Charging With An EO Mini Pro (On Octopus)

All Skoda Enyaq related discussions
Fossilnot
Posts: 200
Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2021 4:15 pm

Post by Fossilnot »

Yes that’s right. Well a number of rights really. We did indeed spend a short period of time on the Octopus standard tariff before switching to Go. Our series one smart meters-installed under the auspices of Ovo-were deemed suitable by Octopus for change of supplier. Once changed they promptly offered an upgrade to the new generation of smart meter which we were happy with as they represent future proofing: FoC supplied and fitted and acceptable (it is claimed) to all suppliers-unlike the series ones.I rejected the Agile tariff as we are too old to modify lifestyle to take full advantage of its features.

No such refinements as spreadsheets for me I’m afraid-tried ‘em and prefer watching paint dry. I opted for Octopus Go based on published data, user reports, and gut feeling.

Yes I should make more use of the charging features built into the Enyaq and I will probably refine my charging habits as I become more used to the car and it’s features. For the moment though the focus of this thread is the EO Mini Pro and how I use it with Octopus Go.

It was made clear to us that both Agile and Go are beta products. Any downsides have yet to become apparent. The in house user display, far superior to the useless item we had with the series one smart meters-DOES NOT distinguish between regular kw pricing and off peak pricing.

BTW the charging session I referred to earlier on put 61 GOM miles in the tank which only goes to show that those looking for absolute mathematical precision will have to look elsewhere…

Fossilnot

Fossilnot
Posts: 200
Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2021 4:15 pm

Post by Fossilnot »

OK, it is ‘fess up time: yep setting the charging limit to 80% in the car is a better option. I think the sheer laziness of using the EO app on my phone while sitting in comfort lulled me into bad ways! Thanks.

I still recommend the method I outline above for those who-for whatever reason-find that the built in facilities don’t function smoothly.

Fossilnot
Xtopher
Posts: 111
Joined: Wed Jul 21, 2021 4:07 pm

Post by Xtopher »

jamest wrote: Fri Aug 27, 2021 1:27 pm Actually if that app is right it looks like the price of Agile isn't ever dropping below the price of Go at the moment..
That's the same app I use, works well.

Agile pricing is way up at the moment due to our dependence on gas and gas prices being crazy high. By way of comparison with using electric to heat our hot water (so adding ~10kWh/day to our usual baseload) the cost of Go is roughly half that of Agile, over the last month, heating the hot water on Go (so 5p rate), we have an average of 10.55p/kWh on Go vs 23.16p/kWh on Agile.
Fossilnot
Posts: 200
Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2021 4:15 pm

Post by Fossilnot »

A bit of a rider to the opening post in this thread: the car will always take command of the charger (I assume that this holds good for other smart chargers) so the method of charging that I outline in the opening post will work smoothly when there has been NO settings selected under charging, location, percentages, departure times, etc. Leave all that stuff untouched-or return it to it’s virgin state-and charging using the charger and it’s app will be a happily uncomplicated experience.

Fossilnot
tomm636
Posts: 59
Joined: Tue Aug 31, 2021 7:42 pm

Post by tomm636 »

Fossilnot wrote: Fri Oct 15, 2021 5:43 pm A bit of a rider to the opening post in this thread: the car will always take command of the charger (I assume that this holds good for other smart chargers) so the method of charging that I outline in the opening post will work smoothly when there has been NO settings selected under charging, location, percentages, departure times, etc. Leave all that stuff untouched-or return it to it’s virgin state-and charging using the charger and it’s app will be a happily uncomplicated experience.

Fossilnot
We are using this method with our ohme and it has been fairly successful. However some nights the car only shows as charging at 3kw rather than the expected 7. If i pause the charger and restart it usually jumps up to 7 but im getting a bit fed up of waking up at 00.30 to check how many kw im charging with.
Enyaq iV 80 Suite, Quartz Grey, 125 kW DC charging, 20" Vega wheels, Assisted drive pack, Heat pump, Climate pack, Convenience pack, Drive sport pack, Electric Towbar, Family pack plus, Infotainment pack plus, Built Sep 2021
Nick481
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Sep 21, 2021 11:46 am

Post by Nick481 »

I was looking at the Go tarrif and it’s now 25p kWh peak for me so it doesn’t make sense over their normal tariff which is 20p all the time. Bit odd. When I signed up they were advertising a tariff of 15/5 which is now 25/5.
Fossilnot
Posts: 200
Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2021 4:15 pm

Post by Fossilnot »

I cannot claim that the purchase of an electric car just before this unhappy time for fuel/energy prices was anything other than a glorified impulse buy-and not particularly well researched or specified either! It has worked out reasonably well with the car itself (winter might bring a revised judgement!) and the fact that we entered into an annual contract with Octopus with the rates then prevailing was also serendipity.

I have absolutely no axe to grind regarding any aspect of my posts. I have no connection with any manufacturer or dealer nor am I making any recommendation(s). If my contribution to the collective experience helps others to make decisions wiser than mine then so be it. I guess that the equation now is still pence per mile at today’s rates for ICE vehicles versus pence per mile for the Enyaq. (Although even that is disengenuous- we bought it because we liked it!)

Fossilnot
Fossilnot
Posts: 200
Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2021 4:15 pm

Post by Fossilnot »

It belatedly occurs to me to mention the fact that the only other electrical items of note that we run overnight are a fridge and two smallish freezers. My understanding of smart chargers is that they are ‘load sensing’ and will reduce the charge to the car if say, the washing machine, tumble dryer, central heating, and other such stuff, is switched on to take advantage of cheap electricity… seems a good safety feature to me.

Fossilnot
adie.thompson
Posts: 20
Joined: Sat Oct 02, 2021 10:28 am
Location: Sheffield

Post by adie.thompson »

We have a Pod Point 7kW and we are on Octopus Go at the moment. Our point includes an 8m tethered cable, it was only £50 more and we felt it will give us more options and will be easier when trying to plug in when it's raining, we don't have to scramble in the car to get our type 2 cable out. The 8m cable will be able to reach either car on both sides of the driveway, so we don't need to play musical cars if the other car needs charging. We didn't choose the lock as we felt that as it will take hours to steal any meaningful charge so no-one is going to do it. The one issue with the Pod Point is that they don't integrate with solar panels. We don't have any, but if we did get some in the future we would have to think about either changing our charging point or installing a second one.

I have a M3 company car and do quite a bit of travelling and the 4 hours cheap charging overnight is usually enough but I can over-ride it if I need a full charge. Fully controlled by the Pod Point app, as the scheduled charging in the Tesla doesn't work very well either. The car will happily be ready if I tell it I need 80% by 7am, but trying to tell it only to charge between 00:30 and 04:30 is too much for it!

The Pod Point app shows how much it has cost me to charge, you can input your tariff to the app so it knows how much the electricity is costing you. It's handy as it also shows how much free power you've put in when charging at the local shops with Pod Point chargers too.

Our ordered Enyaq is mainly for my wife who is a low mileage driver, so her charging once a week overnight should be enough with the odd free top-up at the supermarket.

With the efficiency of the M3, it costs me 0.0125p per mile when I charge during the overnight rates. I would love to tell you how much the Enyaq is costing us but it is looking like a 2022 delivery date unfortunately.
Private Car: iV60 Suite; Quartz Grey; Parking Pack; Chrome Pack; 20" Vega Wheels; Ordered June 2021; Build Week 44; Delivery due 5 January 2022 :D
Company Car: 2020 Tesla M3 Standard Range Plus
BioHzrd
Posts: 624
Joined: Sun Sep 05, 2021 3:14 pm
Location: Scotland

Post by BioHzrd »

adie.thompson wrote: Sat Oct 16, 2021 11:11 am The one issue with the Pod Point is that they don't integrate with solar panels. We don't have any, but if we did get some in the future we would have to think about either changing our charging point or installing a second one.
Solar integration with car chargers isn't all that great to be fair unless you have a large array if you have a 4kW (most common size) you don't get a constant 4kw you will get a peak of maybe 3.6/3.8kW and possibly 1/2kW some what fluctuations on a normal summer day take away your homes usage and you would be lucky to have a spare 800w you would only benefit from it I'd you leave the car plugged in at home all day.

Best thing to do is divert it to either an Immersion heater ( save on electricity or gas depending on heating system) or a battery for use at peak times potentially use your EV tarrif to full the battery at night too also Saving more money.
60 Loft, Parking Basic Package, Moon White

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Might work for a well know charging company 😉

Electrician - 18th Edition & 2391-52 Qualified - Over 18 years, so I know what I'm talking about 😂
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