A charging plan that fits your day
Set the charge you need and when you need it. Then consider the sunshine, prices and practical limits between now and departure.
Reviewed
Begin with your next departure
A useful charging goal answers two questions: how much charge would you like, and when do you need the car? A regular commute may suit a recurring goal. An early start for a longer journey may need a one-off target instead.
Choose a target that fits your trip and your vehicle manufacturer’s guidance. Your goal describes what you would like to achieve. It does not create extra charging time, increase the charger’s power or connect a car that is unplugged.
Choose the priority for this charge
VPPiQ Home’s Fastest profile prioritises getting the required charge in sooner. Solar Preferred looks for opportunities to use forecast solar. Lowest Cost prioritises eligible lower-cost charging opportunities within the available time and constraints.
Solar Preferred is best effort. It depends on forecast surplus, your home’s needs and the car being connected when that energy is available. A cheaper or sunnier window that happens after your departure cannot help meet an earlier goal. The selected profile must work inside the time and equipment limits.
Check whether the time is enough
Consider an illustrative car with a usable battery capacity of 60 kWh. Moving from 40% to 70% requires about 18 kWh of additional stored energy. With only two hours available and charging power capped at 7 kW, at most 14 kWh can arrive from the charger before losses. The target cannot be reached in that time.
That simple example assumes steady maximum power. Actual charging can deliver less because of losses, vehicle behaviour, household limits or interruptions. Plugging in earlier, choosing a later departure where practical, or revising the target can make the goal more achievable.
A target needs enough time.
At least 4 kWh short, before losses. 7 kW × 2 hours = 14 kWh. Actual energy reaching the battery can be lower.
Remember the rest of the home
The car shares the household energy system with heating, cooling, cooking and other loads. A home battery may also be charging or supplying energy. Solar generation by itself does not tell you how much energy is left for the car.
Coordinated planning considers household demand, expected solar, applicable prices and battery preferences. Available power and permitted controls still depend on connected equipment. A forecast charging window should not be read as evidence that the car actually received that energy.
Update the goal when the day changes
If you arrive late or bring a journey forward, update the goal and connect the car when charging is needed. A plan based on an earlier connection time may no longer be feasible. Connectivity or provider issues can also affect execution.
Manual changes are useful when your priorities change. Review whether Smart Charging is active, overridden or stopped before expecting it to manage the next session. Returning to automation should be a deliberate choice using the supported controls in the app.
Review the result before an important trip
Check the vehicle’s actual charge and charging status. Compare what was planned with what happened, especially during your first sessions or after changing equipment or settings. An accepted command is not the same as a completed charge.
The purpose is a routine that fits your life: a clear goal, a suitable charging preference and enough available time. Good planning makes the trade-offs easier to understand, including when the target needs to change.
Sources and further reading
Public guidance and the relevant VPPiQ feature explanations.
