The term Eco Mode stands for the chargers' economical mode. Eco Mode is a smart charge solution that is included in all home installations. When enabled, Eco Mode will prioritize charging based on the energy cost and the configured energy requirements: Departure time, energy, and price zone.
How does it work?
Eco Mode gathers information about the desired departure time, minimum energy (kWh), delivery area, energy cost, and available power. We use this information to optimize charging and calculate how long the car needs to be finished by the specified time.
The data source for this feature is day-ahead spot from Nord Pool. Each day Zaptec Go will collect prices for the coming 24-hour period making the data reference real-time and more accurate for the customer.
Nord Pool day-ahead varies depending on the different price zones. Norway has five price zones, Sweden four, Denmark two, and Finland has one. In Zaptec App you can choose the exact price zone where the charger is located. Depending on the country, NO1, SE3, DK1, and FI1 will be selected as default if the customer does not log in to the Zaptec Portal to select the specific price zone.
Note: If you're not sure which delivery area the installation is located, please contact your power company.
As most private customers in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland have spot tariffs, Eco Mode is only available in these countries. If the customer has fixed prices (same rate irrespective of the time of day), Eco Mode will not provide any financial benefit, just a delayed charging start. All though it would save capacity for everybody else, and the electric grid, and that is why we would recommend activating Eco Mode even if you have a flat tariff.
Technical description
When Eco Mode is enabled the start time for charging is based on; 1. the customers preferred configurations and 2. energy cost. In other words, when you plug in your EV, the charger automatically sends important data so Eco Mode can optimize charging.
Let's simulate a session manually with a charging speed of 5kWh.
- Based on the customers preferred configurations, Eco Mode first estimates how many hours are needed to achieve the desired effect.
- It then finds the cheapest hour between the time the car is plugged in and the departure time set by the user. The cheapest hour will be the starting point for charging. In this example, 5kWh is now planned. E.g 11:00 pm to 11:59 pm.
- Thereafter Eco Mode will start comparing the energy price on each "side" of the planned hour. Here; 10:00 pm and 1:00 am. It will always choose the cheaper option.
Please note: If the price is the same before and after the planned hour, we will always choose the left side (Which could mean an earlier start time). - This procedure will repeat until the desired energy (kWh) is planned and achieved.
How to activate Eco Mode
You can activate Eco Mode in the Zaptec app or Zaptec Portal. This will affect all charging stations connected to your installation. Remember that power usage on distance can vary by vehicles and outside temperatures.
Activate Eco Mode in Zaptec app
- Under Chargers, go to Zaptec Services, and tap Eco Mode
- Enter your usual departure time, how much energy (kWh) you need, and your price zone
- Tap Activate
The next time you start charging the charger will light up green. In the app, you can see that charging may be scheduled to start at a later time.
If you want to start a session before the scheduled time you can tap Start charging under Home in the app. To pause/stop a session, tap Pause charging.
Activate Eco Mode in Zaptec Portal
- Go to Installations and select your installation
- Click Settings and then Power management
- Under SMART ECO MODE, enter your usual departure time, how much energy (kWh) you need, and your price zone
- Scroll down and click Save
Frequently asked questions about Eco Mode
How does Eco Mode and Zaptec Sense work together?
The two services, Zaptec Sense and Eco Mode can be active simultaneously in a Home installation.
When used together, Sense will ensure that the fuse is not overloaded, while Eco-Mode will ensure that the charger activates charging when it is cheapest. For more information -> click here.
Can I use Eco Mode with a third party? E.g Tibber or Enegic ?
No. Zaptec needs to control the installation fully for Eco Mode to behave as expected.
If you enable Eco Mode it is no longer possible to update the available current using the public API.
Third -party services will be deactivated if you activate Eco Mode. This means that you will not be able to use Smart Charging controls in third party apps for Zaptec chargers. The third-party service will automatically be activated when you deactivate Eco Mode.
Does Eco Mode work on home installations with more than one Zaptec Go charger?
Yes. When Eco Mode is activated, it will affect all chargers installed in the system, regardless of how many there are. Eco Mode uses manual power management (L1, L2, L3) to delay the charging start.
Does Eco Mode consider the battery level of the car? (State of Charge (SoC)).
No. the charger or Eco Mode doesn't know the exact SoC, and will therefore ignore the actual charge of the battery. This can lead to some confusion when:
- The car needs less or more kWh than the Minimum energy is set to.
- If the car demands less than minimum energy, the session will be done at the beginning of Eco Mode plan. Potentially charging on non-optimal price hours.
- If the car demands more than the minimum energy, the session will continue past the Eco Mode plan until the battery is 100% full. Charging will be done after the end of the EcoMode plan. Potentially charging on non-optimal price hours.
Are the power grid tariffs considered when using Eco Mode?
No, the power grid tariffs are not taken into account with this feature. If you wish to cut down on your peak demand usage we recommend adjusting the available charge current so that the effect (kW) is limited. At this time you cannot adjust the max current through the Zaptec App. Please contact us for further assistance.
Is Eco Mode available when the charger is set to Stand Alone Mode?
No. None of the smart functions will work in Stand Alone.