EV Discussion thread

1961Nick

I finally got my much delayed new Model 3 last Friday. The Tesla customer experience is actually worse than 4 years ago - "No you can't collect from Leeds you'll have to come to Manchester". We were greeted at the Trafford Centre with a portacabin in a car park, no coffee or refreshments, no working toilets, hard plastic chairs & a 22% charge for the 100 mile trip home. They certainly know how to spoil you!

silvercar

1961Nick said:

I finally got my much delayed new Model 3 last Friday. The Tesla customer experience is actually worse than 4 years ago - "No you can't collect from Leeds you'll have to come to Manchester". We were greeted at the Trafford Centre with a portacabin in a car park, no coffee or refreshments, no working toilets, hard plastic chairs & a 22% charge for the 100 mile trip home. They certainly know how to spoil you!

They usually give you a free allowance at a supercharger if they only provide low mileage on collection.

JKenH

Pod Point has struggled financially despite the ever increasing EV sales reported by SMMT and EDF has mopped up the shares it didn’t already own for 6.5p, a fraction of their original value of 225p. 

Pod Point accepts GBP10.6 million takeover offer from EDF Energy

(Alliance News) - Pod Point Group Holdings PLC on Thursday said it has agreed to a GBP10.6 million takeover by its majority shareholder EDF Energy Customers Ltd, as it reported a wider pretax loss in 2024.

EDF will pay 6.5 pence in cash for each Pod Point share it does not already own.

Revenue fell 17% to GBP52.9 million in 2024 from GBP63.8 million a year prior, while the firm's pretax loss widened to GBP84.5 million from GBP83.2 million.

Pod Point attributed the revenue drop to weak performance in its Home segment, as the private new car market was weak.

The company said it delivered below its expectations in the UK Home segment.

It noted that "ongoing challenges" with electric vehicle charging infrastructure have continued to slow EV sales.

https://www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/news/AN_1749718018099527400/pod-point-accepts-gbp106-million-takeover-offer-from-edf-energy.aspx

JKenH

Really?

Most Loved Brand 2025 – BYD

It’s true that BYD has a huge amount of resource behind it because it sells so many cars in its home Chinese market. But that’s not a guarantee of success in the UK, with our unique tastes and love for long-established brands. But Build Your Dreams is evidently getting it spot on, becoming 2025’s Most Loved Brand among owners, ahead of the sports car superpower that is Porsche and British brand powerhouse Mini.
And to think, BYD only came to the UK in 2023. One delighted owner stated, "the quality of interior, tech and ride quality, all for a price which is very competitive, makes this a real standout for me. Amazing value for money with no compromise versus competitors. I love it." "Love is in the air when it comes to BYD," added Autotrader’s Rory Reid. Yep. Nice one, BYD. You’re doing great.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/content/news/most-loved-brand-2025-byd

NedS

Octopus announced an all inclusive V2G car and charging bundle with BYD earlier this week for £299/month:

https://octopus.energy/press/octopus-byd-turbocharge-ev-revolution-with-all-inclusive-car-and-charging-bundle/

London, 23rd June 2025 - Octopus Energy, the UK’s largest energy supplier, has joined forces with BYD, the world’s top electric car maker, to announce the launch of the Power Pack Bundle – the UK’s first vehicle-to-grid (V2G) bundle – revolutionising the EV experience for drivers.

Unveiled today at Octopus Energy’s Energy Tech Summit, the Power Pack Bundle - priced at under £300 a month* - will include a leased V2G-ready BYD Dolphin, a bi-directional Zaptec Pro charger and access to a smart tariff that offers completely FREE home charging.

With free charging, typical EV drivers can slash their annual bills by £620 compared to charging on a standard tariff – and save nearly £1000 compared to fuelling a petrol car*.

V2G transforms EVs into ‘batteries on wheels’, allowing them to charge when electricity is cheap and send it back to the grid at peak times when electricity is expensive. This reduces the grid’s reliance on dirty fossil fuel plants, without hampering the car’s main job of getting from A to B.

Powered by Octopus Energy Group’s tech platform, Kraken, the Power Pack Bundle makes these savings effortless for customers. Drivers simply plug in overnight and let the tech do the rest. The fully automated process guarantees free charging at home for every mile driven during the lease.

This is the first time V2G technology is built into the car itself, eliminating the need for a costly first-generation V2G charger. As more V2G-ready vehicles hit the road, hundreds of thousands of EVs could soon act as mini power stations.

Octopus is uniquely placed to lease the cars, having launched its own EV business, Octopus Electric Vehicles (Octopus EV), in 2021. Octopus EV has grown to become the largest EV-only leasing business in the UK.

Octopus and BYD have also partnered with Motability Operations, the UK’s largest leasing company, to make the V2G technology available to disabled people across the country, ensuring low-cost electric driving is accessible to all.

Greg Jackson, Founder of Octopus Energy Group, said: “Bi-directional charging is the game-changer for drivers and the grid. By using some of the battery’s spare capacity to help balance the grid, we can offer free driving. V2G is going to revolutionise our energy system and help drive costs down.”

Stella Li, Executive Vice President of BYD, said: “We’re thrilled to officially launch our V2G project with Octopus Energy and Kraken.

“BYD is fully committed to making intelligent, innovative, sustainable technologies available to our customers, and this project will allow them to unlock the full potential of electric vehicles – not just as transport but as dynamic assets that can play a key role in supporting the grid.

“Together with Octopus Energy, we’re enabling EV owners to play an active role in the energy ecosystem, reducing costs and increasing the resilience of renewable power systems.”

QrizB

NedS said:

Octopus announced an all inclusive V2G car and charging bundle with BYD earlier this week for £299/month:

Well that's quite something.

The BYD Dolphin is (at least) £279 a month on PCP, without the V2G stuff:

https://www.byd.com/uk/purchase/dolphin-offers

Netexporter

QrizB said:

NedS said:

Octopus announced an all inclusive V2G car and charging bundle with BYD earlier this week for £299/month:

Well that's quite something.

The BYD Dolphin is (at least) £279 a month on PCP, without the V2G stuff:

https://www.byd.com/uk/purchase/dolphin-offers

Yes, particularly for "plug and play" type people, who don't want to get into the weeds of energy nerdery.

NedS

QrizB said:

NedS said:

Octopus announced an all inclusive V2G car and charging bundle with BYD earlier this week for £299/month:

Well that's quite something.

The BYD Dolphin is (at least) £279 a month on PCP, without the V2G stuff:

https://www.byd.com/uk/purchase/dolphin-offers

It looks like Octopus are really keen on leveraging grid-tied battery storage, with their Intelligent Flux tariff (recently added Tesla and looks like they are about to add Huawei), their recent announcement contracting of commercial scale battery storage from Gresham House GRID investment fund, and now this V2G venture. 

JKenH

And what happens when the DNO says No! to V2G? As an example, what if Mart decided to switch from his TMY to a BYD? Does Octopus have a special agreement that overrides previous DNO decisions?

PS. Is anyone else having problems with this website? I keep getting timed out.

QrizB

JKenH said:

And what happens when the DNO says No! to V2G?

If I was to guess (and there don't seem to be any details beyond the press release, so a guess is all you'll get) I'd hope that there would be a zero-export option if your DNO says "no" to Octopus's G99 application.

JKenH said:

PS. Is anyone else having problems with this website? I keep getting timed out.

Its's not just you; there's ten pages (and counting) of disgruntled users over on the "site feedback" forum.