I have a EVCS on Firmware 1.25 here. I can start the charge manually, but with automatic it will remain on "waiting for sun". No matter if the battery is full or we are feeding in to the grid.
Under what situation, the EVCS will start charging?
asked
EVCS waiting for sun
Can you share a short video (10-20sec)of the main webpage while it is saying "low soc"
it does not say low SOC, but waiting for sun
(rather cloudy now)
So, for this vide, it is not starting because it is not reaching the minimum power for starting - 1.3kW. Let's check it again when there is more PV power available.
ok, today is more sun and less consumption and it startet ev charging. our installed PV is a little bit to small für EV charging I guess.
I have 2 more questions to this visualisation:
a) It looks like we are charging the car with 5,2kW and have loads of 5,8kW in the house. Actually we hat 5,2kW for the car and 0,6kW for the house. Is that a configuration problem? or a bug?
b) In that display, there is a tiny blue line going from the EV Cgarger to the Victron Device. That looks like energy is going from the Car to the home-grid.
It seems the EVCS position is not correctly configured. It is defined as connected on AC In, and actually it is on AC out.
no, its actually connected to our home-grid and the victron ist only connected to it an AC in
Here is a quick illustration of my setup:
Is it ok if I connect to your system to take a look?
But the SOC now is indeed very low:
it was a very cloudy day and the car was charged. so no chance for the battery to charged.
Ok, contact me please when we can perform some tests
also,make sure you have right setting of location(inside evcs settings,set on input/output of multiplus,not sure how it is named,it probably defines,where it is displayed and how it consumes/regulates)
Hello,
I have a similare pb, wen i plug my VE. My ESS system have SOC 100% a véhicule start charge, after 30 second ev charging disconnect waiting for sun, after 30 second he restart charge….
My system is an ESS 3 phases With 3 multi 48/5000.
CAN you help me?
Please share a video with the main webpage on the EVCS while this is happening.
Hello
I have exactly the same issue. No matter what setting I setup the charger start charing in auto mode and stops after approx 55 sec. Could you please help me to arrange that. Attaching picture from just now, sunny day, great production but charger is waiting for sun.
is your vehicle charging 3pase or single phase? If it's 3P, that's normal, minimum charging power is higher than what's available on your system now. (6Ax230Vx3)
so does it mean that the auto mode will never work as production of electricity is too low even by full sun?
yes, as long as the pv power is below necessary power, it will not charge. But what you can do, is disconnecting L1 and L2 from the EVS, that way, it will charger only single phase. So it will start charging with minimum 1.4kW
ok but then I will be limited with maximum power right?, currently I have the whole house on 3P 32A.
Hello folks,
I have the same problem with the automatic mode.
I have a relatively small pv system with 5.6kwp but when the battery is full it all goes into the grid. I have a multiplus 2 48/3000 ESS with a cerbo gx and 3x pylontech us3000c.
everything works fine but the automatic mode on a phase with 6A does not activate automatically in case of excess.
I have already checked all settings from this contribution but without success.
I would be happy if someone had a solution
Simon, can you please share a video with the main webpage of the EVCS while behaving like this?
the 1.4kw grind feed was achieved. the car can only load single phase so it should start right? I'm still waiting for more solar power and I'll get back to you
But there is no PV on your system, that's why is saying – waiting for sun
the problem is that I can't track my solar system via the vrm portal because it goes directly to phase 1+2 via micro-inverters. Should I then add 2 modbus energy meters to the feed points to make the whole thing visible? I thought the grid point is the trigger for the EVCS
the system works perfectly. i defined 2 em24 ethernet via tcp modbus as pv inverter to monitor the complete pv system. one tracks phase 1+2 and the other only phase 3
thanks for the help with my problem <3 great support
A function from version 1.24 is no longer active. If the battery is not yet full but more than the maximum charging voltage is generated (battery can be 30 A) PV supplies 50A then the wall box starts when the 1.3 KW feed is reached and charges the car. From version 1.25 this is no longer possible the start depends on the LOW SOC value and it doesn't matter whether 2kw is then fed into the grid because the battery can no longer absorb charging power. Therefore, I think only version 1.24 makes sense for many people in order to be able to charge the car early in case of a lot of excess despite battery charging max. You give away a few KW, if the output of the PV is very high and the battery cannot absorb that much, which is then missing in the afternoon when the battery is full for charging the car.
And the statemant to set SOC f.e. to 30 % makes also no sence because the stop discharging value must be lower so the battery will be discarched in minimum to 29%. so I have no power for the night. In Summery the new firmware alre possible for off grid systems but not for Home configurations with 100% Grid.
Hi, sorry but I don't understand what the issue is, please try to explain better
What do you mean by “battery can be 30 A”, maybe 30Ah? But I still don't understand what is the connection with EVCS
I have a 100A Battery. this Battery can be load with maximum 30A. I have in Summary 10 KW Peak PV-Modules. Up to 10 o´clock I have much more Power as I can load into the battery. Only in version 1.24 the Chager start charging the car in case the Battery load an parallel Charge the case the Soc is not nessesary because Maximum Load to Battery and more the 1.3 KW available. Up to Version 1.24 you configure a min SOC for Battery. And equal if more Power is available the Charger will not start before the SOC is reached. So I put many power direkt into the Grid for the time until the SOC is reached. in the Version 1.24 only a value for discarging able to set. I set this Value to 98 % so the PV System try to load the Battery and the car in Case that I have enough power. And it will stopp direkt if the sun is gone and the Batter is not higer than 98 %. In the newer Version this funktion is not available because SOC must be higher than Discharge Value. This configuration in the software does not take into account that it may be that the min SOC value is not reached but the maximum charge value in amps of the battery is reached. There is further PV excess available for charging the car, which is then not released is because of the minimum SOC value. It is necessary to remove the lock that the min value must always be greater than the discharge value.
Yes please can you update the firmware to allow auto to see the sun when the battery is full? When my battery is full VRM only "sees" the PV energy equal to the AC load. So the EVCS says "waiting for sun" however I actually have enough solar energy to charge at 32A in manual mode and then still have excess but the auto mode does not see this. So it will not charge.
If you use the latest (1.27) it should work. Can you please check?
Hello @Lucian Popescu (Victron Energy Staff).
Sometimes I am dealing with problem regarding stuck in "waiting for sun" state with newer FWs (starting from 01.26).
I have manual disconnector in electrical box, which can interrupt second (L2) and third (L3) supply phase of EVCS. When there is enough PV power and clear skies, I am charging EV in auto mode using only 1 phase, when I must charge the EV during night or there is no enough PV power for charging I am using manual mode and all 3 phases.
What are the conditions for start charging in auto mode? Is it everytime only feed-in power (sum of all phases) or feed-in in only first phase L1? Or is there some internal parameter which remember previous charging (if it was 1 phase or 3 phase) and then EVCS in auto mode waiting for min. feed-in power based on this parameter (1x 230 V x 6 A or 3x 230 V x 6 A)?
And of course what is the minimum time of feeding into the grid for activation?
I done some investigation and for example if I am reading register for manual mode phase setting (no. 5055) and auto mode phase setting (no. 5056) via Modbus, everytime I get 65535 so no default value and value out of the range according to EVCS Modbus Excel sheet.
I have the same issue, even with sufficient sun (checked with AC loads), the EVCS stays "waiting for sun". Victron is proud of this "shitty non-working" feature and they don't even know how is it working and why not starting (great programmers - I guess India) !!! You sould atleast consider irradiance factor, people are expecting EVCS to start as low sun as possible, not to be stuck on "waiting for sun" with sun in front of his eyes. Is a disgrace for the price you pay, I don't recommend it at all ! Shame on you victron guys.
If you want to receive support, I can help you with that, same as we did all the other users.
If you want to be unpolite, you can do that as well, but your comments will be removed, not because you are complaining, but because you speak offensively.
So how should it be?
Is the device in that state now? Can you give the VRM Portal ID, so I can have a look?
For instance, in the morning it was available more than 3kW from PV, but evcs didn't start on auto, why is that? On manual mode is working ok.
I can't give you any answer without seeing some data, so VRM portal ID?
I’ on manual charging remote right now, the problem is not my system, is the triggering event of auto charging as you could see from almost all users, whete you don’t have a clear answer on that. Maybe you shoud go back and consult with development team, perform some DOE’s and test on the complaints and improve next FW
For most of the users above there were parameters incorrectly configured, batteries discharged etc, and there were clear answers for those issues.
Hell Lucian,
I am going to buy EVCS for my system and new car and I am also a bit unhappy that EVCS is not able to change between 1P-3P wiring and you need a lot of PV power for 3P to start auto mode, which can be problem for smaller instalation. But have you ever thing about SW update to implement new possible mode, eg:?
1. rename auto mode to "green mode" or "best efficiency mode"
2. Add a new auto mode where you can more control starting conditions: A.: only based on SOC, B.: only based on PV production with limit which you can define by your own (rest will be add from battery or grid), both (A and B) conditions.
This can be a simple solution to have permanently 3P and still have possibility to use AUTO mode during highest PV production time frame...
1P/3P switching is not available on the current hardware, but we will have it on the next one.
Auto Mode has all those requested features and even more, you can define for how long it can discharge from the batteries. 
Hello thank you for the the info, but according to the manual there is no way, how to reduce needed PV to START charging in auto mode. You need to have 6A or 3x6A plus power to cover house AC load. See manual below.
You can define if it will continue and how long, but not when to start.
But should be much better to have possibility to define eg. 1000W excess power to start in auto mode for 1P or eg. 3000W for 3P. Everyone would have possibility to define own PC exces start point based on size of instalation and typical year PV situation...
That's new feature, the manual is not updated yet
Hello @Lucian Popescu (Victron Energy Staff) . If EVCS automatically start charging when these conditions are met (min. SOC and min. excess solar power), why my EVCS stucks in "Waiting for sun" in example above, when both these conditions are obviously fulfilled?
Could it be that the EV won't allow charging for some reason? Because I have the same issue with previous Renault Zoe and also with Volkswagen ID.3 - both are great cars for starting in electromobility in my opinion, but some SW implementations are terrible.
Without seeing your setup, it's hard to say? Do you have any of the default parameters changed? Are you running node-red or something similar, that can affect the automatic algorithm?
Can you share a video of the main webpage of the device while this is happening? Are you running the latest firmware? That picture is from January, there were lots of things changed since then.
And back then, in January, minimum charging power to start charging was 6A. For a 3 Phase EV, that's more than 3.7kW that you had available. So there's your answer! you have it in the manual as well. On the latest firmware, it is possible to start charging with lower power and use the grid or batteries for a defined time.
And please avoid racist jokes like “Indian developers”, this is not the place...
Hello @Lucian Popescu (Victron Energy Staff) ,
you are right, sorry for that. I changed my previous comment about nationality of SW programmers, because this is definitely not the right place!
I love Victron products, recommends it to other people and also I made several PV installations with Victron products without problems. My comments are intended to point out possible shortcomings and possible improvements to the products, nothing else...
I am using Node-RED only in manual mode for changing ESS min. SOC setting (for not using home battery to charging EV) and in auto/manual mode for dynamically changing power calibration parameter according to actual charging current due to bad measurement by EVCS. At the same time, I don't understand how Node-RED could cause EVCS stucking in "Waiting for sun"...
Min. battery SOC for start charging in auto mode is set to 92 % and also battery/grid is allowed for charging in auto mode, see EVCS setting.
Below is recorded video from February with FW 1.27 (latest FW available in February), but same problem is with previous FWs and also with the latest FW 1.28. Problem is not only with one EV - same problem I had with Zoe and ID.3, and also same problem I have in other installations with another Victron EVCS. Now I don't have EV, because I am waiting for Tesla, so I am not able to do some additional tests.
I am an electrician, so I know well what single phase or three phase power is... On video you can see, that power consumption of loads in home installation is somewhere between 100 and 200 W, excess power to grid in all 3 phases is more than 1380 W and battery SOC is higher than 92 %. But only way to start the charging is to make STOP and START, then basically immediately EVCS starts the charging process, and as you can see, its charging in 1 phase, so not 3 phase as you mentioned - I am using only 1 phase charging in auto mode. So both conditions for start charging in auto mode were met in my opinion, but EVCS stucks in "Waiting for sun" for some reason...
Contact me when you have a setup that is not working as expected, and we can perform some tests. There are thousands of systems working correctly, I have to see what's wrong with yours, and I'm sure we can fix it.
Lucian
OK @Lucian Popescu (Victron Energy Staff) , thank you for your support, I will contact you by an email when I will have the EV again...
My comment according to terrible SW implementation of some EVs was due some behaviour of my previous EVs, so part of the problem could be on the car side...
For example when you plug charging cable into the charging socket on VW ID.3 then car wants to charging immediately - if the charging process does not start in some defined time, charging is stopped with error on the car side and then EVCS will not start charging in auto mode (after met the conditions for it) until you manually make STOP and then START on EVCS. One possible solution is to reconnect the charging cable, make short charging in manual mode and then change to auto mode and make START - in this case charging is automatically started after conditions are met.
Another strange behaviour with the previous FWs (I am not tested this with the latest FW) is that if you left connected the EV to the EVCS in auto mode during night, then the next day sometimes the EVCS stays in "Low SOC" state and automatically continue in charging after conditions are met, but sometimes the EVCS is automatically stopped and set to "Waiting for start" mode and you must make START manually - but this is problem for normal users with limited access rights to the system remotely, because the only option for them is to make START on the EVCS screen...
I have 20% with 80%, in the morning I had 97%, didn’t start even with the clear sun 500W/m2. My pv power istalled is 16kW. Another issue i’m facing with the station is that LCD dispays garbage when it shoud display real values. The connection signal strength is really good -50db. Why is that?IMG_7934.jpeg
Those 2 issues are probably related. If the EVCS is not getting all the necessary data for the Automatic algorithm, it is not going to start (battery power, SOC, Grid all missing). Why this is happening? I can't say without checking that system.
Display issue is present in manual mode as well, not in auto mode only and the firmware is up to date.
The same information is displayed on the screen on both modes. If it's missing on one, it's going to be missing on the other one as well.
On the station ip, when i’m connecting to it, the information is correct, exactely the same data as on VRM. When I’m checking on ev charger display, it shows freezed frames, as in my previous picture with incorrect data.
Ok, good info. But I can see in your picture that is charging in Auto mode, what's different now?
Yes, charger works in auto mode without any issues but not in the morning. I’ve tried in full sun in the afternoon and is working, but if i connect it in the morning and wait to catch the trigger, doesn’t work - with the message waiting the sun and stays like that. And all these with a faulty data LDC.
Or atleast this was my expectation in the morning, may be I’m wrong and I need to wait for more. But is frustrating having the sun and not charging.
Then let's have a look at it in the morning and see why it is not charging.
ok, thanks, i’ll make more tests in the next morning and keep you posted.Thank for support.
Meanwhile please provide a solution for the faulty LCD display because I cannot operate on the station, will it be corrected in the FW update?
I don't know what faulty means, can you provide more data, a video would be perfect
Hello,
I’m coming with some test results and problem solving after spending some time on troubleshooting auto mode and display issue on evcs. Firstly, the LCD display issue with freezed and overlapped frames was caused in my case by some EMC interferences caused by A1(P)-brown and A2 (blue) wires which were overlapping on top of LDC data bus flexible cable. Fixing them on high voltage area instead of close to LCD solved LCD issue(including slow or missing touch response):
Other issue that worried me was LOOSEN SCREWS on both A1and A2 screws but also on green left side connectors(there’s not high power on these wires but nevertheless VERY RISKY AND FIRE HAZARD):
When you as customer buy such evcs, you shoud inspect it internally very carefully as I mentioned above. I assume Victron will take care about these issues in the production for at least next ev charging stations and I hope my investigation helps. Regards
Hi, can you give me the serial number of that unit, so I can report to the factory?
Indeed, it shouldn't be delivered like this!
If you check the comments on the community, similar things were reported before, but not multiple on the same unit.
Update, EVCS working great since my last workaround. No more display issues + auto function working as well.
Hello Lucian, I just installed EVCS, it works well, only I cannot find option "Allow low excess solar power for auto mode" in the menu. I have v1.28.
Picture from Lucian:
My menu v1.28:
Hi, that will be part of 1.29 FW, that will be released next week
Hello team,
I'm sorry, but I can't understand what he is waiting for?
My AC-Coupled PV is already feeding in quite a lot and the car supports 6 Amps loading as well.
Even if there potentially isn't enough power on 1 phase, Battery being at 99% could compensate
Will try that 1.29 FW once it comes out...
1.29 will be released today or tomorrow, please tell me if the issue was solved.
Did install the update, so far it startet loading even though the battery was "only" at 99%.
Will keep an eye on it and keep you guys informed.
Thanks :-)
So, you are starting to be a happy user? :D
