Intelligent Octopus Go

Intelligent Octopus Go takes the concept behind regular Go and makes it smarter. Instead of a fixed off-peak window, you tell Octopus what time you need your car ready by and how much charge you want. Their system figures out the cheapest times to charge and does it automatically.

How it works

You set your preferences in the Octopus app: "I want my car at 80% by 7am." Octopus then takes control of your charging session, starting and stopping it at the cheapest times overnight. The guaranteed off-peak window is 23:30 to 05:30 (an hour longer than regular Go), but Octopus can also give you bonus off-peak slots during the day if wholesale prices are low.

You keep full control. If you need to override it and charge right now, you can. You can adjust the target charge level and ready-by time whenever you want.

What do you need?

This is where it gets a bit more restrictive than regular Go. You need either:

• A compatible smart charger (like the Ohme, Hypervolt, or Indra) that Octopus can control directly
• Or a car with built-in smart charging that Octopus integrates with (Tesla, most Volkswagen Group EVs, BMW and several others)

Plus a smart meter, obviously. Check the Octopus website for the full compatibility list, as they keep adding new devices and vehicles.

How does it compare to regular Go?

The off-peak rate is similar (around 7.5p/kWh), but you get more hours of it. The 23:30 start instead of 00:30 gives you an extra hour, and the bonus daytime off-peak slots can add up. In practice, Intelligent Go customers tend to get more of their total electricity usage at the off-peak rate, which means lower bills overall.

The daytime rate is the same as regular Go. So the only real difference is more off-peak hours, which means more savings.

Is it annoying to let Octopus control your charging?

In my experience, no. You set your requirements and it just works. The car is ready when you need it. The only time it might be an issue is if you come home late with a nearly flat battery and need to leave early the next morning. In that case, just override it and charge immediately.

Some people find the idea of giving up control uncomfortable, which is fair enough. If that's you, regular Go gives you a simple fixed window with no Octopus involvement.

Who is it for?

• EV owners with compatible equipment. If your charger or car is on the compatibility list, this is almost always better than regular Go.
• People who prefer set-and-forget. Ironically, the "smart" tariff requires less effort than the simple one. Just plug in and let Octopus handle it.

Bottom line

If you qualify for Intelligent Go, it's the best EV tariff Octopus offers. More off-peak hours, smart scheduling and bonus cheap slots during the day. The only reason to pick regular Go instead is if your charger or car isn't compatible yet.