European home energy management company tado° has announced the integration of EV Smart Charging into its tado° app. The new feature is designed to help electric vehicle  owners automatically charge their cars when electricity prices are lowest, saving them up to €300 annually.

It is compatible with more than 15 EV brands including Audi, BMW/Mini, Mercedes, Tesla and Volkswagen, according to the company. 

Many smart charging systems are tied to a specific vehicle brand, charger manufacturer, or energy provider. tado° Smart Charging is designed to be compatible with all ecosystems. The feature works across multiple vehicles, wall boxes, and dynamic electricity tariffs.

This broad reach is notable, coming at a time when electricity prices are changing by the hour due to the natural fluctuation of renewable energy generation such as solar and wind. Dynamic tariffs allow households to take advantage of this by shifting their energy use to periods when wind and solar

power are abundant and the price is low, tado° said. EV owners are especially well-positioned to benefit by charging their cars only when electricity is affordable and green.

tado° Smart Charging was designed to fully automate the cost-saving process. Users just need to select their vehicle brand in the tado° app and set their desired departure time. A smart algorithm then analyzes prices over the next days, automatically scheduling the charge during the cheapest and greenest time windows.

Users save an average of 30% on annual home charging costs while accelerating their independence from fossil fuels by intelligently bypassing the grid’s most expensive hours. The feature also includes a clear charging schedule and cost forecast.

Right now, customers in Germany and Austria can pair this feature with the tado° HOURLY tariff, to fully take advantage the benefits of fluctuating market prices, the company said.

Integrating Smart Charging into the tado° app marks another step in the company’s journey from a smart heating pioneer to a comprehensive home energy management platform, tado° said. The goal is to address the growing demand for connected energy experiences, allowing users to efficiently manage heating, cooling, and EV charging in one place–while also taking local PV production and fluctuating electricity prices into account. 

The Smart Charging feature is available now via the tado° app on iOS and Android for €2.99 per month with a six months free trial period. For tado° Energy and aWATTar customers, the feature is included free of charge.

Based in Munich, Germany, tado° offers home climate management, intelligent electric vehicle charging, photovoltaic integration and dynamic energy tariffs. The company mission is to automatically shifting electricity consumption to the cheapest and greenest hours of the day.

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