Octopus Electric Vehicles launched a bundled electric vehicle package on 6 July 2022, combining a new car, an Ohme Home Pro smart charger, a home EV energy tariff and 5000 miles of free charging1. Ohme, which supplies the charger, described the offer as a one-stop shop for future EV drivers and said it is Octopus Electric Vehicle's only approved charger supplier1.
The package includes six hours of cheap electricity rates every day on the Intelligent Octopus tariff1. Ohme says its smart chargers can automatically adjust a car's charging times according to the tariff, without needing to be pre-set for certain hours1. The company also offers drivers the option to charge when renewable generation on the National Grid is at its highest1.
Ohme states that with petrol and diesel prices 27 per cent higher since the start of the year, a typical UK driver could spend less than £35 in running costs for an EV using smart charging for their entire first year1. That figure is calculated on average UK mileage of 6800 miles, EV efficiency of 4 miles per kWh and 7.5p per kWh on the Intelligent Octopus tariff1.
"This exciting new bundle makes it easy for motorists to make the switch to electric in a way that's simple and hassle-free."
Ohme was founded in 2017 and says it has passed ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certification for quality processes and information security1. It is the official charger provider for Motability Operations and for housing developers Harron Homes and Hollins Homes, and was named Best Electric Charging Point Provider by Business Motoring and voted number one for customer service in Auto Express magazine's 2022 Driver Power survey1.
Why it matters for households
Bundling a car, a smart charger and an EV energy tariff into one purchase shifts several decisions that a household would otherwise take separately, and at different times, into a single transaction. The charging hardware and the tariff are matched from the outset, which is the arrangement that allows charging to be moved automatically into cheaper hours rather than relying on a driver to set a schedule.
For a home's energy independence, the practical effect is that a large share of motoring cost becomes a domestic electricity cost, metered and paid for at home rather than at a forecourt. The 5000 miles of free charging covers part of the first year only; the source does not state what happens to running costs after that period, nor how the free miles are credited. The £35 first-year running cost figure is an Ohme calculation based on stated assumptions, not a measured average, and it excludes the cost of the car, the charger and the tariff's standing charges, none of which are given in the source.
The tariff's six cheap hours a day are the mechanism that makes the saving possible, and they depend on the charger being able to respond to the tariff automatically. Households without a tariff-linked charger cannot access the same scheduling, which is why the pairing of hardware and tariff, rather than either alone, is the part that carries the benefit.
What happens next
No next steps, dates or expansion plans are reported in the source.