Renault Zoe Phase 2

Vehicle Type: RZ2

This module supports the Renault Zoe Phase 2 ZE40/ZE50 with 41/52kWh batteries (2019-2024).

Connection Types

The Zoe PH2 can be connected to OVMS in two ways:

OBD-II Connection (Standard)

Connect via the OBD-II port using a standard OBD-II to DB9 cable. This provides basic monitoring capabilities.

V-CAN Connection (Advanced)

Connect directly to the vehicle’s main CAN bus by tapping into the BCM or gateway. This unlocks all advanced features including remote climate control, door lock/unlock, and enhanced metrics.

Note: All features marked with * below require a V-CAN connection.

Support Overview

Function

Support Status

Hardware

OVMS v3.3

Vehicle Cable

OBD-II to DB9 Data Cable for OVMS (Generic OBD2 Cable - left)

GSM Antenna

1000500 Open Vehicles OVMS GSM Antenna (or any compatible antenna)

GPS Antenna

1020200 Universal GPS Antenna (SMA Connector) (or any compatible antenna)

SOC Display

Yes

Range Display

Yes

GPS Location

Yes (via modem module GPS)

Speed Display

Yes

Temperature Display

Yes

BMS Voltage/Temperature Display

Yes

TPMS Display

Yes

Charge Status Display

Yes

Charge Interruption Alerts

Yes

Charge Control

No (impossible to implement, firmware of ECUs doesnt support it)

Cabin Pre-heat/Cool Control

Yes*

Lock/Unlock Vehicle

Yes*

Valet Mode Control

No

(* Requires V-CAN connection)

Getting Connected

OBD-II Connection

  1. Use a standard OBD-II to DB9 cable (left pin configuration)

  2. Connect to the OBD-II port under the dashboard

  3. Configure vehicle type as RZ2 in OVMS

  4. Basic monitoring is now active

V-CAN Connection

The V-CAN (Vehicle CAN) is the main communication bus connecting the BCM, HVAC, instrument cluster, and other critical ECUs.

Benefits of V-CAN connection:

  • Accurate wake-up detection without relying on the TCU

  • Remote control functions (climate, locking, etc.)

  • Enhanced metrics from vehicle ECUs

  • Access to diagnostic (DDT) commands

To connect to V-CAN, you need to tap into the CAN bus at the BCM or gateway module. This requires opening the vehicle and connecting directly to the CAN wires.

Important: If you disable or remove the Telematics Control Unit (TCU), a V-CAN connection becomes essential for proper wake-up detection.

Battery & Energy Setup

Battery Capacity

Configure your battery size in the web interface under Renault Zoe Ph2 Setup:

  • ZE40: 41 kWh

  • ZE50: 52 kWh (default)

Energy Calculation Method

You can choose between two methods:

OVMS Calculation (Recommended for older BMS firmware ≤530)

OVMS calculates energy values internally. Use this if your BMS firmware is version 530 or lower, as these versions miscalculate energy leading to accelerated SOH decline.

BMS Calculation (Recommended for newer firmware >530)

Uses energy values directly from the Battery Management System. Recommended for updated firmware.

To update BMS firmware, visit a Renault dealer with CLIP and Token access. Important: Ensure “COMPUTER DATA” is not rewritten after flashing to prevent issues.

Remote Control

All remote control features require a V-CAN connection.

Climate Control

Pre-heat or pre-cool your cabin before driving:

Requirements:

  • Vehicle must be locked

  • Battery SOC must be above 15%

  • V-CAN connection required

Methods:

  1. OVMS App: Use the climate control button

  2. Shell Command: climatecontrol on

  3. Scheduled: Configure weekly schedules (see Scheduled Preconditioning below)

  4. Key Fob: Press “Remote Lighting” button if configured (see Web Configuration below)

Extended Climate Control

For longer preconditioning sessions:

  • homelink 2: Runs climate control for ~30 minutes (3 cycles)

  • homelink 3: Cancels extended session

The extended session will also stop if you unlock the vehicle.

Door Lock/Unlock

Control your doors remotely:

  • Lock: lock command

  • Unlock: unlock command

  • Trunk Only: xrz2 unlocktrunk

These work like the original key fob functions. Standard OVMS lock/unlock commands use the module PIN if PIN protection is enabled.

Headlights

Activate headlights for ~30 seconds:

  • Command: xrz2 lighting

  • Coming Home Feature: Automatically activates when locking if configured (see Web Configuration)

Scheduled Preconditioning

Set up automatic climate control using the global OVMS scheduler.

Configuration:

  • Web UI: Renault Zoe Ph2 → Preconditioning Schedule

  • Shell: climatecontrol schedule commands

Features:

  • Multiple time slots per day

  • Individual schedules for each weekday

  • Optional duration per slot (5-30 minutes)

  • Copy schedules between days

  • Global enable/disable switch

Example Commands:

# Set Monday schedule with durations
climatecontrol schedule set mon 07:30/10,17:45/15

# Copy to rest of work week
climatecontrol schedule copy mon tue-fri

# Enable scheduler
climatecontrol schedule enable

# Check status
climatecontrol schedule list

Requirements:

  • V-CAN connection

  • Vehicle must be locked

  • Battery SOC must be above 15%

  • Scheduler must be enabled

12V Battery Management

Keep your 12V battery healthy with automatic and manual charging features. All features require V-CAN connection.

Automatic Recharge

Automatically starts the DC/DC converter when your 12V battery voltage drops:

  • Configurable voltage threshold (11.0-14.0V, default: 12.4V)

  • Runs for up to 30 minutes

  • Only works when vehicle is locked and not charging

  • Stops automatically when unlocked, ignition turns on, or charging starts

After-Ignition Keep-Alive

Keeps the DC/DC running after turning off the ignition:

  • Configurable duration (0-60 minutes, default: 0 = disabled)

  • Reduces contactor wear on short stops

  • Improves ECU boot time

  • Automatically stops if charging starts or external preconditioning is detected

  • Smart integration: OVMS-triggered climate control automatically disables this to prevent conflicts

Manual DC/DC Control

Manually control the DC/DC converter with safety limits:

  • Enable: xrz2 dcdc enable

  • Disable: xrz2 dcdc disable

  • Status: xrz2 debug

Safety Limits:

  • SOC limit: Stops at configured percentage (default: 80%)

  • Time limit: Stops after configured minutes (default: unlimited)

  • Automatic shutdown on ignition, charging, or unlocking

Configuration

All 12V battery features are configured via Renault Zoe Ph2 Setup in the web UI.

Troubleshooting

Use xrz2 debug to check:

  • Current DC/DC state and mode

  • Runtime and configuration

  • Vehicle state (ignition, charging, SOC, voltage)

If experiencing issues:

  • Check if after-ignition keep-alive is active (set to 0 to disable)

  • Enable debug logs: log level debug v-zoe-ph2

  • Look for “DCDC:” messages in logs

  • Check for preconditioning detection messages if DC/DC stops unexpectedly

Advanced Diagnostics

The Zoe PH2 integration includes DDT (Diagnostic Tool) commands for ECU configuration.

Requirements:

  • V-CAN connection

  • Ignition ON (or ignition feed activated)

  • Vehicle in PARK

Important: All DDT commands make permanent changes to ECU settings. Use with caution.

HVAC Control

Compressor:

xrz2 ddt hvac compressor enable   # Allow cooling & heat pump
xrz2 ddt hvac compressor disable  # PTC heating only

Use case: Disable a faulty compressor to use PTC heating only during winter.

PTC Heaters:

xrz2 ddt hvac ptc enable    # Force all PTC elements on
xrz2 ddt hvac ptc disable   # Return to automatic control

Service Reset

xrz2 ddt cluster reset service   # Clear service reminder

Web Configuration

Configure your Zoe via the web interface at Renault Zoe Ph2 Setup.

Battery Settings

  • Battery size (ZE40/ZE50)

  • Ideal range (80-500 km)

  • Energy calculation method (OVMS/BMS)

V-CAN Features

  • Enable V-CAN connection

  • Coming home function (headlights on lock)

  • Remote climate via key fob (repurpose “Remote Lighting” button)

  • Alternative unlock command for vehicles that do not respond to the default unlock sequence

12V Battery Management

  • Auto-recharge enable/disable

  • Voltage threshold (11.0-14.0V)

  • Manual mode SOC limit (5-100%)

  • Manual mode time limit (0-999 min)

  • After-ignition duration (0-60 min)

Charging Notifications

  • PV/Solar charging mode (suppress intermediate notifications)

HVAC Auto-Enable PTC

  • Auto-enable PTC heaters based on outside temperature

  • Minimum temperature threshold (-20.0 to 30.0°C)

  • Maximum temperature threshold (-20.0 to 30.0°C)

Other Pages

  • BMS View: Monitor individual cell voltages and temperatures

  • Preconditioning Schedule: Set up automatic climate control

PV/Solar Charging Mode

When using a solar/PV-controlled wallbox, charging may start and stop multiple times per day based on available solar power. The PV charging mode suppresses individual notifications and provides a single summary when you unplug.

How It Works

  • Individual charge start/stop notifications are suppressed while cable is plugged in

  • Total energy (kWh) is accumulated across all charge sessions

  • A summary notification is sent when you unplug the cable

Summary Notification Includes:

  • Total kWh charged across all sessions

  • SOC change (start % → end %)

  • Number of charge sessions

  • Total duration plugged in

Configuration:

Enable via web UI at Renault Zoe Ph2 Setup → Charging Notifications → PV/Solar charging mode

Or via shell:

config set xrz2 pv_charge_notification yes

Notes:

  • If you unplug without any charging sessions occurring, no summary is sent

  • Session tracking resets when you plug in the cable

  • System restart while plugged: session starts at boot time, not actual plug time

Automatic PTC Activation

The Zoe PH2 integration can automatically enable the PTC heaters based on outside temperature.

Conditions

  • V-CAN connection required

  • Ignition ON

  • Vehicle not charging

  • Cabin blower enabled

  • Outside temperature within the configured range

Configuration

Enable via web UI at Renault Zoe Ph2 Setup → HVAC Auto-Enable PTC

Config keys:

  • xrz2 auto_ptc_enabled - enable or disable automatic PTC control

  • xrz2 auto_ptc_temp_min - lower temperature threshold

  • xrz2 auto_ptc_temp_max - upper temperature threshold

Notes

  • Default range is 9.5°C to 20.0°C

  • If the maximum threshold is configured below the minimum threshold, the implementation clamps it to the minimum value

  • Leaving the configured temperature range does not automatically disable the PTC heaters

  • Turning the cabin blower off disables the PTC heaters, regardless of whether they were enabled manually or automatically

  • Ignition OFF automatically disables the PTC heaters again

Additional Metrics

Beyond standard OVMS metrics, the Zoe PH2 integration provides:

Battery Metrics

  • xrz2.b.cycles - SOC cycles from BMS

  • xrz2.b.max.charge.power - Max charge/regen power from BMS

  • xrz2.b.chg.start - Charge session energy tracking

  • xrz2.b.used.start - Trip energy tracking

  • xrz2.b.recd.start - Recuperation tracking

Charging Metrics

  • xrz2.c.main.phases - Charging phases (single/three)

  • xrz2.c.main.phases.num - Phase count as number

  • xrz2.c.main.power.available - EVSE available power

HVAC Metrics

  • xrz2.h.ptc.state - Persistent PTC target/state flag

  • xrz2.h.compressor.mode - Compressor operating mode

  • xrz2.h.compressor.power - Compressor power draw (W)

  • xrz2.h.compressor.pressure - Refrigerant pressure (bar)

  • xrz2.h.compressor.speed - Compressor speed

  • xrz2.h.compressor.speed.req - Requested compressor speed

  • xrz2.h.compressor.temp.discharge - Compressor discharge temperature (°C)

  • xrz2.h.compressor.temp.suction - Compressor suction temperature (°C)

  • xrz2.h.cooling.evap.setpoint - Evaporator setpoint temperature (°C)

  • xrz2.h.cooling.evap.temp - Evaporator temperature (°C)

  • xrz2.h.heating.cond.setpoint - Condenser setpoint temperature (°C)

  • xrz2.h.heating.cond.temp - Condenser temperature (°C)

  • xrz2.h.heating.ptc.req - PTC power level (0-5)

  • xrz2.h.heating.temp - Output air temperature

Motor/Inverter Metrics

  • xrz2.i.current - Inverter HV current (Amps)

  • xrz2.i.voltage - Inverter HV voltage (Volts)

  • xrz2.m.inverter.status - Inverter status string

  • xrz2.m.temp.stator1 - Stator temperature sensor 1 (°C)

  • xrz2.m.temp.stator2 - Stator temperature sensor 2 (°C)

  • xrz2.m.temp.rotor.raw - Rotor temperature raw estimation (°C)

  • xrz2.m.temp.rotor - Rotor temperature estimated (°C)

  • xrz2.m.current.stator.u - Stator current phase U (Amps)

  • xrz2.m.current.stator.v - Stator current phase V (Amps)

  • xrz2.m.current.stator.w - Stator current phase W (Amps)

  • xrz2.m.current.rotor1 - Rotor current sensor 1 (Amps)

  • xrz2.m.current.rotor2 - Rotor current sensor 2 (Amps)

  • xrz2.m.rotor.resistance - Rotor reference resistance (Ohms)

  • xrz2.m.rotor.voltage - Rotor excitation voltage, calculated as I×R (Volts)

System Metrics

  • xrz2.v.bus.awake - CAN bus active

  • xrz2.v.c.12v.dcdc.load - DC/DC converter load (%)

  • xrz2.v.b.consumption.aux - HVAC trip consumption (kWh)

  • xrz2.v.poller.inhibit - Poller inhibit state

  • xrz2.v.pos.odometer.start - Odometer at trip start (km)

Notes

Persistent helper metrics such as xrz2.b.chg.start, xrz2.b.used.start, xrz2.b.recd.start and xrz2.v.pos.odometer.start are used internally for session and trip calculations, but can also be inspected for debugging.

Shell Commands

Poller Control

xrz2 poller start     # Start ISO-TP polling
xrz2 poller stop      # Stop polling
xrz2 poller inhibit   # Disable for maintenance
xrz2 poller resume    # Re-enable after inhibit

Debug & Status

xrz2 debug            # Show comprehensive status (DC/DC, config, vehicle state)

Vehicle-Specific Commands

xrz2 lighting         # Trigger headlights / coming-home lighting
xrz2 unlocktrunk      # Unlock trunk / tailgate
xrz2 dcdc enable      # Enable DC/DC converter manually
xrz2 dcdc disable     # Disable DC/DC converter

DDT Commands (see Advanced Diagnostics section)

Technical: CAN Security

The Renault Zoe Phase 2 uses a CAN security gateway, making the OBD port normally silent. OVMS must actively poll ECUs using UDS/ISO-TP, similar to diagnostic software.

Implications:

  • OVMS cannot detect wake-up without active polling

  • Continuous polling drains the 12V battery

  • TCU requests to BMS allow OVMS to detect wake-up events (OBD connection)

  • V-CAN connection provides better wake-up detection independent of TCU

  • Commands cannot be sent via OBD port (security restriction)

This is why V-CAN connection is required for remote control features.

Community & Support

Forum: https://www.goingelectric.de/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2327071