How does ev.energy choose when to charge?

Modified on Wed, 4 Mar at 11:26 AM

The short answer

ev.energy looks at three things: your ready-by time, your energy tariff, and the carbon intensity of the grid. It schedules your charge to run during the cheapest and lowest-carbon window that still finishes before your ready-by time.

Step by step

You set a ready-by time in the app (e.g. 7:30am). This tells ev.energy the latest your car needs to be ready.
We check your energy tariff to find the cheapest hours available - for example, the overnight window on Octopus Go or Economy 7.
We cross-reference with the carbon intensity forecast and prefer lower-carbon periods where possible.
We schedule charging to start as late as possible within that window, maximising savings while ensuring your target charge is reached in time.

Tip
By selecting 'Only charge off-peak', your charging will be restricted to your cheapest tariff hours.

What if I am on a flat-rate tariff?

Smart charging still works without an off-peak tariff. Benefits include:

Carbon-optimised scheduling: we still avoid high-carbon grid periods
Reward points for every qualifying smart charge of at least 7 kWh
A consistent charging routine that avoids unnecessary peak demand periods

Tip
Switching to an EV-specific tariff such as Octopus Go or EDF GoElectric can save most drivers £200-£400 per year.

Factors that affect scheduling accuracy

Factor	What it means
Incorrect tariff entered	The scheduler may not identify the correct cheap window. Check and update your tariff in the Smart tab.
Car in sleep mode	We will send the charge commands but your car might refuse them.
Charger offline	Smart scheduling pauses entirely. The charger should still work but the schedule won't apply.

Overriding the schedule

Tap the Boost button on the dashboard at any time to start charging immediately at full speed. Boost overrides the smart schedule temporarily and returns to smart mode automatically when you end it.