Navigating the Complex World of EV Charging: Smart Tariffs and Apps
Updated: 5 days ago
If you’re getting or have an electric vehicle (EV), you’re probably looking for a charger to install at home. You’ve made a great choice! Not only can you save money on running costs, but you’re also helping to reduce CO2 emissions in line with the government’s Net Zero target. Kudos to you for being part of the solution!
To maximize your savings, you’ll likely consider one of the energy companies' smart or intelligent EV tariffs. (You can read more about that in our other blogs!) However, the journey isn’t always straightforward. With more players entering the charging ecosystem, conflicts can arise when multiple systems try to control the same charging session. This post explores the challenges that occur when a smart tariff, an electric vehicle app, and a charging app all attempt to manage charging simultaneously. Understanding these conflicts is essential for EV owners, app developers, and energy providers to ensure smooth, efficient charging experiences. Having the right installer can help guide you through some of these challenges.
How Smart Tariffs Influence EV Charging
Smart tariffs are electricity pricing schemes designed to encourage charging during off-peak hours or when renewable energy supply is high. These tariffs can lower costs for EV owners but require the charging session to respond dynamically to price signals. Here’s how they work:
Dynamic pricing: Tariffs change hourly or even more frequently, incentivizing users to charge when electricity is cheapest.
Automated control: Smart tariffs often come with software that can start, stop, or adjust charging power to optimize costs.
Grid balancing: By shifting charging loads, smart tariffs help reduce strain on the electrical grid.
While smart tariffs offer clear benefits, their control mechanisms can clash with other apps that also want to manage charging.
The Role of Electric Vehicle Apps in Charging Management
EV apps, often provided by vehicle manufacturers or third parties, give drivers control over their charging sessions. These apps typically allow users to:
Schedule charging times
Monitor battery status and charging progress
Set charging limits or preferences
Access remote start/stop functions
EV apps prioritize user convenience and vehicle health, sometimes overriding external signals to protect battery life or meet driver needs. This can conflict with smart tariff controls that seek to optimize cost or grid usage.
Charger Apps and Their Control Functions
Charger apps that come with your EV charger manage the interaction between the EV and the charger. Their features include:
Starting and stopping charging sessions
Authorizing sessions
Displaying real-time charging data
Setting schedules for charging
In some cases, using excess solar PV electricity to charge the vehicle
These apps focus on the control and functionality of the EV charger.
Where Conflicts Arise
When a smart tariff, an EV app, and a charging app all try to control the same charging session, several conflicts can occur:
Competing commands: Each system may send different instructions to start, stop, or adjust charging power, causing confusion or erratic behavior.
Priority clashes: Without clear rules, apps may override each other, leading to unexpected charging interruptions or missed cost-saving opportunities.
Data synchronization issues: Inconsistent or delayed communication between apps and chargers can result in inaccurate charging status or billing errors.
User frustration: Drivers may find it difficult to understand why charging behaves unpredictably or why apps contradict each other.
For example, a smart tariff might reduce charging power during peak hours, but the EV app could override this to complete charging faster. Meanwhile, the charging app might pause the session due to network load, creating a confusing situation.
Normally, the upshot of this is a car that’s not in the state the owner expects it to be in by morning.
Strategies to Resolve Conflicts
It can take a lot of trial and error to get your system set up right. You want to trust that it will do what you want it to do. Normally, cheap electricity is available from around 23:00 to 06:00, so most of this happens when everyone is tucked up in bed.
Other than constantly waking up to check the status of the charger and the vehicle on the relevant apps, you don’t know if it has worked until morning when you are back on peak rates. It’s important to use an EV charge installer who is willing and able to help you through this initial setup.
To make matters worse, if you get a second EV in the family, that can throw a spanner in the works. Again, choosing the right installer—someone who has been around for a while and has good reviews—can pay dividends in getting these annoyances quickly resolved.
Real-World Examples
Let’s take a look at some real-world scenarios to illustrate these conflicts:
UK’s smart charging pilots: Trials involving smart tariffs and EV apps showed that clear communication and user education are key to avoiding conflicts.
Octopus, Ohme, and a Battery: Imagine you have a battery that you charge up between 23:30 and 05:30 on a cheap rate. Load management is set to enable the car to charge as well. But when you plug the car in at 14:00, the Ohme finds that Octopus has an unscheduled 30 minutes of cheap rate. The battery drains into your car, leaving nothing stored for the evening.
Hidden schedules in Apps: Sometimes, certain vehicle-based apps have default settings that can disrupt charging. For example, preconditioning can stop the charge from completing during cheap rate hours.
The Future of EV Charging Control
As EV adoption grows, the complexity of managing charging sessions will increase. Future solutions may include:
AI-driven coordination: Artificial intelligence could dynamically balance inputs from tariffs, apps, and user preferences.
Unified platforms: Single apps or platforms that integrate tariff data, vehicle control, and charging station management.
Enhanced standards: Broader adoption of communication and control standards to ensure seamless interoperability.
Summary
Conflicts between smart tariffs, EV apps, and charging apps arise because each system tries to control charging for different reasons: cost savings, user convenience, or infrastructure management. These conflicts can lead to unpredictable charging behavior and user frustration. Clear priorities, standardized communication, user control options, and collaboration among developers are essential to navigate these challenges.
As technology advances, more integrated and intelligent solutions will help EV owners enjoy efficient, cost-effective, and hassle-free charging experiences. Understanding these dynamics empowers EV drivers to make informed choices about their charging setups and encourages industry players to build better, more compatible systems. The future of EV charging depends on cooperation and clarity among all parties involved.
Upshot
Do your homework if you’re tech-savvy, but also choose a charger and tariff that’s recommended for you by your installer. Many installers will fit the charger, commission it, and leave you to it. However, some—like EV Electrical—will go the extra mile and support you for months, even years, after the product has been fitted.
Comments