Introducing Charge Now on the Pod Point App
Posted by David: Apr 11, 2023 • 3 min read
Need to quickly get some extra charge outside of your set schedule? Well now you can at the tap of a button!
As one of the UK’s leading providers of electric vehicle (EV) charging, we’re constantly innovating and improving our products to help our customers reduce their carbon footprint and make keeping their EVs charged as convenient as possible.
As part of this, we’re always listening to customer feedback to improve the experience of using Pod Point chargers.
That’s why we’re announcing the first of a number of exciting new features we’ve been working on to make charging easier and more convenient than ever.
Introducing new charge modes and the Charge Now feature, giving you the power to charge outside of your schedule at the tap of a button!
New charge modes
At the top of the ‘At Home’ tab on the app, you’ll now be able to instantly turn charge scheduling on and off by switching between two new modes:
- Smart - the EV will charge according to any set schedules, or the default schedule if no custom schedule has been set.
This is essentially the same as Charge Scheduling. In smart mode, you’re able to set a custom repeating schedule that aligns with your frequent driving and charging patterns.
- Manual - the EV will charge whenever it’s plugged in, and keep charging until it’s full (or you switch back to smart mode or unplug the car).
Switching to manual mode won’t change anything about your set schedules. Should you wish to resume your schedule, simply switch back to smart mode!
Please note, it can take up to 5 minutes for the EV to start or stop charging once you switch mode.
Charge Now
As well as the new charge modes, we’ve added a Charge Now button which can be accessed when in smart mode.
Tapping Charge Now lets you charge instantly for a set duration without having to switch to manual mode. Once the time you’ve specified has elapsed, the charger will revert back to any set schedules.
Again it may take up to 5 minutes before the charging starts.
When to use each mode
Smart mode is ideal for drivers who have a predictable driving pattern or are on a dual-rate EV energy tariff. Through this, you’re able to schedule charges at specific times of each day to match how and when you drive.
For times when you need to get a top-up for a long drive that sits outside your normal routine, you can use the Charge Now feature to get an extra one to eight hours of charging to ensure your EV is topped up and ready to go.
For example, maybe you’ve done a lot of driving in the morning, which you normally wouldn’t do, and you need to go out again in the evening. However, your EV’s battery is low, and it’s not scheduled to charge until midnight. Simply tap Charge Now to start a temporary charge instantly to give your car the energy it needs!
Manual mode, on the other hand, is great for drivers who don’t really have a set driving routine and instead want to charge their EV whenever it’s plugged in.
It’s also ideal for long periods where you’ll be regularly driving at inconsistent times that won’t match your regular schedule, like during busy school half terms when you need your car ready to go at a moment’s notice..
Note that to use these features, you’ll need:
- To download or update to the 3.12.0 version of the Pod Point App
- To have a Wi-Fi compatible charger that is linked to your app account
For step-by-step instructions on how to use the features, check out the Pod Point App User Guide.
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