Quick Start Tutorial

This tutorial will guide you through running your first EVerest charging simulation. You’ll build the framework, start a Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) configuration, and understand what’s happening under the hood.

This guide assumes you’ve completed the Installation Guide. If you haven’t installed EVerest yet, please do that first.

What You’ll Build

By the end of this tutorial, you’ll have:

Built EVerest Core from source
Started a simulated AC charging station
Understood the module architecture
Performed a complete charging session simulation

Step 1: Clone and Setup

Container-Based
Bare Metal

If you’re using the container-based development environment:

# Open a terminal in the container (if using VS Code, open integrated terminal)
# Or use the devrd script:
./devrd prompt

# Navigate to workspace
cd /workspace

# Clone EVerest Core
git clone https://github.com/EVerest/everest-core.git
cd everest-core

If you’re installing on bare metal:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/EVerest/everest-core.git
cd everest-core

Step 2: Build the Framework

Now let’s build EVerest Core with all its modules:

Configure with CMake

cmake -B build -S . -G Ninja

This command:

Creates a build directory
Configures the project with Ninja as the build system
Downloads and configures all dependencies automatically via EDM

The first build may take 10-20 minutes as it downloads and builds all dependencies. Subsequent builds will be much faster.

Build and Install

ninja -C build install

Or for a more compact installation:

ninja -C build install/strip

The install target copies files to the installation directory. In containers, this is /opt/everest by default. On bare metal with sudo, it’s /usr/local.

Verify the Build

Check that the manager executable is available:

which manager
# Should output: /opt/everest/bin/manager (container) or /usr/local/bin/manager (bare metal)

manager --version
# Should output: EVerest version 2026.02.0 or similar

Step 3: Understanding Configuration Files

EVerest uses YAML configuration files to define which modules to run and how they connect. Let’s examine the basic SIL (Software-in-the-Loop) configuration:

cat config/config-sil.yaml

This configuration includes:

Key Modules in config-sil.yaml

Module	Purpose
`connector_1` (EvseManager)	Manages the charging session lifecycle
`auth` (Auth)	Handles authorization and access control
`energy_manager` (EnergyManager)	Controls power distribution
`iso15118_charger` (EvseV2G)	ISO 15118 high-level communication
`iso15118_car` (PyEvJosev)	Simulates the EV side of ISO 15118
`slac` (SlacSimulator)	Simulates SLAC communication
`connector_1_powerpath` (YetiSimulator)	Simulates the hardware (BSP)
`token_provider` (DummyTokenProvider)	Provides RFID tokens for testing
`api` (API)	External API interface

View Full config-sil.yaml Structure

settings:
  telemetry_enabled: true

active_modules:
  # EVSE Management
  connector_1:
    module: EvseManager
    config_module:
      charge_mode: AC
      connector_id: 1
      evse_id: DE*PNX*E12345*1
      ac_hlc_enabled: true
      ac_nominal_voltage: 230
    connections:
      bsp:
        - implementation_id: board_support
          module_id: connector_1_powerpath
      hlc:
        - implementation_id: charger
          module_id: iso15118_charger

  # Hardware Simulator
  connector_1_powerpath:
    module: YetiSimulator
    config_module:
      connector_id: 1

  # Authentication
  auth:
    module: Auth
    connections:
      evse_manager:
        - implementation_id: evse
          module_id: connector_1
      token_provider:
        - implementation_id: main
          module_id: token_provider

  # Token simulation
  token_provider:
    module: DummyTokenProvider
    config_implementation:
      main:
        timeout: 10
        token: DEADBEEF

Step 4: Run Your First Configuration

Now let’s start the simulation:

# From the everest-core directory
manager --config config/config-sil.yaml

If you get a “config file not found” error, make sure you’re in the everest-core directory or provide the full path to the config file.

Step 5: Understanding the Output

When you run the manager, you’ll see output similar to:

[2026-03-04 20:15:32.123] [info] EVerest Manager starting...
[2026-03-04 20:15:32.145] [info] Loading configuration from: config/config-sil.yaml
[2026-03-04 20:15:32.234] [info] Initializing MQTT broker connection
[2026-03-04 20:15:32.456] [info] Starting module: connector_1_powerpath (YetiSimulator)
[2026-03-04 20:15:32.567] [info] Starting module: iso15118_charger (EvseV2G)
[2026-03-04 20:15:32.678] [info] Starting module: connector_1 (EvseManager)
[2026-03-04 20:15:32.789] [info] Starting module: auth (Auth)
[2026-03-04 20:15:32.890] [info] All modules initialized successfully
[2026-03-04 20:15:32.901] [info] EVSE ready for charging

What’s Happening?

Module Initialization

EVerest loads all modules defined in the configuration file. Each module:

Initializes its internal state
Connects to MQTT topics
Establishes connections with other modules
Publishes its ready state

MQTT Communication

All modules communicate via MQTT. You’ll see messages like:

everest/modules/connector_1/evse/ready
everest/modules/auth/main/state

These represent the communication channels between modules.

State Machine

The EvseManager module runs a state machine:

Idle: Waiting for vehicle
PluggedIn: Vehicle detected
Authorized: Payment/auth accepted
Charging: Active charging session
Finished: Session complete

Step 6: Simulate a Charging Session

To interact with the running simulation, you have several options:

Option A: Use the EV Manager (Simulated Car)

The config-sil.yaml includes an EV manager module. In a separate terminal:

# Access the ev_manager via MQTT or use the EvAPI
# The configuration includes auto_exec commands for simulation

Option B: Use Node-RED UI (Container Only)

If you’re using the container-based setup:

Switch to SIL Flow

# On host machine
./devrd flow everest-core/config/nodered/config-sil-flow.json

Open Node-RED UI

Open your browser to: http://localhost:1880/uiYou’ll see a graphical interface with:

Car simulator controls (plug in, authorize, start charging)
Real-time status display
Power meter readings
Session information

Start a Charging Session

Click “Plug In” to connect the virtual vehicle
The system will detect the car and request authorization
Click “Authorize” to approve charging
Click “Start Charging” to begin power delivery
Monitor the power flow and session data in real-time
Click “Stop Charging” when done
Click “Unplug” to complete the session

Option C: Monitor MQTT Messages

To see what’s happening at the protocol level:

# Install mosquitto-clients if not available
sudo apt-get install mosquitto-clients

# Subscribe to all EVerest topics
mosquitto_sub -h localhost -t 'everest/#' -v

You’ll see messages like:

everest/modules/connector_1/evse/session_event {"event":"SessionStarted"}
everest/modules/connector_1/evse/powermeter {"power_W":11040}
everest/modules/connector_1/evse/session_event {"event":"ChargingStarted"}

Step 7: Explore Other Configurations

EVerest comes with many pre-built configurations for different scenarios:

Available Configurations

Configuration	Description
`config-sil.yaml`	Basic AC charging simulation
`config-sil-dc.yaml`	DC fast charging simulation
`config-sil-ocpp.yaml`	AC charging with OCPP 1.6
`config-sil-ocpp201.yaml`	AC charging with OCPP 2.0.1
`config-sil-two-evse.yaml`	Two charging connectors
`config-sil-energy-management.yaml`	Smart energy management

Try DC Charging

manager --config config/config-sil-dc.yaml

DC configurations add modules for:

DC power supply simulation
Isolation monitoring
DC-specific protocols (CCS)

Try OCPP Integration

manager --config config/config-sil-ocpp.yaml

This configuration includes:

OCPP 1.6 module for backend communication
Transaction management
Remote start/stop capabilities

For OCPP configurations, you’ll need an OCPP backend like SteVe running. The container setup includes SteVe at http://localhost:8180.

Understanding Module Connections

EVerest modules communicate through interfaces. Each module:

Provides implementations of interfaces (services it offers)
Requires implementations from other modules (services it needs)

Example from config-sil.yaml:

connector_1:  # EvseManager module
  connections:
    bsp:  # Requires board_support_AC interface
      - implementation_id: board_support
        module_id: connector_1_powerpath  # Provided by YetiSimulator
    hlc:  # Requires ISO15118_charger interface
      - implementation_id: charger
        module_id: iso15118_charger  # Provided by EvseV2G

This creates a dependency graph:

EvseManager → YetiSimulator (hardware abstraction)
EvseManager → EvseV2G (ISO 15118 protocol)
Auth → EvseManager (session control)
Auth → DummyTokenProvider (token validation)

Debugging and Logging

To get more detailed output, you can adjust the log level:

# Set log level to debug
manager --config config/config-sil.yaml --log-level debug

# Or use environment variable
export EVEREST_LOG_LEVEL=debug
manager --config config/config-sil.yaml

Log levels:

critical: Only critical errors
error: Errors and critical
warning: Warnings, errors, and critical
info: Informational messages (default)
debug: Detailed debugging information
trace: Very verbose tracing

Next Steps

Congratulations! You’ve successfully run your first EVerest charging simulation. Here’s what to explore next:

Module Development

Learn how to create custom modules for your specific hardware

Configuration Guide

Deep dive into YAML configurations and module connections

OCPP Integration

Connect your charger to a central management system

Hardware Integration

Replace simulators with real hardware drivers

Troubleshooting

Manager fails to start

Check that:

The config file path is correct
All required modules are built and installed
MQTT broker is running (internal broker starts automatically)

# Check installation
which manager
manager --version

Modules fail to initialize

Look for error messages in the output:

[error] Module 'iso15118_charger' failed to load

This usually means:

Missing dependencies for that module
Configuration error in connections
Module not built/installed properly

Try rebuilding:

ninja -C build install

Python modules not working

Ensure Python support is enabled and dependencies are installed:

# Check CMake configuration
cmake -B build -S . -G Ninja -DEVEREST_ENABLE_PY_SUPPORT=ON
ninja -C build install

# Install Python dependencies
python3 -m pip install protobuf grpcio-tools nanopb==0.4.8

Cannot connect to MQTT

EVerest uses an internal MQTT broker by default. If you see connection errors:

# Check if another MQTT broker is running
sudo lsof -i :1883

# Stop conflicting broker
sudo systemctl stop mosquitto

Additional Resources

EVerest Documentation: https://everest.github.io
Module Reference: Browse /workspace/everest-core/modules/ for all available modules
Interface Definitions: Check /workspace/everest-core/interfaces/ for interface specifications
Community Forum: Join the discussion on GitHub Discussions
Source Code: Explore the code at github.com/EVerest/everest-core

Get Started

Core Concepts

Modules

Development

Deployment

Community

Quick Start

Quick Start Tutorial

What You’ll Build

Step 1: Clone and Setup

Step 2: Build the Framework

Step 3: Understanding Configuration Files

Key Modules in config-sil.yaml

Step 4: Run Your First Configuration

Step 5: Understanding the Output

What’s Happening?

Step 6: Simulate a Charging Session

Option A: Use the EV Manager (Simulated Car)

Option B: Use Node-RED UI (Container Only)

Option C: Monitor MQTT Messages

Step 7: Explore Other Configurations

Available Configurations

Try DC Charging

Try OCPP Integration

Understanding Module Connections

Debugging and Logging

Next Steps

Module Development

Configuration Guide

OCPP Integration

Hardware Integration

Troubleshooting

Additional Resources

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Core Concepts

Modules

Development

Deployment

Community

​Quick Start Tutorial

​What You’ll Build

​Step 1: Clone and Setup

​Step 2: Build the Framework

​Step 3: Understanding Configuration Files

​Key Modules in config-sil.yaml

​Step 4: Run Your First Configuration

​Step 5: Understanding the Output

​What’s Happening?

​Step 6: Simulate a Charging Session

​Option A: Use the EV Manager (Simulated Car)

​Option B: Use Node-RED UI (Container Only)

​Option C: Monitor MQTT Messages

​Step 7: Explore Other Configurations

​Available Configurations

​Try DC Charging

​Try OCPP Integration

​Understanding Module Connections

​Debugging and Logging

​Next Steps

Module Development

Configuration Guide

OCPP Integration

Hardware Integration

​Troubleshooting

​Additional Resources

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Quick Start Tutorial

What You’ll Build

Step 1: Clone and Setup

Step 2: Build the Framework

Step 3: Understanding Configuration Files

Key Modules in config-sil.yaml

Step 4: Run Your First Configuration

Step 5: Understanding the Output

What’s Happening?

Step 6: Simulate a Charging Session

Option A: Use the EV Manager (Simulated Car)

Option B: Use Node-RED UI (Container Only)

Option C: Monitor MQTT Messages

Step 7: Explore Other Configurations

Available Configurations

Try DC Charging

Try OCPP Integration

Understanding Module Connections

Debugging and Logging

Next Steps

Troubleshooting

Additional Resources