Operation

Table of contents

Status LED

Status LED
flashing greenStandby mode
blue steadyVehicle plugged in (not charging)
flashing blueCharging start / stop
blue circlingCharging
green continuousCharging completed
yellow permanentlyLocked, RFID authorization required
red permanentError

Start the charging process

  • Plug in the electric car
  • optionally stop RFID card (if RFID authorization is active)
  • Charging process is started

Note

The charger communicates with the electric car via the charging cable and tells it what current is available on how many phases (charging power). The charge controller in the electric car controls the charging process and decides whether to charge and at what power level.

This can lead to situations where the charging process is not started by the electric car (or is only charged with reduced charging power), even though the electric car is correctly connected to the charger.

For example, the electric car reduces the charging power in extreme heat (> 30°C) / cold (< 10 °C) in order to charge the battery as gently as possible. The charging power is also reduced as the vehicle battery level increases.

Note

If the charger is controlled via the Solarwatt energy management system, the energy management system specifies what charging power is available and the electric car then decides how much of the available power it actually draws.

In some situations, the energy management system may specify zero charging power, in which case the electric car will not be charged. For example, if the charging process is blocked by the energy management system (red bar in the schedule) or if there is currently no surplus PV power available.

The charger and the electric car are ready to charge (status LED permanently blue) but the electric car is not being charged.

End the charging process

During the charging process, the charging cable is firmly locked and cannot be pulled out. The following options are available to end the charging process:

  • Press the OFF button on the right-hand side of the charger
  • Ending the charging process via the electric car (e.g. opening the vehicle)

RFID authorization

To prevent unauthorized charging by third parties, the charging process can be enabled by prior authorization. Authorization is carried out by holding an RFID card on the front of the charger. Only learned (authorized) RFID cards can start the charging process. Two RFID cards are included with the charger, which are already authorized to start the charging process. Additional RFID cards can be learned / authorized via the SOLARWATT Pro app. All RFID cards that comply with the ISO/IEC 14443 A standard are supported. Additional RFID cards can be ordered from Solarwatt.

  • Plug in the electric car
  • Hold the RFID card on the Charger reader (front)

If authorization is successful, the status LED changes from yellow (authorization required) to flashing blue (charging start) and finally to circling blue (charging).

If an unauthorized RFID card is stopped, the charging process is not started and the status LED remains yellow (authorization required).

Teaching new RFID cards is described in the following chapter.

Cable suspension

Cable holder
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