EV Charging Controller (Power Diverter)

EV Charging Controller (Power Diverter)

This product by itself is a Tesla to J1772 Type 1 adapter very similar to the TeslaTap or Lectron's Tesla to J1772 Type 1 adapter, but with more features such as turning your EVSE into a remote control smart 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 the SolarAdapter for this purpose. It can work with all production EVs and existing EVSEs for the US or North American market.

The SolarAdapter ($199) is based on the ZenCar Tesla to J1772 Type 1 adapter ($150) with all the existing features of the ZenCar Tesla to J1772 Type 1 adapter with a built in energy diverter. 2MuchSun has made this adapter "smart" by adding an internal circuit board powered by an external power supply. This circuit board 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 SolarAdapter processes the data automatically to continuously match the power usage of your EV with the available power.

Internal circuit board with antenna

View with the power input port

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SolarAdapter with power supply and cables

Simple user interface included with the SolarAdapter 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 normally. Manual mode allows the user or a home automation system to remotely control the power delivered to your EV. When the SolarAdapter is not powered, it is in bypass mode and will function the same as the ZenCar adapter.

The external power supply ensures reliable operation of your EVSE and EV because the SolarAdapter 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 SolarAdapter is needed to access its user interface instead of knowing the assigned IP address. The SolarAdapter 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.

SolarAdapter with a J1772 Type 1 to Telsa adapter using a Tesla EVSE on a Tesla Model 3

SolarAdapter using a Tesla EVSE on a BMW i3

The SolarAdapter's internal circuit board allows it to be compatible with all Tesla wall connectors in all modes of operation including when the external power supply is not used. This is possibly an added feature to the Zencar adapter as there are reports that it won't work for some cars and wall connectors.

A Show Data menu allows the user to view the actual live data being sent by the SolarAdapter so that verification and troubleshooting are easy.

The Show Data menu of the SolarAdapter

The Advanced menu of the SolarAdapter

Features:

Works with all J1772 signaling L1 and L2 EVSEs*
Works with all production EVs*
Tesla type inlet with J1772 Type 1 plug
40A max for L2 and 12A max for L1 EVSEs
Variable load from 6A to max in increments of 1A
Requires a power sensor (energy monitoring system that supports MQTT). Available here or any compatible 3rd party sensor.
Works "out of the box" with PowerMC - configuration free and no home network or Internet connection needed
Supports MQTT data communication
Auto/Manual/Bypass modes
Extra power indicator
Built-in commands to integrate into home automation software and systems
WiFi STA/AP 2.4GHz with WPS support
Signal strength and connection indicators
Charging status
EVSE health monitor
Basic HTML user interface for compatibility with all browsers
Tracking tolerance configuration
Supports mDNS addressing
Open source firmware
Automatic firmware update via the Internet
Tesla HPWC compatible for all EVs
-20F to 140F
Outdoor/Indoor use
5VDC/1A power supply with 25' cable
1 year warranty

*may need J1772 Type 1 to Tesla adapter

Actual SolarAdapter tracking results displayed using a Emoncms server. Yellow is solar power generation and blue is power consumption