Android app charging timer

[user 3859]

I am about to get a Chargemaster charging point for my house. Until the end of June I can buy their Basic unit - after that, they are only selling the Smart one. I am planning on switching to a dual tariff for electricity, and charge the car at off-peak times.

I just wanted to confirm that I can control it automatically with the Android app and just plug the car in as soon as I get home (around 18:00), and it won't start charging until the off-peak time I have set on the app.

1. Does the charge timer actually work?
2. Do I need to do anything apart from just plug the car into the charger once I have configured the timer settings?

Otherwise, I might need to buy the (considerably more expensive) Smart charger.

PS Does anyone have any good reasons why I should buy the Smart charger anyway? With the MASSIVE savings I am making in Car Tax over my previous 2.0L Diesel, any future car will be PHEV or EV as well.

 

[richr]

Yep, the car's charge timer does work (with a few caveats detailed in the owner's manual). Plug the car into the charger and it won't start charging until the timer says it can. So no need for the more expensive charger if setting timers is the only extra feature.

I don't know about the Chargemaster ones (because I didn't like their look as much as anything!), but on my Podpoint one it connects to the internet, so I can see a history of how much charge (kWh and £) I've put in each day. I can't set a timer on it though, but as most PHEV and BEV cars allow you to set a timer on the car itself that's not a big deal.

You don't actually need the app btw, you can set charge timers directly on the MMCS touchscreen in the car. Handy to know if you don't know the wifi password or your phone refuses to pair (as some newer Android ones can)!