Free electric car charging from Octopus Energy as new ‘Power Pack’ tariff launched

No this isn’t clickbait: Octopus Energy has launched an all-new electricity tariff which promises free electric car charging to anyone topping up their EV at home.

Still in the finalising stages, the new Octopus Power Pack smart tariff is designed for electric cars with V2G (vehicle-to-grid) capability – current models with this feature include the Nissan Leaf and Volkswagen ID. Buzz. It works by using the car’s V2G function to supply the energy grid with more power at peak times, all while replenishing and recharging the battery pack up at off-peak times for no extra cost.

Essentially what this means is that, at peak energy usage times such as in the evenings, users can plug their car into a compatible V2G wallbox and this will proceed to drain the car’s battery and feed the energy back into the national grid. Then, at off-peak times (typically regarded as overnight), electricity will be redistributed back into the car’s battery meaning it will, in theory, be fully charged and ready for you to drive it in the morning.

Of course, this may sound too good to be true and there are some stipulations; Octopus says drivers will need to plug in their car for “a minimum of six hours per day”. This should eventually accumulate to a minimum of 170 hours per month in order to get the advertised “free” electricity. 

It’s not an unlimited supply, either; subscribers are limited to a maximum of 333kWh of “free” electricity per month, which is equates to just over five full charges of the aforementioned Nissan Leaf – or an average of 12,000 miles per year of driving, according to Octopus.

As mentioned, the Octopus Power Pack tariff is still in its “beta” stage of development, but customers can register their interest online to be one of the first to take part if/when it does come to fruition. Of course, this isn’t the first time “free” charging has been offered by a company; many supermarkets like Sainsburys and Lidl offer free charging while you shop, plus Tesla originally offered first-generation Tesla Model S and Model X buyers with free, unlimited use of its Supercharger network their entire ownership.