MG4, Zappi and Octopus Intelligent Go

[tsedge]

Hi Rolfe, I agree with you that the octopus igo is very annoying in the way they keep changing the times for the charge sessions but in my understanding of igo and its T&Cs the charger
( in this case the Zappi for you and myself ) and the vehicle you are to charge, must not have timers set in them so that octopus can take control of the charging session.

That last bit isn't true any more. It makes no difference whether I have timers set in my Zappi or not, the IOG app overrides them and disables that functionality. It might have been true with earlier versions of the Zappi software, that's possible.

There's no reason you can't use IOG as a dumb 6 hrs charging tariff - many do - and Octopus have done nothing to stop that for years, so presumably are completely happy so long as people charge at least monthly via the Octopus app, as required in the Ts&Cs.

It is certainly true that if Octopus were really interested in this product, it would have had some proper evolution and come out of perpetual beta, but I've seen nothing change in the product for years, except the fragmentation of the charging periods it selects.

Octopus could easily:

• Make it clearer who this is for / who should not use it.
• Improve the app so it is simpler to use and more obvious and there's no "gaming" (which often just amounts to leaving the settings alone rather than any active attempt to subvert it).
• Monitor usage and contact people who they think are not using it correctly.
• Regularly ask for feedback to improve the product.

 

[Griffian]

We've just squeaked home with 3% in the Niro, so I asked for 99% by 10am. I think the Niro has a little more usable than my MG4. I purposely gave it a 14 hr slot to fit the charge in, but it scheduled from plug in (19:50) to 6am as a single slot. It's a shame you can't register multiple vehicles with IOG but at least they are both around 64kWh.

I'm charging our 77kWh MG and daughter's 42kWh Fiat 500e on our Ohme Home Pro on IOG. You simply change vehicles in the Ohme app before asking for the percentage you want to add. Apologies if I've misunderstood the multiple vehicles point above.

 

[JohnV6]

I was going to say the same

 

[Les burrows]

That last bit isn't true any more. It makes no difference whether I have timers set in my Zappi or not, the IOG app overrides them and disables that functionality. It might have been true with earlier versions of the Zappi software, that's possible.

There's no reason you can't use IOG as a dumb 6 hrs charging tariff - many do - and Octopus have done nothing to stop that for years, so presumably are completely happy so long as people charge at least monthly via the Octopus app, as required in the Ts&Cs.

It is certainly true that if Octopus were really interested in this product, it would have had some proper evolution and come out of perpetual beta, but I've seen nothing change in the product for years, except the fragmentation of the charging periods it selects.

Octopus could easily:

• Make it clearer who this is for / who should not use it.
• Improve the app so it is simpler to use and more obvious and there's no "gaming" (which often just amounts to leaving the settings alone rather than any active attempt to subvert it).
• Monitor usage and contact people who they think are not using it correctly.
• Regularly ask for feedback to improve the product.

Hi Tom you might be wrong there please watch the whole of this video below where it specifically tells you not to set any charging schedules this is part of the T&Cs from Octopus.

 

[tsedge]

Hi Tom you might be wrong there please watch the whole of this video below where it specifically tells you not to set any charging schedules this is part of the T&Cs from Octopus.

I've used it that way for a very long time. It doesn't interfere. When Octopus is in charge it controls everything. I was still getting problems with no schedule in my Zappi.

It might be important for some other chargers or for earlier releases of the Zappi software.

 

[Rolfe]

Octopus are their own worst enemy sometimes. I genuinely didn't know about the slots being moveable when I signed up - I couldn't find a dicky-bird about it in the T&Cs when I looked. The first time I did a Smart charge I looked at the slots, said that's fine, and configured my inverter accordingly. Then when the car was supposed to start charging, it didn't.

I contacted Octopus both by email and on Twitter, and got the runaround for over a week. I thought there was something wrong. Half the answers I got said yes, there must be a fault, once you have a schedule that should be reliable. The other half said no, we move them when we feel like it. Even Greg couldn't make his mind up!

I kept repeating that I only wanted to know what the policy was, but I got a load of answers to questions I hadn't asked, and suggestions to change back to Basic Go if I didn't like it. I said, what's the point of telling me a schedule in the first place - and at that time the wording had nothing to suggest it was subject to change - if you're just going to change it willy-nilly?

Eventually they gave me a £40 credit for my trouble (which was unnecessary) and added a note to the app saying that the slots might change. I gave up on the Smart charge idea, and am much happier as a result. John did tell me at the start to get my electrician to wire the system so that the Zappi didn't drain the home battery, but I didn't know enough about it to insist, and it got wired that way anyway. It has some advantages as regards flexibility, so I haven't inqured about getting it changed. I realised that even if the battery-draining issue wasn't there, the other problems with things happening unexpectedly when the inverter was programmed in a set sequence were a royal pain.

So every so often when I don't need a lot of charge I'll plug the car in, then switch on Smart charging just before 11.30 and tell it I need the car for 5.30. That way Octopus can do what they like with their slots within the normal cheap period, and I get a Brownie point for using Smart charging. Every so often if I come home really low I'll do the same thing but say I need the car for 7.30, which will get me an uninterrupted long charge to calibrate the GOM.

 

[Les burrows]

I'm charging our 77kWh MG and daughter's 42kWh Fiat 500e on our Ohme Home Pro on IOG. You simply change vehicles in the Ohme app before asking for the percentage you want to add. Apologies if I've misunderstood the multiple vehicles point above.

No I don’t believe you have and I have read before you are able to change vehicles when using Ohme chargers and that this is what Octopus fit if you purchase from them Great
But on other brands you can only register one vehicle to OIG which is again stupid my MG5 is registered to my IG account by when I charge my wife’s MG4 this can upset the setting in my charger once Octopus start the charge by taking over the charger this can mean I don’t get the percentage ask for most times it gives more and the timings can mean the car can be charged hours before it should be the reason might also be down to the 5 having 61kw and the 4 only being 50kw and octopus working on the 5 figures as that’s the car they have registered with them and I can register both I have asked.
I have considered dumping OIgo a few times in the past and reverting back to simpler go but there are other benefits from being on OIgo
1.5p cheaper
An extra hour of time if needed
Saver sessions and free electricity at times
That you don’t get the GO.
Les

 

[Griffian]

No I don’t believe you have and I have read before you are able to change vehicles when using Ohme chargers and that this is what Octopus fit if you purchase from them Great
But on other brands you can only register one vehicle to OIG which is again stupid my MG5 is registered to my IG account by when I charge my wife’s MG4 this can upset the setting in my charger once Octopus start the charge by taking over the charger this can mean I don’t get the percentage ask for most times it gives more and the timings can mean the car can be charged hours before it should be the reason might also be down to the 5 having 61kw and the 4 only being 50kw and octopus working on the 5 figures as that’s the car they have registered with them and I can register both I have asked.
I have considered dumping OIgo a few times in the past and reverting back to simpler go but there are other benefits from being on OIgo
1.5p cheaper
An extra hour of time if needed
Saver sessions and free electricity at times
That you don’t get the GO.
Les

I've just checked back and GaryMG4 has a Zappi charger.

 

[GaryMG4]

I'm charging our 77kWh MG and daughter's 42kWh Fiat 500e on our Ohme Home Pro on IOG. You simply change vehicles in the Ohme app before asking for the percentage you want to add. Apologies if I've misunderstood the multiple vehicles point above.

As per title, I too have a Zappi. Not sure there's an option to specify a vehicle.

Octopus are their own worst enemy sometimes. I genuinely didn't know about the slots being moveable when I signed up - I couldn't find a dicky-bird about it in the T&Cs when I looked. The first time I did a Smart charge I looked at the slots, said that's fine, and configured my inverter accordingly. Then when the car was supposed to start charging, it didn't.

You now get a message at the bottom of the schedule (on the app) telling you the slots may change.

 

[Rolfe]

Yes. That suddenly appeared towards the end of my run-in with Octopus. I think I caused it!

 

[Tig170]

No I don’t believe you have and I have read before you are able to change vehicles when using Ohme chargers and that this is what Octopus fit if you purchase from them Great
But on other brands you can only register one vehicle to OIG which is again stupid my MG5 is registered to my IG account by when I charge my wife’s MG4 this can upset the setting in my charger once Octopus start the charge by taking over the charger this can mean I don’t get the percentage ask for most times it gives more and the timings can mean the car can be charged hours before it should be the reason might also be down to the 5 having 61kw and the 4 only being 50kw and octopus working on the 5 figures as that’s the car they have registered with them and I can register both I have asked.
I have considered dumping OIgo a few times in the past and reverting back to simpler go but there are other benefits from being on OIgo
1.5p cheaper
An extra hour of time if needed
Saver sessions and free electricity at times
That you don’t get the GO.
Les

.... we have 2 EV's, so have created a generic (winter profile) car in the ohme app (can you not do this in the zappy), and paired to IOG via the charger. Octopus dont know EV's SOC, so just set a default on a battery size of 25Kw and a max charge rate of 3.68kwh to be ready by 5:30am, so more or less it will delay to start until around 11 pm, and be finished by 5:30am. (that way it doesn't drain the home battery too much - but allows it the charge back up fully by 5:30am). Last summer (as want to use our solar/battery) I just set a generic (summer profile) for the car so set the charge rate to 1.44kwh, which causes it to charge as soon as I plug in. - I only ever need to go into the app twice a year to set the profile, and just plug in when I get home and forget about it.

 

[GaryMG4]

As far as I'm aware the Zappi has 3 modes, Fast, eco and eco+. Fast is just max charge rate, eco is use up to 1.4 kW from the grid plus any solar excess, eco+ allows you to set a max from the grid to add to the solar excess to maintain 1.4kW, so if a cloud comes across and your solar excess drops below 1.4 for a short while you can specify how much grid (%age of 1.4) to add before pausing the charge. If IOG smart charge is active it will soak up all of your solar excess and add grid to get to 7.4kW (single phase) unless you set the AC current (MG4) to less and let the car reduce the charging current.