An uncertain future

[mike1]

Firstly, I may be an edge case here as my weekly commute is 250km each way plus around 100km in the city during the week. This equates to around 30,000 KM / year.

I was not one of the early adopters as I have only been an EV owner now for a little over 6 months.

Based on my usage I had no issues committing to the annual subscription as soon as my free trial ended to allow me to let Charge HQ manage my OCPP smart charger to make the best use of my home solar when I can or to charge my car during off peak times when absolutely necessary.

As I mentioned I am probably an edge case but moving away from an ICE vehicle will be saving me around $4000 per year on fuel alone. The subscription cost for Charge HQ is money very well spent and I also want to encourage ongoing innovation and improvements to help make owning an EV even better than it already is.

I would like to encourage anyone here who is able to help support Charge HQ to continue providing this useful service by subscribing. I am sure many of those who currently use the service spend much more on coffee each year and drinking coffee doesn’t actually save you money.

[property]

As Jonathon said above, most of what we pay for has zero ROI. For me, ChargeHQ is all about the convenience, and yes, while the EV plan has reduced the need for its functionality, who knows what plans will change and how in the future. People will be screaming for ChargeHQ if the EV special tariffs disappear overnight.

I spend more on coffees a year, but don’t grumble that they don’t save me money. It’s discretionary expenditure. I find the focus on sustainable power/energy having to “pay for itself” odd, especially when a car is a depreciating asset. I suspect this is a deliberate hoodwink by the legacy energy/auto groups as it keeps us away from lifestyle reasoning. For example, I like driving my EV just because it’s … nice to drive. It’s quiet. It doesn’t pump out noxious fumes.

And I plug in using ChargeHQ because I don’t have a Tesla and need something that is wonderfully set and forget, which it is. I will happily start paying at the end of this month and sincerely hope you can make it work. Maybe partnering with a car brand or two as a sponsor, or selling ads on the app (I know, I know, I can’t believe I said that!)

Before ChargeHQ, I was frantically checking Solar.web, trying to juggle the Wallbox Pulsar Plus on eco-mode and stop the house battery being drained… now you guys have made my life easier. And that’s worth something. Like paying for someone to mow your lawn, or clean the house. The ROI is the peace of mind.

So thanks for that, no matter what happens. I’ve really appreciated your thoughtfulness and my email interactions with Jay. Let’s hope it continues or that there is a successful pivot.

[kylish]

I’ve just signed up to an monthly subscription. Over the course of the year, particularly October - March, the savings are marginal. I’m in the UK and pay ~20p import, and receive 15p/kWh export. I’m also in a minority because I’ve got a heat pump, so most of my electricity usage is over winter and EV charging tariff would cost me more overall!

I’m really happy to use Charge HQ simply to maximise my self-consumption and to trickle-charge the Tesla. The Tesla app charge schedule assumes you drive every day, which I don’t. I also tried ev.energy, which wasn’t nearly as good as Charge HQ and it was phantom draining my battery.

Things you might consider:

• push UK installations with installers. Many are installing OCPP chargers with EV.energy to manage it. Charge HQ could easily compete on user experience.
• work with energy companies on carbon credit trades or whatever rebates they get. Ev.enrgy gives users money back for using their charging schedules. They are clearly making money through some deal with energy companies (or Kaluza perhaps?)

Good luck!

[xialutron]

Hi,
Thanks for this update, I must say it am using charge HQ everyday and I would happily pay more if it meant I could continue to use it. I have been one of the early adopter and being able to plug the car and forget about it while chargeHQ does it’s thing it’s just perfect. I used to be going back I fourth to my car to change the charge setting or when they added the feature to remotely adjust the amp I was doing it with the app. Such a pain!

Now chargeHQ is perfect, I suggest it to anyone having solar and a ev to use it. For the economic aspect, honestly I am not too concerned about the saving. I am not trying to charge from solar just to save money but mainly to drive with the sun. To me the environment impact of chargehq make it enough to justify paying.

I see the issues that lies ahead because of tesla api and I really hope we can continue to make chargehq viable. If the centralised server is too expensive did you though of having a paid add on for home assistant, raspberry pi or your own os to run locally? Of course with a different sort of licencing but it could be an option ? This would limit your fix cost.

Thanks again for all the effort you put into the project and I really hope the service will continue!

[jason.chatterton]

Hi team,
I only registered today as i have just had my charger installed. I specifically got an OCPP charger so that i could use your system - although i haven’t subscribed until i work out what i am doing.
I feel your pain re third party integration.

My only comment as a newbie on here is that it seems unfair for all the OCPP users to also cop a price increase to subsidise the costs that Tesla is imposing on their own customers to use their integrations. I suspect a two tiered subscription model may be unpalatable to the marketing team, but from my perspective it just reinforces my decision to choose an open protocol system. I suspect you will get more and more subscriptions for these devices as non-Tesla EV’s start to proliferate.

I just hope your new Tesla imposed increased pricing model doesn’t scare us away.

[jkcutter]

Greetings from near San Francisco, from a user with two paid ChargeHQ accounts. Every day, our excess solar recharges our Powerwalls, then our non-Tesla via a WallBox/OCPP, then our Tesla. It’s clockwork, with zero fiddling, and watching the electrons flow is an experience of ecological elegance.

Praise for your technical achievements, for your worldview that motivates them, and for your candor.

ChargeHQ is naturally and understandably Australia-centric.
I write to suggest that, if you have not already done so, you consider the possibility that the excess solar schemes in other parts of the world might make ChargeHQ economically relevant in markets where ChargeHQ is relatively unknown.

Here in California, ChargeHQ’s value is actually increasing. Excess solar sold to the utility is governed by a complex scheme called Net Energy Metering. Most installations are grandfathered under “NEM 2.0,” which pays one-to-one for excess solar.

All new solar installations are now governed by NEM 3.0, which pays about 75% less for excess solar. [Political discussion bypassed here. See link below.]

Herein lies a largely untapped market for ChargeHQ. (I’m the only person I know who’s ever heard of it.) By pumping those low-value electrons into the car, one can save charging costs that run as high as $0.53 US per kWh.

California solar installers have been going bankrupt and dropping out of business under NEM 3.0. Advertising ChargeHQ to those installers who remain might be an efficient way to market your product, as they are presumably keen to enhance the value of solar.

I wonder if the time and effort involved in finding and penetrating new markets where the local conditions make ChargeHQ more valuable would be worthwhile?

I hope so because, as several writers have mentioned, ChargeHQ’s value extends beyond the pennies for those of us who appreciate and share your vision.

Thank you.

John Cutter
Half Moon Bay, California, USA

---

California NEM 3.0 discussion:

NEM 3.0 - Is Solar Still Worth it for California Homeowners?

[gballant4570]

I’ll say that it’s a bit difficult to put a $$ figure next to the value ChargeHQ gives me. I’m already a paid subscriber, and dislike the growing subscription trend enough to mostly avoid it like the plague… but the positive results of implementing charge on excess solar have been greater than I estimated gping into it.

I can’t really put $$ next to it, but it has enabled me to implement my preferred strategy, and therefore better reaIize the goals I had when deciding to invest considerable personal capital in an EV, a Solar Roof, and Powerwalls. I want to use these assets in a way that is beneficial in a much broader sense than personal finances and goals, including forging a societal path toward furthering rapid global adoption of renewable energy as completely as possible.

Here in Maryland in the US where I live, we still have 1 for 1 net metering, and my system powers our household to the tune of 80% of our annual useage. Of course that is seasonally weighted such that I clearly see the challenges that residential generation using “grid as battery” approach brings to utilities and grids. I doubt net metering will last indefinitely.

I want to make things better for myself, my family, the regional grid operator, overall society, and more importantly the global biosphere that the current set of life forms we all are part of continue, thru my own lifetime and beyond as best I can. ChargeHQ is perhaps a small part of all that, but one I’m finding quite useful in furthering those goals. And while I sure could use another set of Powerwalls, I’m happy to help the benefits of this service continue. I plan to see this transition thru.

[christiaan.heyning]

Thanks for the well written and transparent post. Much appreciated. It has convinced me to start paying. I have used the app with a non-Tesla car (Polestar) and charger, though I do have the Tesla gateway. I find the OCPP protocol a little finiky, but it works. And here in West Australia we don’t have am EV tariff.

Anyway, I would another logic why I use ChargeHQ:
5. To maximise the amount of pure solar power getting into my car. If I take it from the net it is (far from) renewable

Hope we can collectively find a model that works commercially for all of us

[cooper]

I’ll second @jkcutter 's point that there is opportunity for ChargeHQ here in the USA - and https://www.QuitCarbon.com (my organization) would love to collaborate. Please reach out - I’m at [email protected] - thanks!

[mike2]

Agreed with everything you said. I’m in San Diego and I find great value in the ChargeHQ app here in California. I recouped the cost of the 1yr subscription in less than 2 months.

I’m governed by the new NEM scheme and there are some times of the day where we are exporting to the grid at a $0.00 value. My lowest overnight import fees are 15 cents/kWh… I love being able to fill up my powerwalls and 2 EVs with free sunshine and the ChargeHQ app makes it easy… don’t even have to think about it, it just works.

I hope you can find a way to expand more globally, as I do feel like there is a lot of people that could benefit from this service.

[worm666]

All makes sense, and I hope it all plays out so that ChargeHQ can continue to survive as it’s such a good product.
There’s one thing I’m not sure of from that info though - the mention of possibly “a reduction in functionality” for the solar plan.

Would that only be for new subscribers/renewals? Looks like my annual subscription started literally on the day that option was later suspended Not concerned about paying more next year for a great service, but would be a little concerned about losing some functionality between now and then.
(Apologies if I’ve misunderstood though)

[cowang]

Thanks,

At $84 a year the cost is equivalent to 4 full charges at full rates or 12 at the ev pan rates. It’s hate to justify vs standard charging schedule and rate limiting for me.

My mind says it’s unfortunate but $3 a month is more appropriate. I will be not paying at the $7 a mo th rate even though it’s great.

[andrew]

@rprigby

I am a bit confused. I currently use a ZJBeny OCPP charger. Does this mean I need to find alternative OCPP software as ChargeHQ will no longer work?

Only if we can’t find a way forward. At this time the service continues to operate normally.

[andrew]

@dhanslip

I haven’t heard anything about special EV tariffs in WA.

If you’re with Synergy - there is this plan: Synergy EV Home Plan – Electric Vehicle Add On Rates & Prices

[VincenzoLuigi]

Forget about the Solar / Battery integration for a minute. There is currently no easy way for someone with a cheap EVSE setup (I use the Tesla UMC with 32A tail) to have the same scheduling capability that Charge HQ offers. I personally like to have multiple state of charge limits set. Not needing to upgrade my EVSE with OCPP capability already pays for itself with Charge HQ.
I am not keen to use something like EVCC.IO either. My guess is that EVCC.IO will have the same issue for direct Tesla integration in the future once the Tesla Fleet API pricing is announced later this year.

[e.igoe]

I think that you may need a 5th scenario:
My inverter is not compatible with ChargeHQ but I find your app very convenient for scheduling our charge for during the day. I set it to start when the sun is fully up and set the block out period from afternoon until the next morning. I manually cancel the charge when it is very overcast or rainy.

[wes]

@andrew

The value of our service to users with solar is a function of four factors:

1. How much energy their EV uses - based on how much they drive
2. How much excess solar energy they produce
3. How much their EV is at home when the sun is out
4. The delta between what they pay for grid energy and what they earn for exporting unused solar production.

@andrew Could you add to this list…
5. The ability to load shift to take advantage of dynamic pricing?

As an Amber customer with dynamic, wholesale market pricing, charge HQ allows me to optimise charging based on price (using price limits). I would assume for many Amber customers, the delta between import and export provides ample savings to be had from ChargeHQ.
Similarly, I imagine many people using Amber or similar, have EVs.

I’d love to see you survive these challenges, and wonder if one approach might be to grow your user base of customers who benefit most, which might be those on dynamic pricing plans.

Therefore, perhaps some things that might help this in form of a brainstorm, are:

• some sort of collaboration with Amber and other market-price retailers to push ChargeHQ to their customers at a small discount
• case studies to show that if you have an EV and are able to load-shift, you are cheaper on an market rate plan, than on an “EV plan”
• more formal arrangement with Amber in terms of acquisition or investment, where ChargeHQ becomes part of their “SmartShift” suite.
• identification of Amber equivalents in other international markets and doing the above with them

Good luck with the challenges

[dhanslip]

Thanks Andrew.

I wasn’t aware of that. I did look at a smart meter and peak and off-peak a couple of years ago, but we’re retired and home mostly during the day. I looked at our usage and did the sums and it didn’t seem worthwhile.

One of my main goals buying an EV was to reduce my carbon footprint which means charging it during the day from free solar.

The wind contribution to our grid when the sun isn’t shining isn’t very great. Here’s the contribution from all sources in the last 24 hours.

https://aemo.com.au/energy-systems/electricity/wholesale-electricity-market-wem/data-wem/data-dashboard

Mostly at night it’s coal and gas. Expect the 2029 closure of WA coal-fired generators to be pushed way back.

[ianwent39]

Thanks Andrew for communicating about the pending challenges for ChargeHQ.
Just some quick feedback about the likelyhood of our continued subscription to your great service, if Tesla’s upcoming API charges make significant cost increases inevitable.

We have a Tesla Model 3, 5KW of solar and a Powerwall 2 battery and live in Melbourne, with the result that there is effectively only surplus solar for car charging about 6 months of the year. The price difference between the solar infeed rate, and the super off-peak EV rate from Powershop, is currently only about 6.5 c/KWh. This means that the current $7/mth subscription rate is only cost effective if more than 107 KWh of car charging takes place per month. Current car charging is averaging around 150 - 180 KWh/mth, so a subscription rate of even $11/mth would be the break-even point for simply going with overnight charging at current rates.

That being said, even at break-even, I would still prefer to use our own solar generation directly, rather than pushing and pulling from the grid.

Our current swicthboard configuration, where the Powerwall cannot ‘see’ the car charging load, is nicely accomodated by the ChargeHQ App, but not by the currently inferior Charge on Solar option from Tesla. However, if Tesla ever incorporate this switchboard option, it would be the logical choice for people in our situation to go with the integrated Tesla option at no cost.

Thanks for the provision of a great service, and I trust you find a market niche in which it remains viable.

[mrcooms]

Really sorry you are in this situation. I absolutely love the app and switched to paid subscription last year when you first introduced it because I can see all the blood sweat and tears that have gone into building this amazing app and want to support the team! I really hope you find a profitable way forward after all this hard work! For me it would be a great loss loosing all the control ChargeHQ provides. Juggling excess solar, 2 EV’s and wholesale prices with Amber, I would be lost without it!