So everyone hails the future of interconnected devices and I am all for that. Or so I thought!
But this week I have been unable to charge my EV, why? Because although I have a charging point, electricity, a cable and of course a car…. I have no internet, it’s gone down and so without my Wi-Fi, I cannot use the charger as it works via an app to charge my car.
No internet. No app. No charging!
My EV is on lease from Octopus vehicles and works with an EO charger. It works via an app which has to talk to my Wi-Fi – as it charges at night (cheaper for me, better for grid load), yet as I discovered without Wi-Fi, the charger can’t just be turned on an off. It only charges at the set times saved in the app.
So even though I was very low on charge when I got home I couldn’t charge my car there and then. What if I had needed the car in an emergency?
It seems ridiculous to have no fail safe with this interconnected system, surely my car should be able to be charged without the dependence of my broadband?
It’s a hilarious state of affairs. But also very concerning.
We are building more and more interconnectivity into all devices and they all depend on the internet. But if it fails it shouldn’t bring down the whole deck of cards!
Watch the film for the whole story and a response from EO.
