Could someone offer advice to me as i'm new to chargers?

Howdy ​@archermav !

You can actually use any of the Chargers listed at https://www.ovoenergy.com/electric-cars/charge-anytime-cars-and-chargers - some of which are a bit cheaper. EVEC is on a temporary pause right now while they fix their integration, but all others listed are fully supported - EVEC plans to return soon.

With Charge Anytime, you still need to set things up via the OVO Charge app even for the PAYG 14p/kWh option - but the PAYG one won’t lock you into a monthly subscription and works on a rebate a la carte basis. The full rate is charged to your OVO bill and the discount is applied later as a rebate once a month.

MG isn’t a supported brand so you have to use the Charger route. Ohme used to be supported but they dumped OVO last year by being stubborn (they’re not a great option these days anyway!) so you’re better off looking at one of the Chargers that OVO does support - NexBlue is a bit cheaper than the others IIRC.

If you go for an Ohme/MG combo anyway, you will not get Charge Anytime so please consider a Charger that is supported.

Let me know if you’ve got more burning questions! :)

Thanks for the reply, much appreciated. So if he only uses a granny charger I get charged the normal unit rate of circa 31p?

He doesn’t do many miles, hence the EV. He’s probably only going to need one or two full charges a month.

We are planning on moving home later this year, so I am sat here working out how much electricity he can have for the £1000 I would spend on the charger costs, and at the minute it seems like rather a lot. Probably more then he will use.

You’re welcome.

Granny Charging isn’t recommended for regular charging - it’s more of an emergency thing for if you’re stuck at your granny’s house and shouldn’t be relied upon due to the load it puts on the socket. While EV Chargers aren’t cheap, they come with a bunch of safety features that reduce the risk of fires or overloads (it’s also better for the household wiring anyway).

Plus if you Granny Charge an EV that doesn’t support Charge Anytime, I’m afraid you will be paying standard rates and not the discounted one - that’s basically the case across the market I’m afraid. Charge Anytime doesn’t officially support Granny Charging anyway unfortunately - it expects the vehicle to be able to charge at Full Speed, not Snail Speed otherwise you may not get a full charge.

You can actually take most EV Chargers with you if you move house! You do have to pay for the service, but most of them can be uninstalled from the old place and re-installed at the new one - so you may want to explore that possibility by chatting with the manufacturers first.

Remember that having an EV is a long-term investment so don’t just do the £1,000 calculation over a single year - do it over at least 3 years (possibly longer). Plus the convenience of plugging in at home and not having to head to petrol stations or dealing with panic buying (like what’s happening right now).

Thanks, I’m hoping he’s left home in 12 months so I don’t have to pay for his “fuel”!!! 

Time for more reading and research. 

Have you looked at the price of public chargers near to you ? I don’t know what they cost these days as we always charge at home, but if it’s only for a short time and low mileage it may work out cheaper than buying a charger and having it installed. Our charger needed a long length of cable fitted around the loft to our consumer unit which was an extra expense to a standard install. 

I’m lucky in that there are two sets of high power chargers within 5 minutes, so I’ll have a look see. Thanks very much.

Public charging prices can only be described as horrific compared to charging at home. Part of the issue is that public charger operators are trying to recover the cost of their significant investment and the grid connection charges are massive for the power required. It doesn’t help that most of the chargers are very infrequently used. On top of that VAT at 20% is added for which there was a public debate on whether it should be 5% or not. A court has ruled in favour of 5% which it started out as.

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/electriccars/article-15605705/Is-cost-running-EV-fall-Court-rules-favour-tax-cut-public-charging.html

Have a read of this for the economics of public charging from the RAC.

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/electric-cars/charging/electric-car-public-charging-costs-rac-charge-watch/

I came into the game about five years ago and it was a lot harder to find public charge points but a lot cheaper and even free then. Sorry, more heavy duty reading but I hope it helps. 

Peter

Thanks for your response, I’ll have a read of the RAC thread. I’ve just spent the last hour or so looking at switching energy providers (sorry OVO) but I’m not convinced it’s worth it for me. Still, more reading it seems.

Also have a look at ZapMap to see where all the chargers are. The fast and rapid chargers are expensive but the slow ones will be cheaper, eg there’s a Connected_kerb charger near me that’s 43p p kWh between midnight and 7am. Also might it be worth asking a neighbour with an EV if they’d be interested in coming to some arrangement ? Especially if it was for a limited time. 

We would be sorry to see you go but I have always said you should look out for the tariff that best suits your circumstances. An advantage with OVO is that you can get charging slots all day whereas the others will only offer restricted charging times in the early morning. They may offer a low charging rate but this us very much counterbalanced by high non-discount rates so best to try and do a calculation to see what is best for you.

Do let us know if we can help you with anything whilst you decide. You are welcome to post questions on here even if you move to another supplier. SpeakEV.com is a good forum for all sorts of EV questions.

Peter

Thanks for everyones comments. All very useful. 

All you see is the headline discount EV rate, then once you look into it the actual “daytime”rates they are just slightly higher than OVO, so swings and roundabouts I suppose. 

Good shout re neighbour.

Thanks again.

From experience you just have to go with what you think is best. Even with Fixed Price rates (no EV discount) it's cheaper than a ICE (internal combustion engine) car and then that gives you time to work out something more economical. A slow (granny) charger is ok to begin with whilst you come to a decision of who and what to go with. 

Here's a suggestion. Narrow the choice down to the suppliers you think you will end up using. Look at the compatible chargers in that group and go with the one that is most common. At least that gives you the best chance of changing suppliers if the first one doesn't work out. Give yourself three months to make a decision. Don't rush that one.  Perhaps come back on here for a second opinion on what you think is best and why. Even if you don't come back on here the process of thinking it though should result in a better choice.

Happy Easter

Peter

Wise words, thanks very much.

Simon

Hey ​@archermav 

I’m glad to see the community have already stopped by with some really helpful advice.

I hope you’ve found it useful, do let us know how he gets on with the MG4 and charging options.😊

Well, the MG 4 has rocked up. Still exploring charging options, other then granny. Why is the granny charger lead so short! 

Possibly because it’s cheaper. The granny charger I bought from Screwfix has a 10m lead. You could always use an extension cable but please exercise caution with that because 10A is a lot of current and you have an extra plug and socket in the mix. If the cable is on a reel then it must be fully unwound otherwise you’ll end up with a big blob of melted plastic and possibly a fire.

Tip: If you are going away you may have the opportunity to charge at the place (with the owner’s consent) but never leave it unattended because of the possibility of the wall socket/plug overheating. If you make up a simple extension lead (mine is 10m) with 2.5mm sq (15A) cable then put a single socket on the end. You can post the socket through the letterbox so you don’t have to keep a door or window open all the time.

When the owner of the let we go to agreed to let me charge the car we also agreed that 40p/kWh was a reasonable rate which is sort of mid-way between the actual cost of the electricity and nearby commercial charging rates so we both benefit. You just need to log how many hours you spend charging and multiply it by two.

Alternatively, look for lets that have charging - a much better option and quicker.

Peter

Thanks, I’m hoping he’s left home in 12 months so I don’t have to pay for his “fuel”!!! 

​@archermav this made me chuckle 😆. 

Keep us updated as to your progress, even if you do decide to switch away. Charge Anytime gives great flexibility, whereas some other suppliers are based more around night time charging. If your son signs up with us once he’s moved then, as ​@Blastoise186 has mentioned, it’ll be worth him getting a discounted charger installed by OVO. I understand it’s a tricky choice around getting a charger installed at your home right now, given that he may not be there for too much longer. 

On the other hand, if you decide to switch then we wish you all the best with your new supplier, and feel free to remain part of this Forum community - it really is invaluable for EV users. As ​@Peter E has said, you’ll need to have a think about when most of the charging will likely be done. 

These articles will give you some further insight into Charge Anytime and its benefits:

I was looking for some MG4 related articles on the Forum, but there isn’t many at the moment. However, you might find some useful info on these forums:

• MGEVs Community
• Speak EV

As always fire any further questions our way 🚗.

 Well you don’t want your granny to be wandering about too far while she is on a charge. 🤣

Thanks again folks, great helpful place this. Seems my EV journey is just starting, but I’m already liking his MG. I am assuming that OVO don’t do a reduced overnight rate generally anyway? Not specific to EVs that is?

That would be Economy 7, which is absolutely not recommended for EV Charging - the cheaper night rate is far more expensive than Charge Anytime and you’ll be punished with much higher day rates (often more than regular Standard Variable!).

If you’re not doing much charging e.g. once a month, it’s rarely worth E7.

​@archermav Blastoise186 is right here - the reduced night rate tariff (Economy 7) comes with a more expensive day rate, and is only suited to properties with storage heaters or immersion heaters, and underfloor heating in some cases.

Thanks for that detailed write up, alway sgood to hear of varying options.

Thanks for your insight ​@Peter E 😎.