ev.energy released an update to its smart charging app on 16 September 2022 that expands the information shown for each charging session. The company said the release covers where a charge's energy came from, how long the vehicle was actually charging, savings from Smart Charging and Solar Charging, reward points, and a simplified carbon impact report1.
The ev.energy app now shows a breakdown of how much electricity a charge drew from the grid and how much came from self-generated solar energy, alongside the savings made through Solar Charging in the same way as Smart Charging1. Charge summaries also show the length of time the car was charging, in addition to plug-in and unplug times1.
On carbon, ev.energy has reworked how it presents a charge's environmental impact. Alongside total emissions in kg CO2 and intensity in g/kWh, users now see any carbon savings made and a rating of Poor, Fair or Good1. The company said the update also makes it clearer how many reward points have been earned, and shows the points that could have been earned had a session been Smart Charged rather than standard or Boost charged1.
"The latest ev.energy app release tackles both of these elements and puts you in full control when it comes to understanding your charging costs and carbon emissions"
One condition applies to the cost figures. ev.energy states that cost savings are only visible if a Time of Use, dynamic or EV-specific tariff has been added to the app1. The company describes Smart Charging as automatically optimising charging for the cheapest and greenest times available according to the tariff, and says the update makes it clearer how much has been saved against a standard charge1. Charge summaries are reached through the Dashboard tab, by scrolling to Charge History and selecting a previous session1.
| Added to charge summaries | Detail given by ev.energy |
|---|---|
| Energy input breakdown | Grid electricity versus self-generated solar1 |
| Charging duration | Time actually charging, plus plug-in and unplug times1 |
| Smart Charging savings | Saving versus a standard charge1 |
| Solar Charging savings | Shown as with Smart Charging1 |
| Reward points | Points earned, and points missed by not Smart Charging1 |
| Carbon impact | Total emissions (kg CO2), intensity (g/kWh), savings, and a Poor, Fair or Good rating1 |
Why it matters for households
For a household with an electric vehicle, the practical value of a charge summary is that it separates the two things a driver cannot see at the plug: what the electricity cost and where it came from. The energy input breakdown is the part that speaks most directly to household energy independence, because it distinguishes self-generated solar power from grid supply for each individual charge rather than across the month as a whole. ev.energy notes that this breakdown can help assess the return on investment of solar panels by showing their effect on day-to-day consumption1.
The charging duration figure addresses a different question, namely how much of the time a car sits plugged in is spent actually taking power. ev.energy says drivers may be surprised how little of their plug-in time is needed to charge the vehicle1. The reward point insight works in the opposite direction, showing what a household gave up by charging immediately rather than at the times the app would have chosen1.
The cost savings depend on the tariff. A household on a flat rate will see the energy, carbon and duration data but not a cost saving figure, because ev.energy only displays cost savings where a Time of Use, dynamic or EV-specific tariff is registered in the app1. No figures for typical savings, and no UK-wide take-up numbers, were given in the announcement1.
What happens next
ev.energy said further updates would follow shortly, without giving a date or describing what they would contain1.