As energy industry observers warn of dramatic price increases this winter, it’s crucial that electric vehicle drivers ensure they are on the best possible smart charging tariffs at home, says EV smart charger provider Ohme.
Founded in 2017, Ohme is the UK’s “leading smart charging platform provider” and offers solutions for consumers, businesses, and fleets that enable off-peak charging.
Until now, EV drivers have enjoyed “incredible” savings compared to driving a petrol or diesel car, but industry experts are now predicting wholesale prices to more than double this winter, raising the Standard Variable Tariff set by Ofgem to around 60p/kWh (up from the current 28p/kWh).
The standard variable tariff indicates the rate you pay for energy will go up or down when global energy prices change. EV drivers will be hit especially hard by this increase as it could see their running costs rise dramatically. However, they can protect themselves from the worst of the forthcoming rises by charging their car using a smart charger such as Ohme’s Home Pro alongside a discounted off-peak tariff offered by numerous energy suppliers, according to the company.
“Our advice at Ohme is to speak to your existing electricity supplier and see if they offer an off-peak tariff such as Octopus or OVO Energy,” said the CEO, David Watson.
“If they don’t, then look at switching suppliers to one that does so that you can offset the impacts of these significant price increases that experts are predicting.”
Ohme’s Home Pro smart charger can connect with the national grid in real-time and automatically adjust its charging for drivers to take advantage of all the times of low-price charging with smart off-peak tariffs. It also offers the option to charge your car when renewable energy generation on the National Grid is at its highest, further lowering its CO2 impact.
Charging an EV on an off-peak tariff can still give drivers the benefit of low running costs that are equivalent to just 1.9 pence per mile with the likes of Octopus Intelligent at 7.5p/kWh. That means a typical UK driver’s annual mileage of 6,800 miles in an average EV could cost just £127.50.
By comparison, at the current Standard Variable Tariff of 28p/kWh, that same annual mileage would cost a driver £476. If, as predicted, that standard electricity tariff rises to 60p/kWh, those same 6,800 miles would cost an EV driver £1,020 – eight times more than on an off-peak tariff.
Ohme is the official charger provider for customers on the Motability scheme, the largest UK fleet operator in the UK, and has been named as the Best Electric Charging Point Provider by Business Motoring.