Hi I have a few questions. I have a BMW iX1 and I have a pod point charger. Quite confused as to which app to use to charge my car. If I use OVO anytime, I lose the ability to use some of the functions on the MYBMW app. Such as, pre-conditioning (heating the car prior to getting in it on cold mornings). Also, If i charge using my pod point app or BMW app will I lose the 7p/kw or is it charge at standard rate? Be great if anyone could advise or help :)

Hi @KPBham , from an earlier post 

The Charge Anytime app is used for direct to vehicle (D2V) control. Where a customer has an eligible vehicle but does not have an eligible charger, they should use the D2V app. Where a customer has an eligible charger (regardless of whether or not their vehicle is eligible), they should use the charger app.

I’m not sure about your other points except that you will need to use the prescribed method to get the savings

Thanks, i’m guessing I have a compatible charger ?!?

So, basically I should use ovo anytime app to charge?

No, their compatible chargers are Ohme and Indra 

The anytime app is for D2V (Direct to Vehicle) control so without a compatible charger, yes

Details on the web here https://www.ovoenergy.com/electric-cars/charge-anytime-cars-and-chargers

Thanks :)
Ahh yes, when i set up the anytime app I connected to Indra i think. Deffo worked otherwise it wouldn’t charge according to OVO. 

Ok - the system works with either a compatible charger or a compatible EV .. from what I can see the iX1 is listed so it should work with Pod Point. 
 

Did you manage to sort this out with the smarthome team @bmenagh ?

Did you try emailing the smart home team for advice @NeVeTaS ?

smarthome@ovoenergy.com

Yes, I did.  Basically they say it is what it is and I just have to live with it

Since adding Charge Anytime I have experienced a number of issues that have been described in this thread.  In addition I get an Emergency Call System Not Available’ notification which is associated with the battery that provides power to the Comms system. It seems the battery runs flat and only gets charged up on a long run.  So could be battery failure of course.

It might be purely coincidental but appeared when I started using Charge Anytime.  Unfortunately replacing the battery involves removing the internal lining above the back seat - not worth the bother to check the  battery as I don’t rely on the Emergency Call Service.

Anyway, I have messaged the OVO team with my issues as Tim_OVO requested at the top of this thread.  I use the app as I have a 3 pin charger that came with the car - it’s a hybrid with a limited battery and restricted current draw - so wall chargers are overkill for my needs.  

So, in my email I suggested (assuming not an existing facility) enabling some form of service suspension function that disables the communication between the app and the manufacturers management system so that users can deal with issues without being compromised by the way the app works.

Question:  Has anyone experienced battery issues when leaving the vehicle unplugged for a couple of weeks. Say after returning from holiday?

Please keep us posted with what they respond @SBRetd, this advice could help others in a similar situation. 

I’ll paste the response when I get one

I have been reading this thread,  I have an ix3 and the preconditioning keeps being disabled.   Is there any update on this.   Many thanks. 

I’ll ask internally @Stevenlevy 

Many thanks.  Is this about the ix3 pre conditioning or the i5 

Hey @Stevenlevy,

From the team:

No resolution on BMW preconditioning yet.

For some vehicles, including BMW & MINI, our smart charging control automatically overwrites any existing pre-heating/cooling schedules. Please accept our apologies for this inconvenience, and be advised that we are working hard to try to rectify this issue, but it is not something that we can resolve soon so in the meantime you’ll need to decide if you’re willing to forego these features in exchange for the Charge Anytime savings.

Emmanuelle, 

you seem to know what is going on 

Do you know if there is any update on the BMW I5 any charge anytime.

Hey @Stevenlevy,

You can see all eligibility details in our Charge Anytime page here. You must be an OVO Energy customer and have an eligible car or charger. We’re constantly looking to open up the eligibility of this product to more EV models and chargers, so if you don’t see your tech here, keep an eye on our page.

Hello @SBRetd. I may be jumping to conclusions, but I presume in your question you are referring to the 12v battery. This is a common problem with many hybrid cars and has existed for far too long. My 2013 hybrid Auris has from new had to be driven at least once every two days, about 6 miles is usually enough. Battery too small or insufficient charging, Toyota doesn’t seem to know, but all Toyota hybrids seem to suffer from it.

I have been considering a new plug-in car and the Ovo charge anytime, but as you have found, it does not seem to be very flexible. Hopefully it will improve as time goes on. Can’t say for all cars, but plug-in Toyota cars will drain the 12v battery if left plugged in and not charging.

Hi Taj

Yes you are correct.  Prior to subscribing to ‘Charge Anytime’ I didn’t have the issues that this thread has exposed.  I certainly didn’t experience any problems with a battery drain when the vehicle is unused.  So, having experienced a ‘secondary’ battery drain (a separate rechargeable battery for the comms system) I have inferred that this could extend to the main battery over a prolonged period.  My thinking goes like this - if ‘ Charge Anytime’ is draining this secondary battery which could be recharged by the main 12v battery, then does the main 12v battery provide the power to maintain the ‘Charge Anytime’ comms interface when the secondary battery is no longer capable .  If so, my battery will be at risk.

I am probably wrong but was interested in any experiences others might have had.

I understand your concern @SBRetd, my advice would be to contact our experts at smarthome@ovoenergy.com.

When they respond, it would be really helpful if you could pop back and update the thread. This may help other EV owners with similar concerns. 

Hello Emmanuelle

I have posted a response from Nicholas at OVO.  Please see below.

I have asked for more clarification as the answer indicates that the vehicle is polled until it is plugged in.  This indicates that battery use is drawn upon when the vehicle is unplugged  - or maybe I have misunderstood.

That said, the fact that no one else, apart from Taj, has suggested a problem, then I probably have nothing to worry about.

I’ll have time over Christmas to test the principles

I'd like to reassure you that Charge Anytime will only send out charge commands when your vehicle is at home.   This will have some affect on the battery as commands are sent to the vehicle until we have a successful connection when it is plugged in.   It wouldn't be expected that your battery would be affected by charge commands whilst not at home and not on charge.   I hope this gives you some reassurance whilst you're away.

Hi same issue here with a Mustang Mache not pre conditioning when connected to charge anytime.

For me at least this is more than just having a nice warm cabin as on the Mache if plugged in it also pre conditions the battery (warms it up) which does drastically improve the life and range of the battery so I am told.

I have raised an “idea” linked below with a couple of suggested changes either read the pre conditioning schedules via API or allow a scheduled override of the smart charging (effectively a scheduled “charge now”)

Any one affected please vote and we may get this sooner

Hi,

Does anyone know if there is an update to this issue please? 

Used the Charge Anytime app for the first time today and noticed it immediately set some funky future preconditioning settings, overriding my existing ones (BMW i4)

New customer here, I’ve just spent 2 weeks needing an iOS update just so I could open the app and now seeing this on the first attempt at a charge - not the best start

Cheers. 

Hi @GarryC1989,

I’m sorry to hear this.

I’ve just reached out to the team to chase this up for you. I’ll be back as soon as I get an update for you.