Can't Get Me Head Around Profiles & Timers - Please Help!

[badboy1980]

Hi All,

I collected my GTS last weekend and am loving the car. I believe I have got to grips with the majority of the PCM functions, menus etc.

However, I am struggling to understand why under the profile when setting the minimum charge at 85% (I know this is the maximum) and "preferred charging period", it then decides to exceed the 85%. Whilst charging on "optimised charging" it stops at 85% but this function does not allow me to control the hours of charging.

If someone could please explain, thanks in advance.

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[j.w.s]

Well it is very simple... OK it isn't. As someone in the software industry, I have to conclude that Porsche just did a bad job designing schedules and timers.

The best reference here on the forum is: https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/threads/profiles-and-timers.4948/

Short version: The function of the "minimum charge" setting changes when you switch between "optimized charging" and "preferred charging time", and that's just wrong.

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

Well it is very simple... OK it isn't. As someone in the software industry, I have to conclude that Porsche just did a bad job designing schedules and timers.

The best reference here on the forum is: https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/threads/profiles-and-timers.4948/

That's a very long post to say "profile is minimum, timer is goal/maximum". No timer means implicit maximum. (As an aside, I, too, am in the same industry, and I found their modeling rather elegant if not user-friendly. I look at profiles as "what to do on arrival/when I plug in", whereas timers are "what I expect when I leave".)

 

[j.w.s]

That's the problem in my view - inconsistency. If you set a profile with a "Minimum charge" = 85% and no Timer, then:

a) If you picked "optimized charging" in the profile, then the car will charge up to 85% and then stop.
b) If you chose "preferred charging period" in the profile, then the car will charge up to 85% when you plug in, then wait for the preferred charging period you set and then keep going to 100%.

So "Minimum charge" is either the minimum charge level, or the maximum charge level, depending on which other setting you pick. Unless you set a timer, which changes it all again. Ugh. I can think of a few alternative conceptual models that would be equally powerful and also easier to understand.

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

Ugh. I can think of a few alternative conceptual models that would be equally powerful and also easier to understand.

I get that it takes a bit to fully grok it - perhaps more than the casual user is willing to invest. However, the profile isn’t just minimum or timing, it’s also location based. More, they’re additive. Configured correctly, I find them (profile + timers) to be a very powerful (in the expressive sense) combination.

It might have been possible to model this with more intuitive primitives, but I suspect they were worried about introducing too many concepts/settings, or leaving too much to the user to figure out. As an example, the rate of charge as a function of SoC -it’s much easier to say “be ready at this time” (a countdown timer) vs “charge for this long” (a true primitive).

Besides, if I have no timer/max and I leave the car plugged in, what would I expect to happen with, say, a phone? It’s pretty clearly spelled out that the profile target is a minimum/a goal that is sought immediately. After that - well, it’s plugged in.

 

[badboy1980]

Hi All,

I collected my GTS last weekend and am loving the car. I believe I have got to grips with the majority of the PCM functions, menus etc.

However, I am struggling to understand why under the profile when setting the minimum charge at 85% (I know this is the maximum) and "preferred charging period", it then decides to exceed the 85%. Whilst charging on "optimised charging" it stops at 85% but this function does not allow me to control the hours of charging.

If someone could please explain, thanks in advance.

This was really helpful and made me understand how the system works.

I must admit, coming from using a Tesla over the past 4 years the Porsche way of doing it is very confusing. It kind of makes sense once you understand it, but it’s the process to understand takes a bit of time.
I’m enjoying the car and enjoy the “drive and experience” more than my Model S P100D.
Thanks all for the comments and feedback.

 

[Jhenson29]

The profile min is never a max.
It’s always a min.

Imagine you have a bank account with a $10k min.
If it gets below $10k, what do you do?
Immediately add money to get it back to $10k.
Can you add more?
Sure. It’s a minimum. Not a maximum.
Do you have to?
Not necessarily. That depends on other circumstances.

The profile min is the same. It’s always the minimum to charge to immediately. It’s saying “don’t be below this value!” The charging just stops there if there are no further instructions. But it’s never a max, because there are other settings that allow you to charge higher.

The “min” does not behave differently based on different settings any more than a $10k min would be something other than what it is based on other circumstances. But the car may charge higher based on other setting.

 

[W1NGE]

Hi All,

I collected my GTS last weekend and am loving the car. I believe I have got to grips with the majority of the PCM functions, menus etc.

However, I am struggling to understand why under the profile when setting the minimum charge at 85% (I know this is the maximum) and "preferred charging period", it then decides to exceed the 85%. Whilst charging on "optimised charging" it stops at 85% but this function does not allow me to control the hours of charging.

If someone could please explain, thanks in advance.

It's a doddle - you need both a Timer and a Profile - a lot of conflicting advice around unfortunately.

Do not use optimsed charging unless you have a Home Energy Manager and another source of power e.g. solar.

Hopefully these screenshots help - work perfectly for me over 2.5 yrs.

Which EVSE are you using - Porsche Mobile Charger Plus, Porsche Mobile Charger Connect, other? If other make sure you aren't running any timer control or feature as that will add to your woes.

Daily timer (only active when connected to your EVSE), 85% charge, ready by 07:00, charge between 00:00 and 07:00, no preheat (typically), minimum charge 25% (for emergencies).

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