Volkswagen Group has restricted API access to its vehicle data for third-party integrations, impacting smart home and solar charging setups. Users are seeking to understand the policy changes, coordinate communication with VW, and find alternative solutions. The core issue is that functionality like battery status and charging controls are now limited to approved commercial partners.
A starter prompt for Claude Code, what you'll need, and how to reach them.
You are an expert full-stack developer. Build a minimal viable product (MVP) for a 'Volkswagen CarNet API Bridge' as a Home Assistant add-on that attempts to restore access to basic EV data (battery SoC, charging status, mileage). The core challenge is Volkswagen's new API restrictions. The MVP should focus on a backend service that acts as an intermediary.
**Frontend (Home Assistant Add-on / Custom Component):**
1. A simple Home Assistant custom component (Python) that users install.
2. This component should allow users to configure the endpoint of the backend service.
3. It should display battery SoC, charging status, and mileage as Home Assistant sensors.
4. Include basic error reporting if the backend connection fails or data isn't received.
**Backend Service (Next.js 16 App Router API routes + Node.js with a potential web scraping library):**
1. Develop a Next.js 16 App Router application. Use React 19, Tailwind v4 for any admin UI, and Neon Postgres for data storage if needed (e.g., to store anonymized successful login attempts or user config).
2. The backend needs API routes to:
a. Authenticate users: This is the most critical part. Implement a secure OAuth flow or a robust web-scraping mechanism using Puppeteer or Playwright to log into the official VW portal and extract the necessary data. **Prioritize the web-scraping approach as API access is blocked.**
b. Fetch vehicle data: After authentication, periodically fetch battery SoC, charging status, and mileage. Store a cache of the latest data.
c. Expose data: Create a simple REST API endpoint that the Home Assistant component can call to retrieve the latest vehicle data for a given user. This endpoint should be secured (e.g., with API keys).
**MVP Scope:**
Focus strictly on reading `battery_soc`, `charging_status`, and `odometer` for one authenticated vehicle per user. Do not attempt climate control or charging commands in the MVP.
**Verification:**
Provide clear instructions on how to set up the Home Assistant component and connect it to the locally running Next.js backend. Demonstrate successful data retrieval from a test VW account. Include detailed comments in the code, especially around the web-scraping/authentication logic, to explain the approach and potential pitfalls.globalCanada
Focus on Canadian VW EV owners, specifically those with solar setups, to offer a localized workaround for home energy management integration.
I would like to start a dedicated discussion thread specifically focused on the broader API access restrictions introduced by Volkswagen Group around May 2026. There is already an issue discussing login failures and technical breakage, but I believe this topic deserves a separate thread with a clear title so users can: - discuss the policy and access changes themselves - collect official statements and findings - cross-link related discussions, articles, petitions, and legal information - coordinate communication with Volkswagen and regulators - document the impact on existing smart home and solar charging setups As many users noticed, third-party integrations such as this Home Assistant integration and evcc suddenly lost access to vehicle data including: - battery state of charge - charging status - mileage - vehicle telemetry - charging and climate controls - ... From the available information, it currently appears that Volkswagen has restricted API access to approved commercial partners only. For many users, including myself, this functionality was a major reason for choosing VW Group EVs. Integration with Home Assistant and solar charging automation has worked reliably for year
Existing user account for testing
Standard Lumivara stack
Standard Lumivara database
New: browser automation for web scraping - ~1 day to learn basics
Learn it: Playwright docs ↗
Get set up: `npm i -D @playwright/test` → `npx playwright install` to download the browsers.
New: Home Assistant custom component development - ~2-3 days
Learn it: Search getting-started ↗
Get set up: Create the account/instance, generate the API key or credentials, and add them to your project's environment variables.
Comment on the GitHub issue, mentioning the user @janmisek.
“I've started building a prototype for a Home Assistant integration that aims to restore basic VW EV data access by simulating browser interaction. Would you be open to collaborating or testing an early version?”
Open the original ↗