FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

There are plenty of electric vehicle apps. What’s different with Power Cruise Control® ?

    Power Cruise Control®  (PCC) is an intelligent Navigation App, which avoids range anxiety. It calculates every trip, every time, using up-to-date data (orography, temperature, battery health, ...) taking into account the available energy, not the available range. Using this approach, it can predict with high accuracy, the energy needed for a trip, allowing the driver to fully use the car’s battery capacity at its best: no energy shortage will occur, thanks to the reliable PCC calculation method.

    PCC connects in real-time with the car by using a Bluetooth On-Board Diagnostic II (OBDII) dongle. A dongle is a device that mediates a connection between your car’s control unit and your smart-phone.

    Note that this is NOT the same Bluetooth connection you use for hands-free calls or Apps provided by the Bluetooth system of your car, but that both can operate simultaneously.

    PCC always “knows” in real-time the SoC (State of Charge), the SoH (State of Health), and the temperature of the traction battery, the car’s speed, weather conditions, the power used or regenerated by the car, the power at which charging of the battery takes place, and other relevant factors.

    These parameters are displayed during driving or charging on the Car Data page.

    PCC suggests charging points along the route and calculates how much kWh you’ll need to charge.

    Most importantly, it also “knows” the orography, meaning the up and downhills present along the trip.
    Considering the above parameters, during the programming of a trip, PCC calculates the energy required to provide driving directions.

    Uniquely, PCC gives constant feedback to the driver, via an intuitive interface called the Heaven-Hell indicator.

    In this way, PCC is always connected to your car, and provides a constant assist during your trip, by answering the fundamental questions that no one can answer by himself:

  1. Do I have enough energy?
  2. Can I reach my destination with my actual driving style?
  3. How much energy do I need for my trip?
  4. How should I drive to reach my destination with my actual SoC?
  5. How long should I charge at the next stop, to reach my destination without wasting time?
  6. Power Cruise Control®  is connected in real-time with the car. By using a Bluetooth OBDII dongle, PCC always knows SoC (State of Charge), SoH (State of Health), speed, power and many other parameters.
  7. PCC knows orography, up and downhills of the trip.
  8. PCC calculates energy required for the trip, considering regeneration during downhill, ambient temperature, A/C and climate consumption, weather and other affecting factors, to provide reliable driving directions.
  9. PCC suggests charging point along the route and calculate how much charge you need.
  10. PCC gives constant feedback to the driver, via an intuitive interface called Heaven-Hell indicator.

Important notice about new Power Cruise Control®  versions since May 2020

    Starting from May 2020, all new Power Cruise Control®  versions will be available as a subscription.
    One time purchase won't be possible any more.

    All new PCC versions will be freely available from the Store, but operations will be subject to a subscription-based on the vehicle VIN (Vehicle Identification Number).
    If the vehicle is already registered, Power Cruise Control®  will proceed without further registration.
    This new licensing method, tied to the vehicle VIN with a single license, enables the following benefits:

  1. use Power Cruise Control®  on multiple devices, both Android and/or iOS* (* if PCC is available on iOS for that car model)
  2. use Power Cruise Control® , with the licensed vehicle, by an unlimited number of user. A family will require only one license to allow any member driving the car
  3. you can ask your car dealer to license your car as a purchased gift
  4. when buying a used car, if already licensed, you can use PCC on the car for the remaining license period.

  5. Last, but not least, you'll get a free 30 days trial period (only Android versions), with unlimited functionality. After the trial period the subscription will be activated.

    The suggested price is 24€/year*, tax included.
    *Actual price for each VIN may vary from country to country, according to Store policies.

    Multiple VIN packages for car dealers and distributors are available. Subscription will be activated at the first OBDII connection with PCC to the licensed vehicle.
    For more info about multiple VIN PCC licence and OBDIIs purchase, contact us directly at info@powercruisecontrol.com

What’s different with Power checK Control® ?

    Know the real battery status of your 100% electric vehicle with Power checK Control.
    Power checK Control®  (PKC) is different from all other electric vehicle applications, because it allows you to generate a certificate of the real status of your vehicle's battery, thanks to a strong verify and analysis process.
    Use Power checK Control® is simple:
  1. Connect your OBDII.
  2. Scan your vehicle.
  3. Upload your data.
  4. Receive confirmation of your certification process.
  5. Store your certificate or share it with a potential buyer.

  6. With these simple steps, you'll be able to know the real status of your vehicle battery.

    - If you want to buy a second hand vehicle, you can ask for a PKC certificate to be sure of your purchase.
    - If you want to sell your vehicle, you can share your vehicle's PKC certificate to prove potential customers the real status of your vehicle's battery.
    - You can also generate a PKC certificate for your own use and to monitor your vehicle battery parameters and how they change over time with car usage.

    A certificate has a validity of 60 days, you can generate a new certificate only if there is no other valid certificate.
    You can check the validity of a PKC certificate by scanning the QR code on it: its official status will be checked by the powercruisecontrol.com server.
    PKC requires an OBDII Bluetooth adapter, and with some car models, an adapter cable. Recommended Official Power Cruise Control® kit OBDII+adapter cable are listed inside PKC Power checK Control certification tool. Generally, hardware used with PCC Power Cruise Control driving system for electric vehicles is also compatible with PKC Power checK Control certification process.
    A valid PCC Power Cruise Control VIN licence is required to run PKC Power checK Control certification procedure. To run the PKC certification process on a vehicle, a valid PCC VIN licence is required.
    PCC licensing method is tied to the vehicle VIN with a single license and enables the following benefits:
    - use Power Cruise Control® on multiple devices, both Android and/or iOS* (* if PCC is available on iOS for that car model);
    - use Power Cruise Control®, with the licensed vehicle, by an unlimited number of users. A family will require only one license to allow any member to drive the car;
    - you can ask your car dealer to license your car as a purchase gift;
    - when buying a used car, if already licensed, you can use PCC on the car for the remaining license period.
    The suggested price is 24€/year*, tax included.
    *Actual price for each VIN licence may vary from country to country, according to Store policies.
    Multiple VIN licence packages for car dealers and distributors are available. Subscription will be activated at the first OBDII connection with PCC to the licensed vehicle.
    For more info about multiple VIN PCC license and OBDIIs purchase, contact us directly at info@powercruisecontrol.com

What do I need to start using Power Cruise Control® ?

  1. Find the version of Power Cruise Control®  for your vehicle on the Play Store.
  2. After install, go to PCC settings menu, open the HELP manual and follow the 10 minutes procedure for PCC activation. This is easier done on a computer, rather than on a mobile phone.
  3. Get the suggested OBDII dongle as specified in the HELP manual. If you already own an OBDII, there’s a good chance it will work with PCC also. Try it by following the step-by-step guide for your first connection, as described in the manual.
  4. Use a stable phone holder for your car, keep your phone visible all the time while driving, and connect it to a phone charger during the trip.
   

What is an OBDII Bluetooth dongle and why Power Cruise Control®  needs one?

An OBDII dongle is a device that allows a connection between your car control unit and your phone.
Note that this is NOT the same Bluetooth connection you may are already using for hands-free calls.
PCC is always connected to your car: this connection allows PCC to provide a constant assist during your trip, by answering the fundamental questions that no one can really answer by himself:

  1. Do I have enough energy?
  2. Can I reach my destination with my actual driving style?
  3. How much energy do I need for my trip?
  4. How should I drive to reach my destination with my actual level of charge?
  5. How long should I charge at the next stop, to reach my destination without wasting time?

Why an electric vehicle should be driven looking at the available energy and not at the remaining km?

That's because your car calculates the range displayed on the the GoM (guess-o-meter) based on your driving history, depending on carmaker rules: some estimate range based on the last trip, others average just the last 50 km. These aren't good methods, because they are not error-proof. For example, if your last trip was uphill, available range will be calculated as if the world would be completely uphill. On the opposite, if your last trip was downhill, the available range of the car will be way too optimistic, because the world is made of up and downhills. The same holds for driving with head - or tail - wind.

Do you see now why an electric vehicle should be driven with Power Cruise Control® ? To solve, every time, every range problem.

Is depleting the battery harmful for the car?

Reaching the minimum allowed charge level is not harmful: it's just the lower limit set by the car maker, and it's way far from the deep discharge level that would damage the internal battery chemistry.
The real 0% is impossible to reach while in motion, because the on-board software doesn't allow it.
When the car stops, the real charge level may be 7, 8, or even 12%, depending on the battery health.
The same applies to the maximum charge: when we read 100%, the real value may be as low as 92%, again depending on the battery health.
Our advice is: use your battery at its best capacity, that means "to its full capacity" and Power Cruise Control®  will help you.
What really hurts an electric car is leaving it at rest for a long time with extremely low or high charge levels: so do not leave it parked 0% or 100% for several days.

I can’t find Power Cruise Control®  on iOS App Store

The Power Cruise Control®  development team is actually giving priority to supporting as many vehicles as possible: porting to other platforms will follow.
In the meantime we suggest using a dedicated Android device, running only PCC, with the Bluetooth OBDII dongle suggested in the HELP manual.
Connectivity can be provided by the iPhone via Wi-Fi hotspot: a SIM for the Android device is not required, and since the PCC requirements are pretty small, an old, dismissed Android phone can be used at no additional cost.

Why is the energy, shown by Power Cruise Control® , different from the one I read in other apps?

PCC is different from other apps, it shows not only the energy parameters using the OBDII connection to the car, but it also allows to plan and manage trips.
Energy shown by PCC is the one available for moving the car, thus real available energy, not the theoretical one. It is computed from the real SOC usable limits, and from actual SOH.
The kWh counter from PCC allows for trips planning up to 0 kWh, that means up to complete battery depletion and stopping of the vehicle. This is allowed just to give the chance to solve trip problems that might otherwise require a tow track intervention. Even if it’s possible to navigate up to 0 kWh, i.e. complete battery depletion, we always advise to leave a safety margin of at least 1.5 / 2 kWh to your destination, and to get progressive acquaintance with PCC navigation in progressive steps. Always remember that 0 kWh means the car will stop, so if you choose a strategy with zero energy at destination, the vehicle may stop just a few meters before reaching your target.

Why is the percentage of charge, shown by Power Cruise Control® , different from the one I read on the car itself?

PCC shows the Real SOC, the true battery value, and it never reaches 0% or 100%, as with Displayed SOC, the one on the car dashboard.
The SOC displayed by the car, doesn’t represent the real state of the battery, but it’s engineered by the car manufacturer to influence driver’s behavior.
The on-board computer of most electric vehicles is devoid of any energy tutoring, so the car maker keeps an energy amount hidden from the user, to cope with unforeseen situations.
Some vehicles have a SOC display logic that is not linear: at high levels, the displayed value is higher than the real one, while at low levels is lower.
PCC, instead, reads data directly from the car BMS and shows real, unfiltered, data. This data is used to compute available energy in kWh.
kWh count is the only real measure of the battery state of charge and available energy.

Which role does the SoH value play in battery management by Power Cruise Control® ?

    PCC's purpose is to bring drivers of electric cars home with confidence through intelligent navigation.

    PCC dedicates every value it displays for that purpose. We do not advise other uses: it is not just a diagnostic tool, so do not use it as such!

    By the way, the results of the travel management by PCC prove the high accuracy of its innovative energy measurement method: a successful trip always tells the truth!

    The displayed SoH - State of Health - value relies on several car data and contributes to energy management during the trip. In particular, the SoH value is vital in trip management because it estimates the maximum energy that the battery, in that specific moment, could store.

    The SoH value represents the actual ability of the battery to store energy and is affected by:
  1. external temperature
  2. battery temperature
  3. light or intensive use of the vehicle
  4. age of the battery
    Examples of conditions that can negatively affect the SoH value:
  1. never reaching the lowest level of battery discharging
  2. keeping a high State of Charge for a long time
  3. keeping a low level of State of Charge for a long time
    Examples of conditions that can positively affect the SoH value:
  1. performing deep cycles of charge and discharge
  2. parking the vehicle at SoC between 40 and 80% if left unused for a long time
  3. keeping the vehicle away from direct sunlight
Power Cruise Control®  can estimate from the first connection, the actual state of the battery and this value may vary depending on the conditions mentioned above.

The best way of taking care of your vehicle is to use its full range, and PCC will help you manage it also at low SoC values.


Why can't I use PCC planning from home?

All Power Cruise Control®  versions rely on Google Maps Routing services.
These services ensure the best experience while driving, solving wrong turns, queues and unexpected events that other free navigation systems can't handle. This reliability has a significant cost, actually covered by the internal API Key of each PCC copy.
We're planning an easier way to manage a personal API Key, so "sofa" calculations will be available.
For more information about API Key generation, management and cost (which allows a free usage limit each month), please look at the dedicated section at the bottom of the FAQ page.

Where is the OBDII port in my car?

The location of the OBDII port vary depending on car models.
The HELP manual shows locations for some cars.
For the Renault ZOE, you can have a look at this video: https://youtu.be/gun8vCifawo
If you’re unable to find or remove the plastic cover or the OBDII port, you can ask your car dealer to assist you.

If I change my phone, do I have to buy Power Cruise Control®  again?

No, PCC purchase is linked to your Google account: as long as you use your Google account, PCC will follow you on your new device.
You can even use multiple devices with the same account and have PCC installed on all of them.

What's the meaning of the first green/red screen?

PCC provides constant, real-time, assistance during the trip, to reach your destination. It recalculates the energy left at the destination at a series of checkpoints.

To assist the driver, it by default displays its main screen which is the Heaven-Hell indicator (Thengoku-Jigoku meter) containing a green and red zone, a car pictogramme, and a percentage value, and an "energy at destination" counter.

Several parameters like power use and car speed change during a trip. By keeping the car pictogramme in the green area by controlling the accelerator pedal, you can have full confidence you’ll arrive at your destination with the energy forecasted by the trip strategy you have selected at the beginning of the trip. A warning sound will play if the car crosses the reference line.

Why my screen is all green instead of green/red?

Depending on car model, PCC has different thresholds for energy at destination that is considered safe enough to keep the speed chosen by the driver.
Over those thresholds, the #allyoucanGo mode is automatically enabled. If you have “a lot” of estimated energy at destination, PCC automatically selects the fastest available strategy and the main screen will be all green.
  1. No warning sound will play if the car crosses the reference line.
  2. Driving under the reference line, we’ll have an energy consumption higher than what was forecasted, causing the energy at destination to reduce at every checkpoint.
This is no problem, since PCC is always monitoring the driving conditions, and as soon as the energy at destination drops under the safety margin, PCC will automatically switch to the classic green/red screen.
This is because driving faster we consumed the excess energy we had at the start, so to get to our destination safely, we’ll have to respect the strategy from now on.
If you want to arrive at your destination with the amount of energy forecasted at the start, you’ll need to respect the chosen strategy. Strategy is maintained by keeping the car wheels on the horizontal black line across the screen.
If you are in #allyoucanGo mode, you can go as fast as you like, because you have more than 8kWh at destination (I-Pace reference value is used here as an example). Keep driving fast and, as soon as the energy at destination drops below 4 kWh, the green/red guideline will appear.

What is the -/+ % (i.e. +0.3 % or -0.5 %) number on the first screen?

It’s the % Delta value. It measures your trip performance from an energy point of view.
At every checkpoint, the energy usage is compared with the planned value.
A positive delta i.e. +0.3 % means you are consuming less energy than expected, so you will arrive at your destination with more energy than expected; the "energy at destination" counter will be increased accordingly.
A negative delta i.e. -0.5 % means you are consuming more energy than expected: PCC will try to compensate by adjusting the trip strategy, just keep the car in the green area; the "energy at destination" counter will be decreased accordingly.

Wheels over the line -> less consumptions -> +0,5 % -> more energy at destination
Wheels on the line -> exact consumptions -> +0 % -> energy at dest. as predicted
Wheels under the line -> more consumptions -> -0,5 % -> less energy at destination

If I need to keep PCC in the foreground to see the indicator, how can I see the navigator instructions?

After selecting the trip strategy, you are asked about opening Google Maps. Select YES and Maps will open with the destination already set by PCC.
Select “START” to begin navigation and then use the Android Home button to open PCC again.
Starting from Android 8, Google Maps will be shown in a Picture-in-Picture window, that can be moved on PCC screen, so you can see both at the same time.
For previous Android versions, the navigator thumbnail is not available, but it will still be active in the background, providing directions with vocal messages.
It’s also possible to follow the route on the third screen of PCC, where a north-oriented map is shown.

When I choose a destination, how can I set the way back home, for a classic round-trip?

You can use + ADD DESTINATION to add home as a last waypoint for your trip.
You can also use the same option to force path through a specific waypoint, and select to avoid tolls and/or highways, to better match your travel needs.

What are the travel options on the third screen?

Avoid highways will force the navigator to skip them from your route.
Avoid tolls does the same for roads where a payment is required.
Select the correct number of passengers (including the driver) for accurate energy estimate.
Select the number of baggages, by airline standard luggage weight.

How much time do I need to wait while charging before the start of the next section of a trip?

Every time you charge, you need to know how much time you need to stay plugged in.
Usually, one looks at the guess-o-meter (= range indicator) and the distance you still have to travel, but this is heavily dependent on where you are going and what speed you want to travel.
By charging too much, you do not only waste time, and if you are using a non-free charger, money as well.
If you set your destination in PCC, it will display the starting and stop time of each charging session, for each suggested strategy.
Sometimes, especially at high SoC levels, charging power, and hence speed, will decrease significantly, and this will negatively affect the arrival time: non-optimized charging will lead to longer charging times, longer journey times, and higher fares.
The best strategy is displayed by the PCC Calculate Charge function, suggesting you the optimal choice to ensure your arrival in the fastest time, saving time and money with no range anxiety.

Where can I find the elevation profile of my trip?

Each trip is different from the previous, and orography plays an important role in energy consumption.
Power Cruise Control®  will calculate your energy needs, using elevation information also, considering higher consumption when driving uphill and energy regeneration while driving downhill.
The elevation profile of the trip is displayed on the screen, and a grey point will appear, indicating your current position, updated at each checkpoint.
For example, while driving on a mountain road, the car guess-o-meter may say that your range is not enough to reach your destination, but PCC, using altimetric information, knows that using regeneration in the downhills you'll safely reach your target.
Altimetry data is often ignored by the car on-board computer of many car models.
Drive with Power Cruise Control®  at your side, and your trips will always be under your complete control.

While travelling, do I need to keep PCC always on the screen?

PCC works correctly if kept on the foreground: you can answer phone calls, but it’s best to switch back to PCC once the call is established: it won’t be interrupted.
Latest versions of Android have limits on running background applications, so keep it open all the time.
The best solution, and the safest driving option, is using a dedicated device: an old, dismissed, SIM-less Android phone is able to run PCC efficiently. Your main device can provide connectivity to the PCC phone via Wi-Fi tethering.

What is the percentage shown under the charger icon in the multicharge selection screen? What if I change it?

The percentage shows the State of Charge that should be reached in that charging session. You can change it if you want to charge more or less than suggested.
Be aware that, by charging less, your next destination may not be reachable anymore and you will have to stop earlier for a new charge.
If you charge more, you’ll be able to go further than scheduled, but your charging session will be slower. Charging to the maximum is not always advisable: charging power decreases when the battery is nearly full, the temperature will also increase, so we advise you to stick to the default settings, unless you are forced to charge at maximum to reach the next stop of your trip.

How can I search and select a charging point?

On the left side of the destination input field, you can select the charging point icon, and a map of nearby charging points will appear. You can select one and set is as the next destination.
If you select a destination in the charging points map input field, nearby charging points will appear, so you can select one as a new destination.

How can I search and select multiple charging points along my route?

Go to the third, trip planning page, enter your destination and select CALCULATE TRAVEL.
If the destination can be reached with your available energy, suggested driving strategies buttons will appear.
If the destination is out of reach, the MultiCharge strategy button will appear: select it and a list of charging points will appear. Some of them will be reachable and selectable. After having selected a reachable one, subsequent chargers will became available as many times as needed to ensure the final destination will be within range.

Which charging points database PCC is using and why are some charging points missing in PCC?

PCC uses OpenChargeMap.org: if a charging point is available in Open Charge Map, it is accessible by PCC.
In some countries like f.e. France, Open Charge Map does not yet list many charging points. You can check this by using another database such as ChargeMap or GoingElectric to see the location of charging points of interest for your planned journey and introduce them into PCC as intermediate destinations.
Here, the best practice for you is to add them to OpenChargeMap.org before starting the journey. By doing so, they will appear in PCC during it and for future use.
If you notice inaccurate information about a charging point, you can update it in OpenChargeMap.org, so PCC will have it updated as well.
In certain countries, like Italy, PCC also displays on buttons the real-time status of charging points: green if available, yellow when in use, red when out of service or unknown. In many other countries, this is limited to Ionity chargers. Here too, you can use another database to obtain that information.
We are working to add other charging networks, but Rome was not made in a day - as we say in Italy -, then remember the essential benefit of PCC is to bring you at your destination without range anxiety!

What happens if, during the journey, the driver or a passenger wants to heat or cool down the car cabin further?

With some EV models, heating, and a bit less so, cooling reduces the range considerably.
When you go through the steps of planning a trip, all PCC versions take into account the outside temperature and, accordingly, the provisional energy used for heating and cooling.
Demanding even more power for this is equivalent to traveling at speed higher than the suggested one. The net effect is an increase in the negative delta % and, accordingly, the reduction of the remaining energy at the destination. You can react, either by lowering the speed to keep the car pictogram in the green area and get back to 0 delta %, or plan an additional charge stop if the remaining kWh at the destination goes below a practical limit.
To this end, you should stop at a rest area, go to page 3, and pressing “Cancel Travel.” You can then start a new travel planning session with the selection of all the intermediate destinations as for a new journey.

What happens if one gets stuck in a long traffic jam

In the case of a traffic jam, car consumption is limited to stop and go driving, heating or cooling, and multimedia use. If the delta % gets negative and to compensate for the missing energy, you’ll have to reduce the speed for the rest of the journey, bringing you safely to the destination.
If delta % goes below – 2, an automatic “recalculate travel” will occur. In the worst case, you’ll need to stop at a rest area, go to page 3, press “Cancel Travel,” and start a new travel plan with the selection of all the destinations as for a new journey.

What happens if one must make an unexpected detour, f.e. due to an accident blocking a highway section.

PCC will recalculate automatically from the new origin to the set destination, after recognition of the deviation from the planned route. If you would want to change the road plan, you’ll need to stop at a rest area, go to page 3, press “Cancel Travel,” and start a new travel plan with the selection of all the destinations as for a new journey.

What about kW and kWh values?

kW and kWh are not the same unit.
Power (from motor, regen or charging) is measured in kW.
Energy (contained in the battery or bought from a charging point) is measured in kWh.
You can think of kW as the equivalent of the old hp measure for ancient cars, and kWh as litres or gallons of fuel.
For example your Leaf 40 has 38 kWh of available energy when new (i.e. SOH 100%) and can charge at 44 kW power from the CHAdeMO.
If connected for 5 hours to a slow charger, single-phase 32A, it can theoretically charge at 7,36 kW (32 A * 230 V). Conversion losses from AC charging point to DC car battery amounts to at least 10%, so you will end up charging at 6 kW, filling 30 kWh in 5 hours.

I don’t hear any sound from PCC

Turn on, or increase, your mobile volume setting: be sure to select the multimedia volume, not the ringer or call volume.
If your smartphone is paired with your car infotainment system, sounds may be forwarded to the car. You can disable multimedia sound redirection, while still leaving phone calls enabled, by following this picture


Don’t forget to enable sounds from PCC settings screen.

My Podcasts are interrupted by PCC system sounds

The only way to play audio from the phone, such as Podcasts or Spotify, while PCC is active, is to disable sounds from PCC settings screen.
This configuration is strongly discouraged because it prevents you from hearing PCC audio cues regarding speed, power and checkpoints. Ignoring PCC indications may cause failure in maintaining a trip strategy, thus preventing you to reach your destination, or reaching it with a different energy amount than previously established.
Audio streaming floods the Bluetooth channel with data: this may also prevent PCC from correctly communicate with the OBDII dongle.

What is the Personal Google API Key, and how do I get one?

PCC continuously interrogates Google Maps to get driving directions. To ask directions to Google Maps, if requested, you have to identify yourself. The API Key is just like a password for getting services from it. The service is free for up to 4000 trips per months: this is well over what anyone can travel for personal use. To get your Personal Google API Key, follow these steps:

  1. Go to ...get an API Key link
  2. Select "Go to Console"


  3. Select your Country


  4. Fill out the form with your data, including Credit Card information (it won't be billed) 1-3


  5. Fill out the form with your data, including Credit Card information (it won't be billed) 2-3


  6. Fill out the form with your data, including Credit Card information (it won't be billed) 3-3 and Select "START MY FREE TRIAL"


  7. Select "OK"


  8. Enable all flags: Maps, Routes and Places


  9. Select "ENABLE"


  10. Copy your API Key in an email message and send it to your phone. Paste it in the API Key field of the PCC settings screen

I don’t have a credit card, how can I activate the API Key?

Some versions of PCC are a one-time purchase, unlimited use app. To allow this, a Personal Google API Key is required.
Each Google account has a free traffic bonus of $200/month. A private/family use of PCC could generate $5 of traffic each month, so no charge will be applied to your Personal API Key.
To get a Personal API Key, you’ll need a valid payment method. Every month, Google Cloud Platform will send you an invoice with 0,00 amount to pay, because you will always stay under the 200$ free-of-charge monthly limit.
If you don’t own a credit card, there are other methods to generate an invoicing account on Google Cloud Platform, or you can use the internal API Key by pressing OK on the initial "missing API Key message".

Please DO NOT OVERLOAD OUR INTERNAL API Key WITH UNUSEFULL REQUESTS, use it only if really need and for real Travels!
There are plenty of Trip Planner on the web, use them for experiments ;-) thank you.

The map on the third screen in not shown, I can’t see my position

This is related to the Personal Google API Key. Make sure you followed the procedure to generate it. A step-by-step guide is available in the HELP manual, from the settings menu.
Make sure your Key was generated from a desktop computer and not from a mobile.
If you already own a working Personal API Key, you can copy it from another installation of PCC: make sure you copy and paste it from the proper field in the PCC settings menu.
The Personal Google API Key is not linked to your mobile Google account, so you can use another account to generate a new Key.
After setting the API Key in PCC, the app should be restarted.
NOTE: your API Key is just like a password: keep it safe and do not publish or send it to anyone.

There’s a black overlay on the map saying “MISSING OBDII DATA FROM CAR, VERIFY YOUR OBDII CONNECTION”

  1. Have you correctly paired your OBDII dongle with your phone?
  2. Is it shown in the Bluetooth device list?
  3. Make sure you have selected your OBDII in PCC first screen, by tapping the Bluetooth icon. You’ll have to repeat the procedure whenever you change your OBDII dongle.
  4. Verify that the OBDII dongle is correctly plugged in the car's connector: most of them have some LED lights to check if they are correctly connected.
  5. Make sure the car is turned on.
  6. Try removing and inserting the OBDII dongle again.
  7. Verify that the correct car model is selected in the app settings screen.
  8. Make sure you’re using a supported OBDII device.
  9. Follow the instruction on this guide

I’ve set a destination, but I’m unable to select CALCULATE TRAVEL

  1. Make sure the destination address is complete, with street number and city, or choose a proposed auto-complete option.
  2. Your starting point (i.e. your current position) is maybe not mapped on Google Maps: try moving your car to the nearest public road and try again.
  3. Check that you have data and GPS coverage on your phone, moving around a little if it’s not the case.
  4. If you have entered multiple destinations with the + ADD DESTINATION button, one of them may be incorrect: adding a civic number or setting a nearby street may solve the problem and enable the CALCULATE TRAVEL button.
  5. If applicable, verify that the payment method of the API Key is valid (i.e. your card is not expired or about to expire, or you need to activate Cloud Platform). Update your payment method with a new, valid one.
  6. Check your account status from the Cloud platform Console link.

How/Where can I recover my Personal Google API Key?

  1. Open the PCC settings screen and select HELP.
  2. On the second page, click on the DASHBOARD link.
  3. You will be redirected to “console.developers.google.com”.
  4. Click on the drop-down menu at the left of the “Google APIs” title.
  5. Click on “API and services”.
  6. Click on “Credentials”
  7. A page with your API Key will be opened: click on the sheets icon to copy it into the clipboard and paste it in PCC Personal Google API Key field.

Acronyms dictionary

Acronyms dictionary Dizionario degli acronimi
BMS
Battery Management System. Electronic unit that keeps information about charge and health.
BMS
Unità di gestione della batteria. Componente dell’auto che mantiene le informazioni relative alla salute e al livello di carica.
ECU
Electronic Control Unit. Computing device that manages one or more car components.
ECU
Centralina elettronica che governa una o più parti dell’auto.
kWh
Kilowatt-hour, unit of energy for measuring battery content, just as litres or gallons are used for fuel tanks.
kWh
Chilowattora, unità di misura dell’energia contenuta in batteria. Significato equivalente al litro per le auto tradizionali.
OBDII
On Board Diagnostic: usually referred to the device used to connect to the car internals.
OBDII
Solitamente riferito al dispositivo di connessione alla centralina dell’auto.
PCC
Power Cruise Control® , the most reliable driving system for electric vehicles in the world.
PCC
Power Cruise Control® , il più affidabile sistema di guida per veicoli elettrici al mondo.
SoC
State of Charge, level of battery in percentage.
SoC
Livello di carica della batteria, in percentuale.
SoH
State of Health, percentage value of battery capacity compared to a brand new unit.
SoH
Stato di salute della batteria, in percentuale rispetto alla capacità potenziale a nuovo.

You didn’t find answer to your question?

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  3. text to +393337665031