zappi is an AC charger for electric vehicles, designed to meet the requirements of the International Standard IEC 61851-1 "Electric vehicle conductive charging system - Part 1: General requirements"
This standard states that EV charging current can vary between 6A and 32A (subject to any limitations on the supply). As power is related to current, this means that the power supplied to the EV when it is charging will be in the following range (based on a nominal supply voltage of 230V, line-neutral)
| Charge Mode | Minimum Charge Power | Maximum Charge Power |
| Single Phase | ~1.4kW | ~7.3kW |
| Three Phase | ~4.2kW | ~22kW |
These restrictions have an impact on the three phase zappi in ECO/ECO+ mode:
- If zappi is in single phase mode, then the charge rate will not go above ~7.3kW even if there is more surplus power available from local renewable generation
- If zappi is in three phase mode, then the charge will stop if the available surplus generation drops below ~4.2kW (depending on the setting of the "Minimum Green Level")
We are working on a new firmware that will allow zappi to dynamically switch between single phase and three phase charging as the available surplus varies but, for the time being, it's necessary to select whether zappi will use one phase, or all three phases, when in ECO/ECO+.
This setting is found on the Charge Settings menu,
Note: When a three phase zappi is in FAST mode or Boosting, all three phases will be used provided the EV supports three phase charging.
Comments
5 comments
I have a 3 phase grid supply and 3 phase Zappi in Germany. However my Nissan Leaf only charges on a single phase unfortunately. I plan to install a 5 kW solar array with a 3 phase inverter. What is the best setup in order to harness the generated energy from all 3 phases?
Any word on when a firmware release is coming so that it dynamically switches between single and three phase when on eco plus modes
[Ed; This is being actively worked on and we aim to have new firmware in beta test within the next 6 weeks]
I am very interested in this new feature. Will the zappi be able to detect if the connected vehicle can charge on 3phases? (as I have two vehicles it's not really practical to have to systematically change the settings on the zappi. If it was possible to change the 1ph vs 3ph mode from the app it would be a good improvement)
[Ed: Yes - the plan is for zappi to auto detect if the EV can charge with all three phases or just 1 (or even with 2 phases in the case of some vehicles!). Changes to the app are being considered but have not been finalised yet]
Great news this is not far off.
I am happy to help with the Beta test program if you need.
I would be very happy to have this feature, because I have a 12kWp PV. I normally have the Zappi set to Eco+ 1 phase, but the maximum is just 4kW not as written 7.3kW. How can that be?
If there is a lot sun I switch manually to 3 phase to get the maximum out of it
[Ed: I suspect your car is only able to charge at 3.6kW on just one phase. This is one of the problems we have to solve with the auto phase switching - how to decide if the car is limited to 3.6kW on one phase...]
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