Frustrated with clunky manufacturer apps? EVCC is the fully local solution for intelligent EV charging – with PV surplus charging and dynamic electricity prices. I'll show you how I saved over €2,500!
The Problem: Wallbox Apps That Drive You Crazy
You have an EV and a wallbox, but you’re frustrated with clunky manufacturer apps and terrible smart home integration? The app is slow, confusing, and sends all your data to the cloud?
There’s a better way! With EVCC, you get a fully local solution for intelligent control of your EV charging – no cloud, no dependency, maximum control.
In the new video, I’ll show you my complete setup and how I saved over €2,500 with it!
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What Is EVCC?
EVCC stands for “Electric Vehicle Charge Controller” and is an open-source software for intelligent wallbox control. What makes it special:
✅ Completely local – no cloud connection required
✅ Open source – transparent code, active community
✅ Manufacturer-independent – works with almost any wallbox
✅ Professional UI – more polished than any manufacturer app
✅ Smart Home integration – works perfectly with Home Assistant & more
With or Without a PV System
The brilliant part: EVCC works with AND without a PV system!
With PV: Intelligent surplus charging – make the most of your solar energy
Without PV: Charge on a schedule or with dynamic electricity prices
In the video, I’ll show you both scenarios!
My Setup in Detail
In my setup, I use:
PV system on the roof (optional!)
Home battery storage in the basement (optional!)
Wallbox in the garage (required)
EV (hopefully you have one 😊)
Raspberry Pi 4 running EVCC as a Docker container
My wallbox is connected to the Raspberry Pi via a Modbus cable (20 meters through the basement!). But don’t worry: depending on the wallbox model, this can also work over Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
The best part: You don’t need my complete setup! A single wallbox is enough to get started.
In the video, I’ll show you my complete installation including the wiring!
The EVCC Dashboard: A Dream!
Does this brilliant user interface look like a “hacky” open-source tool to you? I was completely blown away when I first launched it!
What You See at a Glance:
Top: Energy flows
Where is the power coming from? (PV, battery, grid)
Where is it going? (house, car, battery, grid)
Live updates every 10 seconds
Middle: Charging modes
PV: Surplus charging – solar power only
Min+PV: Minimum load + solar
Fast: Full power – regardless of source
Bottom: Details
Current charging power
Battery state of charge
Estimated charging time
Cost overview
Make sure to watch the video to see the display change in real time!
Live Demo: How Surplus Charging Works
In the video, I’ll walk you through three live scenarios:
Scenario 1: No Sun, No Car
PV system produces little (November fog)
Home battery covers household consumption
No charging possible
Scenario 2: Lots of Sun, No Car
PV system produces a decent amount
Home battery is full
Surplus is exported to the grid (wasted)
Scenario 3: Sun + Car Plugged In 🎉
PV system is producing
Household consumption is covered
Surplus flows into the car!
EVCC adjusts automatically every 10 seconds
The dynamic adjustment is impressive – check it out in the video!
Dynamic Electricity Prices: Saving Money on Autopilot
For me, this is the killer feature: EVCC supports dynamic electricity prices!
How It Works:
Create a charging plan
When do you need the car? (departure time)
How full should it be? (target state of charge)
EVCC automatically calculates
When is electricity cheapest?
How long does charging take?
What will it likely cost?
Car charges automatically at the best time
No manual intervention needed
Maximum savings
Ready on time for departure
In the video, I’ll show you the charging plan in action!
My Experience With Tibber
I’ve been using Tibber for two years – essentially the pioneer of dynamic electricity tariffs in Germany.
What Makes Tibber Special?
✅ Price changes every 15 minutes
✅ No smart meter required – works with a standard meter
✅ Perfect EVCC integration
✅ Transparent pricing
Making Use of Price Dynamics
In the video, I’ll show you the Tibber app:
You can see the price curve for the next 24 hours. The dynamics are impressive:
🟢 Cheap times: Often at night, when there’s a lot of wind/solar on the grid
🔴 Expensive times: Usually in the evening during peak grid load
EVCC automatically charges during the green phases!
The Result: €2,500 Saved!
EVCC logs all charging sessions and calculates your savings. In my case, it’s now over €2,500 euros!
If I’ve sparked your interest: Use my Tibber link in the description. We both get €50 for the Tibber Store. You support the channel and save money yourself – win-win!
Do you already have a dynamic electricity tariff? Tibber is one of the first providers to offer such a tariff in Germany. I’ve been a customer since October 2022, and it’s been a thoroughly positive experience. Tibber offers a clearly structured, modern app where you always have full oversight of your electricity tariff and costs. Pricing is very transparent: Tibber only charges what electricity actually costs on the exchange at any given moment (plus standard grid fees, etc.), plus a service fee of just €3.99 per month.
If Tibber sounds like an option for you, I’d be glad if you sign up via my referral link. That gets both you and me €100 for the Tibber Store, where you can buy various IoT hardware for your smart home. If you’re already a Tibber customer and haven’t used a referral link, you can still do so within 14 days — use code vkccaupl.
Have questions or still unsure? Don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m happy to help you figure out whether Tibber is the right choice for you. And if it turns out it isn’t — you can cancel Tibber month by month at any time!
Thank you for your support! It makes it possible for me to keep creating videos for you.
― Joachim
Installation: Easier Than You Think
EVCC runs as a Docker container on a Raspberry Pi 4 at my place. The installation is surprisingly straightforward:
Option 1: Docker (My Choice)
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# Download and start the containerdocker run -d \
--name evcc \
-p 7070:7070 \
-v $(pwd)/evcc.yaml:/etc/evcc.yaml \
evcc/evcc:latest
Advantages:
✅ Quick to set up
✅ Other services can run in parallel
✅ Easy updates
Option 2: Home Assistant Add-on
If you’re using Home Assistant OS, there’s an official add-on!
