Strange Intelligent Octopus GO Billing Issue

[Leccy61]

I have been using Octopus IO GO for a while with 2 EVs, 1 smart charging, 1 timer based.

My Tesla was the smart charged EV until I changed it for my Taycan 2 months ago. Deleted the Tesla and set the Taycan up on the Octopus App as the smart charged EV and all appears to work, IO sets a smart charge schedule, starts and stops charging etc., albeit in it’s slightly odd way with timed sessions in the Porsche app a couple of days out etc.

However, I was looking at the detailed usage and billing data that Octopus provide and saw that none of the Taycan smart charge sessions since it was connected to IO were being charged at the low rate. Pointedly, the day I took the Tesla to trade for the Taycan, I see the Tesla had couple of hours smart charge in the morning and the rate dropped accordingly, but later that day I’d set the Taycan up and it had a smart charge but the rate remained peak!

I will be contacting Octopus but flagging this in case anybody else has seen this and perhaps knows what’s up or perhaps you’re assuming you’re getting smart charge sessions at 7p when it’s actually 27p!

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[tophamn]

@Leccy61: does the Octopus app alert you when you plug the Taycan in and show you the set charging schedule?

 

[Leccy61]

@tophamn Yep, all been working fine in that regard, only thing that isn’t is the smart charge sessions being at the low cost rate. I’ve been unaware there was any issue with IO and the Taycan.

I cant see how it’s a Taycan issue tbh, I think it’s Octopus, but I’d still be interested in somebody confirming they have IO controlling the charging on their Taycan and they’re definitely getting the 7p rate each time it charges it, both inside and outside the 11:30-05:30 window.

 

[nxdtravis]

Yep, all been working fine in that regard, only thing that isn’t is the smart charge sessions being at the low cost rate. I’ve been unaware there was any issue with IO and the Taycan.

I cant see how it’s a Taycan issue tbh, I think it’s Octopus, but I’d still be interested in somebody confirming they have IO controlling the charging on their Taycan and they’re definitely getting the 7p rate each time it charges it, both inside and outside the 11:30-05:30 window.

 

[SJGG]

I’ve been using Intelligent Octopus, with a MyEnergy charger on my Taycan for about 6 months now. No issues with getting the cheap rate from 23.00 to 05.00 (plus some random lower rate 30 to 60 minute session when Octopus decides it is cheaper.)

 

[Leccy61]

This is what should happen (and was for 2 years with the Tesla)

This what is happening with the Taycan on IO since I got it

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[Leccy61]

I’ve been using Intelligent Octopus, with a MyEnergy charger on my Taycan for about 6 months now. No issues with getting the cheap rate from 23.00 to 05.00 (plus some random lower rate 30 to 60 minute session when Octopus decides it is cheaper.)

Is IO controlling your charger or your car? I have a pod point charger which IO cannot control, so I have IO controlling the Taycan, which appears to work absolutely fine, except the rate stays at peak rate when IO charges the Taycan.

 

[P0R5HE_UK]

As you probably know, Octopus IG can only deal with one EV. Perhaps the Tesla needs to be flushed out of a cache i.e. Octopus still thinks you have the Tesla.

 

[Leccy61]

As you probably know, Octopus IG can only deal with one EV. Perhaps the Tesla needs to be flushed out of a cache i.e. Octopus still thinks you have the Tesla.

I removed the Tesla from Octopus app and there's a certificate octopus uses installed in tesla's which I also removed according to their instructions, plus I don't think the app would have let me connect to the Taycan and set it up if there was still a lingering part of a Tesla in there somehow ?‍

Ive put the issue to octopus, so if it's something like that hopefully they can sort it. Think I might disconnect and reconnect the Taycan to the Octopus app while waiting for them to respond as I imagine they'll tell me to do that anyway.

 

[tophamn]

@tophamn Yep, all been working fine in that regard, only thing that isn’t is the smart charge sessions being at the low cost rate. I’ve been unaware there was any issue with IO and the Taycan.

I cant see how it’s a Taycan issue tbh, I think it’s Octopus, but I’d still be interested in somebody confirming they have IO controlling the charging on their Taycan and they’re definitely getting the 7p rate each time it charges it, both inside and outside the 11:30-05:30 window.

I have IO and see in my historical billing data I've had electricity at 7p/kWh outside the 23:30-05:30 cheap windows - I assume it's for charging the car (how do I tell if a charging session is at cheap rate?). That said I have Octopus configured to control the wall box (MyEnergi Zappi), not the car because Octopus's control of the Taycan is notoriously unreliable.

Are you able to determine if your car is charging outside the charging schedule set by Octopus? - for example if your wall box is always live and you have a profile set the car will start charging immediately you plug it in, up to the % set in the profile, irrespective of any preferred charging times set in any active timer. The Octopus integration with the Taycan relies on Octopus re-programming your profiles/timers (possibly several times per charging session) through Porsche's servers and Vodafone's mobile network - and the messages don't always get through.

If you're bored I'd recommend searching this forum for Taycan charging profiles and timers.

 

[tophamn]

I removed the Tesla from Octopus app and there's a certificate octopus uses installed in tesla's which I also removed according to their instructions, plus I don't think the app would have let me connect to the Taycan and set it up if there was still a lingering part of a Tesla in there somehow ?‍

Ive put the issue to octopus, so if it's something like that hopefully they can sort it. Think I might disconnect and reconnect the Taycan to the Octopus app while waiting for them to respond as I imagine they'll tell me to do that anyway.

Which wall box do you have? Is it supported by Octopus?

 

[Leccy61]

I have IO and see in my historical billing data I've had electricity at 7p/kWh outside the 23:30-05:30 cheap windows - I assume it's for charging the car (how do I tell if a charging session is at cheap rate?). That said I have Octopus configured to control the wall box (MyEnergi Zappi), not the car because Octopus's control of the Taycan is notoriously unreliable.

Are you able to determine if your car is charging outside the charging schedule set by Octopus? - for example if your wall box is always live and you have a profile set the car will start charging immediately you plug it in, up to the % set in the profile, irrespective of any preferred charging times set in any active timer. The Octopus integration with the Taycan relies on Octopus re-programming your profiles/timers (possibly several times per charging session) through Porsche's servers and Vodafone's mobile network - and the messages don't always get through.

If you're bored I'd recommend searching this forum for Taycan charging profiles and timers.

Haha, I must have been bored and have read quite a lot about Taycan profiles and timers. The Taycan is charging fine outside the 23:30-05:30 window, it does just what it's supposed to, starts charging when plugged in and then shortly afterwards, stops and an Octopus schedule is shown. The car charges accordingly. So like I say, there has been no issue other than those charging sessions outside the 23:30-05:30 not getting the 7p rate. If I hadn't looked at past billing and usage I would carried on assuming all was fine because of the behaviour that I've seen.

I know there are people who have their Taycan connected to IO rather than their chargers, really like to know if they are definitely getting the 7p rate outside the 23:30-05:30 window.

 

[Leccy61]

Which wall box do you have? Is it supported by Octopus?

Podpoint,which isn't supported by IO, so it's set to dumb (always on) mode. We have two EVs, one (VW ID3) uses the 23:30-05:30 window using its own timer and the Taycan is connected to IO so it can use the window but also times outside the window. This worked with the Tesla for a long time, the variable in the picture now is the Taycan, but as described it behaves exactly as it should, its just the rate on IO smart charging outside the 23:30-05:30 window is not going down to 7p as it should and always has.

 

[tophamn]

Haha, I must have been bored and have read quite a lot about Taycan profiles and timers. The Taycan is charging fine outside the 23:30-05:30 window, it does just what it's supposed to, starts charging when plugged in and then shortly afterwards, stops and an Octopus schedule is shown. The car charges accordingly. So like I say, there has been no issue other than those charging sessions outside the 23:30-05:30 not getting the 7p rate. If I hadn't looked at past billing and usage I would carried on assuming all was fine because of the behaviour that I've seen.

I know there are people who have their Taycan connected to IO rather than their chargers, really like to know if they are definitely getting the 7p rate outside the 23:30-05:30 window.

Maybe I misunderstand what you're expecting but you will only get the 7p rate outside the cheap window when Octopus schedules a charging slot at that time; any charging outside the cheap window which does not fall into Octopus's charging schedule will be charged at the full price.

 

[Leccy61]

Maybe I misunderstand what you're expecting but you will only get the 7p rate outside the cheap window when Octopus schedules a charging slot at that time; any charging outside the cheap window which does not fall into Octopus's charging schedule will be charged at the full price.

Yes, totally aware of that, but for me the IO instigated smart charges outside the 23:30-05:30 are not at the 7p rate.

The screenshots in post #6 show the comparison with what has happened in the past versus what is happening currently.

Taycan is connected to the app, IO is scheduling and instigating charges but I am not getting the 7p rate outside the cheap window.

That’s the only problem I have.

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