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kevgallacher
Rank 2
kevgallacher
Rank 2
March 6, 2024
Solved

Ford EV charging no longer working with Charge Anytime - what's happened?

  • March 6, 2024
  • 142 replies
  • 7529 views

I have a Ford Mach-E and have been using OVO charge anytime for about 4 months now.
But Ford have decided OVO is a security risk and has blocked the account.

Is anyone else using this successfully? Is there any plans for charge anytime to support Ford cars?

    Best answer by Tim_OVO

    Updated on 02/06/25 by Abby_OVO
     

    Charge Anytime update: We’re sorry, we can't offer Charge Anytime through Ford anymore

     

    Since Ford blocked third party access to their vehicle data, we've been working closely with them to find a solution so you can keep Charge Anytime. 

     

    Unfortunately, we now know that Ford won't be able to provide a solution for the foreseeable future. So you won’t be able to get our Charge Anytime rate of 7p per kWh through Direct to Vehicle smart charging. This means you’ll pay your standard electricity unit rate for all EV charging.

     

    We’ll disconnect your vehicle from your Charge Anytime account on 31 July, so you’ll no longer have access to your charging history from that date. We know this is really disappointing, and we’re sorry we’ve not been able to find a solution for you. 

     

    Please note, this affects all energy suppliers, not just OVO. 

     

    You might be able to get Charge Anytime through a compatible charger – please see below for more details. 

     

    We’ve added £25 credit to all our affected customers’ accounts  

     

    To say sorry, we’ve added £25 energy credit to our affected customers’ energy accounts. If you’ve been affected, you’ll see this credit on your next bill. 

     

    You could keep Charge Anytime via a compatible charger

     

    If you have a compatible charger or EV, you can still get Charge Anytime. Just follow these steps:

     

    • Remove Charge Anytime from your account. To do this, go to the Charge Anytime app, select your green user icon, and click delete account. 
    • Delete the app from your phone.
    • Sign up to Charge Anytime again, using your charger details.

     

    If you don’t have one of these compatible chargers, we could install one for you. Head over to our website for more information. 

     

    Some Andersen chargers will also be compatible with Charge Anytime soon. Check if yours will be compatible on our website. 

     

    If you have any questions about this change, you can contact Ford via their website. 

     

    Thanks

    The OVO Team

     

    We’re aware that some Ford drivers are having issues with Charge Anytime

     

    Unfortunately, Ford have blocked smart-charging access to all third parties. This means some of our customers aren’t able to smart-charge with Charge Anytime at the moment. It also means those customers won’t get Charge Anytime credit for charging during this time. We’re sorry about this.

     

    We’re working hard to fix this issue with Ford, and get our affected customers back on Charge Anytime as soon as we can. For now, if you’re having issues with Charge Anytime, follow the instructions in your Ford app to charge your EV.

     

    We’ll post an update here as soon as we have any more information from Ford.

     

    Thanks
    The OVO Team

    142 replies

    Show previous replies
    kevgallacher
    Rank 2
    kevgallacherAuthor
    Rank 2
    May 14, 2024

    After 2 months of stressing over all this nonsense and with no conclusion in sight, I have finally made the decision to switch to Octopus. Maybe if this gets resolved in the future I might switch back. But for now I want hassle free, stress free charging at home.

    Shads_OVO
    Retired Moderator
    Shads_OVO
    Retired Moderator
    May 15, 2024

    Hi @kevgallacher,

     

    I’m really sorry to hear this.

     

    In March, Ford blocked third party access to their system following a review of their security protocols. Unfortunately, this means we don’t have access to your charging data, so can’t provide Charge Anytime credit until Ford approves the use of third party access to their system.

     

    We know this is disappointing and are really sorry for the inconvenience. We’re working with Ford to resolve this, but unfortunately don’t have a solution yet. We’ll update this thread as soon as we have an update.

    kevgallacher
    Rank 2
    kevgallacherAuthor
    Rank 2
    May 16, 2024

    To be fair I don’t blame OVO for this, the customer support has been understanding. I blame Ford for this, they are the ones blocking my account and their customer service is appalling on this matter. They are rude and accusatorial with no understanding of why I would like the cheaper rate. 

    V
    Rank 2
    vix noonan
    Rank 2
    May 20, 2024

    So I’ve called to unblock my FP account again.

    Just been rudely told they will suspend my FP account & wont be unblocking it in future if I continue to use the OVO app 😩

      Blastoise186
      Super User
      Blastoise186Super User
      Super User
      May 20, 2024

      Really? Hmmmm… I might have a word with that guy I know from Ford again...

      Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!
        kevgallacher
        Rank 2
        kevgallacherAuthor
        Rank 2
        May 20, 2024

        Thats what I got on the phone hence why i needed to switch. Ford are very unfriendly on this matter. Once my lease on this car is up I will never buy with Ford again.

          V
          Rank 2
          vix noonan
          Rank 2
          May 21, 2024

          Looks like I’m going to have to move energy supplier. 😣 I was hoping to have got rid of my Ford by now, looks like I need to hang on it for a bit longer.

          These issues & the ones I’ve had charging with it before have been so annoying. All caused by the FordPass app doing odd things.

          This latest issue has been going on for months now & honestly I really don’t want to call their customer support again. So rude & couldn’t careless.

          No indication from either Ford or OVO to when this will be resolved. Very frustrating 😩

          Blastoise186
          Super User
          Blastoise186Super User
          Super User
          May 22, 2024

          @vix noonan I just spoke to someone at Ford who I’ve been flagging this stuff to. The contacts I speak to are really, really good and they too want to see this whole mess fixed properly.

          They wish to apologise for the trouble and have confirmed that the way you were treated is NOT in line with their rules - this will be looked into in order to try and prevent a repeat.

          My contacts have also confirmed that the policy is clear - permanent bans ARE NOT meant to be issued in these cases regardless of how many times it happens. Their policy is to just unblock the customer and get their account restored without messing around. You’d only get perma-banned if you totally abused the system by doing something abusive, such as hacking into stuff that you’re not allowed into. Ford agrees with me that trying to use Charge Anytime legitimately != hacking the system, which is why they don’t permanently ban for it.

          I don’t yet have any further updates other than being told their developers are still working on a proper fix, but Ford is listening to me and I do feed this stuff back to their teams via my contacts. If you wish to complain about the way you were treated, feel free to call FordPass on their direct number 01277 254745 and someone will have a chat with you about this - this is the same number you’ll find on the Ford website and there’s no phone trees or push button menus, it just goes straight through to them. If you’d rather not, I totally understand - I’ve made sure that they know about what you said here and this will be flagged up internally on their side.

          I hope that provides at least some comfort.

          Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!
            kevgallacher
            Rank 2
            kevgallacherAuthor
            Rank 2
            May 22, 2024

            My experience e was very much the same.The woman on the FordPass helpline was insistent that it was against their terms and conditions to use OVO chatgeanytimr and if I continued using it, my FordPass would be blocked forever. She was very rude about it. 
             

            I have moved to Octopus now and have had no issues with them blocking me yet. It's a shame as I did t want to switch. I also think OVO should push back on this as Ford are effectively forcing people to switch. ie their actions are negatively affecting OVO’s business and making them loose customers.

              Chris_OVO
              Community Manager
              Chris_OVO
              Community Manager
              May 22, 2024

              Hey @kevgallacher & @vix noonan,

               

              I’m sorry you’re having such an awful experience with this. We’re doing everything we can to resolve this, and hopefully, we’ll have an update to share soon. 

              Renewable energy jokes never get old.
              Show more replies
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