ECO mode doesn't use surplus solar energy since update

EV CHARGING
1

I have discovered a new problem with my Teltocharge EVC121000000 (hardware revision 000), firmware version 1.14.5 (17 april) kernel v5.0.7.

Ever since the update of the app to 1.14.1 and upgrade of the firmware to 1.14.5 (Kernel 5.07) even though solar panels are producing 3.2 kW, the charger in ECO mode only uses 1.3 kW (minimum setting of 6A - ECO charging minimum) and there is 1.5kW being fed to the electrical grid. So ECO mode is not using the 1.5kW surplus of solar energy.

Before the update this was nog problem, with this setting minimum was 1.3kW and if more solar energy came available, this went to higher values (1.8kW, 2.4kW) max 3kw (max power output of the solar panels).

I have tried re-installing the app, relinking the charger and rebooting the device (both phone and charger). Tried another cellphone, no help there either.

I have checked this on multiple ocasion and today for an hour now there has been a steady 3.2kW of solar power, and I closely monitored everything with the app and the monitoring website of my solar inverter (photovoltaic (PV) inverter).

Interesting enough in the solar only mode or ECO+ mode, the charger easily goes to 2.8kW charging without problems. So it does work… only not in ECO mode. This makes it seem to me as a software or programming issue and not a hardware issue, espescially since before it worked without problem.

Please let me know if this a known issue or if you require any further information from me?

Hope you can help?

Pixel 7
Android 15
Latest updates
Teltocharge EVC121000000 (hardware revision 000), firmware version 1.14.5 (17 april) kernel v5.0.7.

On your wiki I found the following info:
ECO charging profile
In this profile, the charging process is initiated using maximum available solar energy in combination with grid energy. The user sets the ECO charging minimum value, which determines the minimum charging current. This charging current is first covered by the maximum solar energy available and then supplemented with grid energy.

Example:
ECO charging minimum value set to 10 A
If 5 A (from solar) + 5 A (from grid) = 10 A charging current
If 9 A (from solar) + 1 A (from grid) = 10 A charging current
If 16 A (from solar) + 0 A (from grid) = 16 A charging current
If 0 A (from solar) + 10 A (from grid) = 10 A charging current

but that is not how it works right now… unfortunately

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2

Good Morning,

Could you please send me troubleshoot file to: support.energy@teltonika.lt
As you will not be able to upload it here

Br,

3

Thank you for your assistance. File sent as per your request to support.energy@teltonika.lt

4

Good Morning,

We ran the test, it works fine for us (no bugs were spotted).

What we noticed is that if generation occurs only on one phase (we can see it from the troubleshoot that you provided).
In your situation, we see that:
image

So with our logic, we will charge 6A x 3ph, because:

  • 3phase mode enabled
  • We see generation is only on L1

We are curious if the 3 ph charging was enabled for whole time or it was accidentally changed after the app’s redesign (with 1.14 FW)

Additionally, is there a chance the OCPP or SmartCharging profile changed charging type to 3phase?

Br,

5

Actually this make sense because it’s a 3ph charger and the PV inverter is 1ph. So generation is always on one phase. Also I’m awaiting a full EV, for now it’s a plugin PHEV which only supports 1ph charging as far as I know, max 7.x kW.

I’m unsure about your questions, I don’t think I’ve changed anything. I do notice that the teltocharge charger switches phase.

So what would be my solution?

6

In regards to your described situation, the best utilization of solar power would be with disabled 3 phase charging.

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7

I disabled 3 phase charging and set the preference to phase L1. This indeed gives different behavior, and it looks like it does indeed better utilizes solar energy. Maybe this was indeed accidently changed, I don’t know for sure.

What I don’t understand is that your documentation of the charger says:
Teltonika Energy’s TeltoCharge EV chargers support 3-phase solar charging, allowing for efficient and sustainable electric vehicle charging using surplus solar energy. These chargers can automatically switch between single and three-phase charging based on the available solar energy and user-defined profiles.

So why doesn’t the charger switch automatically? Why doesn’t the charger with 3ph enabled in ECO mode, charging the car with 1phase, use the excess solar energy? Or what am I missing?

Your logic says it will
charge 6A x 3ph, but it doesn’t, it charges 6A x 1ph. Not adjusting for solar energy being fed into the grid.

Two questions for in the future:

  • When my real EV finally arives with 3ph charging, I’ll have to reanable this setting? It seems complicated and inefficient to have to change this setting each time when I either plug in the PHEV of the EV. Or is there another way?
  • We are planning to upgrade the PV installation in the future… So then it would be better to get a 3 phase inverter, because current thinking was to add another 1 ph inverter for power generation on the 2nd or 3rd phase.
8

You are correct that our earlier documentation mentioned automatic switching between single-phase and three-phase charging based on available solar energy and user-defined profiles. However, this functionality has since been redesigned.

During the development phase, we actively experimented with dynamic transitions to single-phase charging across all charging modes. However, based on extensive feedback from the majority of our clients, we found that this feature did not meet user expectations in real-world solar charging scenarios.

The main issue arises when solar generation hovers just below or above the minimum current threshold of 6 A, as defined by the IEC 61851 standard. In these cases, the charger would frequently attempt to switch charge types and phases—particularly when using single-phase charging—leading to unstable behavior and frequent interruptions in the charging process.

To ensure a more stable and user-friendly experience, we decided to remove automatic phase switching from the solar-based charging modes. The charger now operates in 3-phase mode by default, maintaining a robust and reliable charging process even with fluctuating solar input. Automatic switching between charge types is only retained in regular (non-solar) charging modes where it offers tangible benefits without compromising stability.

We’re in the process of updating our documentation to reflect these improvements, and we appreciate your understanding as we evolve the product based on real-world use and user feedback.

About Inverts, I’m not able to comment much, i would suggest to get in contact with solar panel professionals

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