TOU - issues

Product Discussion BLUETTI Elite & EB Series
1

I recently bought one Elite 200V2 and two Elite 100V2 units, primarily because I expected to be able to use these devices for Time Shifting Electricity Usage away from Peak Rate Time Periods (cost = 28.4 Cents per KWh) to Overnight Rate Time period (2.8 Cents per KWh which can be 75 ~ 85% saving depending upon overall efficiency) .

Objective of Time Shifting is to reduce cost of Grid Power Total by reducing or eliminating Grid input during Peak Time rates by shifting Power source to internal battery or external DC input.

@BLUETTI_CARE @BLUETTI

I am disappointed with results, but expect this will be temporary.

The EL200V2 almost does this task perfectly and does actually reduce overall Electricity cost as a result. It is very usable, but could use some improvement.

The EL100V2 units both fail miserably and actually increase overall Electricity cost because they fail to charge the battery for at least a portion of the ‘Not Peak’ time setting in the schedule, and continue charging the battery during the ‘Peak’ time setting in the schedule. The EL100V2 cannot be used to reduce electricity cost by time shifting at this time … I expect it will be changed to act like the EL200V2 soon, and we should wait for those firmware updates before using it for TOU - Time shifting.

It seems to me that all of these issues can either be completely fixed with firmware changes, or at least greatly improved.

Also, I have begun to wonder if using the WiFi connection option is causing some of the problem because it appears to rely upon a ‘Cloud Server’ … which will always be unreliable because of the IP Traffic management imposed by the owners of the physical Network infrastructure (at least in Canada). I was hoping that both the Bluetooth and WiFi connections to the Bluetti devices would use ONLY in building communication systems without relying upon public Internet connections that are subject to control by the Public Internet providers … but this does not seem to be the way Bluetti has implemented the WiFi communications. I would like to see this changed to reduce reliance on any Cloud Server except for maintenance, remote service and remote user/owner control.

Objective of Time Shifting is to reduce cost of Grid Power Total by reducing or eliminating Grid input during Peak Time rates by shifting Power source to internal battery or external DC input. And to maximize use of GRID POWER for battery charging during the lowest Rate Time period.

I do NOT have any Solar Panels … ROI for Solar Panels compares very poorly to Overnight Grid Power rate of 2.8 Cents Per KWh. I use the XT60 connector to connect any of these 3:

  1. 12V LiFePo4 100AH battery, with charger connected through a timer to charge only overnight
  2. 24V LiFePo2 400AH (4P 100AH) with charger connected through a timer to charge only overnight
  3. Bluetti Charger 1 sourced from same 24V / 400AH battery bank to EL200V2

I am not suggesting that using PV input is not essential, just that being able to take advantage of changing TOU rates is also a compelling reason to use a POWER Station.

Specific observations from some FAFO activity:

  1. both EL200V2 and EL100V2 always prioritize PV/DC input regardless of Schedule settings, I would like to be able to adjust this priority in the Customized UPS setting to GRID INPUT during LOW RATE periods and DC Input during HIGH RATE Periods.There is no need to drain the External Battery during LOW RATE time periods and I would like to be able to make this happen without adding another external device (a time controlled switch for the DC Input connection)
  2. EL200V2 reliably disables GRID INPUT during PEAK periods … Excellent, this what I want to see
  3. EL200V2 reliably charges internal battery at set rate during OFF PEAK periods … also Excellent
  4. EL200V2 reliably draws GRID POWER (pass thru) at the same rate as the output load during undefined Time Periods … OK with me, this is like method to support 3 different GRID RATES … which is a good idea IMHO
  5. EL100V2 battery charging times are unreliable
  6. EL100V2 Sometimes during OFF PEAK times … NO GRID POWER draw while output load > 10% of capacity (180W) - until internal battery measured SOC drops to low setting of SOC setting
  7. EL100V2 GRID POWER Draw ~= 10% of output load >10% of capacity (180W ~ 450W) … regardless of TIME SETTING to PEAK or OFF PEAK.
  8. EL100V2 - Sometimes, haven’t figured out pattern yet … GRID POWER DRAW = OUTPUT POWER, regardless of TIME SETTING to PEAK or OFF PEAK or undefined when actual SOC => SOC setting
  9. EL100V2 - Sometimes (frequently) … during OFF PEAK times GRID DRAW = OUTPUT POWER + 600W (standard charge rate) but not always for the entire Time Period.
  10. EL100V2 - Sometimes (not frequently) … during PEAK times GRID DRAW = OUTPUT POWER regardless of actual battery SOC … i.e does not draw from fully charged battery during PEAK Time period.

Result is … EL200V2 does help reduce GRID POWER Total cost, EL100V2 actually increases GRID POWER Total cost.

2

@BPR Hi Bruce,
Could you provide us with the SN and IOT version numbers for your two Elite models? We suspect that there is an error in the server time zone reading, causing the calibration time to be incorrect. Also, can you confirm that EL100 and EL200 are connected to the same network?
We also recommend that you try disconnecting from Wi-Fi and then reconnecting to the app via your phone’s Bluetooth to see if the problem improves.

3

1st EL100 s/n = EL100V22520000890973 IOT v8024.11
2nd EL100 s/n = EL100V22520000178309 IOT v8024.11

I am not certain, but believe that the 2nd EL100 was working correctly (charge / discharge times matched schedule) when first delivered, with an earlier version of Firmware (probably why the two devices exhibited different Schedule related symptoms) It was unable to update the firmware because of the communication failures … it eventually updated later on the first or second day it was plugged in. I did not pay enough attention to the timing issue to know for sure until the second day.

re: wrong time zone … I believe you are correct. charging seems to stop 4 ~ 8 hours before end of the ‘off peak’ setting then start and usually complete during the ‘peak’ times of the schedule.

re: disconnect & reconnect … this is difficult to do with 2nd EL100 because the communication function is often not working for both bluetooth and WiFi. It appears to disconnect every time the SOC display changes and neither communication method works for a few minutes but does usually recover and work again for a few minutes … I have to ‘time’ my connection attempts to match when it is available by making multiple attempts until it finally does connect. I did create a support request for this issue last week but have not heard back yet.

There does not seem to be a difference in function between Bluetooth and WiFi connection … however there does seem to be occasional UI update failures on all 3 of my Bluetti devices when using WiFi … it looks like a ‘lost packets’ issue when communicating with the ‘Cloud Server’

All 3 of the Bluetti devices are on the same LAN, using DHCP within the same class C network.

I use a Samsung Tablet to communicate with the Bluetti devices, my Apple iPhone is too small to use effectively with the Bluetti app (and my fingers are too large to use the GUI on the phone anyway).

However I already have done several 'factory reset’s on both of the EL100 devices … and reset the WiFi connection several times as well … and re-entered the location setting … because I suspected that the internal clock setting was wrong … it does behave as if it is many hours and about 10 minutes offset from local time.

I have not been able to find out how to view or change the internal clock settings, I thought that the location setting would accomplish the purpose of synchronizing the clock to local time … but it doesn’t seem to work as I expected.

4

I’m seeing the same behaviour with my new Elite 100 V2.
(IoT v8024.11 / ARM v2186.12 / DSP v2200.10 / BMS v1083.07)

Drawing power from grid when set to customized UPS.
I have an AC300 with the exact same config and it draws zero watts during peak.

Hopefully it’s a firmware fix.

5

@BPR We have received your detailed feedback and the information you provided. The team is still checking into the matter. Once they have the results, I will let you know.

6

@jamx Could you pls share your EL100V2 SN?

7

Serial: EL100V22521002736311

8

@BPR @jamx
The firmware will be pushed to EL100V2 within 24 hours. Please update and check if the issue has been improved.

9

@BPR Could you please provide the ARM version?

10

OK, updated ARM to v2186.13.

Same behaviour…

Drawing 235W from battery, and still drawing 45W from grid.

11

Received ARM update just before 7AM EDT … updated both EL100V2 devices about 7AM
1st EL100 s/n = EL100V22520000890973 IOT v8024.11
ARM was v2186.12 Update changed it too v2186.13
Switched load from 2nd EL100 to 1st EL100 … now running output = 248Wm GRID INPUT = 26W during PEAK time setting … I was hoping to see GRID INPUT = 0

This is the same behaviour as before the ARM update.

2nd EL100 is no longer working properly with app running on Samsung Tablet. It is now unusable.

Since install this device was dropping communication for both Bluetooth and ‘cloud’ whenever the SOC display on the device changed … i.e. SOC display = 96% with both Comm types working, then SOC drops to 95% and both Comm types no longer available to app for ~=3 minutes then both Comm types work again until SOC drops to 94% and sequence repeats.
2nd EL100 s/n = EL100V22520000178309 IOT v8024.11

after update of ARM (same as 1st EL100) WiFi has not worked at all … Bluetooth has become unreliable, frequently displays ‘timeout’ when attempting to connect, sometimes connects to Bluetooth, but ‘cloud’ connection has been consistently unavailable for 48 minutes now.

I have not been able to reconnect 2nd EL100 for long enough to re-establish load for testing because of the app communication problem which now appears to have worsened.

12

re: 2nd EL100 s/n = EL100V22520000178309 connection issue … got connected again a few minutes ago.

Using app Home > My Devices … unable to connect, but Using Home > Bluetooth did see 2nd EL100 show up in list … about 5 or 6 attempts to connect = timeout, then connected … then was able to ‘reset WiFi’ (actually just re key password) … now seems to be connectable again.

ARM was upgraded to v2186.13 … I just couldn’t see it until now.

13

@BPR @jamx
The new DSP firmware, version DSP220012, has been repushed. Would you mind updating it again and check?

14

Upgraded. That seems to work for me fine now. Thank you.

15

Can’t update either EL100V2 devices.
Selecting Version = ‘You’re up to date’
Selecting Version > System = ‘New Version Available’ … v2200.10 → v2200.12 … but does not seem to be any option to install or upgrade.

Do I just have to wait a while longer?

Also … 2nd EL100 s/n = EL100V22520000178309 connection issue seems to be improving … now connected on 2nd try to connect with Bluetooth, then 1st try with WiFi … not sure why but improvement is welcome.

16

update: I was able to update both of my EL100V2 devices last night about 9PM.
two things I noticed …

  1. this last update did change and did probably fix the unwanted GRID Draw during PEAK times in the schedule, subject to:
  2. the schedule was not deleted during the update, but seems have been ignored … but deleting each schedule entry, then power cycling the EL100V2 and then re keying each schedule entry seems to have fixed it … I still have more testing to do to confirm the problem is gone, I only had time to check the behaviour during one UNDEFINED to PEAK transition but it did work as expected.

Also, I am beginning to think that the Communication Issue I had with one of the EL100V2 devices is not with the device itself, but more likely the Bluetti app running on my Samsung Tablet. Because the previously failing EL100V2 has been working properly for 2 days now … BUT, the same lost communication issue started happening (at the same time the EL100V2 issue disappeared) with my EL200V2 that had been working with no observable issues for 3 weeks … and I suspect it might be related to setting a password for Bluetooth communication … I had set a password for Bluetooth ONLY on the EL200V2 and noticed that soon after I clicked on ‘update’ before connecting to the EL200V2 it did connect without requiring the password, but disconnected a few minutes later and the app menu that shows all of the Bluetti devices showed it as ‘offline’ and would not allow any connection until the EL200V2 was power cycled, and the Samsung tablet running the Bluetti app was also power cycled. When I connected to the EL200V2 after power cycling both of these devices I was required to enter the Bluetooth password and was able to stay connected long enough to disable the Bluetooth password … now the communication problem seems to have disappeared from all of the devices except for the newest EB3A which has had a Bluetooth issue (I think this is a device hardware issue) since it was first installed.

When able to connect to the EL200V2 again I immediately disabled the ‘Bluetooth Password’ and all of my Bluetti devices (except the one EB3A that does appear to have a defective Bluetooth transmitter) have been working again for the past two days.

17

@jamx @BPR
That’s a good news. If you have any further questions with EL100V2, feel free to @ me or @BLUETTI_CARE.

18

update again :frowning:

I have discovered a problem with the Bluetti app running on a Samsung SM-T590 Tablet OS Version T590XXU3CVG5 / T59000XM3UF1 / patch level 2022–June-01. It was causing Communication problems.

Now I suspect but have not yet confirmed that all of the Time Control UPS functions are working as they should, and probably the Customized UPS functions as well (haven’t been able to see much difference yet). Just not quite the way I think these should work. I will continue testing now … I think I was getting strange and inconsistent results as well as outright communication failures for at least 2 of the 10 Bluetti devices I was using it for.

@BLUETTI

question(s) re: TOU behaviour … is there any setting that can can be used to switch charging source priority to Grid Power only instead of continuous DC/PV priority or better yet “disconnect” the DC input for some part of the schedule?

… i.e. Overnight (2300~0700) TOU rate is < 10% of Peak rate (Mon - Fri 1600~2100) I would like to be able to either set the charging priority to Grid Power or disallow DC input during the Overnight Period
*** Solar doesn’t work then anyway ***
I am using an external battery for DC input only to extend the running time provided by the internal battery.
I have to disconnect the external battery about 11PM and then reconnect it at 7AM the next day in order to realize the most benefit from Time Shifting to the lowest TOU Rate … I would like to leave the external battery connected (both EL100V2 and EL200V2) and charge the Internal battery from the Grid without having that external charger output or battery output accepted by the (EL100 and EL200) Power Station input during this time.

19

@BPR
The team is expected to send you another firmware update within 24 hours. Please kindly wait. :handshake:

1 Like
20

I’m having this problem too. I get power draw from the grid when using time control UPS during peak times. When can we expect the fix to be released to the general public?