Smart Charging FAQ
Julian Ares
Last Update 7 maanden geleden
| Is there a limit to the number of smart charging rules you can set? | There’s no formal limit in the software, but we recommend keeping them strategic and simple to avoid potential conflicts. |
| What happens if there are conflicts between rules? | We aim to prevent rule conflicts, but if they occur, inoperative rules take priority. For example, if you have a session scheduled to start during an inoperative time, it won’t begin. Power limits, delayed/throttled charging, and other kW limitations can all be active simultaneously. InControl always enforces the strictest (lowest) kW limit and disregards the others. |
| What happens if a charger goes offline and loses communication? | Offline chargers pose a few challenges. InControl can’t send start/stop commands or change an inoperative charger to operative, and vice versa. For power limits, our lifecycle rules include a default kW limit—set to 2kW by default—that the charger will follow even when offline. InControl recognizes when a charger goes offline and accounts for the default limit you’ve set. For example, if the limit is set to 5kW and 10 chargers go offline, we’ll assume 5kW per charger, resulting in 50kW unavailable to the remaining chargers. This conservative approach helps prevent exceeding power limits, which could lead to financial penalties for you. |
| How are time zones handled? | Since rules are site-specific, all rules follow the time zone of the site, or 'Charger local time.' |
| What’s the minimum power limit I can set? | The minimum power limit you can set is 2kW, which is a limit we've coded into the system. While this may be too low for many vehicles, as their internal systems also need power, going below 2kW is typically insufficient for most DC charging manufacturers. |
| What chargers work with Power Limits? | It's generally best practice to check if your charger supports "Smart Charging Profiles" (SCP) and OCPP 1.6-J. Many Level 2 chargers may not support SCP at all or might have limitations on their usage capabilities. Most DC chargers tend to support SCP, but it's advisable to reach out to us for confirmation. For more information, please refer to the charger compatibility section of our guide. |