Ohme smart EV chargers: Home Pro, ePod and tariff-linked charging

An Ohme charger is a smart home charge point that reads live data from the grid and shifts your car's charging into the cheapest and greenest hours available on your electricity tariff. The company describes its chargers as dynamic, using live data to automatically provide drivers with the greenest and cheapest energy, and states that they are compatible with all energy suppliers¹. Two models are sold in the UK: the Home Pro and the ePod, both rated at 7.4kW and both compatible with solar through a Solar Boost function³.

The commercial case rests on tariff arbitrage rather than on the hardware. Ohme states that charging on a smart tariff can cost less than £5 per charge, that a typical 60kWh battery costs around £15 to £20 on a standard tariff, and that most drivers save £500 or more each year by charging smarter³. A separate Ohme figure puts an annual 6,800 miles at £136 on a smart tariff such as Intelligent Octopus Go, against £493 for the same mileage on a standard variable tariff⁵.

What the charger does not do is sell you energy. Ohme states plainly that it will never bill you directly for the energy used to charge the car, and that tariff information is used only to work out when charging is cheaper and to estimate session costs⁷. Your supplier bills the units; Ohme decides the timing.

What an Ohme charger is and how dynamic smart charging works

Ohme's chargers are described by the maker as dynamic, meaning they use live data from the grid to charge when demand is lower and prices cheaper within a schedule¹. The distinction matters. A basic smart charger follows a fixed timer set by the householder; a dynamic charger adjusts the schedule itself as prices and grid conditions move, reaching the desired charge level within the window the driver has set¹.

The regulatory backdrop is the Electric Vehicles (Smart Charge Points) Regulations 2021, and Ohme states that its chargers meet the latest smart charger regulations and are compliant with the new rules⁹. That compliance is what allows a charger to be sold and installed in the UK at all, and it is also what makes the tariff-linked behaviour possible: the charger must be capable of delaying and modulating charging in response to signals.

In practice the householder sets a target, a departure time and, if wanted, a price cap. Ohme then works out when to draw power. The company states that its chargers are compatible with any UK energy tariff, including the market's cheapest, and that they automatically adjust to optimise the cost of charging¹². The charger is not tied to one supplier, which is the point: Ohme states that its chargers work with every electricity supplier, so switching supplier does not require new hardware⁹.

The dependence this creates is worth stating plainly. Dynamic charging depends on the charger's internet connection, on Ohme's servers and app, and on a tariff that publishes half-hourly or time-of-use prices. Without a smart tariff the charger still works, but it has nothing to arbitrage. More on how these products compare with fixed-schedule chargers is at smart EV chargers.

The range: Home Pro and ePod

Ohme's European home charger range comprises the Home Pro and the Go portable charging cable alongside the ePod and ePod S 22kW¹⁴. For UK households the two wall-mounted options are the Home Pro and the ePod, and both deliver electricity at a rate of 7.4kW³. E.ON Next lists the Ohme ePod and Ohme Home Pro alongside the zappi GLO at up to 7.4kW output depending on the vehicle, with a Type 2 socket¹⁵.

The Home Pro is the tethered unit. It has a 5m Type 2 tethered charging cable as standard, with an 8m cable available as an option¹⁶. The ePod is the untethered counterpart, and Ohme states that any EV with a Type 2 connector charges perfectly well with it⁹. Ohme also states that its chargers are compatible with all Type 1 and Type 2 EVs⁴.

The 22kW ePod and ePod S sit outside the mainstream UK domestic picture, since a 22kW charge rate needs a three-phase supply that most homes do not have. The comparison between the two main models is set out at Ohme ePod vs Ohme Home Pro, and the wider question of tethered versus untethered is at tethered vs untethered EV charger.

Tariff integration: how charging follows your tariff's cheapest hours

Ohme's tariff integration is the core of the product. The app connects the charger to your electricity tariff and lets Ohme automatically schedule the car to charge during off-peak hours⁴. Ohme states that its technology integrates with energy tariffs including time-of-use off-peak and type-of-use tariffs, and that the tariff information is used to estimate the cost of charging sessions and to power features such as the price cap⁷.

The price cap is the most concrete control. When enabled, Ohme will only schedule charge during your tariff's off-peak times, to keep charging as cheap as possible, and this applies to standard dual-rate or multi-rate tariffs¹¹. Where a tariff is not in Ohme's database, the householder can set up a custom tariff by entering the tariff times and prices¹¹.

The tariff landscape the charger is working with has three broad shapes. Independent guidance describes EV tariffs as usually involving a lower rate for charging overnight, often structured like Economy 7 with a lower unit rate for seven hours during the night¹⁷. Type-of-use tariffs are different: they offer cheaper rates just for the specific energy used to charge the EV, and the cheaper cost applies at any time of day or night¹⁹. Zapmap describes the outcome from the driver's side as the EV charging at the cheapest time based on your existing tariff and preferences²⁰.

That last point is the one to hold on to. The charger does not create cheap electricity; it finds the cheap hours your tariff already publishes and moves the load into them. A household on a single-rate tariff gets scheduling convenience and no price benefit. The wider tariff picture is at EV energy tariffs and how they change home charging.

Cost: what a charge and a year of driving actually cost

Ohme's published figures give a wide spread, and the spread is the story. On a typical tariff, charging a 60kWh battery costs around £15 to £20; with smart tariff integration it can cost less than £5 per charge³. The difference is entirely the rate paid per unit, not the amount of energy drawn.

At annual scale, Ohme states that a typical UK driver covering 6,800 miles a year charging with Ohme on a smart tariff such as Intelligent Octopus Go would spend just £136 for the energy⁵. The same annual mileage on a standard variable tariff would cost £493⁶. Ohme also states that EV drivers charging at home with Ohme on a smart tariff save more than £90 a month versus the standard variable tariff, and that most EV drivers save £500 or more each year by charging smarter⁵.

A worked example from the maker puts a full charge of an MG4 SE Long Range with a 64kWh battery at £4.48 on Intelligent Octopus Go, for its 281 mile WLTP range²¹. Ohme's broader claim is that charging costs can be reduced by up to 70% with its charger¹¹.

For context on what public charging costs by comparison, independent statistics put the VAT paid by a UK EV driver reliant entirely on public charging at an estimated £194 per year in 2025²². Home charging is charged at domestic VAT rates; public charging is not. That difference is covered at why public EV charging VAT is higher than home charging, and the full running-cost picture is at what does it cost to charge an electric car at home.

Solar charging and the Solar Boost setting

Both the Home Pro and the ePod are solar charging compatible, and Ohme states that Solar Boost works with either charger to fill the car with excess solar generation⁴. The mechanism is a CT clamp, included in a standard installation, which measures generation and consumption at the supply so the charger can tell when the house is exporting⁹.

Ohme describes the outcome as letting you prioritise self-generated energy so you can charge greener, cheaper and make the most of your solar setup²³. The company's press material describes a solar boost function reducing reliance on the grid¹². A further Solar Boost setting, described as only charging with solar when there is enough excess, was stated for release in Summer 2026²⁴.

The limits are worth being clear about. Solar Boost shifts charging into daylight hours when the panels are producing beyond the house's own demand; it does not store energy, and on a cloudy day or in winter there may be little or no excess to divert. A household with a modest array and a car needing a large daily top-up will still draw most of that from the grid for much of the year. The charger makes the most of what the roof produces; it does not make the roof produce more. Solar pairing in general is covered at charging an EV from solar panels, and the choice between solar and grid charging at charging an EV from solar vs the grid.

Installation: survey, lead times and what a standard fit includes

The process starts online. Ohme requires a quick eligibility check, which takes about two minutes, followed by an online home survey of about ten minutes covering your home, your energy usage and your installation requirements²⁵. Ohme states that it needs this information before it can provide a date for installation²⁶.

A standard installation includes mounting the charger, up to 15 metres of cabling, connection to your fuse board, circuit protection, a CT clamp and app setup, plus testing and certification⁹. Ohme's own figure for a standard fit is up to 3 hours, while its general guidance elsewhere puts an EV charger installation at around 4 hours²⁵. The documents differ on the duration; the 3 hour figure is specific to a standard fit, the 4 hour figure to installations generally.

Standard installations are usually booked within one to two weeks, though Ohme states that lead time varies with engineer availability in your area and the complexity of the installation²⁵. Installation is carried out by an Ohme approved installation partner, who arrives on an agreed date to fit the charger in your preferred location²⁷. Questions during the visit go to the engineer on site or to the Customer Success Team through the chat function²⁷.

The electrical standard is not optional. Independent guidance from NICEIC states that an EV charger must be installed in line with the current edition of BS 7671, the national standard for electrical installations²⁸. Ohme states that its installation certificate is ready around 3 to 5 working days afterwards⁹. The wider process, including who may legally do the work, is at home EV charge point installation, and the supply-side requirements at electrical requirements for a home EV charge point.

Who Ohme works with: car makers, energy suppliers and fleets

Ohme states that its chargers are compatible with all energy suppliers, and that this means a household is free to switch supplier without changing hardware⁹. That is the commercial position: the charger is supplier-agnostic, and the tariff relationship sits between the householder and the supplier.

The partnership list is long and mostly about distribution rather than technology. Ohme was chosen as the exclusive official home EV charging partner of smart UK¹². It has announced partnerships with Ford in Northern Ireland, with XPeng, and with the Richmond Motor Group²⁹. It became the new smart EV charger choice for Travis Perkins³¹. In May 2026, SG Fleet selected Ohme as its smart home EV charging partner in Australia³².

On the energy supplier side, Ohme works with E.ON Next on the Next Drive Smart tariff, with dedicated support articles covering how the tariff works with an Ohme charger, how to set it up, and how to disconnect the charger from it³². Ohme and Octopus Energy rolled out a six-hour smart charging update together in August 2026, with a prioritise setting available to everyone who has the six-hour smart charging limit in place³⁵. In August 2026, ESB Networks and Ohme began the EV Flex trial in the Republic of Ireland with selected Ohme drivers, paying rewards for frequent home plug-ins³⁶.

The pattern is that Ohme's charger is the hardware layer and the supplier's tariff is the commercial layer, with the two integrated through the app. That is a genuine independence benefit in one direction, since switching supplier does not strand the hardware, and a dependence in another, since the smart behaviour runs through Ohme's platform. Flexibility and reward schemes are covered at smart charging, flexibility services and reward schemes.

The company: size, status and customer ratings

Ohme describes itself as the UK's largest home EV charging company and the fastest growing EV charging company in Europe, and separately as the UK and Ireland's largest home EV charging company³⁰. It is based in Cork²⁹. Earlier company material described it as the UK's fastest growing smart charger manufacturer⁶. These are the company's own characterisations of its market position.

On recognition, Ohme holds the Best Electric Charging Point Provider 2025 award from the Business Motoring Awards²³. The company has also cited Fast Track Company of the Year in the 2023 UK Green Business Awards and Best Electric Charging Point Provider from Business Motoring, alongside ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certifications covering quality processes and information security; the two sets of claims are not reconciled in the documents.

On testing, BSI became the first UKAS-accredited lab for electric vehicle charger testing and is a CB test lab for EV chargers under the global IECEE scheme, a 2022 development³⁷. That is a testing-capability fact rather than an endorsement of any one brand.

Where an Ohme charger falls short

The clearest limit is the one that applies to every smart charger: the intelligence lives in the cloud. Scheduling, price caps, cost tracking and remote control all run through the Ohme app and Ohme's servers, and the app is where the features sit, from setting schedules and price caps to tracking costs, carbon savings and charge history²³. Ohme's app also handles routines, one-off charging sessions, a price cap in pence per kWh, and energy cost and consumption tracking⁸. A household that loses broadband loses the smart layer, though the charger itself continues to deliver power.

The second limit is that the charger controls the charger, not the car. Ohme's app can pre-set a battery charge level for a specific time of morning, but cabin pre-heating and climate settings are the vehicle's business¹⁴. Multi-car control and smart tariff switching are supported³², but the vehicle-side functions are not.

The third is fault behaviour. If the supply voltage goes outside the acceptable range, the charger will stop working and show an error, a safety feature protecting both charger and vehicle³⁸. UK Power Networks states that if the voltage goes beyond that range the charger will not function and will display a red ring or an error³⁹. That is a network condition, not a charger defect, and it is not something the householder can fix at the unit.

For faults that are the charger's own, Ohme's support route is to go to My Charger, then Advanced Settings, and tap the Change charger button¹⁰. A forum report from May 2026 describes an Audi Q4 owner whose charging continued but not at the smart rate, and who reported the issue cleared after resetting 13 times⁴⁰. Persistent faults go to the Customer Success Team through the app chat function²⁷. Broader fault diagnosis is at EV charge point faults and troubleshooting, and the warranty position at EV charge point warranties and aftercare.