Smart charging lowers costs by using energy when it is at its cheapest and greenest

A new initiative aimed at saving EV drivers’ money on home charging has been launched by leading green energy company ScottishPower as it marks World EV Day.

Its EV Optimise add-on allows customers to opt into smart charging their vehicle at their home at a time when the demand on the UK’s power network is low, resulting in savings to their electricity bill.

Latest figures show that around 20% of all new cars sold in the UK are electric.

ScottishPower’s customer business currently has over 10,000 existing EV customers and has installed over 4,000 home chargers so far as demand for low carbon transport grows.

EV Optimise works as an add-on to an existing eligible ScottishPower tariff, benefiting customers with a monthly credit to their electricity bill when they allow ScottishPower to remotely manage their car charging at home. EV Optimise allows customers to charge their EV for as little as 2p per mile, that works out at around 6x cheaper than the price of petrol*.

Using the ScottishPower app, drivers can set when they need the car charged by and how much charge is needed. ScottishPower will then remotely connect to the EV and schedule charging based on when energy is cheapest and greenest. The savings from these smart charging sessions is then credited back the customer’s electricity bill.

EV Optimise allows ScottishPower customers to charge at a reduced rate day and night, meaning they can benefit from a lower EV charging rate regardless of their lifestyle.

Andy Mouat, Head of Smart Mobility at ScottishPower, explained: “We want to make the transition to EVs as easy as possible, and make sure that our customers can continue to benefit from owning or leasing a low-carbon vehicle.

“Through EV Optimise, customers can opt in, plug in, and let us take care of the rest. We’ll make sure that we’re charging at the cheapest and greenest times, and pass savings back to our customers.

“Not only are our EV-driving customers lowering their bills and their own carbon footprint, but they’re also helping us to support the UK’s decarbonisation journey too.”

EV Optimise can be added to any ScottishPower tariff excluding our Time of Use tariffs. It’s available to new or existing ScottishPower customers who have home EV charger, smart meter and opt to pay by Direct Debit as well as consenting to half hourly reads and are registered on our app.