Amber for EVs has several charging configurations that you can set to determine when your EV will and won’t charge.
1. Minimise Demand Imports
This is a configuration available to Amber customers on a network demand tariff.
If you’re on a Demand Tariff, you can configure your settings so that your EV will have minimised charging from the grid during the Demand Window - helping avoid any excess costs.
If you also have Excess Solar Charging enabled, we’ll still charge from solar during this window. As Excess Solar is constantly reacting to fluctuations in solar production and home load, when we charge from Excess Solar your EV will still draw small amounts of energy from the grid.
2. Excess Solar Charging
This is a configuration available to Amber customers with supported solar inverters.
Excess Solar Charging is a fantastic way to charge your EV from your own self-generated energy. When you’re generating more solar power than your house is consuming, we’ll match your EV charging rate with that excess power, so that you’re charging from your solar.
Some things to note about Excess Solar Charging:
- An optional setting on Excess Solar Charging is the Maximum Feed-In (FiT) price threshold. Sometimes the wholesale FiT is so high that you’d rather sell your excess solar than put it in your EV. Set that price here, and we’ll stop charging when it’s exceeded.
- The Excess Solar Charging feature will be available if your inverter is already supported by Amber. If you’re not sure whether your inverter is supported, please refer to this section about compatibility and linking your inverter to Amber.
- As Excess Solar is constantly reacting to fluctuations in solar production and home load, when we charge from Excess Solar your EV will still draw small amounts of energy from the grid.
- You can have other charging configurations active at the same time as Excess Solar Charging. If the conditions on those other configurations aren’t met, we’ll match your charging rate with your excess solar. If the conditions are met, and the other configuration is active, we’ll charge at the max rate (A) set in your Tesla app.
- If you have a home-battery, the section below goes into more detail but it’s recommended to put your home-battery into ‘Preserve’ charge via the Amber for Batteries experience.
Charge-Level Charging
A fantastic way to ensure you maintain a comfortable level of charge while maximising charging when prices are lower.
Basically, having a higher price tolerance to ensure you have a charge level you’re comfortable with (Recovery charging) while being able to top-up your battery further when prices are lower (Opportunity charging).
Recovery Charge %
Select the amount of charge you typically like to have in your vehicle to do your day-to-day driving (ie. commuting, running around town, picking up the kids, etc.)
Lots of customers have mentioned 30-40% but your recovery charge % is your call.
Recovery and Opportunity Prices
These are price thresholds defined by you, so that you can get the right amount of charge at the right cost.
Up to your defined charge threshold, your vehicle will charge when prices are below your Recovery Charge Price. When your charge is above the charge percentage, you’ll charge only when wholesale prices fall below your Opportunity Charge Price.
An example:
- Recovery Charge % = 30%
- Recovery Charge Price = 30¢/kWh
- Opportunity Charge Price = 15¢/kWh
You plug your vehicle in when the battery has 20% state of charge. Prices are currently 25¢/kWh. Your vehicle will charge until the price either goes above 30¢/kWh or you reach 30% state of charge.
Your vehicle reaches 30% as prices have remained at 25¢. Charging now stops as you’ve reached your Recovery Charge %.
Later in the day, prices drop to 12¢/kWh. Now your vehicle will begin charging again as you’re below your Opportunity Charge Price threshold of 15¢/kWh. While plugged in, your vehicle will continue to charge until either the price goes above 15¢/kWh or reaches your maximum charge limit (currently set in the Tesla app).
Tip!
If you have a single price threshold you like to charge below, 15¢/kWh for example, you can set your Recovery Charge % at 100% (or your maximise charge limit). Anytime prices are below 15¢/kWh, your vehicle will charge.
Scheduled Charging
Scheduled Charging is great for when you have a set period of time you like to charge in. Combined with a price threshold, you can get the charge you need when you want it for a price you’re happy with.
An example:
Your vehicle is typically away from home during the day so you charge overnight.
You set a Schedule to charge between midnight and 07:00. In that time, you don’t want to charge if the price goes above 35¢/kWh.
When your vehicle is plugged in and both the time and price threshold are met, your vehicle will charge.
Set-up specific controls
The following controls are available depending on your home-setup.
Avoid / Minimise Demand Imports
If you’re on a Demand Tariff, you can tell the vehicle not to charge from the grid during the Demand Window - helping avoid any excess costs.
If you also have solar and have Excess Solar Charging enabled, we’ll minimise grid imports during the Demand Window to avoid excessive costs but as Excess Solar is constantly reacting to fluctuations in your solar production and or home load small amounts of grid energy will be used as it responds to those changes.
Excess Solar Charging
Excess Solar Charging is fantastic way to charge your EV from your own self-generated energy, provided there’s enough generation to charge.
Amber’s Excess Solar Charging is combined with an optional Maximum Feed-In price threshold. This allows you to send any excess solar to the grid when it may be more valuable to export it rather than use it to charge your EV.
Note: The Excess Solar Charging feature will be available if your inverter is already supported by Amber. If you’re not sure whether your inverter is supported, please refer to this section about compatibility and linking your inverter to Amber.
Naturally, your solar generation will fluctuate during the day. If in addition to Excess Solar Charging you also have one of the above Universal controls enabled, you’ll charge at the max rate (A) set in your Tesla app. If you only have Excess Solar Charging enabled, we’ll match your excess generation to the same rate we charge the vehicle. You may notice that you use small amounts of energy from the grid as it takes time for fluctuations in generation and or the load your home is consuming to be factored into charging decisions.
If you have a home-battery, the section below goes into more detail but it’s recommended to put your home-battery into ‘Preserve’ charge via the Amber for Batteries experience.
Examples
1. Excess Solar and Charge Level charging both enabled:
Provided you have excess solar available, the Feed-in is below your defined price threshold and import prices are below your price threshold, your vehicle will charge from a combination of solar and grid energy at max rate.
If you have your max rate set to 32A* you will charge at 7kW*. With 4kW of excess solar generation, 3kW will also be imported from the grid.
2. Only Excess Solar is enabled:
Provided you have excess solar available and the Feed-in is below your defined threshold, you vehicle will charge at the same rate as your excess solar.
At 10am, you have 3kW of excess solar available. Your vehicle will charge at the same rate.
At 2pm, you have 5kW of excess solar available. Your vehicle will charge at the same rate.
*Note - values are approximations and dependent on your home setup and voltage and assuming a home-charger capable of the above speeds.
Which charging mode will take priority?
If the max rate charging is enabled, and the conditions you've set in the Amber app are met, we will always prioritise the max charge rate to be met. This is in addition to any Excess Solar charging (if Excess solar charging mode is enabled).
That means if in addition to Excess Solar Charging you also have one of the above Universal controls enabled, you’ll charge at the max rate (A) set in your Tesla app. Any gaps between your Excess solar and the max charging rate will be met by grid imports.
My vehicle charges as soon as I plug it in
This is expected behaviour.
Your vehicle will typically charge for 1-3 minutes immediately after being plugged-in. If no charging conditions are being met, eg. the current price is above the threshold, we’ll then send a stop command and the vehicle will stop charging.
If you believe your vehicle is consistently charging when it shouldn’t be, let us know
Will Amber charge my Tesla when it’s away from home?
Amber only wants to direct the charging of your vehicle when it’s plugged in at your home. For this reason, during your Tesla enrolment, we ask you to give us permission to know the location of your Tesla. This means that whenever your Tesla is away from your home, we don’t attempt to direct its charging.
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