So, you’ve bought an EV, and you now need a charger. In this video, I’ll walk you through my entire journey with the Ohme ePod smart home charger, from ordering to installation and its day-to-day performance. If you wish to do the same, your first step is here – https://ohme-ev.com
If you’re looking for an EV charger for your home, then you really can’t go wrong with how tightly connecting Ohme is with the latest energy suppliers, especially if you are an Intelligent Octopus Go customer. If you’re not yet with Octopus energy and you are considering switching, use my referral link here so we can split £100 when you join!
Ordering the Ohme Home Charger
Ordering the Ohme home charger was surprisingly straightforward. The Ohme website offers clear options, including details about grants and installation services. It helps you choose the right charger between tethered and untethered options while displaying the overall cost. After answering a few questions, you’ll receive an estimated installation cost on top of the charger price. Most of this process is handled directly through the Ohme website.
The ordering process involves entering your full name, email, phone number, and home address. This information is then shared with Ohme, who will reach out via text message with a specific link, or you can continue on the order page to answer key questions. These questions help tailor the installation to your needs and provide a more accurate installation quote.
I found using the link on my phone much easier, as it allowed me to take and upload photographs during the whole Q&A process. The questions are simple and take around 30–60 minutes to complete. You’ll be asked about:
- Your type of home
- Your preferred charger location
- Key household details such as fuse box and electricity meter location
- The preferred route for your EV charger installation (internally, externally, or a mix of both)
Choosing Your Charger
Next, you choose your charger: the more affordable ePod (untethered) or the Home Pro (tethered with a Type 2 cable). If you commute daily and need regular charging, I’d recommend the Home Pro. However, I chose the ePod since I don’t charge as often. If aesthetics and curb appeal matter to you, the ePod provides a cleaner look without a coiled, dangling cable. However, it does require you to use a separate charging cable, which you can either store in your car or lock within the charger itself.
Untethered chargers are also a good option for security reasons, especially if you live in a very public, high-traffic area, as this can prevent cable damage or theft. But for me, it was mainly about maintaining a clean exterior look.
Customizing Your Charger Setup
Once you’ve chosen your wall charger, you’ll see some additional customisation options. Surge protection is bundled into the service, and if you opt for the ePod, you can purchase a separate charging cable.
After answering these questions, you move on to the home survey. This can be completed during the ordering process or later via a link Ohme sends to your phone. The survey ensures they understand how you want your charger installed and highlights any potential complexities that could increase installation costs. Standard installation includes up to 15 meters of cable and a few external wall drillings. However, additional groundwork, cable length, or complexity will raise this cost.
To complete the survey, you need to:
- Take photographs of your electrical supply, fuse board, electricity meter, and earthing of your water pipe supply
- Draw a rough diagram of your preferred installation route
- A video walk-through of your electricity meter’s location to where you want the charger installed, recording the route for the installers
Once you’re happy with the charger cost and installation fee, you can proceed with the order.
Scheduling the Installation
A few days after ordering, you’ll be contacted by an Ohme-approved installer. I was assigned to AeroEV, a nationwide EV charging company with local installers. During the call, we scheduled my installation for about two weeks after their call, so the wait wasn’t too long.
If your EV hasn’t arrived yet, this is not an issue—installers can test that the charger is fully functional without connecting an electric vehicle to it. However, having your EV available is helpful in case any issues arise post-installation.
Installation Day
On the day of installation, the technician arrived on time and got straight to work. The entire process took over four hours due to a complication in my install route. While installation times vary by installer, four hours is the general estimate given for installation.
First, the engineer verified my home’s details to ensure everything matched the information I provided during the order process. My electricity meter was outside, and I wanted the cable routed through the attic to the opposite side of the house, where the charger would be mounted on the front-facing wall.
The first challenge was running the cable through my home. The installer was keen to take on the challenge, and although it took an additional two hours to feed the cable through my soffit, it resulted in a much cleaner look compared to running a chunky conduit along the house exterior.
With the cable installed, the installer continued working on the electricity meter side, connecting the charger and necessary electrical safety components. Once the external wiring was clipped and secured to the wall, they mounted the charger on the wall in my chosen location. The final step was testing the charger to ensure it had a stable electricity supply and was fully operational.
Setting Up the Ohme App
Once installed, the charger can be controlled via the Ohme app, available on iOS and Android. The app connects over Wi-Fi and allows you to:
- Monitor your charging status
- Set up schedules
- Integrate with smart energy tariffs such as the Intelligent Octopus Go tariff for dynamic off-peak charging
The ePod features a simple LED bar indicator to show its charging status and communication status with the Intelligent Octopus Go tariff. It also has three buttons to pause, stop, and start charging manually if you don’t have your phone nearby.
Because I already had a portable charger connected to my car, I didn’t feel the need to link the Ohme app directly to my Octopus tariff—my car handled the scheduling. However, I later experienced Wi-Fi issues due to a local mast repair, which made me realise that relying solely on my car for scheduling wasn’t ideal. Instead, using my home Wi-Fi and the Ohme app to manage charging schedules would have been a more reliable approach.
To ensure you reach your desired charge level, remember to adjust your car’s maximum charge settings accordingly. If your car is set to an 80% charge limit, even if the charger is scheduled to charge to 100%, it will stop at 80%. Always check these settings if you need a full charge for longer journeys in the coming days.
Final Thoughts
Although my installer didn’t walk me through the app setup, I felt confident figuring it out myself with the help of Ohme Facebook groups and many YouTube guides. The Ohme community is quite active, making it easy to find support if needed and to figure out how best to set up the app and schedule. However, every car setup, charger and energy supplier can be different, and finding the exact solution can be a challenge. Joining Facebook Groups dedicated to your vehicle would be recommended if you’re not finding the answer you need.
Overall, the installation was smooth, and I’m pleased with my Ohme ePod charger. Thanks to Ohme’s technical approach on its charging integration with IOG, their chargers integrate so well with smart energy tariffs such as Intelligent Octopus Go. The ePod specifically provides a clean exterior look and offers flexible scheduling options through a relatively simple app integration. I don’t miss the screen from the Pro charger, as the majority of charging and checking of scheduling is done through either their app or Octopus’ app.
Other than a month of no mobile signal in my area due to a faulty mast, I had no problems charging my Cupra Born with my new Ohme ePod smart charger, and so far all off-peak charging has been carried out accurately and at the correct rates through their off-peak times and also during the day at specific times it chooses. If you’re considering a home EV charger, the Ohme ePod is a solid choice, especially if you prefer an untethered setup.
