DIY Conversion Kit for your EVSE
Normally, an AC EV charger (also known as EVSE) is controlled by the vehicle. A few "smart" EVSEs may have a manually adjustable power feature, and even fewer can automatically track with the excess energy generated from your solar panels. Those EVSEs are also known as power diverters and normally cost well over $600.
Instead of buying a new EVSE to divert your extra solar power, 2MuchSun has developed a Do-It-Yourself(DIY) conversion kit ($79) to make any existing EVSE into "smart" EVSE with solar diversion called SolarEVSE. Of course, you will need to be somewhat technical and willing to open up your existing EVSE to make the modifications.
The SolarEVSE kit ($79) is based on SolarAdapter design. In fact it uses the same main controller circuit board and firmware/software design as the SolarAdapter as it features a WiFi module for control as well as to retrieve power data from an external energy or power monitoring system such as 2MuchSun's PowerMC. The SolarEVSE processes the data automatically to continuously match the power usage of your EV with the available power.
Main ControllerCircuit Board with Antenna
Power Supply Board
Simple user interface included with the SolarEVSE can be accessed by all browsers including legacy ones
In addition to automatic tracking mode, there are bypass and manual modes. Bypass mode allows the EVSE to work as before the conversion. Manual mode allows the user or a home automation system to remotely control the power delivered to your EV.
The added power supply ensures reliable operation of your EVSE and EV because the SolarEVSE doesn't draw any power from your existing EVSE's circuitry. In addition, all of the J1772 safety features are supported.
For those networks and devices that support mDNS (multicast DNS), only the name of the SolarEVSE is needed to access its user interface instead of knowing the assigned IP address. The SolarEVSE can operate with or without a home network as it can use its own internal network. It is also not dependent on the Internet (not cloud based) for security, convenience and future proofing reasons.
A Show Data menu allows the user to view the actual live data being sent by the SolarEVSE so that verification and troubleshooting are easy.
The Advanced menu of the SolarEVSE
The Show Data menu of the SolarEVSE
Features:
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Works with all J1772 signaling L1 and L2 EVSEs*
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Variable load from 6A to max in increments of 1A
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Requires a power sensor (energy monitoring system that supports MQTT). Available here or any compatible 3rd party sensor.
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Works "out of the box" with PowerMC - configuration free and no home network or Internet connection needed
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Supports MQTT data communication
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Auto/Manual/Bypass modes
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Extra power indicator
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Built-in commands to integrate into home automation software and systems
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WiFi STA/AP 2.4GHz with WPS support
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Signal strength and connection indicators
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Charging status
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EVSE health monitor
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Basic HTML user interface for compatibility with all browsers
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Tracking tolerance configuration
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Supports mDNS addressing
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Open source firmware
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Automatic firmware update via the Internet
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-20F to 140F
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Outdoor/Indoor use
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AC/DC power supply - Input: 110-250VAC/50-60Hz Output: 5VDC, 2W
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1 year warranty
* if the parts fit inside
Actual EVSE power diverter tracking results displayed using a Emoncms server. Yellow is solar generation and blue is power consumption