Speak EV - Electric Car Forums banner

I'm installing OVMS

6K views 31 replies 12 participants last post by  Paul 
#1 ·
I have decided to stop procrastinating about OVMS (Open Vehicle Management System) and to just get it and put it on both the Nissan Leaf and Ampera!

The Nissan Leaf compatibility is still in development but it seems to be working fine on the Ampera. Who knows? Perhaps I might be able to help out in some way with the development?

So, I have ordered up the kit for both cars from ZCW... £84 each

I have ordered a GeoSIM for each too which seems like a sensible way to go as it is just £5 per year to keep it active and the credit does not expire. Data is about 25p/MB and as it doesn't use much it should be pretty cheap to run.

I am looking forward to getting them installed but I am not much good at DIY so I am a bit nervous about "plumbing in" the cables. They might just get velcroed to the panel for now to prevent the need to remove trims etc... we will see. If I get some help from someone who has already done it then I might feel better about proper installation.

It should all arrive in the next couple of weeks so watch this space :)
 
See less See more
  • Like
Reactions: Ryan
#3 ·
I think it is David, yes. The Leaf is not yet released and is still very much under development.

I am hoping that we can develop an interface between OVMS and other charge station databases such as OCM. It could be a massive help to all of us if every time a car plugs in at a charging station it is either automatically registered or the status is automatically updated. This may not be a replacement for the networks providing real-time status updates but it could certainly help especially where the networks do not provide such info.

It could have so many other applications too. Imagine real-time reporting to a web site of actual traffic conditions? This is done now by cameras but that requires that cameras are installed. Not cheap and only likely on major routes. OVMS could provide real-time journey time and speed data for ANY road WORLDWIDE!

I could also imagine that OVMS could interface to provide an internet-based EV control center providing things such as:
  • timed/scheduled starting/stopping of charging
  • timed/scheduled pre-heating/air-conditioning
  • online car usage stats, charging stats, power use stats etc particular over regular routes
  • comparison of power use by route of different drivers
  • vehicle tracking/following
  • journey recording say for automatically generated expense claims etc.
This is just my ideas... it is just the tip of the iceberg of possibilities and I am sure that the OVMS developers have had these and loads of other ideas too.

Besides... it looks a fun way to get even more out of the great tech that is in our cars.
 
#4 ·
It could have so many other applications too. Imagine real-time reporting to a web site of actual traffic conditions? This is done now by cameras but that requires that cameras are installed. Not cheap and only likely on major routes. OVMS could provide real-time journey time and speed data for ANY road WORLDWIDE!
Google Maps already does this.
 
#6 ·
OK then it could integrate with Waze couldn't it :) Saves us having to write the software as it is done already.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Right. Nothing else to do today and the weather was rubbish so I set up OVMS on the Ampera.

Not at all difficult but the documentation is still yet to be written for the Ampera (something I could do for my first contribution perhaps?) so I had to hunt around the forum to find the info I needed. All in all not a problem if you are used to poking around to find stuff out but it wasn't as straightforward as I had hoped.

Nevertheless, it is up and running but a bit intermittent because I suspect that my mobile signal is iffy... I have very bad signal on my phone so I wouldn't be surprised if this was the same.

All that said... it looks great and I can see massive potential.

The Transport Evolved "OVMS 101" youtube vid helped a great deal...



I am hoping to get to grips with the software side this week and then hopefully I can start to contribute... but although I am very experienced as a software developer I am very rusty so it will be a slow curve for me to pick it all up but I should be able to do it... fingers crossed :) I am just feeling a bit old and a bit slow compared to when I was doing this stuff every day some 10+ years ago. All good fun though :) :)

I have decided not to install the hardware in any permanent way on the Ampera. I will want regular access to the module to update the firmware and there is no need as it sits nicely on the shelf behind the gear stick and the antennas sit nicely in the little box on the top of the LCD screen. I think the Leaf will take a bit more thought when I get around to that... not yet though as I want to get to grips with the Ampera first.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ryan
#11 ·
@Kevin Sharpe It arrived this morning but I have been working all day on the Ecotricity Electric Highway on Open Charge Map so I haven't even opened the packaging :oops:

Also, the OVMS unit already has the latest V2.5.5 firmware so I haven't needed it yet for the Ampera. Also I am not installing on the Leaf just yet.

I will try to take a break tomorrow and give it a try. I can always backup and reflash the unit just to try it out. I'll post how I get on :)

@Darren Griffin No easy way that I am aware of but I shall take a closer look tomorrow :)
 
#12 ·
I'm tempted by this too - in fact I was chatting to a work colleage today about OVMS. Two aspects put me off a) I need to save money. other gadgets like internet connected heating controllers and lighting got in the way. Oops, and b) whether leaf support will mean HW revisions (originally the multiple can bus concern).

Balanced against that are factors such as
* ZCW shop closing soon so may be more pricey in future
* I am a software engineer, it's interesting & maybe I can add some value

Kevin - do you still have the leaf modules in, how much longer is the shop around?
Paul - how it looking from your quick peek/investigations so far. What can be done with the leaf module thus far?
 
#13 ·
b) whether leaf support will mean HW revisions (originally the multiple can bus concern)
We believe it's possible to communicate with all CAN busses in the Leaf by 'bridging' in software. This is how all the CAN tools work AFAIK.

* ZCW shop closing soon so may be more pricey in future
You always have the option of buying direct from China and I believe that one of the new Mainpine resellers will carry the products in Europe.

* I am a software engineer, it's interesting & maybe I can add some value
I think OVMS offers a huge opportunity for software people to get involved and make a difference.

Personally, I'm trying to bring together the OVMS and GEVCU communities on a single piece of 'standard' hardware... that would suddenly increase the number of developers and interest significantly.

Kevin - do you still have the leaf modules in, how much longer is the shop around?
Leaf modules sold out yesterday. I may be able to get some more cables and convert the Roadster kits but for now it's best to assume they've gone.

I suspect our shop will close next week given the current rate of sales...
 
#14 ·
@planetf1 I haven't done much with OVMS yet. I have installed it onto the Ampera first as that is where the most support exists right now and also as the Ampera does not have any connectivity at the moment that is where I will get the most benefit initially.

So, not having installed on the Leaf yet I am afraid I am not much help! However, from what I have seen on the Ampera it is looking very interesting and potentially very useful as it develops. Already I now have the capability to see the SOC of the Ampera via my phone where before I had to actually go out into the cold and wet! I can also see when it is charging and the voltage/current. I can see its location on a map... something I could have done with last year when I forgot where I'd parked!!!

Having said that it is clearly a work in progress and anyone that gets OVMS right now should not consider it a finished product. I don't think I am being unkind at all when I say that some of the documentation is excellent and some is sketchy or missing. The app has some design issues and some bugs still. The OVMS module is still being developed and the module firmware might still have some bugs, especially for the Ampera and Leaf, but it is getting better all the time as experience of each new model improves :) There is currently only limited access to the OVMS functionality from the web site (it is either SMS or phone app right now). But it is only a matter of time for all these issues to be resolved as more contributors come on board. They have achieved a huge amount already and all in all, from what I have seen so far, in my opinion what they have done is tremendous and it looks very promising for the future.

If anyone wants to get involved you will find them a very friendly and helpful bunch and many are also scarily clever and yet very willing to share their knowledge.

We really must remember all the time though that this is a community based, open, project. Things only get done if volunteers take on the responsibility of doing them. So we must all try to resist any urges to consider any shortcomings right now as "complaints". OVMS will improve hugely over time and it is the reality of community projects such as this that if it doesn't work as you want it to (or even work at all!) then by all means ask for it to be changed but ultimately, it will need someone to pick up the mantle and volunteer to make the change before it will get done so by all means volunteer to do things yourself. I am not suggesting that every OVMS purchaser should volunteer but if you have the time, interest and skills then OVMS needs you and you will enjoy it I am sure.
 
#16 ·
I have installed the OVMS kit in my Leaf and I can communicate with it using the Android app and text. The Leaf is not yet supported, so I cannot see any specific car details at the moment. I found the GPS position indicated somewhere in Wales ( I am in Ipswich) but I fixed this by telling OVMS that my car was a Tesla Roadster! Really looking forward to being able to see all the parameters of my car eventually. I am an electronics engineer, but not a coder, so can't really contribute much on the software side.
 
#17 ·
Just a quick update on data costs... it seems to be costing about 3-4US cents per day at the moment... That is just 15USD per year!
 
#26 ·
Likewise .. well worth the effort.
I was a little daunted before I ordered the Kit (and geosim), but is was easier than expected to install and get up and running .. c 2 hours (with .pdf printed and pre-read a few times).
Works a treat ! .... I've used the app on Android phone and on apple ipad ... I found the apple version is a slightly better experience as can set it to miles and centigrade (rather than all metric or imperial on android).
 
#27 ·
Hi there,
Leaf development has been slow. I spent last tuesday with one of the leaf OVMS developers, along with another leaf driver for a "hackathon". You may know there are multiple CAN buses in the leaf. The original cables use the car bus, we had new cables using the EV bus.

The reason is that most of the battery/charging/usage data appears passively on that bus, plus it stays active when charging. We updated the code to pull SOC and derive car status. Others are just WIP. However we struggled to extract data from the car bus as this requires so additional effort. We'd hoped to get that cracked but more work is needed

Unfortunately with work and other events I've been snowed under (and have a house going from 1 person to 8 fri/sat/sun).. but hope to work through and capture some more logs soon so that we can inch a little farher forward

-- Nigel.
 
#28 ·
Do you know how the LeafSpy app manages to read and decode data from the car bus? Will OVMS be able to do anything more than LeafSpy can?

Hi there,
Leaf development has been slow. I spent last tuesday with one of the leaf OVMS developers, along with another leaf driver for a "hackathon". You may know there are multiple CAN buses in the leaf. The original cables use the car bus, we had new cables using the EV bus.

The reason is that most of the battery/charging/usage data appears passively on that bus, plus it stays active when charging. We updated the code to pull SOC and derive car status. Others are just WIP. However we struggled to extract data from the car bus as this requires so additional effort. We'd hoped to get that cracked but more work is needed

Unfortunately with work and other events I've been snowed under (and have a house going from 1 person to 8 fri/sat/sun).. but hope to work through and capture some more logs soon so that we can inch a little farher forward

-- Nigel.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top