Finally figured it out - Home Energy Manager + Mobile Charger Connect + Solar

[Electroad]

Electroad,
do you have a Porsche Mobile Charger Connect (PMCC)? Does it show the photovoltaic Icon and the HEM icon on the display while charging and sun is shining? Check in the PMCC whether it is connected via WLAN ( or PLC) to your HEM! It seems the HEM is measuring the PV correctly (which my HEM did not) but does not talk to the PMCC.
kind regards
Burkhard

Thank you Burkhard.
I have PMCC which does not show the HEM or photovoltaic icons despite the HEM listed under energy managers available (and I have successfully re-paired). Was connected by WiFi but I switched to PLC and that made no difference.
I had the 3 phase connection and HEM installed by a Porsche-recommended electrician but BEFORE car arrived, so they never tested everything with car present! Might need to go back to them.
Mike

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[craig3101]

Craig, a fellow Aussie here. I have done everything recommended in your post, but cannot make my car charge from solar power production when it is available, as it is right now! I would dearly love to use the cheapest power to trickle charge. My Taycan, the whole reason I purchased the HEM. However I configure the timer and general profiles, insists on charging my car at close to the full 11 kW which on a sunny day means 40% solar and 60% from grid, pausing to do this until last moment necessary to charge at this max rate. What it should be doing at the moment is feeding all of the 3.1 kW going back to grid to the car. I attach screenshots from my HEM manager and profiles. And, yes, plug and charge is enabled. Any ideas from anyone most welcome.

Hi Mike - I think the problem is that you have enabled the timer. For the charging to use excess solar only, you need to disable the timer. The timer tells the car to reach a certain state of charge by the scheduled time, so that will take precedence over the solar charging setting. Try canceling the timer and see if it works.
Cheer
Craig

 

[craig3101]

Hi Mike - I think the problem is that you have enabled the timer. For the charging to use excess solar only, you need to disable the timer. The timer tells the car to reach a certain state of charge by the scheduled time, so that will take precedence over the solar charging setting. Try canceling the timer and see if it works.
Cheer
Craig

Also - I have set up two profiles. When I want to trickle charge using solar, I have the target charge level set very low - at 30% - so that unless my car battery is below 30%, it will only trickle charge using excess solar. My other profile is used when I need to quickly charge the car - set at 80%. This will force the charger to use the grid to quickly charge to 80%, then trickle charge after that using excess solar only.
Hope this helps!

 

[Electroad]

Hi Mike - I think the problem is that you have enabled the timer. For the charging to use excess solar only, you need to disable the timer. The timer tells the car to reach a certain state of charge by the scheduled time, so that will take precedence over the solar charging setting. Try canceling the timer and see if it works.
Cheer
Craig

Thanks Craig

No it doesn’t, without timer it just goes full bore 11 kW which is why I thought timer would help! The suggestion from Burkhard that I should see icons for HEM and photovoltaics on PMCC screen, which I’m not, suggests that despite me going through all steps to ensure communicatio between devices that is not happening.

Do you see those icons on PMCC?

Mike

 

[kamil]

Craig, a fellow Aussie here. I have done everything recommended in your post, but cannot make my car charge from solar power production when it is available, as it is right now! I would dearly love to use the cheapest power to trickle charge. My Taycan, the whole reason I purchased the HEM. However I configure the timer and general profiles, insists on charging my car at close to the full 11 kW which on a sunny day means 40% solar and 60% from grid, pausing to do this until last moment necessary to charge at this max rate. What it should be doing at the moment is feeding all of the 3.1 kW going back to grid to the car. I attach screenshots from my HEM manager and profiles. And, yes, plug and charge is enabled. Any ideas from anyone most welcome.

I recall Craig mentioned the use of a Location based profile with the Timer rather the the General Profile. give it a shot, fingers crossed.

 

[Gubab]

I was not able to connect the PMCC to HEM via PLC either. They may be on different circuits. Try to deactivate PLC in HEM and connect PMCC to HEM via WLAN, which is easier. The HEM icon (a little house with two arrows) should show up in the PMCC. You also may check the web interface of the PMCC: Connections, Energymanager - here you can see whether the PMCC is connected to the HEM. Because of WLAN drop outs, they may loose connection from time to time.....So if the connection via WLAN works you can give PLC another try once solar surplus charging is working.

 

[Electroad]

I was not able to connect the PMCC to HEM via PLC either. They may be on different circuits. Try to deactivate PLC in HEM and connect PMCC to HEM via WLAN, which is easier. The HEM icon (a little house with two arrows) should show up in the PMCC. You also may check the web interface of the PMCC: Connections, Energymanager - here you can see whether the PMCC is connected to the HEM. Because of WLAN drop outs, they may loose connection from time to time.....So if the connection via WLAN works you can give PLC another try once solar surplus charging is working.

thanks Gubab

i did have a WLAN setup before which didn’t work, so switched to PLC.

i’ll try disconnecting the devices and then reconnecting next weekend!

Mike

 

[AndiL]

The requirements for PV surplus charging are:

- The use of an active (!!) charging profile (either general or location based) with optimized charging enabled. If the general profile is not active, an location based for your actual location is required
- The Taycan to have Plug & Charge enabled
- When connecting the Taycan to the PMCC to see the SoC in the PMCC display or PMCC website (it will not work if the SoC is not shown!)
- The PMCC and the HEMS need to be accessible in the same local network, it does not matter wether that is via PLC or WLAN. As long both websites are accessible it is fine
- The PMCC and the HEMS need to be paired, check each devices website if they show the other device as being connected under the respective menu
- The PMCC display/website showing the HEMS icon to indicate an established connection with the HEMS

 

[kamil]

Finally everything is working thanks to Craig and AndiL who was very helpful with sorting out the currents of my sensors!

The Pitfalls:

- If the car has a 22kW charger and your home installation can take only 16A you will need three additional sensors ( if you have 3 phases) on the lines to the PMCC to limit the current to 16A. Once the PMCC is communicating with the HEMS you can not limit the maximal current of the PMCC, the HEMS will send 22kW to the car when charging from the grid and the fuse will blow unless you have these additional sensors on the lines to the PMCC, where you can configure a maximum current.

- if you want to use Photovoltaic you will need 3 additional sensors ( if you have 3 phases) on the photovoltaic lines.

- you always need the 3 sensors for the grid ( if you have three phases), only three sensors are included with the HEMS package - you need to order 3 ( for PV) or another 3 sensors ( if you need to limit the current going to the PMCC - e.g. if your car has a 22kW charger and you have a 16 Ampere home installation)

Look at the web interface of the HEMS and check the sensors:

1. When there is no storage connected: The sensors for the grid must display negative Ampere numbers when current is flowing from the grid to the car. There should be positive numbers when the current is flowing from the photovoltaic system to the grid. The sensors should not measure a current if the car is charging from the PV.
2. Sensors for the Photovoltaic must display negative Ampere if the sun is shining. My photovoltaic sensors were installed in the wrong direction ( they showed positive Amperes and, the HEMS interface did not show any current coming from the photovoltaic). The photovoltaic dependent charging worked nevertheless even with the PV sensors in the wrong direction, since the current going to the car is regulated by the grid sensors ( they try to keep the current at zero). But you will have to configure the PV sensors. If you don`t, the PV depedent charging of the car will not work.
3. The sensors for the line to the PMCC will show negative Ampere when the car is charging

If you have a storage ( like Tesla Power wall) that is connected via one phase it gets a little more complicated. If the powerwall is being discharged with 4,9 kW ( 20 Ampere) on phase 1 these 20 Amperes will add on positive on phase 1. So the car is drawing -6 Ampere on phase 1, 2 and 3. The Grid sensors for L2 and L3 may show -6A. And L1 is displaying +10 A: -6 ( car) +20 (Tesla Power wall)- 4(for house electricity). First i thought that the L1 sensor is placed not correctly, but Andi pointed out to me, that the current of the storage will add on on this phase. And if the powerwall is being charged with 4,9 kW there will add -20A on Phase 1.

In the morning ( powerwall empty) the PV of phase 1 is going to the powerwall, phase 2 +3 are going to the car ( 2/3 of the PV). Once the powerwall is ful, there may be small amounts < 3 ampere go to the grid until the grid sensor measure a current above 3 A and upregulates the current of the PMCC. When the sun is decreasing, the PMCC will draw current from the powerwall. If powerwall is empty or locked, there will be small amounts (<3 ampere) of current come from grid until the grid sensors measure a current > 3 ampere and downregulate the current that the PMCC will send to the car.

Timers don´t seem to stop the photovoltaic dependent charging. Has anyone figured out how to stop the charging at SoC 85%?

The requirements for PV surplus charging are:

- The use of an active (!!) charging profile (either general or location based) with optimized charging enabled. If the general profile is not active, an location based for your actual location is required
- The Taycan to have Plug & Charge enabled
- When connecting the Taycan to the PMCC to see the SoC in the PMCC display or PMCC website (it will not work if the SoC is not shown!)
- The PMCC and the HEMS need to be accessible in the same local network, it does not matter wether that is via PLC or WLAN. As long both websites are accessible it is fine
- The PMCC and the HEMS need to be paired, check each devices website if they show the other device as being connected under the respective menu
- The PMCC display/website showing the HEMS icon to indicate an established connection with the HEMS

Hi Andreas,

I was preparing another email to Burkhard, when I saw you reply above. all of which are applicable except one, highlighted in Bold

- The Taycan to have Plug & Charge enabled (Done)
- The PMCC and the HEMS need to be accessible in the same local network, it does not matter wether that is via PLC or WLAN. As long both websites are accessible it is fine (they are accessible without drop outs through WLAN)
- The PMCC and the HEMS need to be paired, check each devices website if they show the other device as being connected under the respective menu (They are paired and visible)
- The PMCC display/website showing the HEMS icon to indicate an established connection with the HEMS (Showing)
- When connecting the Taycan to the PMCC to see the SoC in the PMCC display or PMCC website (it will not work if the SoC is not shown!)... this is the item that is not working. I cannot see the SoC.

I noticed in the video shared earlier by Craig that the Target Charge is not showing as well within my PMCC (the 65%)

I am attaching few snapshots hoping that they will Clea out few things:
1. PMCC its currently charging from the Solar (and Consuming battery storage)
2. HEM: Current Flow
3. HEM: Current Sensors
4. PMCC: Web App

Current Setup:
1. Location Based Profile, Optimized Charging, 60%
2. Timer, 0800-1700, 85%
3. Plug and Charge Activated.

When the Pics were taken the Grid was off, hence there's no reading in the 3rd component of my current sensors (CT9, CT10, and CT11)

The desired outcome would be: Charge from the excess solar power, only.

Current status :

1. Off-Grid: The charging is using HEM's maximum charging capacity of 10 Amp per phase (I have 3-Phases), and I had to drop it down to 10 from 16 being the max. charging capacity (I have an 11KW AC onboard Charger) and since the HEM is not regulating the use it will dry out my batteries and will go up to 14-15Amps per phase.

2. On-Grid: Unfortunately, the Grid is off, but I'll explain it with an example. IF the PV's are generating an excess of 3KW and the 10Amps for the 3 phases is roughly 5.1KW. it will consume the 3KW from the Excess solar energy and pull the remaining 2.1KW from the Grid.

PS, in the Middle East, the Connect Services are still not operational from Porsche, hence we cannot use My Porsche Application.

Burkhard, I tried to include the items we discussed before in this thread as well. but I guess I'll have to congratulate you on getting things sorted out.

One last thing that I may have missed, in case there is something to be done on the level of the Hybrid Inverter, rather than the Porsche or HEM.

Cheers.

 

[Gubab]

Electroad,
my PMCC lost connection to the HEMS today. In order to get it reconnected i had to switch off the HEM ( turn off the fuses for 20 seconds), then turn on the PMCC, it connected without any other action after the HEM booted.

 

[AndiL]

When the SoC is not displayed, it means that the PMCC and the Taycan are not using the ISO15118-2 protocol for communication which is required for PV surplus charging with the Porsche HEMS.

DIsconnect the charger cable from the EV, what a minute and plug it in again. Maybe try 2-3 times if it does not work. If it it does not work you can:

- check the Taycan charging settings if Plug & Charge is really really turned on
- Log into the PMCC web interface with the tech user (!!) and check the under the menu „connections“ if the „PLC connection to the EV“ is turned on

 

[Gubab]

Kamil,
the Taycan has to be connected to the PMCC in the menu of the PMCC - in German the menu item is "Fahrzeugliste" which should translate to "vehicle list". If the Taycan is known to the PMCC it should display "Taycan"
and the timer Icon and the battery Icon for the profil.

 

[kamil]

When the SoC is not displayed, it means that the PMCC and the Taycan are not using the ISO15118-2 protocol for communication which is required for PV surplus charging with the Porsche HEMS.

DIsconnect the charger cable from the EV, what a minute and plug it in again. Maybe try 2-3 times if it does not work. If it it does not work you can:

- check the Taycan charging settings if Plug & Charge is really really turned on
- Log into the PMCC web interface with the tech user (!!) and check the under the menu „connections“ if the „PLC connection to the EV“ is turned on

I tried the above, same outcome.. The only point to mention is that I am not using PLC, I'm using Wifi

 

[kamil]

Kamil,
the Taycan has to be connected to the PMCC in the menu of the PMCC - in German the menu item is "Fahrzeugliste" which should translate to "vehicle list". If the Taycan is known to the PMCC it should display "Taycan"
and the timer Icon and the battery Icon for the profil.

I guess this concludes my quest to get this working.
We do not have a Porsche ID that is linked to our Vehicles, and by "We", I mean the entire Middle East Region. for some reason Porsche didn't roll it out yet in this part of the world. we cannot open the My Porsche App or link the Taycan to our Porsche ID. which I think is the prerequisite that ties the knot between all the different components (Taycan, PMCC, HEM, and the Porsche ID).

 

[Gubab]

Kamil,
i think it should be possible that the Taycan is talking to PMCC via ISO15118-2 protocol without Porsche ID.
Go to vehicle List in the menu of the PMCC and try to add your taycan here while it is connected to the PMCC

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