New trial offers EV drivers cheaper charging

EV drivers are being invited to take part in a new trial which could help lower their home charging bills.

Energy supplier EDF is launching the OptiCharge tariff trial to test systems that automate smart charging to provide cheaper, greener energy.

Up to 300 existing EDF customers will be included in the trial, which the supplier says aims to give drivers a simple way to optimise their charging while helping flatten demand throughout the day. Eligible customers will use automated controls so that their vehicles are charged overnight during the times that provide the best value and use lower-carbon energy production. EDF says this will relieve pressure on the grid and reduce consumption during carbon-intensive and grid-strained periods.

Using a dedicated platform, customers will set their charging preferences, such as the level of charge in the car and by what time in the day they need it charged, and the system will do the rest. The trial will go live this month and run until February 2025.

This trial, which will go live later this month and run until February 2025, is one of five that has been created by EDF as part of the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero’s Alternative Energy Markets Innovation Programme.

EDF will work with researchers from Loughborough University and the University of Sheffield to understand the impact of the system on customer’s bills and usage, and to assess the technology’s wider feasibility.

Philippe Commaret, managing director of customers at EDF, said: “This trial is a brilliant example of the type of innovative solutions we’re exploring to help our customers to save cash and carbon.

“As an industry we must find ways to embed flexibility into the electricity system to reduce pressure on the grid and customers’ pockets. Trialling new tariffs such as OptiCharge will be vital if we are to help Britain achieve our net zero ambitions.”