Is there a list of EVs with detection, of detection models highly successful? I saw someone posted, ironically in the Tesla thread, that their Chrysler Pacifica PHEV was detected. I’ve had mine for 18 months and no luck. Wondering if they are a lucky fluke, or perhaps I should open a support ticket to see if anything may explain why ours has never been detected?
The officially supported EVs, at this time, are BMW i3, Chevy Volt/Bolt, and Tesla S, X, and 3. Note that just because we have models for those does not mean they will get detected in 100% of homes. There are many other factors at play that feed into the detection process.
I have seen others get Pacifica detections and I believe there was also a Cadillac detected in someone’s home as well. In those cases, it sounds like the waveforms look similar enough to net a detection.
Typically, how many charging cycles are required for sense to identify an EV like the Chevy Bolt?
If your wondering how may times you’ll need to charge yours for Sense to detect it, it doesn’t quite work that way.
To put it simply, when you charge, the in/off signature and other parameters are being compared against the data they’ve collected for the same device. This amounts to thousands of cycles.
There is not a way to help Sense detect faster by initiating a charging cycle. It’s best to continue with before Sense habits and the detection will come with time, or not.
Bottom line, I want to know how long it will be before sense detects my EV charging. I hear ya, that my charging cycles by themselves might not really help sense learn… but assuming my Bolt is on the list of known EV’s, is there no way to estimate how long before sense will see it?
In general, EV detectors need to see a minimum of 30 charging cycles (charging at least 10 minutes) within 60 days. That’s a sufficient level of data in many cases, but it is absolutely not some global rule that applies to all homes. There’s not really a great way to estimate how long a particular home will take, as there are a multitude of factors at play.
My Bolt’s been through hundreds of charging cycles (charges a couple hours a day) and still hasn’t been detected.
As Ryan noted, this is pretty complicated. In my case, after multiple years, Sense still hasn’t detected many things that other people report found in the first few weeks, all because my home has a complicated overall signature. And, vehicle charging is designed to be efficient and battery friendly, not the bang/bang on/off that Sense prefers to see. Many other modern devices also have variable/sloped signatures, and they give Sense fits too.
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If you are having detection of devices other than your EV then I would feel fairly confident it will be detected at some point.
We’re seeing weird things now with our detected i3 (the Tesla is still not detected, 1.5 years later). We’re seeing 1/2 of its usage showing up, and a huge “other” bubble for the “other side”. This all USED to work… and sometimes the i3 isn’t detected.
Do you know, for the Tesla models, which chargers are supported? I’m using the 20amp / 120v charger. I know there are many options for different draws and I’m wondering what to expect (if ever).
I have had both my Model S (80A/240V) and my Model 3 (48A/240V) detected over time. The S seems to be working reliably today. The Model 3, not so much. The Model 3 was being detected for a while until I had a July firmware update for the car.
Model S in action.
L1 (120V) charging is not supported currently. We’re only detecting L2 charging.
I am disappoint
@RyanAtSense is there any chance that Sense will ever work on detecting L1 chargers? I have a 2017 Ford C-Max Energi PHEV and the battery is just too small for me to justify putting in a L2 charger at my house. I have a TP-Link HS110 smart plug on it, and so I’m actually already currently providing Sense with the data. I seem to have come to the Sense party too late, I keep seeing years-old posts seeking input and engagement on EVs, with dead links to past surveys, it seems the idea is that Sense is only interested to detect the most popular EVs, which, considering the C-Max was by far Ford’s worst selling car, and subsequently discontinued, that there’ll never be any hope for my vehicle and use scenario.
I recently came across this map which may answer your question. It is based on zip code shipments and I suspect multiple units shipped to a single zip code will show as one.
We just released a new blog article that takes a deep-dive into Electric Vehicle detection and some of the challenges we’ve faced since starting this project. Definitely worth taking a look if you’re interested in EV detection and how we’re approaching a solution at Sense.
And the answer Sense gave is “Most customers use 240v chargers that came with their cars so that is what we are focused on”
I am disappointed to, I have two cars that I charge at 120v, a Model 3 and a Mitsubishi i-Miev. Like you said 240v is more that most cars need, but it’s also the only thing I can run thru a TP-Link so I can switch them off and on based on solar generation. Currently I just use a timer but I hope SOMEDAY Sense allows me to pull stats from the website that shows how much generation there is over usage so I can kick demand off and on as clouds roll by. Heck, since Sense already talks to my TP-Link, and knows how much solar is going back to the grid, they could add this as a feature. Create a queue of devices that get turned on when there is extra power in order, turn them off in the reverse order when power diminishes.
Nice article, but Sense does not detect my Teslas, which are both in scope of the top vehicles which you have been focusing on -
2018 Model X
2019 Model S
Tesla charger at 48A
Each car charges a couple of nights a week. Sense installed since April 2019 and the only thing it keeps telling me is that my electrical usage is peaking.
Hi @israndy. We actually have several folks here at Sense with 120V / L1 chargers as well, so we definitely hear you. I may move this conversation over to a new thread so we can gauge how many users in the community would like to see L1 chargers added to our product wishlist.
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