Hive EV Charging is already making home charging simpler and significantly more cost-efficient thanks to its easy-to-use smart charger, ultra-intuitive app and flexible tariffs.
At Autocar, we’ve also been working with Hive to give you plenty of video tips and advice for home charging and EV charging, while also busting a fair few myths.
Hive isn’t solely making EV charging easier and cheaper today, though. It’s also looking to the future of charging – trying to find pioneering new ways to make it even easier, even more cost-effective and, crucially, even more sustainable, helping you lower the impact of your EV charging on both the power grid and the planet.
From virtual power plants and Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology to ‘anytime’ EV charging tariff add-ons, this charging technology has the potential to save billions in avoided infrastructure upgrades* and with that, cheaper bills for everybody, whether you’re an EV owner or not. Let’s take a step into the future and see what’s on offer.
Learn more about Hive EV Charging and its plans for the futureSmartCharge Saver: a more flexible tariff
As electric cars get more popular, more abundant in choice, more fun to drive and easier to use, more and more people are thinking about making the switch. In fact, a recent study by Hive revealed that 54% of you are planning to purchase an EV in the next five years.
As the average UK car spends 96% of the time parked up and 73% of that time at home, it’s clear that home charging is the most cost-effective and sustainable way to charge an EV. That’s especially true with overnight charging when energy rates are traditionally cheapest if you have a time of use tariff. The energy you use is also more likely to come from renewable sources, which is an added benefit of overnight top-ups.
But what if you want a bit more flexibility? Take shift workers who need to charge during the day. Why can’t they make the most of the cost savings of home charging as well? Enter, then, the SmartCharge Saver tariff add-on, which Hive has been trialling with over 70 customers.
Working in tandem with a Hive EV smart charger and any British Gas home energy tariff, it uses an optimised scheduling system to charge your electric car at the most convenient and practical times for you – negating the need to charge solely overnight for the most cost-effective rates. Think of it as a smart automated time of use tariff.
How does it work? Well, all you need to do is tell your Hive app when you need your car ready by, and it does the rest automatically. SmartCharge Saver customers then receive a discount of 2p per kWh whenever their electric car is plugged in continuously for up to 6 hours, and a 7p per kWh discount if the car is plugged in for longer. It’s as simple as that.
