Frank Skilbeck Posted October 23, 2023 Share Posted October 23, 2023 1 hour ago, Ron Gray said: The app tells me when the slot (s) is 👍with the Ohme pro, on the Octopus devices page it takes you to the Ohme app, different presentation but basically the same info. I note you've got it to add 80%, so it will try to add 80% of the batteries capacity, i.e. if when you plug in at 10% it will take it to 90%, if your cars app talked to IO then you could tell it to charge the battery upto 80% regardless of the starting %. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted October 23, 2023 Share Posted October 23, 2023 The 80% charge is being read from the car settings Frank, so that's a max charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Learner Posted October 23, 2023 Share Posted October 23, 2023 I hope when fuel runs out I'm healthy enough to walk or cycle. I'm to thick for this electric malarkey you need a degree to work out the technology. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted October 23, 2023 Share Posted October 23, 2023 49 minutes ago, Frank Skilbeck said: it takes you to the Ohme app Interesting that it takes you to the app whereas with mine (Zappi) it stays within the Octopus app. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted October 23, 2023 Share Posted October 23, 2023 15 minutes ago, Learner said: I hope when fuel runs out I'm healthy enough to walk or cycle. I'm to thick for this electric malarkey you need a degree to work out the technology. It's all pretty straightforward actually. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Harris - Moderator Posted October 23, 2023 Share Posted October 23, 2023 This works for me! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Learner Posted October 23, 2023 Share Posted October 23, 2023 2 minutes ago, Martin Harris - Moderator said: This works for me! Cordless plug now that is clever 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun Walsh Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 14 hours ago, Martin Harris - Moderator said: This works for me! Not if you tread on it in bare feet!😧 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Harris - Moderator Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 Tell me about it! I ended up on antibiotics and could hardly walk for a couple of weeks the last time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyB Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 19 hours ago, Ron Gray said: How have you done that Gary? Building on Gary's response, using the myenergi API I can see all kinds of things that my Zappi is doing in Home Assistant (current, charge mode, boost status etc). I use that infor to trigger automations to (say) pause discharge of my home battery so it doesn't all end up being discharged to the EV via the GivTCP integration. Home Assistant is very cool, but it's not that easy to user for a newcomer if you haven't done any coding before. As a result I am only taking baby steps and (I suspect) doing things very, very inefficiently. It's a bit like taking your fist steps with an open source TC firmware - super powerful, but it does require you to think a bit differently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 1 minute ago, MattyB said: but it's not that easy to user for a newcomer Too true, that's why I will be 'employing' my son to assist (no pun intended). Whilst I spent the last 25 years of my working life in software development I know my limits! Good to know that automatic solar battery charging can be triggered based on availability of 'cheap' rate electricity, I looked at my Octopus app and it told me that a time slot of 10.14am - 12pm was available! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyB Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 11 minutes ago, Ron Gray said: Too true, that's why I will be 'employing' my son to assist (no pun intended). Whilst I spent the last 25 years of my working life in software development I know my limits! One word of caution to that approach... It would be easy for your son to use HA to do all sorts of cool things around the home, but remember that is a slightly fragile tool - it changes very quickly, and it's pretty complex. As a result I would not let him go too far and automate things in logn cascades or in ways you don't understand them. Make these things too complex and no-one but him will understand how to put them right. I was chastened by a story of someone who was admitted to hospital, and whilst they were there there was a power cut, and when the power came back on, nothing in the smart home (including lights and heating!) worked. The family concerned therefore had to live by candlight for 2 weeks until he got out of hospital! I am therefore only automating stuff in ways that makes no difference if it were to go wrong. It will be a while before I am brave enough to start installing smart light switches, and I am definitely not opening Home Assistant up for remote access via Nabu Casa (but then I am in the InfoSec profession, so that probably won't surprise you!). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Kearsley Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 An interesting piece in the FT online about Toyota's production of solid-state batteries. Something for the FUD mongers to pick to pieces! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outrunner Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 8 minutes ago, Tim Kearsley said: An interesting piece in the FT online about Toyota's production of solid-state batteries. Something for the FUD mongers to pick to pieces! You have to pay to read it.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Manuel Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 1 hour ago, MattyB said: I am definitely not opening Home Assistant up for remote access via Nabu Casa Me neither, but I have used someone else's Nabu Casa account to help them with a problem they were having and it works really well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 As I am a newbie to IOGo can anyone explain why the time slots I’m being shown for lower cost leccy are far in excess of the 6 hours they say I will get? This schedule was put on my app just before lunch today: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Kearsley Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 20 minutes ago, Outrunner said: You have to pay to read it.... My apologies. When I went to it from a suggestion by Google it didn't require payment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuban8 Posted October 24, 2023 Author Share Posted October 24, 2023 (edited) So many uncertanties surrounding the whole E-vehicle question at the moment. I guess that only when a far higher proportion of electric cars are in regular and widespread use will we begin to get a true indication of whether this grand experiment is heading towards success or failure. I would prefer that the answer to that question, which is far from certain either way IMHO, is left to commercial forces and the notion that the customer knows best. If EVs are proved to be so much better in all sorts of ways over IC, then buyers will beat a path to dealers doors and pick the forecourts clean, and any fair minded person shouldn't have a problem with that. What I don't care for is that should there be any questioning of the race for EV transport and providing that any worries are genuine well thought out concerns ("EVs are rubbish" etc - end of argument......doesn't help in the least) anyone who says "hang on a minute, what about"............ enter any number of valid worries......is often regarded as some sort of idiot or reactionary - more like, get ready for 2030 or 2035, stop whining because you'll have no choice by then anyway. If you want an EV that's great in my book. TBH a Fiesta sized full EV could well find itself a useful place in our household for certain day to day tasks, but that decision should be mine to take, not taxed into or legislated into by any government. Edited October 24, 2023 by Cuban8 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Learner Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 20 hours ago, Ron Gray said: It's all pretty straightforward actually. 3 hours ago, Ron Gray said: Too true, that's why I will be 'employing' my son to assist (no pun intended). Whilst I spent the last 25 years of my working life in software development I know my limits! I spent all of my working life in a job thats hardly changed in over a 100 years. Even today I could earn a living with no power and there is certainly no technology required. Whats straight forward for some isn't for everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Harris - Moderator Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 To expand on my pictorial answer, it can be as simple or complicated as you want to make it. For many people, it’s no more difficult than charging a mobile phone but Ron, Matty and others are discussing more complicated systems which can provide integration between solar charging, buying from and selling power to the grid and automating car charging at times to maximise the cost benefits. Simply plugging the car into a 13A socket will still give you much cheaper energy than an IC car’s fuel. A dedicated 7kW charger is much faster if you need regular top ups for commuting etc. and can give access to cheaper tariffs with some power suppliers. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyB Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 29 minutes ago, Ron Gray said: As I am a newbie to IOGo can anyone explain why the time slots I’m being shown for lower cost leccy are far in excess of the 6 hours they say I will get? This schedule was put on my app just before lunch today: This is a feature of IO as far as I am aware. Whislt the guaranteed low rate period is 2330-0530, if they have an excess of electricity available they can offer it to you at the same off-peak rate outside of those hours, helping them to balance the grid: 2.4.1.4 If we schedule your electric vehicle to charge outside of the off-peak hours, we will apply the night rate for your EV charging and any underlying household usage will be charged in the relevant half hour billing periods. https://octopus.energy/policies/smart-tariffs-terms-and-condition/#intelligentoctopus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Skilbeck Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 (edited) Yep, IO has yet to charge our Mini in the fixed 2330-0539 cheap time slot, plugged it in last night at 16:55 and got a message that charging was delayed until 17:00, probably to pick up on 30min smart meter time slots, all finished by 19:40. And we would still get the cheap rate on the overnight period. As I noted earlier we are plugging it in around 5pm so we can also cook our evening meal on cheap electric too 👍 I just have a charging schedule set up on the Ohme app to charge the car to 80% by 8am, plug it in and let Octopus decide when they'd like to charge it up with cheap electric, very simple to set up and use. Would be more complicated if you had home storage batteries as you'd want to make sure you charge them in the period and don't draw on them. Edited October 24, 2023 by Frank Skilbeck 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 I knew that IO will chose the time slots to charge the EV but I must admit, hence my question, I thought that they would still limit it to 6 hours. Since midnight last night, I've had 10 hours of the lower rate leccy! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyB Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 (edited) On 23/10/2023 at 15:24, Ron Gray said: How have you done that Gary? On 23/10/2023 at 16:27, Gary Manuel said: Using Home Assistant and GivTCP addon, which facilitates automated local control of my two GivEnergy inverters. Examples of a few automation I have running around the EV charger and GivEnergy battery and inverter system. I am on Octopus Flux for solar and battery owners, as I only need a short off peak period from my PHEV and home battery and it has bettter export rates (that means the off-peak period is between 0200 and 0500). Example one - automated off peak charging if the EV is plugged in at 0200... In summary... When it hits 0200, HA will... Check the EV is connected. If it is... My home battery will be paused for discharging (preventing it discharging into the car), then delay for 10 seconds, then the EV charger is set to charge at max rate, and finally my phone is sent a notification that charging has commenced (so I know it triggered when I wake up in the morning). ...and at the end of the off peak period... If the charge charge power drops below 1kw (whcih actually means it drops to 0W, as these chargers don't actually charge thte EV at less than 1.4ks) OR the vehicle status goes to "Waiting" which it does if the charge is terminated early for any reason Check whether the home battery is paused - if it is... Unpause the home battery, then set the EV charger to "Off" mode, then send a notification to my phone saying charging completed. As you can see this could easily be adjsuted to be compatible with IO, as the home battery pause would just be triggered from the charge status of the charger (as controlled by IO) rather than a specific time. Not too complicated to do once you have the hang of HA, but I accept this level of control would be beyond the majority of consumers who prefer "plug and play, do it all in the app" functionality. On 23/10/2023 at 16:49, Ron Gray said: My son has it setup in his house and has been pushing me to get it. I think he has his whole house integrated into HA, which is quite impressive. I was going to set it up on a Raspberry Pi I currently in use as my network controller and Adguard host but liked the idea of the Green so pre ordered one, should be here next month. Going on a.n.other device to a Pi (like the green) is I think the right option. Pi's are very clever little things, but if you start running a lot on one they can start to get hot and unreliable apparently. It was cheaper and simpler for me to just buy a secondhand mini PC for ~£70 off ebay - it was very slightly more involved to setup, but has lots more power and storage and should run HA reliably (and silently) for many years to come. Edited October 24, 2023 by MattyB 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyB Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 4 hours ago, Tim Kearsley said: An interesting piece in the FT online about Toyota's production of solid-state batteries. Something for the FUD mongers to pick to pieces! And here is the same story from a couple of sites that aren't behind a paywall - certainly sounds interesting, though given how long Solid State batteries have been being trailed for, I will believe it when I see it as a live commercial product in 2027... Business Standard news story - Toyota solid state batteries Toyota's press release Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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