Andersen A2 (2024) and Andersen A3 EV charger models are now fully compatible with Charge Anytime

I have an Andersen A3 charger. I have a Smart Meter, however, due to poor signal in my location it does not send readings to my provider (have tried this so far with both British Gas and Octopus - both have installed new meters and both have failed to receive readings due to the signal issue) - my question is - will I still be able to get Charge Anytime EV Tariff? If my OVO account links directly to my Andersen account and the time at which I charge the vehicle doesn’t matter, then I don’t see why a Smart Meter is required as OVO will know how much electricity I’ve used from my Andersen account.

Hi ​@JohnnyBravo ,

Just checked this one with the team. Charge Anytime DOES require a working Smart Meter that is communicating in order for you to be eligible - it’s a requirement so that the system can do secondary checks (think anti-fraud protections and you’re on the right lines) and get the data it requires.

As it’s an Add-On that OVO allows to be used on basically any existing tariff, you can just pick any OVO tariff for now and then have OVO try to fix the signal issues once you’re on-supply. So you could just start on the SVT Simpler Energy one and ask OVO to try and fix your signal problems. If they can’t fix it, you could just leave fee-free if you didn’t want to stick around.

Thanks ​@Blastoise186 - this article suggests if you’ve got a compatible vehicle or charger then you don’t need the smart meter? - https://forum.ovoenergy.com/electric%2Dvehicles%2D166/you%2Ddon%2Dt%2Dneed%2Da%2Dsmart%2Dcharger%2Dto%2Dget%2Dcharge%2Danytime%2Dif%2Dyou%2Dhave%2Da%2Dcompatible%2Delectric%2Dvehicle%2D16775

Actually, that article says you can get away without using a Smart Charger if you have a compatible EV. It does not say anything about the Meter.

Looks like ​@Blastoise186 has already gotten to and helped you with your query ​@JohnnyBravo 

Let us know if you have any further questions 😀

Thanks ​@Bradley_OVO , ​@Blastoise186 - sounds like I’ll be in the same boat I am now with Octopus but with higher unit costs so will see if they can resolve the issue. If the utility companies can’t get a smart meter working you’d hope there was a solution that doesn’t require a working smart meter! Over the last 3 months my charging costs have been at least £150 higher than they should have been all because Octopus can’t sort a working smart meter 🤦🏼

We’re thinking about installing an Andersen, currently we just charge through the OVO Chargeanytime app so what advantages would we get by using the Andersen app to schedule charging instead?

Hey ​@BarryM ,

Just a heads up. The Andersen integration runs via the Charge Anytime app, so you’d still use the CA app to manage scheduling but could use the Andersen app for everything else. The same is true for Hypervolt in case you were considering that one.

The biggest advantage is being able to charge ANY EV you want and get the Charge Anytime rate on a set-and-forget basis, regardless of what make/model of EV is drinking the zappy juice. And you wouldn’t have to do any further setup once the Charger is linked and configured either - it’ll be truly Plug N Play which makes for ultimate convenience.

One piece of advice though. Please talk to the Charge Anytime for assistance with switching from Direct 2 Vehicle Mode to Charger Mode and vice versa. This is a powerful task that requires their help to make sure it’s done correctly.

Hey ​@BarryM 

I’m glad to see one of our volunteers has already stopped by with some really great advice here.

How to get in contact with the Charge Anytime team

• Charge Anytime - 0330 175 9678 (Option 1 new customers/option 2 existing customers) 

• ovocharge@ovo.com

I’ve linked below to a few other topics which may be helpful:

Let us know how you get on.

Thanks for the reply, I’m not really sure what else I need to use an app for apart from setting a charging schedule for so the Andersen app seems a bit redundant.

I’m confused by your comment about switching from ‘Direct 2 Vehicle Mode’ to ‘Charger Mode’? As I mentioned I currently schedule charging through the CA app so it sounds like no real change unless I’m missing something?