Octopus Go Intelligent new 6 hours charging limit

[goose]

Maybe I am wrong, but the way I read it is that if you use intelligent charge during the day then it will be at the low rate (for 5 hours anyway) and you will still have the lower rate electricity from 23:30 til 05:30. I will pause there because it gets a bit more complicated (at least in my mind).

Guessing, I think they are trying to break the connection between charging your car and using cheap overnight electricity use (presumably to encourage non electric car users to schedule their demand away from the peak too). So, allowing their intelligent car charging to handle it they can better manipulate demand for all users away from the peak and better balance the grid.

The only risk I see (assuming I am correct) is that if you charge your car during the day only, and it takes more than 5 hours, then in that case the remainder of that charge time will be at the 'normal' rate.

Phew, this require some mental gymnastics (and I was never much good at gymnastics). But in real life I think they will always try to supply car charging during the overnight period anyway.

Over to you gymnasts

 

[Jomarkh]

It is 6 hours for IOG and they are just for car charging anything over 6 hours will be at peak even during 2330-0530. the house is still at 7p during these hours

 

[LenEV2016]

Maybe I am wrong, but the way I read it is that if you use intelligent charge during the day then it will be at the low rate (for 5 hours anyway) and you will still have the lower rate electricity from 23:30 til 05:30. I will pause there because it gets a bit more complicated (at least in my mind).

Guessing, I think they are trying to break the connection between charging your car and using cheap overnight electricity use (presumably to encourage non electric car users to schedule their demand away from the peak too). So, allowing their intelligent car charging to handle it they can better manipulate demand for all users away from the peak and better balance the grid.

The only risk I see (assuming I am correct) is that if you charge your car during the day only, and it takes more than 5 hours, then in that case the remainder of that charge time will be at the 'normal' rate.

Phew, this require some mental gymnastics (and I was never much good at gymnastics). But in real life I think they will always try to supply car charging during the overnight period anyway.

Over to you gymnasts

You are highly unlikely to get a full 5 hrs during the day but whatever you get your EV charging up to 6 hrs is cheap rate and 2330-0530hrs is guaranteed cheap rate for the house, even if the charging is out with that period.
The minute or 1/2 hour you go over your six you start getting charged at full rate.

The charging day is midday to midday and certainly on my charger (ohme) the latest I can set the charge to be ready by is 1100hrs

 

[johnb80]

This is way too messy I'll stick to the 11:30 to 05:30 slot and run my smart charging in there.

 

[killie20]

They seem to be saying charge little and often, plug in everyday. The manuals are asking to charge 20-80% and 100% when needed. Could this not be an issue?

 

[LenEV2016]

20-80% charge is still possible with a smaller battery (64kwh)

 

[killie20]

Agreed, in my case it will. But other might go against OEM recommend battery charging

 

[LenEV2016]

Agreed, in my case it will. But other might go against OEM recommend battery charging

To be fair it was only every meant to be 6 hours, one of the issues with really big batteries

 

[Gomev]

They seem to be saying charge little and often, plug in everyday. The manuals are asking to charge 20-80% and 100% when needed. Could this not be an issue?

Batteries are proving to be more resilient in the real world than lab testing predicted. Charge as you want when you want it will make little to no difference.

 

[salty]

Batteries are proving to be more resilient in the real world than lab testing predicted. Charge as you want when you want it will make little to no difference.

Totally agree.

 

[tsedge]

I think this discussion shows that the current product is confusing and overcomplicated.

It would be better if there were 2 separate products split out of this combination:

a) A dumb fixed time 6 hour night tariff for all purposes, including car charging: no slots.

b) An intelligent slots tariff; all usages allowed but the slots are dynamically allocated in such a way that you get 6 hours every night (and it can control your car charging to match).

Obviously rates/fees would be adjusted, the second product would be cheaper but less predictable.

Then people can choose: do you want the simplicity of a fixed night time or the lowest possible cost?

And there are no more percentages: it just charges your car until done, within the 6 hours.