EV drivers offered free home charging with vehicle-to-grid bundle

Octopus Energy and BYD have announced the launch of the Power Pack Bundle – a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) bundle.

Unveiled at Octopus Energy’s Energy Tech Summit and priced at £300 per month, the Power Pack Bundle includes a leased V2G-ready BYD Dolphin, a bi-directional Zaptec Pro charger, and access to a smart tariff that offers free home charging.

With free charging powered by Octopus Energy’s Kraken tech platform, it claims that a typical electric vehicle (EV) driver can cut their annual bill by £620 compared to charging on a standard tariff – and save almost £1,000 compared to fuelling a petrol car.

“We’re thrilled to officially launch our V2G project with Octopus Energy and Kraken,” said Stella Li, executive vice president at BYD.

“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.”

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, reducing the grid’s reliance on fossil fuel plants, without hampering the user experience of the customer.

Drivers simply plug in overnight and the fully automated process guarantees free charging at home for every mile driven during the lease.

Greg Jackson, founder of Octopus Energy Group, believes that bi-directional charging is a game-changer for drivers and the grid alike.

“By using some of the battery’s spare capacity to help balance the grid, we can offer free driving,” he said.

“V2G is going to revolutionise our energy system and help drive costs down.”

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

Octopus launched its own EV business, Octopus Electric Vehicles (Octopus EV), in 2021.

Octopus and BYD have also partnered with Motability Operations, to make the V2G technology available to disabled people.

Andrew Miller, chief executive of Motability Operations, said: “We’re proud to be part of a partnership that’s not only breaking new ground in energy, but also ensuring the benefits are accessible to disabled people across the UK.”