Teslas now connect to Podero directly. Utilities can trace errors for each manufacturer across the whole chain, from authorisation to trading. The optimiser got better for batteries, heat pumps and EVs, and households can connect more wallboxes on their own.

Teslas now connect to Podero directly

Since 7 October, new Tesla onboardings use Tesla’s own interface instead of Smartcar, for every utility offering Tesla charging. With no middleman, we see more of what the car does and can fix problems ourselves.

Before owners go to Tesla’s consent page, we list the four permissions Tesla asks for (vehicle information, location, commands and charging management) and why we need each.

If the virtual key Tesla requires for charging commands is missing, myPodero asks the owner to add it: one tap on a phone, or a QR code on the web.

Smart charging follows the limit set in the Tesla app and replans when the owner changes it. If the owner picks a target in Podero, the car’s limit follows it for the charge at home and is restored afterwards.

Teslas connected the old way keep working and move over when the owner reconnects, with history and settings intact.

End-to-end error tracing per manufacturer, from auth to trading

When a household says “my battery isn’t being optimised”, the cause could be revoked manufacturer access, missing data, a plan built on an old reading or a refused command. The Console now shows which step broke.

For every heat pump, battery and EV, the Console checks each step in turn: manufacturer and Podero access, manufacturer and Podero monitoring, optimisation, our steering commands, the steering the device actually followed, and trading.

Each failed step gives a plain-language reason instead of a generic error, for example a missing manufacturer permission, a heat pump that needs a paid manufacturer subscription to be fully steered, or a battery that refused a schedule.

The checks run the same way for every manufacturer, so results are comparable across brands. Filtering the Devices and Users lists by device type and manufacturer shows whether an issue affects one household or a whole brand, and whether to contact the household, the manufacturer or us. Heat pumps now have their own Health tab, and the partner API returns each step’s result, a reason code and who the problem is attributed to.

Optimisation improvements for batteries, heat pumps and EVs

Batteries no longer buy expensive power to refill the minimum charge

Every battery has a minimum “comfort” charge to reach by a set time each day. When an unexpected load drained it and solar alone couldn’t refill it, the plan bought grid power, sometimes at the evening peak. The plan now lowers the target to what solar and normal self-use can still reach. Grid charging still happens when prices make it worthwhile.

Heat pumps go back to normal when steering stops

When a household switches off smart optimisation, Bosch, Buderus, IVT, Vaillant and MELCloud Home heat pumps now return to normal mode instead of staying in Podero’s last setting. Vaillant and MELCloud Home pumps keep any settings the owner changed by hand. Bosch, Buderus and IVT pumps are also reset on offboarding, before Podero loses access.

More accurate EV savings, with solar and cheaper hours split in the API

Each EV session now splits its saving into the part from the home’s own solar or battery and the part from charging in cheaper hours, along with the energy from solar, battery and grid. The partner API reports both, so utilities can show households where their saving came from. If grid readings are unusable, the grid figure stays empty rather than estimated.

Two fixes make totals more accurate: unshifted charges now record exactly zero saving, and charges started immediately because of the owner’s deadline no longer count as optimised.

Connect KEBA and any OCPP 1.6 charger without support

Households can now connect KEBA wallboxes themselves during onboarding. The screen lists the six values the KEBA web interface needs, each with a copy button and the connection code pre-filled, and completes once the wallbox connects. Before, every KEBA connection needed our support team.

For unlisted brands, a new “Other (OCPP)” option works with any OCPP 1.6 charger. The household is told the brand is untested and answers two wiring questions: one or three phases, and maximum current (6 to 32 A). We then control charging as for tested brands. If they don’t know the wiring, the charger runs in monitor-only mode and receives no commands, so a car is never held at zero, until our support team adds the wiring.

Also in October

Stronger security for the Console

Console users now sign in with a passkey or a password plus an authenticator code, with recovery codes as backup. Two-factor sign-in is required for most organisations, and changes in another organisation’s Console need a fresh confirmation after ten minutes.

Onboarding funnel analytics

Every Console user now has the full onboarding funnel under Devices → Onboarding. Each step shows how many households moved on, stopped or failed, with daily trends, manufacturers and failure reasons, so it’s easy to see where sign-ups get stuck and which brands cause the most drop-offs.

Frequently asked questions

How to check why a device is marked unhealthy?
Open the device in the Console. Its health view shows which step failed and why, so your support team knows whether to contact the household, the manufacturer or us.

Do problems on the manufacturer’s side count against Podero’s steering?
No. If a manufacturer refuses a command or withdraws access, it’s labelled a manufacturer issue, not a Podero steering failure.

Do Podero users who already have a Tesla connected need to do anything?
No. They keep working and move to the direct connection when the owner reconnects, with history and settings intact.

Why does the Tesla connection ask for the car’s location?
To tell a charge at home from one elsewhere, so smart charging only acts at home. Owners see all four permissions and the reasons before they reach Tesla’s consent page.

A customer has a wallbox brand that is not on the list. Can they still take part?
Yes, if it supports OCPP 1.6, through “Other (OCPP)”. Once they confirm the wiring, we control charging. Otherwise it connects in monitor-only mode, and your support team can ask us to finish the setup later.

Can customers with a KEBA wallbox be onboarded?
Yes. They copy the values shown into the KEBA web interface, and setup finishes once the wallbox connects.

Does every Console user need a passkey?
Every user needs a second factor, a passkey or an authenticator code, once their organisation has two-factor sign-in on, as most already do. Several passkeys can be registered per account.

Podero helps utilities steer EVs, heat pumps and batteries and trade their flexibility on energy markets. Get in touch to see these updates in your own fleet.