What’s New
Choosing between one-time and automatic charging modes is now simpler.
We’ve introduced new smart charging strategies:
A simple price-based charging strategy that no longer requires linking your EV.
Solar smart charging by integrating with your inverter ☀️.
A smart charging program that automatically schedules charging during off-peak hours for cost savings. For example, use the VOOL app to set your EV to charge during the two cheapest hours each night.
Scheduling smart charging based on your EV's battery state of charge (SOC) and desired end time is now more convenient.
Please note: shortcuts to charger settings and charging insights have been moved to the charger detail view.
One-time vs Automatic Charging
Now, you can choose between setting up a one-time charging session or automatic charging, where the schedule is created automatically the next time your EV is plugged in. The app saves your settings and preferred charging mode.
Custom charging schedules will be available soon.
Scheduled Charging
An upcoming feature will allow you to create custom charging schedules. For example, you could schedule charging every night from 3 to 5 AM, regardless of price or other conditions.
This feature is not yet available, but the team is actively working on it. We expect to release the feature in Q1 2025.
Charging Strategies
Choose one of the following charging strategies:
Charge Now: Starts charging immediately, regardless of conditions or price.
Linking your EV is not required.
Solar (Beta): Charge your EV using solar power. Set a minimum production rate, and once your solar panels generate enough energy, charging starts automatically. It’s eco-friendly and cost-effective!
Linking your EV is not required.
Price-Based: Automatically charge when electricity prices fall below your set threshold. The app tracks the market and schedules charging to save you money.
Linking your EV is not required.
Cheapest Hours: Set the duration of your desired smart charging session, and VOOL will select the optimal time slots for charging.
No EV linking required—the program just finds the cheapest hours for charging.
Full Battery With Cheapest Price (Beta): Ensure your car is fully charged by a specified time. Set your target, and VOOL optimizes the process to charge at the most cost-effective times.
EV linking is required to track the battery’s state of charge (SOC).
Exciting new charging strategies are coming soon!
Do I need to connect my EV to the app?
At the moment, the only smart charging program that requires linking your EV to the app is 'Full Battery at the Cheapest Price.' Connecting your EV is necessary for us to access the battery’s State of Charge (SOC), which is essential for calculating the time needed to charge the battery to the desired level.
The other smart charging programs function without requiring you to link your EV to the VOOL app.
Solar Charging Strategy
Want to reduce your reliance on the grid and charge your electric vehicle (EV) with clean, renewable energy? VOOL's solar charging program lets you harness the power of the sun to top off your car.
Prerequisites for solar charging:
Ensure your charger firmware is version 1.9.1 or higher.
Confirm that your inverter is listed here: https://developers.enode.com/api/capabilities/inverter, and link your charger to your site on the VOOL Portal (app.vool.com), as inverter linking can currently only be done via the web application.
Here's how solar charging works now:
Connect your inverter: Link your home inverter to your VOOL account through the web portal at link to VOOL web portal. Currently, inverter integration is only available through the web portal. You can find a list of compatible inverters here: link to VOOL inverter compatibility list
Activate solar charging: Once your inverter is linked, activate the Solar Charging program within the VOOL mobile app.
Let the sunshine power your ride: When your inverter is producing at least 4.2 kW of solar power (or any other value you define), VOOL will automatically activate your EV charger and begin charging your car. If solar production drops below this threshold, charging will be paused.
If the inverter is producing less than 4.2kW and your threshold is set to 3kW, charging will still occur at 4.2kW (which is the minimum charging power on this charging strategy).
If the inverter is producing more than 4.2kW, the charging power will match the current production rate from the inverter.
Get started today and experience the power of solar-powered EV charging!
Limitations with the current solar charging
Currently, VOOL prioritizes utilizing available solar power for EV charging but it doesn't factor in your home's current energy consumption (meaning VOOL LMC does not know about the solar production yet).
This dynamic solar charging, in cooperation with VOOL LMC, is coming soon, allowing VOOL to optimize charging based on your overall household consumption.
Linking a solar inverter into your site
First, click on the "Add a device" button on VOOL Portal, on your site view:
Then, find the button for adding an inverter into your site:
Price-Based Strategy
Avoid peak pricing: Easily set a maximum kWh price you're willing to pay. VOOL will automatically pause charging when electricity rates exceed your limit, ensuring you only charge when prices are favorable.
Charging schedule preview: Once activated, your charging schedule preview will be displayed in orange with a gradient.
It's a simple strategy that does not require linking your EV into VOOL platform.
When you activate the smart charging strategy, you have the freedom to leave your EV plugged in for extended periods. VOOL's intelligent system will continuously monitor market electricity prices and adjust the charging schedule accordingly. As soon as prices drop below your specified maximum kWh price, VOOL will automatically initiate charging.
Cheapest Hours
Simply specify the duration of your smart charging session, and VOOL will select the cheapest time slots for charging. No EV linking is required for this program. Just set the end time and session length, and VOOL will charge during the most affordable hours.
We recommend this program for most users who need a bit of energy each night but don’t necessarily require a full battery by morning. Activate the program in ‘Automatic’ mode, and VOOL will automatically charge your EV by your desired ready-by time in the most cost-effective way. No more manually calculating prices before setting up smart charging.
Full Battery With Cheapest Price Strategy
Our tailored strategy considers your EV's current charge and your preferred completion time to calculate the optimal charging plan that minimizes costs.
EV linking is required for this program to operate.
Before charging begins, a brief 'probing' process occurs to determine your car's charging capabilities. During this process (usually 1 minute), the charger will temporarily appear as 'charging'.
⚠️ Please note that the 'Guaranteed battery level' setting has been removed from the app. However, our team is actively developing a new 'Smart charging' feature that will allow you to set a desired charge limit. Keep an eye out for future app updates!
Once activated, your scheduled charging summary will display the start time, estimated cost, and the amount of energy your EV will receive.
Feedback
Help us improve VOOL's charging strategies! Let us know your thoughts at [email protected]