Learn all the Smart Pioneer EV charger specifications with this detailed homeowners EV charger guide.
Smart charging is the intelligent charging of EVs, where charging can be shifted in accordance with your needs and at the cheaper periods if you have the right tariff. The future of smart charging will include the utility company providing you monetary and/or non-monetary benefits in exchange for enrolment in a program that permits controlled charging at the times when curtailment capacity is needed for the grid.
Your charger can deliver up to 7.4kW, which is equivalent to adding around 25-30 miles of range per hour for most EVs. When smart charging, your INDRA Smart Pioneer will aim to have your car charged by the ready time you set. You can also charge at full power at any time by using the 'Boost' button, via the ev.energy app or on the device.
You tell us when you want your car charged. Then ev.energy app will use this info, along with data about your battery’s capacity, and other data such as grid carbon intensity, to choose the smartest times to charge.
Unlike some other chargers, which only have one power setting, your INDRA Smart Pioneer charger may charge at varying rates. All you need to do is to tell us when you want your car ready by. Then your INDRA Smart Pioneer will use this info, along with data about your battery’s capacity, and other data such as grid carbon intensity, to choose the smartest times to charge to meet that time. This may mean that your charge does not start as soon as you plug in. If you need an immediate charge, simply press the Boost button in the app or on the charger itself.
You can use the tariff feature to set a start time. Select a tariff type with two or more periods and select start time for each period. Give each period a unit rate. The period with the lowest unit rate will be designated as your off-peak period and we will use that to determine when to start charging your car.
There are 2 separate LED indicators on the device. The Primary LED indicates the charger health, and the 4 panel LEDs indicate current mode.
All LEDs are off
• The charger is not receiving power; it may be disconnected from the mains.
Primary LED lit, white
• It is working normally.
Primary LED lit, blue
• The charger is in Boost mode (activated in your ev.energy app or by pressing the Boost button on the charger)
Primary LED lit, yellow
• The charger is in Solar Matching mode, (activated in your App on the Schedule page), and has seen enough solar export to start charging.
Primary LED flashing, white
• The charger is booting up.
Primary LED flashing, blue
• The charger is processing a software update.
Primary LED flashing, purple
• The charger cannot communicate with the ev.energy app; there may be a network problem. The repeating flashing pattern gives an indication of the fault:
1 flash, repeating
• Connected to the internet but unable to connect to ev.energy app. Contact customer support.
2 flashes, repeating
• There is a problem with the connection to your router. Check all cables are plugged in and that other devices in the home are connected to the internet, or try restarting the router.
3 or more flashes, repeating
• There is likely a problem withy our router. Check that other devices in the home are connected to the internet, and try restarting the router.
Primary LED flashing, red
• The charger has a temporary fault; it should be resolved soon.
• Try resetting the charger by turning it off and on at the fuse box / rotary switch, and contact support if this does not resolve the problem.
Primary LED lit, red
• A serious fault has occurred on the charger; contact support.
4 panel LEDs are off
• The vehicle is not connected to the charger.4 panel LEDs are on
• The charger knows the car is connected, but is currently in ‘idle’ mode (due to restrictions from the car’s software, the car may sometimes charge at 1.4kW in ‘idle’ mode)
4 panel LEDs are racing downwards
• The charger is actively charging the vehicle.
There is a Boost button on your charger and in the app, that allows you to override your charging schedule and deliver maximum charging power, so your car is ready ASAP. Just remember that when you override your smart charging schedule, you may be giving less support to renewables on the grid.
We consider a number of factors to decide the best time to charge your car, including: when you next need it, your energy tariff (if you've provided one), the price of the energy, the grid's carbon emissions, any surplus that might come from solar panels and so on.
Multi-rate tariff mode allows you to input your tariff details, so that your car will only start charging once you are on an off-peak rate. You still need to set a ready time to tell us when you want your car to be charged. Note that Solar Matching mode will take priority over multi-rate tariff mode, so may cause your car to charge outside your off-peak rate.