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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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

Yup, that’s the one. Doing it online is the fastest way

When is the KIA EV9 being added to charge anytime? 

I spoke to your customer service team before switching to OVO last week who confirmed that I would be eligible for charge anytime. I switched, then tried to add Charge Anytime and was told my charger a Hypervolt Home 3 and care werent compatible. Despite being told that they were. Please can you advise on this as I am quite annoyed that I am now paying more for electricity than I was with my previous provider. 

Hi @mrmahiho,

The latest info I know is this:

• Hypervolt Home V3 support is on the way but I can’t give a date yet
• Kia EV9 doesn’t seem to be on the roadmap right now, but it might in the future

Can I ask, why does the EV matter if the charger is compatible? And, ‘on its way but can’t give a date yet’ but yet companies, including Hypervolt are marketing that Ovo Charge anytime is available is very misleading. 

I wonder who puts Ovo roadmaps together as surely the EV car of the year should be on it!

They should also train staff properly as I was completely misadvised which ended up in me switching my energy supply for no reason given I can’t connect to the service. 

You only need one or the other to be compatible - not both.

The roadmap for adding new EV’s is not just down to OVO - it’s also determined by the EV manufacturers. Word on the street is that Kia is yet to play ball, which is a major blocker for OVO.

Kia are on the sign up page? 
 

thanks for the info. Looks like I should be fine once OVO sort the Hypervolt properly. 

Hey @mrmahiho,

Welcome to the EV community! I updated your profile with a badge to show you’re an EV member 

Our list of compatible EV’s and chargers can be found here. Kia are still in the trial phase at the moment but I will reach out to the team to ask if there’s any news on the EV9. I’ll come back to you with an update as soon as I know more!

For information, Northern Powergrid came and did a survey and indicated that in order to have discrimination on a higher 80A cut out fuse they’d also have to replace the old head unit which holds the fuse.  That will get booked in. 

Hey @mrmahiho,

To follow up on our previous conversation, I asked the team about the EV9, and they said it's yet to be available. If this changes, they'll update the list of compatible EVs. We've also had a convenient update from another member, @Jesmond, on the Hypervolt situation. They've released a newsletter giving more information on their path to release! I've left it below for you.

I hope this helps! 

Thanks. Still doesn’t give a date. 
 

My biggest issue is that I was completely lied to by the agent when I asked if I was eligible. Their exact words were ‘email the charge anytime team and they can make it work in the background’. I would not have switched to OVO and paid a termination fee had I been correctly advised. I’ve been offered a small credit on my bill but that doesn’t cover the fact that now my EV charging is three times what it should have been. I could have also stayed with my previous provider and switched to off peak electricity instead. Slightly more than charge anytime and only off peak, but still 1/3 cheaper than my current rates. Unfortunately that is a min contract too. So I am stuck with expensive charging ‘waiting’ for it to be available. I also only chose to get Hypervolt as Love Electric were offering 5000 miles of free charging! 
 

OVO need to train their staff better. 

Hey @mrmahiho,

It sounds like they are doing a final round of testing to make sure everything works as expected before announcing a go live date! Hopefully we get more information soon as to when this will be.

I’m sorry to hear this. I’d suggest speaking with our Support Team to see if they could look into this further for you. As we don’t have account access here it means that we’re limited in the support that we can offer. 

You can find our Complaint Handling Statement here, https://bit.ly/3DcsZdj, along with more information on our complaints process here: https://www.ovoenergy.com/feedback.

Hey. 
 

I got this just now. 
 

Hypervolt is not currently eligible for our service, but it will be included in a beta trial for the public next week. This means you can connect to Charge Anytime using your Hypervolt, but there may be some issues. Please report any problems you encounter so that we can address them.

but no mention of how to actually do it I take the positive though, next week is a more granular date than ‘coming soon’ 

latest from Ovo team,
 

Starting from 11/06/2024, you will have the option to select Hypervolt during the signup process. Since this is part of a beta trial, you can connect it through the Charge Anytime app. 

Once you download the Charge Anytime app and follow the instructions, you will be able to connect to the Hypervolt.

Hi @mrmahiho,

It’s good to hear that you should be able to connect your Hypervolt charger starting from tomorrow.

Please let us know if you have any issues doing this.