Electric vehicle (EV) drivers can automatically charge their cars when it is cheapest or greenest with the launch of a new home EV charger and free smart charging app from North Yorkshire-based smart energy brand ivie, boasting both home-based and public charging capabilities.
This power pairing allows for ultimate charging flexibility to enable valuable savings on home energy bills, help in reducing carbon emissions, while also offering support in the ongoing rollout of public charging capabilities.
The ivie EV Charger and the ivie Charge app deliver smart home charging features, such as the opportunity to set your own charging schedule, with the soon-to-launch addition of public charging functionality at over 9,000 public charge points nationally.
These new products from ivie, part of smart energy technology leaders Chameleon Technology’s family of brands, form part of its ongoing commitment to reducing the environmental impacts from inefficient and wasteful energy use, as well as offering support to help the UK meet its Net Zero target by 2050.
Chameleon Technology is working closely with the UK Government to help improve accessibility to EVs through funding grants and other initiatives. Based in Harrogate, Chameleon Technology is looking forward to welcoming the upcoming Fully Charged LIVE! trade show for electric vehicles to the town on 19th – 21st May 2023, to showcase the importance of accessible EV technology and charging capabilities outside of large cities.
Rural areas are still lagging behind big cities when it comes to the number of available EV charging points. It is feared that many county areas could be left behind the cities – just as they were for years with superfast broadband.
In a bid to tackle rural charging limitations across North Yorkshire, the Council is exploring a new EV strategy which could see the installation of 70 new charge points across the county.
£2.2million of funding has already been secured for the initiative, but the Council is predicting 724 chargers are required by 2025, and 3,161 by 2030.
Mike Woodhall, CEO of Chameleon Technology, the smart energy pioneers behind ivie, commented: “Adoption of EV technology is a major component in helping to drastically cut carbon emissions, supporting the UK’s goal of transitioning to more sustainable motoring by 2030. However, ongoing frustrations around infrastructure and reliability remain and we are aiming to address these with a ‘truly smart’ app alongside our EV charger to encourage faster adoption amongst motorists.”
The ivie Charge app’s stand-out home charging feature is the ability to identify the times to charge an EV when the UK’s energy supply is greenest.
For users on single rate tariffs, the ivie EV Charger and ivie Charge app work together to automatically charge at the greenest times, easing pressure on the grid by using the maximum amount of renewable energy. If the user has a dual-rate tariff which already encourages energy use at greener times via a cheaper off-peak period, the app allows these users to make considerable savings as they recharge.
The 7kW ivie EV Charger and app also give users the ability to set a personalised charging schedule, specifying a time that they would like the car to be fully charged by. All of this can be effortlessly controlled remotely via the ivie Charge app. If plans change, a handy Boost function gives the ability to turn on instant charging to kickstart charging and override any scheduled settings.
The upcoming roaming features of the ivie Charge App will become freely available to all EV drivers in the coming months, rolling out initially to ivie EV Charger customers.
For motorists needing to recharge on the move, the ivie Charge App will display accurate updates of a public charge point’s status before arrival. These can be filtered by type, speed of charging and customer reviews, avoiding the likelihood of a wasted journey due to a faulty or currently busy charger.
The ivie Charge app delivers seamless charging and payment at over 9,000 UK charging points with one simple, flexible app linked to a preferred payment option, meaning users don’t need multiple apps and RFIDs as with other charging apps, and no need for prepayment.
Mike Woodhall continues: “Convenience is one of the key features of the ivie EV Charger and the ivie Charge app, helping EV drivers to easily overcome the frustrations around home and public charging and battery range. We’ve integrated charging features built around consumer needs with the ability to set and forget, fitting in perfectly with busy lifestyles combined with easy public charging and simple payment methods. We’re making it much easier to ensure that the EV is always ready to go.”
The ivie EV Charger comes with an industry-leading five-year warranty, together with a comprehensive customer support package. The ivie Charge App is available to download for free for Apple and Android phones, with public charging features to be available to the general public in the coming months.
For further information about the ivie EV Charge and the ivie Charger App please visit ivie.co.uk/ivie-ev-charger
The ivie EV Charger costs £1099 for full installation*, and the ivie Charge app is free to download from the App Store or Google Play.
*Standard Installation. Non-standard Installation may incur additional costs.