[jg.]

What about the connect app ,do you think we can have access to the API?

I've lived in the server-side and web client world for decades (also many years in the desktop world, before that kind of evaporated) so not super-familiar with what the on-device security model looks like, but I would assume it's a pretty tight sandbox that would only give you access to various operating system functions and off-device API's. Having said that, there are all sorts of examples of apps stealing personal data from both the os and other apps, so I'm sure it's possible to cross-pollinate data among apps, but it would likely need to be permission-based (require authentication). I can't imagine a company (Toyota) that won't provide details about their car, would provide any information about their app or how to access it programmatically.

But, you never know what you can achieve until you try.

 

[RossGGG]

What about the connect app ,do you think we can have access to the API?

If you have iOS, and get the scriptable app, I wrote a script I can share that can accomplish this. I mainly wrote it to fill the gap left by the broken Siri Shortcut functionality on the Solterra Connect app, but didn't want to share it until I had time to make it provide a functional widget as well.

 

[jmwk]

If you have iOS, and get the scriptable app, I wrote a script I can share that can accomplish this. I mainly wrote it to fill the gap left by the broken Siri Shortcut functionality on the Solterra Connect app, but didn't want to share it until I had time to make it provide a functional widget as well.

What does it collect? I track my fast charges manually and would love to automate!

 

[RossGGG]

What does it collect? I track my fast charges manually and would love to automate!

The script doesn't collect or catalog anything, it just gives you basic access to the the api used by the solterra connect app. I've just set it up so that I can ask siri to do things like start/lock/unlock the car, and check the SOC or car status for me. You can get a JSON dictionary with some basic charging info like what kind of connector is plugged in, what is the SOC, and so forth but I didn't check to see if it actually lists the amount of current coming in. It could definitely be modified to keep records and plot things, but I'd recommend the OBD approach for that since the api requests go through the cloud and are not fast enough for live plotting anything.

 

[Joe Somontan]

So the OBD connector and software(Car Scanner) saves the logs locally on my phone. Not sure what the format is but I can view it with the app. I’m pretty certain the data can be exported but never tried. Hopefully it’s a csv file or something. I think this tool is opensource.

 

[Marek Barinka]

I’ve also been thinking there’s a market for something like Fuelly for EVs. With all the data that needs to be collected it seems like an app would have to be able to leverage one of those OBD interfaces to gather the data and allow automatic updating of the consolidated data either manually or when charging is detected.

I think possibility for "power users" with OBD would be nice. If you have OBD, it will gather the data automatically during charging. Starting with more frequent reads and slow down with higher SOC? Probably need more frequent readings to not miss some peaks at the start, but near the end it will probably be slope (at least from I saw here)

 

[Marek Barinka]

So the OBD connector and software(Car Scanner) saves the logs locally on my phone. Not sure what the format is but I can view it with the app. I’m pretty certain the data can be exported but never tried. Hopefully it’s a csv file or something. I think this tool is opensource.

If it is open source it should be pretty easy to write own parser for the data, unless it is really messy, then it is little harder
So probably no need to search for data export, just upload existing files.

 

[JayEM]

Have you gotten the EEA23 software update? I think that issue has been fixed or at least improved upon!

Pretty sure there was no change there. I made a round trip from Springfield IL to Ann Arbor MI the week after getting the software updates and noticed the exact same thing once I got to 200% SOC added within a rolling 24-hour period.

 

[Bob Borella]

Count me in if my data would be helpful. Obvious newbie here, but have been following these threads for months. Yesterday was our first DCFC experience, at an Electrify America station in West Lebanon, NH. Battery was warm (I hope, we had been driving for over an hour), it was sunny and 40. Charger was 350 KW, 48% SOC, excited to see what speed we would get! Excitement was extinguished immediately. 17-19kW for 15 minutes, disconnected, moved to another charger, then 22-24kW. At 68% SOC, the charger laughed and ended the session.

Next to me was a Lightning, charging at 124 kW. On the other side was some hybrid speeding along at 71 kW. I made sure I blocked my charger from view so no one could see the screen...

I'll be glad to purchase an OBD and download the app if my numbers are needed. I'm hoping my speed would have been better at a lower SOC, but we had to get home, so...

 

[Joe Somontan]

Hey guys, I've got a somewhat similar thread started that may be of interest. Don't want to necessarily hijack this thread but I've got data collecting happening on my end and also data being collected by Subaru and things are getting escalated with Toyota.

https://www.solterraforum.com/threads/dc-charging-advertised-in-subaru-solterra-brochure-100kw-dc-charge-rate.1748/#post-20020

 

[Mike’s Solterra]

It’s easy to try and extrapolate charging performance by using an example of a DC charging rate achieved at some point in time, but the charging rate is highly variable and will always be the very least amount to get you to 80% in about an hour (if everything is working “properly“ by Toyota standards). To try and get some resolution, you’ll have to document the temperature, starting battery percent, the charging rate you are complaining about (to Subaru), and the time it takes to get to 80% so there is some evidence to give them.

This would apply if only a few owners complain. But if this story mounts to thousands of owners that become aware of this situation (both Subaru owners and non-subaru owners alike) , it should affect sales negatively, and much more importantly, manufacturer reputation. A negative perception can take months, even years to recuperate from and nothing could be worse than to risk losing that Subaru buyer loyalty momentum.

The best strategy is ALWAYS to acknowledge the situation publicly, and work like mad to find a fix, or solution.

 

[jg.]

This would apply if only a few owners complain. But if this story mounts to thousands of owners that become aware of this situation (both Subaru owners and non-subaru owners alike) , it should affect sales negatively, and much more importantly, manufacturer reputation. A negative perception can take months, even years to recuperate from and nothing could be worse than to risk losing that Subaru buyer loyalty momentum.

The best strategy is ALWAYS to acknowledge the situation publicly, and work like mad to find a fix, or solution.

That’s a strategy from a company perspective (and there are many threads with similar conversations), but the comment I made was about actions specifically from a customer perspective.

Toyota is very sensitive to negative press, which is why, in my opinion, they don’t release any information about the technical details surrounding the EV and charging systems. It’s also why Bjorn received so much attention directly from them and led to the recent software update.

 

[RynNM]

Charged yesterday at a 62.5kW Chargepoint charger. 48ºF, starting 9% SOC. 33 min charging, from 9% to 30% SOC. Charging never went higher than 27.9kW. Is this is what I will always need to expect, never above the 27kW charging level?

 

[FelineFreddie]

The highest Level-3 numbers I’ve seen for the Solterra peak in the low 80kWh’s, but I can’t recall if that was the CATL battery pack or the Panasonic version.

Bottom line, IMO… In “best case” scenarios, where everything is optimized (O/S and battery temperature, EVSE operation, etc., you probably won’t see anything above the low-mid 70 kWh level, and even then, it will start dropping precipitously to lower numbers after a few minutes.

Of course, YMMV…

 

[BillLin]

Charged yesterday at a 62.5kW Chargepoint charger.

You had me excited for a moment there.. Yes, I need to get out more. 😁 (I read that too quickly)

 

[jmwk]

The highest Level-3 numbers I’ve seen for the Solterra peak in the low 80kWh’s, but I can’t recall if that was the CATL battery pack or the Panasonic version.

Bottom line, IMO… In “best case” scenarios, where everything is optimized (O/S and battery temperature, EVSE operation, etc., you probably won’t see anything above the low-mid 70 kWh level, and even then, it will start dropping precipitously to lower numbers after a few minutes.

Of course, YMMV…

I've seen 80 kW once - 75F outside, 16%SoC on an EA 150kW charger. Definitely an outlier for me.

 

[Joe Somontan]

It be great if I truly knew what the usable battery capacity is for these cars are. Referring to the CATL battery and not the Panasonic. If I did, imagine what 20% to 80% SOC would look like if we reached 100kWh constantly. Well, you can with this calculator, but mind you... This most likely doesn't calculate a charging curve that the manufacturer wants to implement.
30 minute charging time would be great! Check out the calculation: Electric Vehicle Charging Time Calculator

 

[FelineFreddie]

I’m not gonna waste my time/energy pining for something that I know will never happen… If I did, it would be hoping to win a big $1 billion lotto payout. The effort is the same, but the results are so much better…if I win…

 

[Nange]

I have a Solterra that I purchased this last spring and am really enjoying it. At the time I purchased it, I considered it competitive with other main stream EV SUVs and a good value. I did my research and understood that I would be able to use it to travel from southern Oregon to the SF Bay Area and Portland. This requires DC fast charging and the Subaru online information confirmed that the Solterra was sold with the capacity to fast charge, accepting charging rates up to 100 kWs. But turns out it doesn’t.

Both my Solterra and my fiend’s Solterra will not charge faster than 23 kW at two different Electrify America DC fast charger that work normally and had capacity to charge up to at least 150 kW. On this forum and from others elsewhere online, many if not all owners of 2023 Solterras have the same experience. This means that to charge at a DC fast charger with say a 10% state of charge to 80% SOC, it will require us to spend 2-3 hours at the charger. Traveling a distance that requires a fast recharge to reach our destination just became more than 50% longer to reach, measured in time. This has made what appeared to be a good choice for an all around vehicle into one suited for day trips of a hundred miles or less and almost unacceptable for someone who wishes to drive more than a few hours from home.

When we asked our dealer about this, they referred us to Subaru. To date, I have not been able to find anyone who has received an admission from Subaru of what looks everything like false advertising, an explanation as to why we were misinformed, or any offer to somehow mitigate the impact this has on the value of the car to its owner.

I have owned Subarus before and had great experiences. This experience has changed that. I don’t think Subaru understands the importance of setting this right with owners who took a chance, depending on the company’s reputation, on a brand new model. I have lost trust in the company as a result.

I am calling on Subaru not to ignore this issue. To admit that they inaccurately advertised and find a way to either reconfigure Solterras to charge at a faster rate like other manufacturers have attained, or admit this undisclosed limitation has lowered the value of the car and find a way to compensate us.

I can’t help but hope that the 2024 model has caught up with the competition or at least Subaru advertises its DC fast charging abilities accurately.

^^^^ All this. I just drove from Tarrytown, NY area to Buffalo, NY. This trip takes 8 hours usually with an internal combustion engine car. I knew fast charging would add some time so I wasn't expecting an equivalent. Was expecting 11 hours or so. Ended up being 12+ hours.

Why? After fast charging twice, I wasn't able to get that 3rd fast charge (<20% SOC each time aside from 3rd time which was ~35%). I was maxing out at 11 kwh , stuck an hour outside of Buffalo, sitting in a cold car in a little gas station with a cold dog.

It is ridiculous that Subaru (nor the dealership honestly) tells potential leasees/owners of this "cap" that Toyota and Subaru have agreed to. I don't expect the Solterra to be a road trip car, I make this drive maybe 3 times a year and it's by far my farthest drive. I DO expect to be told of major limitations such as this. Now for my drive back, I've decided to stay the night half way through because I don't want to sit and slow charge for hours only 1-hr away from home.

I'm not even going to start on the whole "can charge up to 100 kwh advertised but only does 50 kwh realistically" bit.

 

[jg.]

I hope you're going to email this same message to Subaru. Venting and sharing your experiences here are a great help to all of us (and form of therapy for you, hopefully), but putting it in their hands is the only way to affect change.