We are still working on possible business models and pricing options. We are determined to make Charge HQ good value for money, both in terms of the benefits it provides and in comparison to other products that do similar things.
In future we plan to enable Charge HQ users to optionally participate in programs which provide incentives for providing grid support, for example avoiding charging during peak periods or when a power station fails. The value from these programs should reduce or eliminate the costs of Charge HQ to the end user.
There are still some major features to add and other work to complete before coming out of beta, so the product will remain free to use for now.
See here for the list of supported inverters.
Yes - with some limitations.
You can start or stop charging using the Tesla app (or the vehicle's screen) at any time, including when the vehicle is at home. When you do this, Charge HQ will detect external control and will not control the charging again until:
When the vehicle is at home the charging power (amps) is controlled by Charge HQ. If you change the amps using the Tesla app Charge HQ will change them back, unless:
To avoid confusion we recommend using Charge HQ in preference to the Tesla app for controlling the charging.
Charge HQ does not have access to your Tesla username or password. You login directly to tesla.com and Charge HQ obtains a “token” which grants access to the API. Charge HQ stores this token. You can revoke this token at any time by changing your password on tesla.com.
We take security seriously and apply standard best-practices to system security. The tokens are stored in an encrypted format.
Of course, there are still risks. There is a slim possibility that an attacker could obtain the access tokens (although it would be very difficult to do so) and start sending commands to the vehicle, until the token was revoked. All third-party services which use the Tesla API involve this risk.
No, Charge HQ will work with any retailer.
That said, Charge HQ currently has an integration with Amber Electric. If you are an Amber customer then Charge HQ can obtain and react to your current electricity price.
Integrations with other retailers may be added in future.
No, as long as you have a Tesla.
If you have a Tesla then Charge HQ will work regardless of the charger you use, including the UMC charging cable that comes with the car.
If you don’t have a Tesla then you’ll need a supported smart charger to use Charge HQ.
See also our article on what speed home EV charger do I need for thoughts on why you might want a wall charger.
