Optimized Charging Configuration - MME, JuiceBox, Solar, & Home Assistant

[ziptbm]

I'm trying to find the optimal charging configuration and setup for my MME, and have run into several snags over the last few months of ownership. There are a few variables here that are specific to me, but I figured I'd share what I'm planning in case others have already found a better way or have some suggestions.

Goal: Optimize MME charging for as much "free" charging as possible and minimize required manual intervention.

Variables:

• Grid Provider - Whole Home Time-of-Use Rate (On-Peak 11A-7P M-F, Off-Peak 7P-11A & Weekends)
• Solar & Battery Storage - Regularly have surplus generation in the afternoons that goes back to the grid, so I'd rather have this energy go to the vehicle than grid since they credit me less than half of what I pay them for the same amount of energy (DTE).
• JuiceBox 40A Charger - recently installed on a 60A circuit, so will most likely upgrade in the future.
• Home Assistant - I use this for my home automation. While there is a FordPass integration, it doesn't show things like charging status or have the ability to stop/start charge as of this post. The JuiceBox integration does do both.
• MME Usage - local use only, roughly 500 miles/month. Rarely have a need for 100% charge, and usually use 10-20% max for most trips.

Issues:

• MME SOC Prioritizes Desired Percentage Over User Commands - If you only charge at night and you immediately stop the charging when it starts during a charge window, the MME SOC may override your stop command at some point before the end of that charging window to continue charging without the user's approval as discussed in this thread.
  • My old charger (a "dumb" Bosch Xpress on 30A circuit) has no ability to control charging or report data, so the only way to stop/start/adjust was through FordPass or manually pulling the plug.
  • I would think telling FordPass to "stop charging" during this window would act like Snoozing auto-DoNotDisturb on your phone. If DND starts on your phone tonight and you immediately disable it, DND will stay off until tomorrow night when it automatically turns back on......but no, that's not how the software was designed by Ford...
• FordPass has more issues - things like reporting real-time battery charge status while charging...no, it just shows the percentage it started at and you have to pause/stop charging for it to update....there are plenty more like this....
• Limited Info and No Control of FordPass/MME from 3rd Party Apps/Services- it makes sense that if FordPass won't show me real-time battery charge in their app, why would it report in 3rd party apps or services like HomeAssistant or JuiceBox?
  • The Integration with Home Assistant doesn't currently allow for stop/start of charging either.
  • And 3rd party chargers like JuiceBox do not know the actual battery charge percentage unless manually set via the app at each plug in (that will almost never happen).

Proposed Optimal Configuration:

• FordPass & MME - set the max percentage charge when home, but disable hours to charge.
  • Meaning the vehicle will always want to charge when plugged in up to the desired percentage of battery.
• JuiceBox - set the time-of-use hours (Smart Charging).
  • The charger will only allow charging during offpeak hours up to MME's selected percentage, unless manually overridden.
• Home Assistant- Create an automation to manually override the JuiceBox configuration during on-peak hours if the following are true:
  • High solar production & home storage batteries almost full (e.g. 85%)
  • MME battery under desired percentage (e.g. 85%)
  • JuiceBox plugged into MME
  • Start JuiceBox charging during on-peak hours
  • Send alert that JuiceBox Configuration temporarily overridden with an actionable button to revert to the regular schedule

Since I've only had the JuiceBox installed for 48 hours, I'm still testing, but I'm thinking the proposed configuration above should work, but with two caveats:

1. Charging to 100% Right Now May Require 2 Apps - You'll have to tell FordPass you want 100% AND if during on-peak hours, you'll have to tell JuiceBox to allow charging.
2. Always Charging During Off-Peak Isn't Necessary - If I'm not planning to go anywhere tomorrow, I have enough charge for an emergency, I believe it's going to be sunny tomorrow but I'll be OK if it isn't, then I might want to delay for the evening to see if I can get a free charge tomorrow. The point here would be to avoid depleting storage batteries at night or pulling from the grid when it's not necessary.

I'll be messing with this more over the next few days, but suggestions are appreciated - especially from those with JuiceBox & MME!

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[Fordmaybe]

Any updates how’s itgoing

 

[ziptbm]

I couldn't find a good solution due to FordPass having a mind of its own, so I ended up just letting it always charge during the preferred hours and not optimize for excess solar energy. The Peak sell rate for me is actually higher than the Offpeak buy rate, so this makes the most sense for now.

 

[shelnian]

Did you look at Emporia. I noticed it advertised it works with your solar system to put the extra solar output into your EV.

 

[Vulnox]

I hope to find a way to manage this also. We have an 11kW array and also have DTE. Right now I charge our Focus Electric which is being replaced by the MME, but rarely charge it much during the day even with excess solar since the ToU rate we get paid during that time is so much higher than off-peak. But yeah it does suck that we get charged the same rate for distribution charges no matter what for what comes in, but get nothing for sending back out. So the high wattage after hours is still costing us in distribution charges.

I think it's fine and probably less stressful to just deal with that distribution charge. I watch our solar production and it's fairly rare that we are producing enough to fully offset the charging rate of the FE, but what I may try doing when we get the probably even thirstier Mach-E is setting our charger to cap at like 15 Amps or something instead of 40. Maybe then it would be at a low enough rate that even without perfect sunlight we will still have most if not all offset by the array.

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