Should I stay with OVO if I buy an EV?

Howdy ​@Scarborough Ken !

It’s actually easier than you might think. :)

With OVO, you can use Charge Anytime as an Add-On, so it basically works with ANY OVO Tariff/Plan of your choosing - you don’t need to worry about that as it’ll work with whatever you pick.

Long story short, you just get the Charger and set up the Charge Anytime app and it’ll do the rest. Both Hypervolt and Zappi are really good choices but I’d say go Hypervolt if you’re nervous because it’s the most battle-tested one out of the pair.

Blastoise186 - Thanks very much.  I appreciate the response, - that’s reassuring. 

​@Scarborough Ken Welcome to the world of EVs. I hope your home charging experience is going to be a positive one.

The one thing I would recommend as a new EV owner is to practice charging from public chargers when you have a good level of charge in the first place. Sounds a bit odd but you will need to get used to doing this for longer journeys and it's better if you have a practice first before going out of range of your home charger.

I hope you have a smart phone because that will help you a lot. I suggest you get the ZapMap app that shows you where chargers are located. I would suggest you use something like Osprey to begin with as they are very reliable (my No.1 choice) if a bit expensive.  Also go on to the internet and look for a list of the ‘Top Ten EV chargers’ and stick to the ones near the top of the list that are in your area. That way you will gain experience and confidence in charging away from home. Try and do this a number of times, putting a small amount each time. Most public chargers now work with contactless cards and that is the easiest way to do this.

I've had my EV now for over four years and I've been driving since the late 1960s. Happy EV ownership! Please come back on here if you have any more questions.

Peter

Hi Peter & Abbey

Thank you both for responding to my post. I appreciate you taking the time to do so and I;ll certainly take note of your suggestions.

Kind Regards, Ken

This info is now out of date as Charge Anytime is doubling to 14p/kWh from November. 

Thanks Everyone 

I appreciate your input and learned a lot. 
Kind Regards

Ken

Ken

You might want to look at the Charge Anytime part of the forum - there are a lot of comments since tge announcement this week about the doubling of Charge Anytime prices and the possible alternatives. 

When picking a home charger you may want to consider those that work best with solar, if you have this. It may also be useful if either your car or your charger is compatible with smart EV tariffs. If your car is compatible then the charger also being compatible is less of an issue.

It can be hard to compare various EV tariffs as each has its pros and cons and it will depend on how much and at what time of day you will generally be charging.

Maybe don't sign up to any electricity tariff with an exit fee until you know better which EV tariffs offering suits you best.

If you are charging in public then you may find the Zapmap and also the Electroverse apps useful to have.

It's a steep learning curve, but it will soon become second nature. Feel free to ask any questions you have. There's no such thing as a stupid question, as even if there was you can be sure lots of people have asked it before!

Thats a good point about compatability of chargers. I originally bought an Ohme, but then discovered Ovo was dropping support for it on Charge Anytime and my car was not then compatable with Charge Anytime. I was able to get my money back from Ohme by arguing that they knew Ovo was dropping them when they sold me the charger. I got a Hypervolt which is supported by a lot of suppliers.

Thanks again guys. 
Ken

Thanks for your help and insight ​@EVuser and ​@nealmurphy 😁.

​@EVuser welcome to the OVO Forum! I’ve applied the EV badge to your Forum account so that other Forum members can recognise you.

​@Scarborough Ken feel free to give us a shout if you’ve got any further questions!

​@ken 

I would look at alternatives because Ovo just can't be trusted. In recent months they've stopped integrating with my brand of charger (Ohme) and are now doubling the cost of charging from 7p to 14p per unit. If you're a high mileage user you could try the Octopus monthly EV tariff.

Hi Guys

Well I’ve done it!  Gone and bought a new EV and had a charger installed. Kia EV3 and a Zappi 2.1. 
you said it would be a steep learning curve and you were right! I’ve had it for just over a week and enjoying it very much. 
I’ve signed up to Ovo Charge. My charger is set up and I’ve done my first home charge - phew! Sorry if this is a daft question but I want practice a local charge on a commercial charger before I go too far from home as someone here suggested. 
Before I actually approach a public charger could someone describe how I use my OvoCharge public charging allowance? 
I have signed up for a charge card but it hasn’t arrived yet. 
I appreciate the answer may be elsewhere in the forum but I can’t find it. If it’s there could someone send me a link please?  Otherwise I’d be grateful if someone could talk me through the public charging process and how to use my charge credit. 
Thanks a lot for everyone’s help and support so far. 
Kind Regards, Ken

​@Scarborough Ken Congratulations on getting an EV. They are amazing and even after four years I still marvel at the fact that I've got one 

I would take the public charging in stages.

1)  Go and get an App called Zapmap as that will show you where public chargers are.

2) Have a look on the web for reliable types of chargers and using Zapmap find these in your area. Mine are Osprey, Mer, Pod Point and Genie Point. Ignore the last one as they can be temperamental but are reliable if you have an RFID card.

3) Learn about RFID cards.

4) Go to a site that is run a reliable operator. If you have chosen Osprey don't pass out when you realise they charge 82p/kWh. On the plus side there will be no queues.

5) Do a test charge for a few minutes. You can use a credit/debit card for this. Practice a few times with sites run by different operators. Everyone will have different procedures and screens. Get used to that. Take your own coffee and wear waterproofs if it is wet. Charge points don't come with a handy shop or roof. Enjoy the fact that well over 90% of your charging is going to be at home.

6) Ask about using your credit instead of cash. I'll try and find a link for you but someone else might remember where that cropped up before.

Enjoy your EV. Motoring reborn!

Peter

Watch out moving. I’ve been with OVO for years and am EV user for over 2. I was looking to move to octopus but they have just capped their 7p rate at 6 hours max. 
 

that will only get you 42kwh charge. For me a few days I need a full charge so the extra 40kwh on my 82kwh battery will be at 31p. So it’s still cheaper with OVO. 
 

there are still other options though. Scottish power offer a charge anytime option at 9p 

Thanks very much Peter and Bob? There’s some really useful tips there. Much appreciated. 
Ken

elp  ​@Scarborough Ken

I think this is the thread that answers your question.

https://forum.ovoenergy.com/electric-vehicles-166/charge-anywhere-will-credit-in-wallet-be-used-when-charging-20616

Have a read through and see if it does answer your question. If not or you have other questions then please come back on here. We will always try to help. I have an EV but I'm not with OVO or have Charge Anytime so I can't help out with detailed stuff with that but general EV stuff is fine.

Peter

Exactly as I’ve been saying would happen for several weeks. I knew that would happen, but alas a lot of folks didn’t seem to listen… All IOG has now done is basically reinvent Economy 7 at this point…

As for SP? Be warned - their customer service and platform has not been top tier in recent years. Caveat Emptor applies...

Hey ​@Scarborough Ken 

Best of luck on your EV journey! I’ve added an EV badge to your profile now.

I’m glad to see a few of our users have already stopped by with some helpful advice and PeterE linked to that helpful topic link about using the public charging credit.

Do let us know how you get on and if you’ve got any other questions.😊

Thanks very much to everyone who responded to my post. It’s been a steep learning curve and I still haven’t used public charging yet. 
However your responses have given me some confidence and I’m not frightened by it. 
Kind Regards, Ken

​@Scarborough Ken 

I did the first charge for my car coming back from the dealer (a fair distance away) in order to get back home so it was something that had to work and I had no prior experience. It went well. Almost.

The car did complain that the charging had stopped unexpectedly so the answer to that is to tell the car you want to stop not the charger. The car will also unlock the plug and the charger will just assume that the session has ended when you pull the plug from the car and tell you how much energy it has given you (kWh) and how much it was.

I would go on to YouTube and find some videos on charging basics for both DC (outside) and AC at home. That familiarity of knowing what to expect goes a long way to improving confidence when you first try it. The other thing I found is that your fellow EVers would probably be only too happy help you do that first charge. Try a place with lots of chargers. You will be among friends. We still think of ourselves as EV pioneers.

Happy charging

Peter 

​@Scarborough Ken 

I've found a good video for you to watch for the basics of EV charging. Covers all three types of connector and what they are used for. The actual practical demo starts just about the two minute mark.

youtube.com/watch?v=Ajrmw2jTdHM

Peter 

Hi Guys

I’m sorry if this is bit long winded but I’m trying to be accurate.
I have a Kia EV3. 
I also have a MyEnergie Zappi 2.1 home charger installed which is on the approved list. 
I have signed up for OVO Charge and I have the app. 
I have just charged my car at home for the second time. 
Can I ask a couple of questions please?
When I plug my car into the charger I enable the charger with my access code. 
The charger screen shows ‘vehicle not charging’ but I have an option to start charging by pressing one of the external button on the charger. 
I have done this and the charging process starts and runs continuously until the car is charged to my set level of 80%. 
Is this correct?
I expected to see the car charge periodically during the night leading up to my ‘ready by’ time of 7.30am rather than charge continuously. 
My OVO Charge app shows a smart charge on both occasions but as the Zappi charges continuously from the moment I plug in my car I’m wondering whether everything is working as it should?
In particular I wonder whether I should just plug my charger into the car and then simply leave it and not select the option to start the charge?
I would be glad of your advice.

Thanks again to everyone. This forum has been great for this EV novice. 
Best Regards

Ken

Hey ​@Scarborough Ken,

Never apologise for asking questions as this is for the community are here for! 

The world of electric vehicles can be a bit of a learning curve, but don't worry—I'm here to help you find the information you need!

From my research, it seems the behavior you're seeing with your charger is normal. Zappi has a handy lock function to prevent any accidental or unauthorised use. Just enter your PIN to verify your access, and then press the corresponding button to unlock it and start charging.

Also, take a moment to check if you’re using any boost function; it can bypass  Charge Anytime and the savings you might be looking to enjoy. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask!

You can take a look on this support page it gives more information on the lock function - https://support.myenergi.com/hc/en-gb/articles/5768755331217-How-to-set-a-local-PIN-code-on-my-zappi