I had a Easee charger fitted as recommended by my electrician last year. I am due to take delivery of my Kia EV shortly. I am also a OVO energy customer.
Bizarrely I seem unable to take advantage of the anytime + tariff as i have neither a compatible charger or car. How can this be the case? Has it now come to the point where you choose the car and charger based on an available electricity tariff?! Com on OVO get Kia on board ASAP.
Best answer by Tim_OVO
View originalAs BPLightlog said, you don’t need the OVO Anytime app if you have a compatible charge point. You just use the Ohme app, and turn off any charging schedules you have set in the car.
My Pod Point Solo 3 is not supported, so I use the OVO app to communicate directly with the car.
Ah, so I assume you’ve got a compatible car with its API whereas the eNiro isn’t. Which is why I’d have to buy one of the only two compatible untethered chargers, the Ohme ePod or the Indra Smart Pro. My other half doesn’t like the size of the Indra which is why the lessor features ePod is the way I’d have to go.
I do have a further question however. Ovo Charge Anytime gives a cheap 7p rate when the grid is the greenest, which as an end user you can’t really seem to predict so maybe a little less convenient. It doesnt seem to offer a cheap rate for domestic use like Octopus. If I moved from Ovo to Octopus I could get a predicted overnight charge at 7.5 p/Kwh as well as the same cheap overnight rate for things like the washing machine and dish washer. That might be a better tariff, unless someone can point out a negative view. I could probably also get a wider choice of chargers.
+5
..,
I do have a further question however. Ovo Charge Anytime gives a cheap 7p rate when the grid is the greenest, which as an end user you can’t really seem to predict so maybe a little less convenient. It doesnt seem to offer a cheap rate for domestic use like Octopus. If I moved from Ovo to Octopus I could get a predicted overnight charge at 7.5 p/Kwh as well as the same cheap overnight rate for things like the washing machine and dish washer. That might be a better tariff, unless someone can point out a negative view.
Charge Anytime uses the green’est’ slots rather than just green so if you set your time required by as needed, it should all work fine, whatever the generation balance - as a user, you don’t need to monitor how green things are
As BPLightlog said, you don’t need the OVO Anytime app if you have a compatible charge point. You just use the Ohme app, and turn off any charging schedules you have set in the car.
My Pod Point Solo 3 is not supported, so I use the OVO app to communicate directly with the car.
Ah, so I assume you’ve got a compatible car with its API whereas the eNiro isn’t. Which is why I’d have to buy one of the only two compatible untethered chargers, the Ohme ePod or the Indra Smart Pro. My other half doesn’t like the size of the Indra which is why the lessor features ePod is the way I’d have to go.
I do have a further question however. Ovo Charge Anytime gives a cheap 7p rate when the grid is the greenest, which as an end user you can’t really seem to predict so maybe a little less convenient. It doesnt seem to offer a cheap rate for domestic use like Octopus. If I moved from Ovo to Octopus I could get a predicted overnight charge at 7.5 p/Kwh as well as the same cheap overnight rate for things like the washing machine and dish washer. That might be a better tariff, unless someone can point out a negative view.
I have a Kia Niro EV 3 and am on the beta program for OVO Charge Anytime.
After phoning OVO to discuss having my Pod Point Solo 3 replaced with an Ohme ePod, and whether this could be done at a reduced rate since I already have all the wiring installed, it turns out that the Kia beta test program had been started the week before. This was at the end of November 2023. OVO then asked if I wanted to be a beta tester. Of course I jumped at the chance, and have had no problems so far.
Note that OVO also run a Power Move challenge each month where you can get a refund of up to £15 if you time shift your peak energy usage outside of the period between 4pm and 7pm.
Having a compatible charger does give you more flexibility if you need to charge different EVs. However, having the car compatible works for me as I can also charge at our other property using a granny charger and still get 7p/kWh. Also I’m not restricted to charging overnight or having to pay a higher rate for other electricity usage during the day.
It really depends on your personal circumstance at to what works for you.
..,
I do have a further question however. Ovo Charge Anytime gives a cheap 7p rate when the grid is the greenest, which as an end user you can’t really seem to predict so maybe a little less convenient. It doesnt seem to offer a cheap rate for domestic use like Octopus. If I moved from Ovo to Octopus I could get a predicted overnight charge at 7.5 p/Kwh as well as the same cheap overnight rate for things like the washing machine and dish washer. That might be a better tariff, unless someone can point out a negative view.
Charge Anytime uses the green’est’ slots rather than just green so if you set your time required by as needed, it should all work fine, whatever the generation balance - as a user, you don’t need to monitor how green things are
As Paul4AA said … you just set the time you need your car charged by and the required percentage. OVO will then turn on the charger when the grid is greenest. You don’t have to do anything like monitoring the grid.
I don’t really see any advantage in Ovo Charge Anytime ( half a penny cheaper per KWh for charging isn’t much) apart from it being the greenest energy, and charging overnight with Octopus isn’t a hindrance at all, more of a convenience really as it would be full every day. There is the disadvantage with Ovo in that all non EV power is at full cost whereas Octopus gives the advantage of cheap rate for larger appliances that can delay until after midnight. Or at least those are my current thoughts as I don’t have a charger yet. I’ve been with Ovo since 2013 but am thinking that Octopus might be better now that I’ve just bought an EV.
I don’t really see any advantage in Ovo Charge Anytime ( half a penny cheaper per KWh for charging isn’t much) apart from it being the greenest energy, and charging overnight with Octopus isn’t a hindrance at all, more of a convenience really as it would be full every day. There is the disadvantage with Ovo in that all non EV power is at full cost whereas Octopus gives the advantage of cheap rate for larger appliances that can delay until after midnight. Or at least those are my current thoughts as I don’t have a charger yet. I’ve been with Ovo since 2013 but am thinking that Octopus might be better now that I’ve just bought an EV.
You will have to do the maths to see what works best for your personal situation, as it depends a lot on when you use the most electricity. With Octopus you will be paying a much higher rate during the day. Time for a spreadsheet analysis. 😉
That maths may be delayed. I bought an eNiro from a Kia main dealer and enjoyed it for about a week, and tried public charging. Bu pt the car revealed a number of faults including what seemed like the dreaded motor drive unit noise, so I returned it. I may go back to my prior idea of a BMW i3. They are listed as compatible with Ovo charge anytime so I assume that I can put in any charger and not be limited by those few that Ovo list.
+1
Correct. You only need either the Charger OR the EV to be compatible.
However, if you happen to have both, we definitely recommend going down the Charger route for a superior experience - and the ability to charge ANY EV you fancy at CA rates.
I ended up returning in Kia eNiro back to the Kia dealer due to multiple problems with it ( suspension, motor / drive noises and more) so am currently car less. But, I imagine that as long as I get an EV from almost any other company then I’d not be so limited in home charger choice.
One thing I’d appreciate guidance on is that when Ovo’s engineer came to fit my smart meters he said that my main cut out fuse was only 40 amp. From a link on Northern Powergrid’s web site it says for my type of cut out:
Black Plastic Cut-Out (Circa 1960s to 1990s)
If presented with this type of cut-out the LCT device installer must assume
that the fuse size in the cut-out is 60A. If the installation designer’s
calculations confirms that the customer’s installation total load will not
exceed 60A at any time then there is no need for a DNO assessment and
the install can proceed and an appropriate notification sent to the DNO.
As I say, mine is apparently only. 40 Amp. I cancelled my locally arranged charger installation when I returned the Kia but am now thinking of getting something else. What fuse size is typically needed for a 3 bed semi to add an EV charger and what’s the correct route to get it upgraded.
+1
Ideally, 100A if possible, but 80A at the absolute minimum. If you ask your DNO, they can assist.
Is it Northern Powergrid you’re with?
Thanks. Yes. Looking at their Web site page it looks like I will have to fill in their form at https://www.northernpowergrid.com/sites/default/files/assets/Modification%20of%20existing%20Load%20Application%20Form%20ver2.pdf in order to get a quote from them to upgrade my fuse
+1
Yup, that’s the one. Doing it online is the fastest way
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