EV general discussion

[Jonnycoupe]

Thanks for confirming. I don't mind this time but going forwards I'd like to understand the correct procedure. I've reached out via email to Ovo Charge Anytime to tell me what exactly I need to do.

Oh sporry read as Octopus. I assume OVO anytime will always be the cheaper for the car aslong as they can see the data from the Ohme then take it off the bill.

EDIT : T&C here i assume the you need to have OVO access to your Ohme account to validate the EV use.

2. What is Charge Anytime?​

2.1 Charge Anytime is an add-on for OVO Energy Customers with a compatible EV or charger. With Charge Anytime you pay a lower rate when Smart Charging your EV whilst the rest of the energy you use is charged at your tariff’s usual rate.

2.2 Our partner Kaluza provides the Kaluza Flex Platform, the intelligent software platform that powers the Charge Anytime add-on that you access by downloading the Charge Anytime App (the “App”) or your charger manufacturer’s smart charging app. Kaluza will gather data from your EV or charger via the Kaluza Flex Platform, and report your EV charging consumption data to OVO Energy so that we can credit your account correctly. Kaluza will also use the Kaluza Flex Platform to smart charge your EV so that it can be charged at times when the grid is likely to be greenest. The App is provided by Kaluza, so you will need to agree to Kaluza’s End User Licence Agreement (“EULA”) when you download the App.

2.3 Provided you meet (and continue to meet) the Eligibility Criteria (see section 5), you can sign up to Charge Anytime as follows:

• If you have a compatible EV, you can sign up to Charge Anytime for free by downloading the App (available from Google and Apple stores), registering your details and creating an App Account and completing the sign up journey;
• If you have a compatible charger, you can sign up for Charge Anytime via your My OVO account by completing the sign-up journey. You will also need to download the manufacturer’s smart charging app in order to connect to the Kaluza Flex Platform.

3. How it works​

3.1 Charge Anytime works as follows:

• Your home energy rate will stay the same, but the energy consumed by your home EV charger will be charged at an effective rate of 7p a kWh when Smart Charging. Rather than being charged at a lower rate for your Smart Charging, you will receive a credit to your bill (Charge Anytime Credit) – see section 4.
• You will be charged at your standard plan rate for energy used to charge your EV while in Boost Charging mode.
• You will also be able to see insights about your EV charging and the savings you are making with the Charge Anytime add-on in the “Your EV” section of your OVO Energy account (either via a web browser or the My OVO App).
  
  3.2 Charging insights are only currently available if you connect to Charge Anytime via a smart charger, and will be available for EVs in due course. We will let you know when this happens.

4. Charge Anytime Credit​

4.1 All electricity you use will initially be charged at the normal unit rate you pay for your OVO energy plan – and these rates will be reflected in your live balance and on your bill, along with your normal standing charges.

4.2 In the first working week of each month, you’ll receive a credit based on how much of your total electricity usage in the previous month went into charging your EV (as calculated by the Kaluza Flex Platform). This will be your Charge Anytime Credit.

4.3 The Charge Anytime Credit provided will effectively mean that each month your total balance will be equal to what you would have owed if your EV Smart Charging consumption had been charged at the Charge Anytime Rate (currently 7p a kWh, inclusive of VAT).

4.4 All other energy use will be as per the rates on your standard OVO Energy plan, namely:

• All home energy use will be charged at your standard OVO Energy plan rates for electricity and gas;
• Standing charges (or "fixed charges") associated with your plan will remain the same; and
• Boost Charging will be charged at your standard OVO Energy plan electricity rate.
  
  4.5 The amount of credit you will receive each month will vary depending on how much you charge your EV that month, how much you Smart Charge, and how much you Boost Charge. For an example of how your Charge Anytime Credit will be calculated, please see our FAQs.
  
  4.6 Only electricity that has been used from the grid for Smart Charging will be considered in the Charge Anytime Credit calculation. For customers who have solar PV installed in their home, OVO can only currently offer Charge Anytime Credits, where the charger is an Indra Smart Pro Charger (and installed with a house current clamp). All other local solar energy that goes into EV charging will be excluded from the Charge Anytime Credit calculation.
  
  4.7 If you are a Direct Debit customer, your Direct Debit will not be affected by the Charge Anytime Credits applied to your account with the Charge Anytime add-on. If you have any Charge Anytime Credits left when you leave OVO Energy, they will be offset against your final bill.

 

[Bounce]

Had my Nissan Ariya 3 months now, done 3637 miles at a cost of £88.61 works out just over 2p per mile. So cheap

 

[Goodie]

All the paperwork signed in the Etron Q8!

In the same boat, ordered a couple of weeks back and they said it should be around early dec. What spec / colour did you go for?

 

[{SAS}TB]

Oh, nice ! car twins
Gone for the E-Tron Q8 55 Quattro Black Edition in Magnet Grey with the Pano roof and tow bar option

How about you ?

 

[jpaul]

....... You'd get bonus points (or sweets!) if you spotted another "Us" while driving. I'm sad, but I still say this to my girlfriend now! "Oh look, there's an us" or if it's exactly the same colour and model, it's an "Us Us!"

..............

The Honda and colour looks great - Honda have a build quality pedigree versus sino contingent

Reading further about Nio today seems the company is making big losses attributed to them using a 3rd party JAC chinese manufacturer,
no vertical integration like tesla, so can't compete with pricing of other chinese brands, or tesla ! I hadn't realised Tesla is in the black, though.
- So the Nio estate car is off the menu and ID7 the great white hope.

 

[Goodie]

Oh, nice ! car twins
Gone for the E-Tron Q8 55 Quattro Black Edition in Magnet Grey with the Pano roof and tow bar option

How about you ?

Black edition is what the wife desperately wanted but couldn’t justify the cost as the one we had was in a good offer through our nhs trusts lease scheme. We had the sline in Daytona grey, black edition would have pumped us by about 300/month! Not that the bride cared have you got an estimated due date?

 

[{SAS}TB]

Black edition is what the wife desperately wanted but couldn’t justify the cost as the one we had was in a good offer through our nhs trusts lease scheme. We had the sline in Daytona grey, black edition would have pumped us by about 300/month! Not that the bride cared have you got an estimated due date?

Nice!

No.date yet. The Octopus EV page was saying Dec-Feb but pretty much all the cars were, do, no idea really !

The charging point is between 4 and 10 weeks,.lol

No real rush as still.have the Tesla and old.Shell charging point

Any date on hours? When did you order

 

[Goodie]

Nice!

No.date yet. The Octopus EV page was saying Dec-Feb but pretty much all the cars were, do, no idea really !

The charging point is between 4 and 10 weeks,.lol

No real rush as still.have the Tesla and old.Shell charging point

Any date on hours? When did you order

Ordered 2 weeks ago with a range of oct-dec, have been told it should go to the dealer late nov and then arranged delivery to us at the start of dec. Comes with an installed ohme pro for free as well, although no contact on that point yet.

 

[{SAS}TB]

Ordered 2 weeks ago with a range of oct-dec, have been told it should go to the dealer late nov and then arranged delivery to us at the start of dec. Comes with an installed ohme pro for free as well, although no contact on that point yet.

Oh nice!

Yeah getting the Ohme pro too. Did the online "survey" earlier and waiting on date for that too.

 

[Goodie]

Oh nice!

Yeah getting the Ohme pro too. Did the online "survey" earlier and waiting on date for that too.

I’ll drop a post up when I get any dates confirmed, guessing you will just be two weeks behind me then, unless location plays much of a role.

 

[{SAS}TB]

I’ll drop a post up when I get any dates confirmed, guessing you will just be two weeks behind me then, unless location plays much of a role.

Cheers,I'll do the same

 

[{SAS}TB]

I’ll drop a post up when I get any dates confirmed, guessing you will just be two weeks behind me then, unless location plays much of a role.

Got two emails this morning - one introducing themselves as the contact for the EV charger install and the second with a link to book the install

The link (and follow up email) 404'd

Third time lucky takes me to the booking site, but ....

Will keep on refreshing the page though the day ...

 

[ddoubleep]

I haven't paid much attention to the electric vehicle market until now, but my parents are looking to replace their current car as they prepare for retirement. Their driving is mainly local – trips to the shops, the occasional school run, and a 250-mile round trip to visit family about twice a month.

They’re currently driving a diesel, which they can continue using until they find a suitable replacement. Their budget is around £25k. Comfort is a priority for them, particularly with easy access in and out of the car due to back issues. They’re also hoping for a vehicle that’s straightforward to use, without overly complex controls or features buried deep in menus.

I’m wondering if it’s realistic to consider an electric vehicle in this price range or if a petrol hybrid might be a better option. Any suggestions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Hawk Tuah]

I haven't paid much attention to the electric vehicle market until now, but my parents are looking to replace their current car as they prepare for retirement. Their driving is mainly local – trips to the shops, the occasional school run, and a 250-mile round trip to visit family about twice a month.

They’re currently driving a diesel, which they can continue using until they find a suitable replacement. Their budget is around £25k. Comfort is a priority for them, particularly with easy access in and out of the car due to back issues. They’re also hoping for a vehicle that’s straightforward to use, without overly complex controls or features buried deep in menus.

I’m wondering if it’s realistic to consider an electric vehicle in this price range or if a petrol hybrid might be a better option. Any suggestions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

Are they looking at brand new, or is nearly new an option.

I'd probably point them towards something like a Kia Niro. Plenty of 22/23 with low mileage for that price.

 

[rodenal]

There is so much (relative) value in the circa 12 month old EV market at the moment that it's well worth a look. One thing I would say is check real world efficiency as for example my experience of the Koreans and Tesla (accepting Tesla might be out of the question here) is theyll get close to their stated efficiency, while the likes of my own mg4 and BMW's IX not so much.

A 250 mile trip should be no real hassle in any EV with a decent battery even if you end up stopping (and you will at this price range as remember you'll only really use 80-85% of the range a lot of the time if you want to charge quickly and top it up to be able to do other things when you get there ).

 

[ddoubleep]

Are they looking at brand new, or is nearly new an option.

I'd probably point them towards something like a Kia Niro. Plenty of 22/23 with low mileage for that price.

They would be looking for used. Kia garage is not too far from them to get the ball rolling.

 

[ddoubleep]

There is so much (relative) value in the circa 12 month old EV market at the moment that it's well worth a look. One thing I would say is check real world efficiency as for example my experience of the Koreans and Tesla (accepting Tesla might be out of the question here) is theyll get close to their stated efficiency, while the likes of my own mg4 and BMW's IX not so much.

A 250 mile trip should be no real hassle in any EV with a decent battery even if you end up stopping (and you will at this price range as remember you'll only really use 80-85% of the range a lot of the time if you want to charge quickly and top it up to be able to do other things when you get there ).

Fair point on the 80/85% as you might not get a charger when you get to the location and want to wonder around. A Tesla I guess is more but a more mature EV in-terms of tech and charger network?

 

[b0rn2sk8]

Tesla is not really any better at achieving its rated range than anything else at motorway speeds.

Yes they have their own chargers and they integrate well into the whole experience but you can achieve similar elsewhere, just takes a bit of effort in some cases. Tesla just makes of very easy, if they have chargers where you need them (which they generally do).

-20% in best summer, -30% in worse winter is pretty much the rule of thumb for everything in terms of motorway range vs rated range.

 

[Tinders]

ID7 has landed, can confirm there are no forum members in the boot. Slightly annoying that with the optional interior pack, VW changed the colour of the seat insert from light grey to a darker grey. Otherwise its nice being back to silent driving, the 1.0 eco box T cross was just a horrid car, interior is a step up from the BMW in the main. Tech is spot on. Only downside is the frankly rubbish app.

 

[Hawk Tuah]

Only downside is the frankly rubbish app.

Welcome to the VW/Audi group of app pain. It's even better when the developers roll out their API updates overnight and it completely borks any smart charging you've got going.