Off-Peak Charging Explained

What is off-peak charging?

Off-peak charging means running your EV charge during the hours when electricity is cheapest - typically late at night or early morning. 

On a dual-rate or time-of-use tariff, your energy supplier charges a lower rate per kWh during these hours. ev.energy automatically schedules your charge within this window so you save money without having to manage it manually.

Read more:

Scheduling a Smart Charge

How does ev.energy choose when to charge?

Do I need a special tariff?

Yes - to benefit from price-based off-peak scheduling you need a tariff with different rates at different times of day. Common examples include:

• Octopus Go - fixed low overnight rate (typically 00:30-04:30)
• Economy 7 or Economy 10 - traditional off-peak overnight periods
• Octopus Agile - half-hourly variable pricing; ev.energy picks the cheapest slots automatically
• EDF GoElectric, OVO Charge Anytime, and other EV-specific tariffs

Setting up off-peak charging in the app

1. Go to the Smart tab and tap Energy tariff.
2. Search for your energy supplier and tariff name.
3. Enable Smart Charging and 'Only charge off-peak'
4. Set your ready-by time and we will schedule charging to complete within the cheapest window.

The Only Charge Off-Peak setting

In the Smart tab you can enable Only Charge Off-Peak. When on, ev.energy will only charge during off-peak hours - even if that means the car does not reach full charge if the window is too short.

I am on a flat-rate tariff - does this apply to me?

Not for price savings, but smart charging still benefits you. ev.energy schedules based on carbon intensity, helping you charge at greener times. You also continue to earn reward points for every qualifying smart charge.