Octopus Intelligent Update: Smarter Car Connections & Charging

Octopus Intelligent Update: Smarter Car Connections & Charging

We’ve made an important update to Octopus Intelligent to improve reliability, compatibility, and overall charging control for your EV.

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What’s Changing?

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For compatible cars, Octopus Intelligent will now default to connecting directly to your car rather than to your charge point.

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Both connections (via car or via our charge point)are direct connections to Octopus.

Connection via our charger is still 100% supported and will continue to work as expected.

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The key difference is where Octopus gets the charge data:

• ‍Car connection: Octopus can see the battery’s real-time state of charge, allowing it to automatically stop charging at your set limit (e.g., 80%).
• ‍Charge point connection: Octopus can still start and stop charging, but it cannot see the battery’s actual state. You must set the charge limit within your car if you want to restrict charging.

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Why Octopus Made This Change

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This update addresses known issues with some vehicles(notably VW Group cars) that were not reliably waking from sleep mode when connected via a charge point. By defaulting to a car connection where possible, Octopus can:

• Ensure the car wakes reliably to start and stop charging.
• Provide more accurate state-of-charge information.
• Prevent missed or delayed charging sessions.

This change improves reliability and accuracy, while still fully supporting charge point connections.

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Octopus Control & Charging Timing

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When Octopus is controlling a charge session:

• Charging may occur at any time of day, not necessarily during traditional off-peak hours.
• If Octopus manages your session, your bill will reflect the lower smart charging rate for that session.
• You can always check your usage in the Octopus app.

This allows Octopus to optimize for carbon-friendly and cost-efficient energy, rather than strictly following off-peak hours.

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