EV Smart Charging Program FAQs

This option for Tesla owners provides an easy way to optimize your charging and rewards you for helping reduce energy use during peak times, which helps keep prices lower for the community. evPulse is for PGE customers who own a Tesla and an EV charger that is not eligible for the PGE Residential EV Smart Charging Program because we can connect your Tesla directly to the grid instead of via a charger. You’ll earn $50 just for signing up and connecting your car to evPulse, plus $25 bill credits twice a year through the PGE Smart Charging Program.

A. It can take up to three weeks to confirm your eligibility. Once you are enrolled, your reward will be processed in four to six weeks. You will receive emails directly from PGE about your enrollment status and enrollment reward. If you also enroll in the Test Bed EV Charging Study, you'll start receiving your $20 monthly bill credit on your next PGE bill once your enrollment has been confirmed.

A. While you are enrolled in the PGE EV Smart Charging Program, your vehicle charging may be rescheduled to avoid charging during PGE’s smart charging events and to maximize your off peak charging if you are on Time of Day pricing. Your vehicle will still be charged and ready for use by your chosen “Ready by” time.

When you return home and plug in, you may receive a notification about your charging via the web app and/or an SMS text. Notifications will include guidance on the battery percentage your vehicle will reach and the time it will be scheduled to finish. Your rescheduled charge is determined by the following factors:

• Your charge limit as set in the Tesla app or vehicle console

• The “Ready by” time you select in the evPulse application

• Your home charger power as determined by historical data

A. There are two Smart Charging Event seasons in the year: October to March and April to September.

If you are on Time of Day pricing or Time of Use, your charge will be optimized outside of demand response events as well.

A. As part of the PGE Smart Charging Program, your vehicle charging will be scheduled to avoid charging during PGE’s Smart Charging events and maximize your off-peak charging. This will help ensure your electricity bill is as low as possible.

A. When adding your Tesla, you may be asked for an additional code. This is usually a result of having two-factor authentication on your account. You’ll need to look this up on a two factor authenticator on your phone and enter the number given.

A. No. Optimized charging schedules will not impact vehicle preconditioning and climate control in preparation for a Scheduled Departure time.

A. PGE EV Smart Charging schedules always allow your vehicle to be charged to your target battery level by the “Ready by” time set in your evPulse web app (defaulting to 6 a.m. in your local time zone).

If you have used your Tesla dashboard to schedule charging at periods that may have higher rates, your charging may be rescheduled for periods of lower rates or outside of PGE smart charging events — provided that your new schedule ensures that you are easily able to reach your maximum target battery range.

It is highly recommended that you do not schedule charging through your Tesla vehicle console while also participating in charge scheduling through the PGE EV Smart Charging Program, as Tesla native scheduling may interfere with the optimal schedules recommended as part of the program.

A. evPulse may send you notifications by SMS in order to provide a better, more transparent PGE Smart Charging Program experience. These notifications could include reminders to plug in (in case you’re at home and can use a charge), updates on optimized charging schedules as they are activated for you and alerts about your charging being interrupted. You can configure your notification preferences and opt out of receiving them at any time.

A. Your car will finish charging as early as possible outside of the event period, but always before your target “Ready by” time (which defaults to 6 a.m. in your local time zone).

A. Your car will be charged to the target battery percentage limit you set in your Tesla app, provided that it is physically possible to reach the limit, given your home charger power and the hours until your “Ready by” time.

A. evPulse is committed to providing you with the charge that you need, when you need it. In case your plans change and you need to charge your car immediately for an earlier departure, you can always do so.

Here are three ways:

• Replying CHARGE NOW in response to any scheduled charging SMS notification

• Initiating a charge session through your Tesla app (tapping “Start charging”) or in your Tesla console

• Clicking the “Charge now” button for the active session notification in your evPulse dashboard

You may enroll up to 2 Teslas per household in the standard PGE Smart Charging program and the Test Bed EV Charging Study.