Intelligent Octopus Go - how long to schedule a charge?

[this is my username]

I have a Jag i-Pace which I charge using the "free" Podpoint charger which came with the car. I'm on the Intelligent Octopus Go tariff which is integrated with the car as the charger isn't supported.

When I plug in the car it typically takes around 30 minutes before IOG sets a schedule - which is annoying as it is using about 3.5kWh of full price electricity at about 30p per unit instead of 7.5p per unit - so it costs about 80p (enough for >10kWh of off-peak power) just to get the charge scheduled.

Could anyone using IOG integrated via their charger let me know how long it takes to schedule the charge? I'm trying to understand if the length of time taken for the schedule is normal, or if it is the car being slow.

Thanks

[julians]

I use IOG integrated with an ohme home pro charger because the car itself (merc eqc) is not compatible with IOG. As soon as you plug the car in IOG schedules the charge instantaneously ,so there is no period of charging at full cost at all.

[325iMSport]

this is my username said:

I have a Jag i-Pace which I charge using the "free" Podpoint charger which came with the car. I'm on the Intelligent Octopus Go tariff which is integrated with the car as the charger isn't supported.

When I plug in the car it typically takes around 30 minutes before IOG sets a schedule - which is annoying as it is using about 3.5kWh of full price electricity at about 30p per unit instead of 7.5p per unit - so it costs about 80p (enough for >10kWh of off-peak power) just to get the charge scheduled.

Could anyone using IOG integrated via their charger let me know how long it takes to schedule the charge? I'm trying to understand if the length of time taken for the schedule is normal, or if it is the car being slow.

Thanks

I have a VW e-Golf and IOG integrated using the car. On average I would say it takes around 15-20 mins to create a schedule. Sometimes it has been as long as 40 mins and sometimes it takes 1 min.

[df76]

Cupra Born takes about a minute to schedule the OI charge schedule.

[TheDrownedApe]

IO doesn't work at all with my ohme home (not pro). I plug the car in and it sometimes tells me the cheap schedule. Then about 1650 it says it can't communicate with the charger and starts charging at full rate.

Both companies have tried to fix it without success. I now just schedule the charge on the car from 2330-0530

Very annoying

[Deadlysub]

this is my username said:

I have a Jag i-Pace which I charge using the "free" Podpoint charger which came with the car. I'm on the Intelligent Octopus Go tariff which is integrated with the car as the charger isn't supported.

When I plug in the car it typically takes around 30 minutes before IOG sets a schedule - which is annoying as it is using about 3.5kWh of full price electricity at about 30p per unit instead of 7.5p per unit - so it costs about 80p (enough for >10kWh of off-peak power) just to get the charge scheduled.

Could anyone using IOG integrated via their charger let me know how long it takes to schedule the charge? I'm trying to understand if the length of time taken for the schedule is normal, or if it is the car being slow.

Thanks

Are you sure you are being charged your normal tariff rate rather than that IO overnight rate whilst it schedules? I have done some reading on this and I can’t see a definitive answer.

[LHRFlightman]

When I plug my Model 3 in, she car normally starts to charge, then stops within a minute or two.

Usually within 5 minutes I e had an IO schedule pop up.

Occasionally the car continues to charge beyond fhe first couple of minutes. IO have told me this is usually them giving me a cheap rate charge during the peak hours. However I tend to kill this charge and let it schedule one for the off peak period.

The app is lacking functionality IMHO. I've asked IO why, if they're giving me an unscheduled charge, why can't the app tell me? After all they know!

They have told me "it's a good idea and it's been passed to the dev team"

I won't hold my breath.

[Road2Ruin]

Our Enyaq charges instantly and can takes ages to schedule. What I do, is just hit stop charging on the car when it starts. It IO then starts the charge for the schedule.

[R32]

I'm using an Ohme pro without in car integration for the Corsa and have for 2 years. I've always had an instantaneous schedule.

[Liamjrhodes]

I'm using a wallbox pulsar max and the schedule is created almost instantly once the car is plugged in

[curvature]

I'm glad it is not just me having these issues.

I had a Pod Point Solo charger installed last week and have been back and forth to Octopus ever since with the same issues listed above.

For reference I have an iX3.

I have been on the phone to Octopus and they can't even tell me what rate I am being charged and yesterday they told me to set the charger to "Smart" and then a few hours later said change it back to "Manual". What they also said was that at sometimes they were losing contact with the car.

The last time I charged the car was Tuesday evening and a few minutes after plugging it the Octopus app listed a charging schedule which was 6:35pm - 07:00am which if true is great as the rest of myself house was then on a very low rate. Maybe I should have put both ovens through their cleaning cycle.

I'll try again tonight and see what happens.

[325iMSport]

curvature said:

I'm glad it is not just me having these issues.

I had a Pod Point Solo charger installed last week and have been back and forth to Octopus ever since with the same issues listed above.

For reference I have an iX3.

I have been on the phone to Octopus and they can't even tell me what rate I am being charged and yesterday they told me to set the charger to "Smart" and then a few hours later said change it back to "Manual". What they also said was that at sometimes they were losing contact with the car.

The last time I charged the car was Tuesday evening and a few minutes after plugging it the Octopus app listed a charging schedule which was 6:35pm - 07:00am which if true is great as the rest of myself house was then on a very low rate. Maybe I should have put both ovens through their cleaning cycle.

I'll try again tonight and see what happens.

Issues like this further shows if using Octopus, it's best to get a charger like Ohme or Zappi. Using a compatible charger is far better than using the cars integration.

[Tycho]

For me it takes about 15 mins for a schedule to be generated when I plug my Model 3 in. I've got a dumb charger that I've set to only charge between 11:00 and 7:00 in case it takes an hour or so to get a schedule generated and also as my wife's car isn't compatible so it limits her to the off peak prices.

[this is my username]

Thanks for the replies. Looks like I need to move to a compatible charger if I want to get things to schedule faster.

[325iMSport]

this is my username said:

Thanks for the replies. Looks like I need to move to a compatible charger if I want to get things to schedule faster.

To be honest if you work it out, being charged peak rate for the 20mins Vs off peak rate, it actually isn't a huge amount. Obviously it depends on how often you charge the car, but for me based on charging twice a week, and taking around 30 mins to set a schedule, it works around £25 a year. Hardly a major issue.

In reality it's less than that as I reckon the average time to create a schedule is close to 15 mins.

[renfro]

Similarly to yourself with a non-smart (Rolec) charger my Audi E-Tron would take 15-30 mins to receive the schedule - all the while charging at 7.2 kW.

I've just swapped it out for an Ohme Home Pro charger (as part of the recent Audi finance deal) and this no longer happens - plug it in and it will receive the schedule, all without an interim charge.

I did find with the non-smart charger if I opened the myAudi app straight after plugging it in, it would usually speed up Audi informing Octopus, and Octopus sending a schedule to the car, down to around 5-10 mins.

[this is my username]

325iMSport said:

To be honest if you work it out, being charged peak rate for the 20mins Vs off peak rate, it actually isn't a huge amount. Obviously it depends on how often you charge the car, but for me based on charging twice a week, and taking around 30 mins to set a schedule, it works around £25 a year. Hardly a major issue.

In reality it's less than that as I reckon the average time to create a schedule is close to 15 mins.

I charge most weekdays - if we said 200 days a year at 80p a time then that's £160 - not enough to justify changing the charger.

I'm waiting for the Givenergy charger to be integrated with Octopus, as then the charger would also integrate with my solar and battery and it's one less ecosystem to deal with. I currently have Givenergy for the battery / solar, Myenergi for the Eddi solar diverter, Podpoint for the car charger, Octopus for the smart charging ........ they all do their own thing quite well, but it would be better if I didn't have to sit in the middle managing their interactions with each other.

[Road2Ruin]

this is my username said:

I charge most weekdays - if we said 200 days a year at 80p a time then that's £160 - not enough to justify changing the charger.

I'm waiting for the Givenergy charger to be integrated with Octopus, as then the charger would also integrate with my solar and battery and it's one less ecosystem to deal with. I currently have Givenergy for the battery / solar, Myenergi for the Eddi solar diverter, Podpoint for the car charger, Octopus for the smart charging ........ they all do their own thing quite well, but it would be better if I didn't have to sit in the middle managing their interactions with each other.

It's not really worth changing your car with solar, it's better to export any surplus and charge at night. My export rate on IO is 15p/kwh, the night rate is 7.5p/kwh.

[this is my username]

Road2Ruin said:

It's not really worth changing your car with solar, it's better to export any surplus and charge at night. My export rate on IO is 15p/kwh, the night rate is 7.5p/kwh.

Agreed - but it's also annoying when the schedule gives you a random couple of hours in the evening which flattens your house battery so the house ends up running on peak rate instead of on the battery. I believe you can set up the Givenergy car charger so that it doesn't use your battery to charge the car.

[Road2Ruin]

this is my username said:

Road2Ruin said:

It's not really worth changing your car with solar, it's better to export any surplus and charge at night. My export rate on IO is 15p/kwh, the night rate is 7.5p/kwh.

Agreed - but it's also annoying when the schedule gives you a random couple of hours in the evening which flattens your house battery so the house ends up running on peak rate instead of on the battery. I believe you can set up the Givenergy car charger so that it doesn't use your battery to charge the car.

Our car doesn't use the battery ever. It only charges from the grid. Don't ask me why. You can also set your battery to charge during the cheap rate, then it won't charge the car anyway and you will get extra at 7.5p for the house.