Octopus and BYD to offer an EV, charger and free home charging from £299 a month

• Power Pack from Octopus and BYD will costs less than £300 a month
• It will include a leased V2G-ready BYD Dolphin, a bi-directional Zaptec Pro charger and access to a smart tariff and free home charging
• The bundle will be available to UK consumers this autumn

Octopus Energy, the UK’s biggest energy company, has partnered with BYD to launch the Power Pack Bundle, the UK’s first vehicle-to-grid (V2G) bundle, in a bid to make electric vehicles (EVs) more accessible than ever. 

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

Greg Jackson, founder of Octopus Energy Group, said typical EV drivers can slash their annual bills by £620 compared to charging on a standard tariff and save nearly £1,000 compared to fuelling a petrol car. V2G transforms EVs into ‘batteries on wheels’, allowing them to charge when electricity is cheap and send it back to the National Grid when electricity is expensive. 

Jackson added this reduces the grid’s reliance on dirty fossil fuel plants, without hampering the car’s main job of getting from A to B. 

The Power Pack Bundle will be powered by Octopus Energy’s tech platform, Kraken, where drivers will simply plug the car in overnight and the tech will do the rest. 

The fully automated process guarantees free charging at home for every mile driven during the lease. 

Stell Li, executive vice president, BYD, said it is thrilled to launch the project and that it is “fully committed” to making intelligent, innovative and sustainable technologies available to customers.

“This project will allow them to unlock the full potential of EVs, not just as transport, but as dynamic assets that can play a key role in supporting the grid,” Li said. 

“Together with Octopus Energy, we’re enabling EV owners to play an active role in the energy ecosystem, reducing costs and increasing the resilience of renewable power systems.” 

This is the first time V2G technology is built into the car itself, eliminating the need for a costly first-generation V2G charger, Jackson explains. As more V2G-ready vehicles hit the road, hundreds of thousands of EVs could soon act as mini power stations. 

“Octopus is uniquely placed to lease the cars, having launched its own EV business, Octopus Electric Vehicles in 2021,” Jackson said. “Now, Octopus EV has grown to become the largest EV-only leasing business in the UK.” 

Both Octopus and BYD have also partnered with Motability Operations, the UK’s largest leasing company, to make the V2G technology available to disabled people across the country, ensuring low-cost electric driving is accessible to all. 

“Bi-directional charging is the game-changer for drivers and the grid. By using some of the battery’s spare capacity to help balance the grid, we can offer free driving. V2G is going to revolutionise our energy system and help drive costs down.” 

Written By

Tamara Birch Newsletter and sponsored content editor

Tamara is a London-based journalist and has written about environmental topics for more than four years. This includes advising small business owners on cost-effective ways, like solar panels and energy-efficient products, to help them become more sustainable.

She has used her journalist and research skills to become highly knowledgeable on sustainable initiatives, issues, and solutions to help consumers do their bit for the environment – all while reducing monthly costs.

In addition to adopting sustainable practices in her personal life, Tamara has worked in the retail B2B space to help independent retailers think about their environmental choices and how they can help improve their business. She now uses this knowledge to help consumers do the same.

Her passion for sustainability and eco-friendly solutions stems from a long obsession with nature and animals and ensuring they feel looked after. In her free time, Tamara enjoys reading fantasy novels, visiting the gym, and going on long walks in new areas.

More about

Reviewed By

Maximilian Schwerdtfeger Content manager

Max joined The Eco Experts as content manager in February 2024. He has written about sustainability issues across numerous industries, including maritime, supply chain, finance, mining, and retail. He has also written extensively for consumer titles like City AM, The Morning Star, and The Daily Express.

In 2020, he covered in detail the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) legislation on sulphur emissions and its effects on the global container shipping market as online editor of Port Technology International.

He also explored the initiatives major container ports and terminals have launched in order to ship vital goods across the world without polluting the environment.

Since then, he has reported heavily on the impact made by environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices on the supply chain of minerals, with a particular focus on rare earth mining in Africa.

As part of this, in 2022 Max visited mines and ports in Angola to hone in on the challenges being faced by one of the world’s biggest producers of rare earth minerals.

His most recent sustainability-related work came much closer to home, as he investigated the eco-challenges faced by independent retailers in the UK, specifically looking at how they can cut emissions and continue to thrive.

Max lives in South London and is an avid reader of books on modern history and ghost stories. He has also recently learned to play the game Mahjong and takes every opportunity to do so. He is also yet to find a sport he doesn’t enjoy watching.

More about