help to explain why it didn't work as planned?

Can you also confirm that only 1 profile and 1 timer were active at the time - if not then that's another possible explanation.

Timers and Profiles only work in conjunction with AC charging. For DC charging all Timers and Profiles are ignored.

Timers do not have a 'minimum' value but a 'target'. Profiles have a 'minimum'.

A timer (Departure Timer to give it its proper name) is intended to ensure that a charging session ends by a given time (not when it starts and ends) and can be repeated across multiple days (regardless of whether the car is connected to your EVSE or not). Additionally the timer will allow you to set a target charge to aim for by the end of the set time. Precool / heat is another option to set but hopefully that is self-explanatory.

Once the timer is set (and no other timers are active) then the car will calculate how long it will take to reach your departure time using power information from the EVSE that you are charging from and the battery's current state of charge (SOC). Whatever happens the charging session will end by the set departure time set in the timer.

In this example I have a daily timer set to charge to a target of 85% and to reach a target charge by 07:00. No preheat/cool set. This works 100% of the time on the basis that the car's starting SOC is around 15% - 20%.

Porsche Taycan General profile v timer 1642147264317


Now introduce a profile into the mix. Profiles are location based but by default you are provided with a profile called 'General' which can be used generically at any location.

Within the profile you set the minimum SOC that you want your car to have as soon as it is connected to your EVSE. If you set it to 25% and your car has 26% or greater battery charge then nothing will happen at this point and no charging session will commence. If your SOC is 15% then the charging process will commence immediately until the battery SOC reaches 25% at which point the charging session will pause pending another event such as an active Timer. If no event has been programmed and the car is still connected to the EVSE (which is active) then after 30 mins the charging session will start again but will continue until 100% is reached.

The profile also has 'Optimised Charging' (for use in conjunction with a Home Energy Manager to balance power at home and combine Solar power where available) and 'Preferred Charging Times'.

Preferred Charging Times enable you to create a charging window where you can take advantage of cheap rate electricity e.g. if you have cheap power between midnight and 07:00 then enable this option to ensure the charging session waits for this window before starting. Note however that Timers override Profiles and so depending on the battery SOC it may be that the session starts earlier than programmed to ensure your Target Charge set in the Timer can be achieved.

The following profile is set for my Home address and will automatically be selected when the car is within a given radius (2 miles I think) from my home (I have other locations and so this is a useful feature if you want different Preferred Charging Times and / or a higher or lower Minimum SOC set).

So, the charging session will start immediately if my battery SOC is <= 25% regardless of the preferred charging times set and will then pause waiting on the next timer event. As my Timer is also active then the profile will remain paused until midnight 00:00 and then commence the charging process right through until 07:00 (again as determined by the Timer). The overall charging session will therefore take place between 00:00 - 07:00 and a hard stop at 07:00.

Porsche Taycan General profile v timer 1642147982472


Hopefully this helps?
 

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Can you share a screenshot of both your timer and your profile as this will help to explain why it didn't work as planned?

Can you also confirm that only 1 profile and 1 timer were active at the time - if not then that's another possible explanation.

Timers and Profiles only work in conjunction with AC charging. For DC charging all Timers and Profiles are ignored.

Timers do not have a 'minimum' value but a 'target'. Profiles have a 'minimum'.

A timer (Departure Timer to give it its proper name) is intended to ensure that a charging session ends by a given time (not when it starts and ends) and can be repeated across multiple days (regardless of whether the car is connected to your EVSE or not). Additionally the timer will allow you to set a target charge to aim for by the end of the set time. Precool / heat is another option to set but hopefully that is self-explanatory.

Once the timer is set (and no other timers are active) then the car will calculate how long it will take to reach your departure time using power information from the EVSE that you are charging from and the battery's current state of charge (SOC). Whatever happens the charging session will end by the set departure time set in the timer.

In this example I have a daily timer set to charge to a target of 85% and to reach a target charge by 07:00. No preheat/cool set. This works 100% of the time on the basis that the car's starting SOC is around 15% - 20%.

1642147264317.png


Now introduce a profile into the mix. Profiles are location based but by default you are provided with a profile called 'General' which can be used generically at any location.

Within the profile you set the minimum SOC that you want your car to have as soon as it is connected to your EVSE. If you set it to 25% and your car has 26% or greater battery charge then nothing will happen at this point and no charging session will commence. If your SOC is 15% then the charging process will commence immediately until the battery SOC reaches 25% at which point the charging session will pause pending another event such as an active Timer. If no event has been programmed and the car is still connected to the EVSE (which is active) then after 30 mins the charging session will start again but will continue until 100% is reached.

The profile also has 'Optimised Charging' (for use in conjunction with a Home Energy Manager to balance power at home and combine Solar power where available) and 'Preferred Charging Times'.

Preferred Charging Times enable you to create a charging window where you can take advantage of cheap rate electricity e.g. if you have cheap power between midnight and 07:00 then enable this option to ensure the charging session waits for this window before starting. Note however that Timers override Profiles and so depending on the battery SOC it may be that the session starts earlier than programmed to ensure your Target Charge set in the Timer can be achieved.

The following profile is set for my Home address and will automatically be selected when the car is within a given radius (2 miles I think) from my home (I have other locations and so this is a useful feature if you want different Preferred Charging Times and / or a higher or lower Minimum SOC set).

So, the charging session will start immediately if my battery SOC is <= 25% regardless of the preferred charging times set and will then pause waiting on the next timer event. As my Timer is also active then the profile will remain paused until midnight 00:00 and then commence the charging process right through until 07:00 (again as determined by the Timer). The overall charging session will therefore take place between 00:00 - 07:00 and a hard stop at 07:00.

1642147982472.png


Hopefully this helps?
Well done, Winge

I had eventually worked all this out but yours is the clearest explanation of the charging process! It took me a considerable time deciphering the situation in view of the gobbledygook and misinformation that abounds. So many folk, whether owners or would-be advisors, don't seem to have grasped that minimum in the handbook actually means minimum and that, unless a timer is used, charging will continue. Mind you, life would be much simpler if Porsche had arranged that the figure in the profile figure were the maximum.
Your paragraph encapsulates the existing process.
"Within the profile you set the minimum SOC that you want your car to have as soon as it is connected to your EVSE. If you set it to 25% and your car has 26% or greater battery charge then nothing will happen at this point and no charging session will commence. If your SOC is 15% then the charging process will commence immediately until the battery SOC reaches 25% at which point the charging session will pause pending another event such as an active Timer. If no event has been programmed and the car is still connected to the EVSE (which is active) then after 30 mins the charging session will start again but will continue until 100% is reached."
 

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I'd like to ask @winge how he has managed to get a white background screen on the pcm. Mine is white lettering on black, sure like yours better.
 


XLR82XS

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I'd like to ask @winge how he has managed to get a white background screen on the pcm. Mine is white lettering on black, sure like yours better.
That's the app.
 

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Within the profile you set the minimum SOC that you want your car to have as soon as it is connected to your EVSE. If you set it to 25% and your car has 26% or greater battery charge then nothing will happen at this point and no charging session will commence. If your SOC is 15% then the charging process will commence immediately until the battery SOC reaches 25% at which point the charging session will pause pending another event such as an active Timer. If no event has been programmed and the car is still connected to the EVSE (which is active) then after 30 mins the charging session will start again but will continue until 100% is reached.
In my experience this is not 100% correct. Yes, the car will charge up to the desired minimum as soon as the car is plugged in as long as it is below this level. However, in my experience, (today I unplugged after 36 hours plugged in with a 85% minimum setting) it stops and barring other timers it will not charge any further. I am using PMCC with HEM.
 

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I'd like to ask @winge how he has managed to get a white background screen on the pcm. Mine is white lettering on black, sure like yours better.
I use My Porsche web site mostly for this stuff - easier to screen grab and manipulate than the crappy app(s).
 


W1NGE

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In my experience this is not 100% correct. Yes, the car will charge up to the desired minimum as soon as the car is plugged in as long as it is below this level. However, in my experience, (today I unplugged after 36 hours plugged in with a 85% minimum setting) it stops and barring other timers it will not charge any further. I am using PMCC with HEM.
But you are using a daily timer, right? If so, then that explains why it stops (same for me) and the only way to control it.

Timers and profiles are EVSE agnostic (HEM I'm not sure if has any specific control but 99% of us don't use a HEM I guess) as the car controls the charging process at the end of the day. I believe the PGTK app also describes (more or less) what happens if you don't unplug your EVSE with a single non-repeating timer - after 30 mins it will continue to charge up to 100%.

Like all of these tidbits we need to see the screenshots / settings of the software / tools in play to make full sense of a particular scenario and outcome otherwise we're poking in the dark somewhat.
 

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But you are using a daily timer, right? If so, then that explains why it stops (same for me) and the only way to control it.

Timers and profiles are EVSE agnostic (HEM I'm not sure if has any specific control but 99% of us don't use a HEM I guess) as the car controls the charging process at the end of the day. I believe the PGTK app also describes (more or less) what happens if you don't unplug your EVSE with a single non-repeating timer - after 30 mins it will continue to charge up to 100%.

Like all of these tidbits we need to see the screenshots / settings of the software / tools in play to make full sense of a particular scenario and outcome otherwise we're poking in the dark somewhat.
No timer. Only 85% general profile. I use a timer when I want to depart on a long trip and need 100%. Then I set minimum to 25% on the general profile and set the timer for the time I want to leave at 100%. Works well every time. Never failed me.
 

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I have only one edit to the excellent summary by @W1NGE which I believe also explains the point raised by @Pozuelo.

The summary above from @W1NGE is correct if you have your location based profile set to preferred charging times. If, however, you have no timer set and your general profile active and set to optimized charging, then without any timers set the car will charge up to the minimum in the profile and then stop. It won’t continue 30 minutes later.
 

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Yes, I use optimized charging. Now, I guess we all agree.
 

W1NGE

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I have only one edit to the excellent summary by @W1NGE which I believe also explains the point raised by @Pozuelo.

The summary above from @W1NGE is correct if you have your location based profile set to preferred charging times. If, however, you have no timer set and your general profile active and set to optimized charging, then without any timers set the car will charge up to the minimum in the profile and then stop. It won’t continue 30 minutes later.
I would agree.

The 30 min 'wait' before proceeding only comes into play when there is a single timer event and it remains active whilst the car is still connected.

For profile only charging this doesn't occur and the car should only charge up to the minimum set be it 25% - 100% whichever value has been chosen.

I guess the added flexibility / complication is there for those folk who want to charge within certain time windows to take advantage of cheaper charging or need to be good to go by a certain time. I'm in this category for the most part but as I've just this month lost my 'free' EV off-peak tariff it doesn't appear to matter what time of day I charge I may well simplify my charging routine.
 

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I have only one edit to the excellent summary by @W1NGE which I believe also explains the point raised by @Pozuelo.

The summary above from @W1NGE is correct if you have your location based profile set to preferred charging times. If, however, you have no timer set and your general profile active and set to optimized charging, then without any timers set the car will charge up to the minimum in the profile and then stop. It won’t continue 30 minutes later.
Exactly - this is correct and the orig summary above incorrect - I use no timers and use the same provided General Profile (loc indep) and a min 85% which causes charging to hard stop at 85% every time - not a single issue to date with this working correctly.
 

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Can you share a screenshot of both your timer and your profile as this will help to explain why it didn't work as planned?

Can you also confirm that only 1 profile and 1 timer were active at the time - if not then that's another possible explanation.

Timers and Profiles only work in conjunction with AC charging. For DC charging all Timers and Profiles are ignored.

Timers do not have a 'minimum' value but a 'target'. Profiles have a 'minimum'.

A timer (Departure Timer to give it its proper name) is intended to ensure that a charging session ends by a given time (not when it starts and ends) and can be repeated across multiple days (regardless of whether the car is connected to your EVSE or not). Additionally the timer will allow you to set a target charge to aim for by the end of the set time. Precool / heat is another option to set but hopefully that is self-explanatory.

Once the timer is set (and no other timers are active) then the car will calculate how long it will take to reach your departure time using power information from the EVSE that you are charging from and the battery's current state of charge (SOC). Whatever happens the charging session will end by the set departure time set in the timer.

In this example I have a daily timer set to charge to a target of 85% and to reach a target charge by 07:00. No preheat/cool set. This works 100% of the time on the basis that the car's starting SOC is around 15% - 20%.

1642147264317.png


Now introduce a profile into the mix. Profiles are location based but by default you are provided with a profile called 'General' which can be used generically at any location.

Within the profile you set the minimum SOC that you want your car to have as soon as it is connected to your EVSE. If you set it to 25% and your car has 26% or greater battery charge then nothing will happen at this point and no charging session will commence. If your SOC is 15% then the charging process will commence immediately until the battery SOC reaches 25% at which point the charging session will pause pending another event such as an active Timer. If no event has been programmed and the car is still connected to the EVSE (which is active) then after 30 mins the charging session will start again but will continue until 100% is reached.

The profile also has 'Optimised Charging' (for use in conjunction with a Home Energy Manager to balance power at home and combine Solar power where available) and 'Preferred Charging Times'.

Preferred Charging Times enable you to create a charging window where you can take advantage of cheap rate electricity e.g. if you have cheap power between midnight and 07:00 then enable this option to ensure the charging session waits for this window before starting. Note however that Timers override Profiles and so depending on the battery SOC it may be that the session starts earlier than programmed to ensure your Target Charge set in the Timer can be achieved.

The following profile is set for my Home address and will automatically be selected when the car is within a given radius (2 miles I think) from my home (I have other locations and so this is a useful feature if you want different Preferred Charging Times and / or a higher or lower Minimum SOC set).

So, the charging session will start immediately if my battery SOC is <= 25% regardless of the preferred charging times set and will then pause waiting on the next timer event. As my Timer is also active then the profile will remain paused until midnight 00:00 and then commence the charging process right through until 07:00 (again as determined by the Timer). The overall charging session will therefore take place between 00:00 - 07:00 and a hard stop at 07:00.

1642147982472.png


Hopefully this helps?
Based on this, I would think that things should have worked the way OP expected. His general profile with 85% minimum should have caused the car to charge to 85% immediately. His timer with 90% target charge should have charged the car 5% more, starting at a time when it would have finished at his departure time. Could it be that the general profile doesn't work the same way in conjunction with a timer?
 
 




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