OCULAR 7kW Smart Charging Station Owner’s Manual
- June 10, 2024
- OCULAR
Table of Contents
OCULAR 7kW Smart Charging Station
Product Information
IQ SOLAR FAQs
The IQ Solar is an electric vehicle (EV) charger that allows you to efficiently recharge your vehicle’s battery using excess solar energy from your home’s solar system. The charger comes in two versions: a 7kW version for single-phase power supply and a 22kW version for three-phase power supply. The unit is available with a universal socket or with a 5m Type 2 cable. The charger uses CT clamps to measure excess solar being sent to the grid in real- time, ensuring accurate readings at all times. The charger also offers three charging modes: Fast, Solar Assist, and Solar Only, offering flexibility and efficiency.
Product Usage Instructions
- Determine your home’s power supply type: single-phase or three-phase. If unsure, consult with an electrician.
- Select the appropriate IQ Solar version based on your home’s power supply type.
- Select the appropriate charging mode based on your needs:
- Fast Mode: For maximum power charging from a renewable energy source or the grid.
- Solar Assist: For efficient charging using excess solar energy and a minimum of 6 Amps of power.
- Solar Only: For charging using only excess solar energy. Note that this mode requires your home to be constantly exporting excess solar to the grid.
- Use the provided CT clamp(s) or an approved CT from the Ocular team to measure excess solar being sent to the grid in real-time.
- Refer to the Ocular App’s Energy tab to determine when you are exporting electricity (negative value) or consuming electricity from the grid (positive value).
- Connect your EV to the IQ Solar charger and select the appropriate charging mode for your needs.
What’s the difference between the 7kW and 22kW?
The 7kW version is best for a single-phase power supply to your home, whereas the 22kW version works best with three-phase power. If you’re not sure what type of power supply you have in your home, please speak to your electrician. The unit is available with a universal socket or with a 5m Type 2 cable.
When should I choose a Single or Three-phase IQ Solar?
We recommend matching your charger to the Solar systems output. Ie if you have
a single-phase solar system choose a single-phase IQ Solar.
Can the 3-phase Ocular IQ Solar be connected to single-phase only?
Yes, it will act like a standard single-phase charger. Just 1 CT input will be
available to use.
Can we charge a single-phase capable EV with a 3-phase Ocular charger?
Yes, absolutely!
Is the Ocular IQ Solar compatible with all EVs?
Yes, every EV in Australia.
When am I exporting electricity?
On the Ocular App, look at the Energy tab. A negative value indicates you are
exporting to the grid (excess solar), while a positive value indicates you are
consuming electricity from the grid. Remember, the Solar Only Mode requires
your home to be exporting excess solar to the grid. See Solar Only mode below.
Does the Ocular IQ Solar work with any solar system?
Yes. If you have a solar system that is constantly exporting electricity to
the grid, then the Ocular IQ Solar will allow you to use that excess solar
efficiently to recharge your vehicle’s battery. We use a CT to measure the
excess solar being sent to the grid in real time.
Does the Ocular IQ Solar work with any solar system?
Yes. If you have a solar system that is constantly exporting electricity to
the grid, then the Ocular IQ Solar will allow you to use that excess solar
efficiently to recharge your vehicle’s battery. We use a CT to measure the
excess solar being sent to the grid in real time.
How the Ocular 1Q Solar understands your homes electricity usage
- Fast
- Solar Assist
- Solar Only
How many CT clamps are provided?
One CT for single-phase versions and three for three-phase versions. You must
only use the CT clamps provided or an approved CT from the Ocular team. This
is to ensure that the solar and load control readings are accurate at all
times. CTs are supplied in the charger box.
What happens if I have a stationary storage home battery?
For the most part, any excess solar produced by the system will be absorbed by
the battery. The Ocular IQ Solar modes work by using CT clamps to understand
what you are exporting out to the grid. You may find that the home battery is
absorbing most of your excess solar generated first and so what’s going out to
the grid is minimal. Despite this, it’s fine to still install a charger, but
you may find the Solar Assist mode best to draw a small amount from the
grid/battery when no excess solar is being produced. If there is excess solar
available, it can then utilise the available excess solar that the battery is
not taking.
How many CT clamps are provided?
One CT for single-phase versions and three for three-phase versions. You must
only use the CT clamps provided or an approved CT from the Ocular team. This
is to ensure that the solar and load control readings are accurate at all
times. CTs are supplied in the charger box.
What does each charging mode do?
The Ocular IQ Solar is designed to offer flexibility through three (3)
charging modes: Fast, Solar Assist or Solar Only. For solar charging our
preferred mode is Solar Assist as it always ensures a baseline load + excess
solar.
Fast Mode
In this mode, the vehicle will be charged at maximum power. This power can come from a renewable energy source or the grid. If you have set a current limit on the schedule or by the electrician during installation that will determine maximum power.
Solar Assist
This mode will charge your EV at a minimum of 6 Amps plus any excess solar
produced. If solar production is low, power will be drawn from the grid. This
is the preferred solar mode, particularly on cloudy days or when you have a
smaller solar system. This will ensure a continuous charge plus any excess
solar that your home generates.
Solar Only
This mode charges your EV only when excess solar is produced. Please note a
minimum excess of 7 Amps is required to use this mode to prevent excessive
starting and stopping of the charging session which is not recommended. If the
solar production drops below 6 Amps the charging will pause and then restart
after 2-3 minutes of continuous excess solar above 7 Amps. We recommend this
mode when you have a clear excess of solar power produced. Use Solar Assist
when your production is low or intermittent. A very minimal amount of power
may be taken from the grid for a short period of time if solar production
drops suddenly. The charging will cease until such time that a clear excess is
once again available. Our experience shows that large variable loads like air
conditioning can absorb most of the solar generation. Use the Energy tab on
the Ocular App to understand the excess available and choose the Solar Assist
mode if excess generation is consistently below 7 Amps.
Note that smaller solar systems or cloudy days may result in only a small
amount of electricity going into the vehicle or none at all. Use Solar Assist
when your production is low or intermittent.
For 3-phase you need excess in each phase to enable this mode to ensure a
balanced electricity supply to the unit. The lowest export value will
determine the maximum speed. For single-phase only one (1) value will be shown
on this screen.
When Should I choose Fast, Solar Assist or Solar Only
The key here is to know how much your solar is producing and when you need
your car to be fully charged. The charger prioritises the home’s use of excess
solar first. Eg. the oven, TV, kettle and air conditioner. A negative value
indicates you are exporting to the grid (excess solar) while a positive value
indicates you are consuming electricity from the grid. Remember the Solar Only
mode requires your home to be exporting excess solar to the grid.
Fast Mode
Switch to Fast Mode on the Energy tab of the App to charge at the fastest
rate. In this mode, the vehicle will be charged at maximum power. This power
can come from a renewable energy source or the grid. This mode charges your
battery quickly when you don’t have time to wait or in the evening when you
have no excess solar.
Solar Assist
This is the ideal mode for solar users. Solar Assist mode balances usage of excess solar but avoids the potential of starting and stopping during a charging session due to fluctuations in your energy generation. As shown in the examples, the threephase charger has only two (2) phases exporting 10 Amps while one (1) phase is only exporting 1 Amp. In Solar Assist, this will still allow for a charge allowing you to charge at 6 Amps per phase. In Solar Only, all three (3) phases would need to export more than 7 Amps to work (displayed -7 on the App).
Solar Only
The ideal mode if you have a large solar system that produces a clear excess,
in order to efficiently use your energy that has been generated, minimising
the use of grid energy. The example below shows a clear -21.9 Amps excess
solar which is ideal. Avoid this mode when you have high variability in solar
export such as a very cloudy day, small excess solar (consistently around 0 to
-8 Amps
Don’t use the Solar Only mode when solar export is low as shown below. Charging will be paused or possibly start and stop continuously due to low export. Solar Assist or Fast Mode recommended to have a stable charge.
Can I use my own installer?
If you wish to use your own installer, they must be a fully qualified
electrician. Ocular cannot be held responsible for any issues or failures of
any products caused by the installation process or from a result of an
incorrect setup and configuration. We highly recommend you engage one of our
trained and authorised installers to ensure the unit is connected correctly
the first time. All installers must be trained and certified by Ocular prior
to installation or the warranty will be void.
What is load management?
The Ocular IQ Solar CT Clamps can perform both solar and load management. If
set up by the electrician, it can indicate the home’s electricity supply
capacity. The Ocular IQ Solar will then balance the charging speed based on
the real-time load in the house to prevent the home’s electricity from
overloading.
Do I need solar to use the Ocular IQ Solar?
No, the hardware unit can be operated as a smart EV charger that can still
schedule, record and monitor all your charging sessions. Solar modes or CTs
can be connected in the future for an added cost.
What happens if my charger goes offline or losses internet?
If the unit goes offline the charger will actively try to re-connect. However,
in cases where there is poor WIFI or a password change, this will mean the
charger appears offline on the App. If you have “plug and charge” set on the
App, the system will still work but in a basic mode in the last available
configuration. If you change your internet password you will need to refer to
the installation guide to reset it.
How do I get internet to the charger?
There are 2 methods.
- Ethernet CAT 6 cable to your internet modem.
- WI-FI to the charger – Please note a minimum of 4 bands is required to have a strong and stable connection. Installer will need to enter the WIFI name and password into the charger backend.
Where do I download the Ocular App?
The Ocular App is required to use the charger. Click on the Apple or Google
App store to download the Ocular App or search via your relevant app store
.
Can you schedule a charging session?
Yes, you can schedule multiple sessions per day and also adjust your charging
speed. Take advantage of solar daytime charging or schedule to charge off-
peak. You must be plugged in before the start time for the schedule to work.
Otherwise, you need to press start on the App.
Do I have to be plugged into the charger before a scheduled App charging
session?
Yes, you must be plugged in before the start of the App scheduled session to
have the schedule function work. Eg. if you set a schedule from 6 pm to 7 pm
you must be plugged in before 6 pm for the scheduling to start. If you plug in
after 6 pm then you need to press the start button on the App to start a
charging session. This will override the schedule for the individual charging
session for the day.
Is the Ocular IQ Solar OCPP compatible?
Yes, the Ocular IQ Solar is OCPP compatible. Please note, if an OCPP software
platform is enabled on the charger, the Ocular App and some of the local
functions of the unit will not be available.
Does the unit connect directly to a home battery?
The unit does not connect directly to the battery. It uses CTs to monitor the
excess solar being exported to the grid at the home’s switchboard. We do not
connect directly to any battery system.
Will the Ocular IQ Solar work with off-grid solar systems?
No. We require a grid connection to ensure reliable charging. A very minimal
amount of electricity may be taken from the grid for a short period of time if
solar production drops suddenly.
What is the refresh rate for the energy tab?
The energy tab will be refreshed every 30 seconds via the cloud servers which
are hosted in Australia.
How far can the charger be from my electricity supply?
The unit must be installed within 15 metres of your home’s electricity box
which is exporting electricity. The CT clamps are configured for accuracy and
a distance greater than 20m can affect the accuracy of the readings.
How do I connect my charger to the internet?
For connecting these chargers to the internet we recommend a hardwired
connection or a full wifi connection. If either of these is unable to be
implemented then we recommended a TP link wifi extender. It is the homeowner’s
responsibility to supply a reliable internet connection.
For any other questions please contact the Ocular Team
sales@ocularcharging.com.au 1300 912 650