If you own a Tesla and you want to properly precondition your EV, save on charging costs, and maximize your eco-friendliness, the Tesla app has its limits. Sure, you can use it to schedule your charging and set one departure time each for weekends and weekdays. But with the Optiwatt app, you get more powerful scheduling features, extra departure times, and many more user-friendly, one-of-a-kind tools for properly charging your EV and saving money.
Tesla app vs. Optiwatt app: a comparison chart
| Tesla app | Optiwatt app | |
| Smart charging and cost savings | Begin at same time daily; no utility integration | Start based on your integrated utilities’ off-peak hours; pursue rebates |
| Departure times | One for weekdays, one for weekends | One for each day of the week |
| Battery preconditioning | Charged well before departure; extra energy for pre-departure preconditioning | Small portion of charge saved for immediately before departure; no extra energy |
| Trip functionality | Set extra charge for a trip, but no automatic charge level reset | Automatically reset battery target upon return from trip |
| Emergency preparedness | No | Yes — track storms and potential blackouts to automatically raise targets |
| Home integration | No | Yes — view full home and EV energy usage |
| Low-emission charging | No | Yes — Save the Planet plan, zero-carbon charging, and grid support |
| Brands supported | Tesla | Over one dozen EV brands |
Tesla app vs. Optiwatt app: The 8 key differences
Smart charging and cost savings
With the Tesla app, you can start charging at the same time each day, with off-peak charging available starting at midnight. Optiwatt, though, gives you more flexibility. It integrates with your utility provider to set your charging schedule based on whenever your off-peak rates start, not just midnight.
With this integration, Optiwatt can also set charging to happen at the lowest possible cost amid multi-tier pricing plans and seasonal rate changes. Plus, certain utility providers that Optiwatt integrates with offer yearly rebates of up to $230 per EV. When it comes to properly charging your EV and cutting costs, Optiwatt is the clear winner.
Departure times
The Tesla app gives you the option to set a departure time for weekdays and another for weekends. The Optiwatt app goes further with one departure time for each day of the week. This way, you can charge your EV correctly whether you start all your days at the same time or your schedule varies.
Battery preconditioning
This step is how savvy EV drivers ensure they have enough charge for their trips and keep their maximum range high over their battery’s lifetime. To address it, the Tesla app wraps up your charging well before you depart and uses extra energy for preconditioning pre-departure.
Optiwatt addresses this in a more user-friendly way. It preserves a tiny bit of your charging for right before you leave, and this charging preconditions your battery. That means you don’t use extra energy, and no extra warmup is necessary either. The cherry on top? This approach also extends your battery life, which is huge since EV battery replacements can cost thousands of dollars. Optiwatt saves you money both now and in the long run.
Trip functionality
In Tesla’s app, you can raise your target battery percentage ahead of a trip, including to as high as 100%. Forgetting to reset this target upon your return can result in overcharging which leads to long-term battery damage. That’s why the Optiwatt app automatically resets your target once you get back, preventing damage to your battery.
Emergency preparedness
Only Optiwatt notifies you when emergency events such as dangerous storms are on the way and automatically raises your battery target levels in response. This way, if conditions get truly bad and you need to evacuate last moment, you’re ready to go. Plus, once the emergency passes, Optiwatt automatically resets your charging target so you can settle right back in.
Home integration
Exclusive to Optiwatt is the ability to integrate your EV app with your home’s energy meters. You can then see all your energy usage within the Optiwatt app, including month-by-month breakdowns and EV versus home comparisons. This is the most convenient way to reduce all your electricity usage, whether for EV charging or dishwasher runs and start saving money.
Low-emission charging
Through Optiwatt’s unique Save the Planet plan, you can set your charging to occur only when electricity production is least likely to rely on carbon-generating sources. For California and Oregon users, Optiwatt matches certain EVs with fully renewable energy sources. And through Optiwatt’s local grid support feature, the app can delay your EV’s charging amid brief moments of peak electricity demand, minimizing blackouts and lessening your carbon footprint. The Tesla app entirely lacks these features.
Brands supported
Naturally, the Tesla app only supports Tesla EVs. Optiwatt, on the other hand, supports dozens of EV manufacturers, starting with Tesla and also including Jaguar, Hyundai, and Ford. Between its wider compatibility and broader suite of features, it’s no wonder Optiwatt has been downloaded over 150,000 times with an average user rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars — and you can be the next in line.
Tesla app vs. Optiwatt app: our winner
Optiwatt is our clear winner when compared to the Tesla app. It’s also entirely free to use since, to make money, Optiwatt helps utility providers buy electricity when it’s least expensive and keeps a portion of their savings. Download the free Optiwatt app now to get more control over your EV’s charging — and save lots of money without spending any.