If your car is charging beyond the limit set in the Octopus app, it’s because the charge limit is not controlled by the app or the Simpson & Partners charger — it must be managed by your vehicle directly.
How do I know if the charge limit is active?
Check your vehicle’s settings or app to confirm the limit is enabled before charging. Some vehicles default to 100% unless a new limit is saved.
Can the Octopus app override my vehicle’s limit?
No — Octopus controls the timing, but your car controls the battery level. For safety and technical reasons, only the vehicle can stop charging at a specific percentage.
The charge limit must be set directly in your vehicle.
While Octopus Intelligent controls when to charge, it cannot limit how much.
To prevent overcharging, always set and confirm the limit within your car’s own settings.
If your Octopus Intelligent setup isn’t functioning correctly—such as charging not starting at the expected time or the app displaying incorrect information—there are a few common causes to investigate. Follow the steps below to get things back on track.
Octopus Intelligent requires your charger to be connected to a stable internet connection.
Only V2 and V3 chargers support Octopus Intelligent.
Outdated firmware can affect compatibility and performance.
Make sure your charger is fully and correctly linked in the Octopus app.
Octopus Intelligent schedules charging based on your selected departure time.
Try restarting all relevant devices to clear temporary connection issues:
If the above steps don’t resolve the issue:
Octopus Intelligent relies on four key things to function properly:
Checking each of these areas will resolve most issues and help your smart charging work reliably.
If Octopus Intelligent reports that your charger isn’t online, it means the charger has lost its internet connection and cannot receive charging schedules or updates from Octopus. Follow the steps below to restore connectivity.
Confirm that your internet is working properly:
Use the Simpson & Partners app to reconnect your charger:
You can also follow the Wi-Fi Setup Guide for step-by-step instructions.
If the charger is far from the router or behind thick walls:
Power cycling can fix temporary connection issues:
Your charger may need an update to improve connectivity:
A stable internet connection is essential for Octopus Intelligent to work correctly.
If your charger is reported as offline:
Taking these steps should restore internet access and get your smart charging features working again.
If you're seeing a message from Octopus Intelligent that your charger needs an upgrade, it's likely that your charger's hardware version isn't compatible with Octopus Intelligent. This guide explains why and what you can do about it.
Use the first number of the firmware version to identify your hardware type:
If your firmware version starts with 1, your charger is a V1 model and will need to be upgraded to work with Octopus Intelligent.
If you have a V2 or V3 charger, but still see the upgrade message:
If you have a V1 charger:
While waiting for an upgrade:
If you're not sure what version charger you have or need help upgrading:
Contact the Simpson & Partners support team via simpson-partners.com/support
If your charger shows an upgrade message in the Octopus app, check your firmware version.
Your charger will still work without Wi-Fi, but it will operate in basic mode, including charging schedules and solar integration. These can all be configured via local control when you're within Bluetooth range (approximately 5 metres)
To remotely change smart features like remote control, charging schedules, and receive firmware updates, your charger must be connected to the internet. You will also need a strong and stable Wi-Fi connection to use the smart tariff's, such as Octopus Inteligent.
Your charger will still operate without Wi-Fi, but connecting it unlocks its full smart capabilities.
Wi-Fi enables remote control, updates, smarter tariffs, and better support — giving you the best experience with your charger.
Yes, your Simpson & Partners charger can still function without an internet connection, but several features will be limited or unavailable. Whether this impacts you depends on how you use the charger.
Your charger will operate safely and can be controlled locally via Bluetooth without internet. However, features like remote access, smart charging modes, and firmware updates require a stable internet connection for full functionality.
A weak Wi-Fi signal can prevent your charger from staying connected to the internet. This can affect features like scheduled charging, solar modes, remote access, and firmware updates.
Why a Strong Signal Matters:
Your charger relies on a consistent internet connection to work properly with the app and smart tariffs like Octopus Intelligent. If the signal is weak or unstable, you may notice disconnects, delayed updates, or loss of control through the app.
Options to Improve Wi-Fi Signal:
If your charger isn’t connecting to Wi-Fi, it won’t be able to access smart features, firmware updates, or remote support.
In order to change/update any Wi-Fi settings you will need to be within Bluetooth range (approximately 5 metres) and connected to the charger.
Use the steps below to identify and fix the issue.
Ensure your charger is within range of a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network, your password is correct, and the router is not overloaded.
If the issue persists, contact Simpson & Partners support for further help.
The “Cloud Disconnected” message in the Simpson & Partners app means your charger is not currently connected to the internet. While charging may still work manually, features such as remote control, live data, and smart charging modes will not function until the connection is restored.
The “Cloud Disconnected” message means your charger cannot access the internet. This affects remote features and smart functionality. Follow the steps above to reconnect, or contact Simpson & Partners support if the issue continues.
If your charger frequently loses its internet connection, it can affect remote control and updates. Here’s how to fix it.
Possible Causes:
Steps to Fix the Issue:
If the problem continues after these steps, contact Simpson & Partners support for further assistance.
Octopus Intelligent is a smart energy tariff designed for EV drivers. It enables automated charging at off-peak rates, helping you save money while ensuring your car is ready when you need it.
Once connected, Octopus Intelligent controls your charger via their app and schedules charging based on your chosen departure time.
Follow these steps once your charger is online and your car is plugged in:
Devices → Add Electric Vehicle → Select I’m Plugged InOnce setup is complete, Octopus Intelligent will take over scheduling. No manual charging times are needed.
1.x.x = V12.x.x = V23.x.x = V3If your charger is V1, you’ll need to upgrade to use Octopus Intelligent.
Connecting your Simpson & Partners charger to Octopus Intelligent enables:
✅ Just make sure your charger:
You'll then enjoy the full benefits of smart, worry-free charging.
If no lights are showing on your charger, there could be several reasons. Use the following steps to find out why the lights aren’t displaying as expected.
Does Your Charger Still Charge Your Car?
Check the Status Lights Setting
Check the Mains Switch or Breaker
Check the App for Notifications
Contact Support
The Simpson & Partners App occasionally displays messages to help alert you to potential issues with your charger. This should help proactively solve issues to ensure that your charger is working as optimally as possible. These provide a brief summary of the issue that the charger is experiencing. Below we have provided some more detailed information about what the message means and its potential fix.
Energy Manager connection has timed out
If you are using our wireless energy manager, this message means that the Simpson & Partners charger has lost the connection with the wireless energy puck. This means that it is no longer receiving the property usage data, if you have set a fail safe reading (in the installers section), the charge point may slow down the power offered to your car. This is because it no longer has the live data of what your property is using so defaults to safe lower limit. You may see that your car charges slower than expected untill this is resolved.
Our Wireless Energy manager has an internal battery that sometimes needs charging. Typically when this message appears it means that the internal battery needs a charge.
Details on how to resolve this can be found below.
Click here
High loading detected - Charging rate reduced
Simpson and Partners chargers, with a correctly installed energy manager monitor the amount of power that your house is using. Most properties have a fuse which determines the maximum power that can be used at any point in time. The energy manager is designed so that if your house is using a lot of power it will proactively slow the charger speed, until there is enough spare power to resume the full charging speed.
When this message appears it typically means that your property is using a lot of power and the charger is slowing your charge to protect your home fuse. This is typically when lots of devices, such as your oven, electric shower ect, are running at the same time. Once the loads have reduced the charging session should automatically increase and the error will disappear.
Your charger is too hot and needs to cool down
Simpson and Partners chargers have internal temperature sensors that monitor the temperature of internal components. If the internal temperature exceeds a threshold, we proactively slow the charge speed to reduce the temperature within the charge point.
When this message appears, our charger has reduced the charging speed until the temperature has sufficiently cooled. Once this has stablised at the lower temperature the charging session will increase back to full power again.
Your cable is limiting the charging rate
EV charging cables have a maximum rated power that they are designed to offer to your car. The majority of cables are rated to 32A/7kW, which would allow the full charge through our 7kW chargers. However some car manufacturers supply the car with a cheaper lower rated cable that is only able to deliver 16A/3.6kW. The Simpson and partners charger automatically detects this and will limit the power available to the car to ensure that the cable isn't compromised.
When the message is being displayed, the cable you are using to charge your car is limiting the power that we can offer to your car. In order to receive the full power that our charger can offer, consider purchasing a 32A/7kW rated cable.
Supply voltage too high - Charging disabled or Supply voltage too low - Charging disabled
Simpson & Partners chargers have built in safety features that are designed to keep you and your car safe. If the charger detects a situation that is unsafe it will automatically prevent charging until the situation becomes safe. Typically if the voltage is too high, or too low then this triggers the safety cut off to prevent charging from happening and you will see a red flashing light.
When the message is displayed the charger has detected an unsafe voltage at your property while attempting to charge your car.
Please press the reset button located within the ring of LED's on the charging flap.
Please can you also power the device off at the mains wait 1 minute and power it back on
This should resolve the issue. If the issue persists please do open a ticket and we will investigate.
Charger Offline
Simpson & Partners chargers use your local wifi connection to report data back to our servers. This information is then visible within the app on your phone. If the connection to your wifi is unstable or weak the charger will display the "charger offline" error message.
You will need to reconnect the charger to your wifi and this should resolve the issue.
Details on how to do this can be found here
The lights on the charger indicate the status of the charger. The different colours provide details about how the charger is working.
White - Charger in Standby
Blue - Car Connected
Green - Charging in Progress
Red - Charger locked (check setting in app)
Yellow - Smart schedule active
Purple (flashing) - firmware update in progress
Blue (flashing) - Identifying charger.
Red (flashing) - Fault Detected (Reset charger by powering off/on)
Socketed Simpson & Partners EV chargers have a built-in motor lock that secures the charging cable during use. This motor-driven locking pin ensures safety by preventing the cable from being removed while the car is charging.
You can also enable Tethered Mode in the Simpson & Partners app to keep the cable permanently locked into the charger.
Occasionally, the motor lock may become stuck—either locking the cable in place, or preventing a new cable from being inserted.
Follow the steps below to reset the motor lock and restore normal operation.
Resetting the charger’s power can return the lock to its default unlocked state.
Steps:
During startup (for about 5 seconds), the motor lock will automatically retract, allowing you to insert or remove the cable.
You can use the Simpson & Partners app to manually activate or reset the lock.
Steps:
You should hear the motor operate. After this, the lock should release and allow you to remove or insert the cable.
The cable locking mechanism is an important safety feature, but it can occasionally get stuck. Resetting the charger power or toggling the lock in the app usually resolves the issue. If it continues, contact Simpson & Partners support for further help.
Many modern electric vehicles come equipped with smartphone apps that allow you to monitor charging status and receive notifications when your vehicle is fully charged. To set this up, download the manufacturer's app and create an account.
The time it takes to charge an electric vehicle (EV) can vary significantly based on several factors, including the battery size, the type of charger used, and the current state of charge. On average, a Level 1 charger can take anywhere from 8 to 20 hours to fully charge an EV, while a Level 2 charger typically takes 4 to 8 hours.
For quicker charging, many EV owners utilize DC fast chargers, which can charge a vehicle to 80% in as little as 30 minutes. However, frequent use of fast charging can impact battery health over time.
Understanding your charging options can help you plan your trips better.
By knowing the charging times associated with different chargers, you can better manage your EV's charging needs and ensure you are never left without power.
Not all charging stations are created equal, and compatibility is key to successful charging. To determine if a charging station is compatible with your EV, first check the type of connector your vehicle uses. Most EVs use either a Type 1 or Type 2 connector, but some may require a CCS or CHAdeMO connector for fast charging.
Before heading out, use apps or websites that provide information on charging stations. These resources often indicate the types of connectors available at each station, helping you find one that suits your vehicle.
Planning ahead can save you time and frustration.
By understanding your EV's charging requirements and researching available stations, you can ensure a smooth charging experience.
A damaged charging cable can prevent your EV from charging. Inspect the cable for any visible signs of wear, such as fraying or exposed wires. If you notice any damage, it is crucial to replace the cable immediately to avoid safety hazards.
To test if the cable is the issue, try using a different charging cable that is compatible with your EV. If the vehicle charges successfully with the new cable, then the original cable is likely the problem.
Always prioritize safety when dealing with electrical components.
To prevent future damage, store your charging cable properly and avoid bending it excessively. Regularly inspect the cable for any signs of wear and replace it as needed.
By ensuring your charging cable is in good condition, you can help maintain the reliability of your EV charging experience.
Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming increasingly popular, but they can sometimes present charging issues. If your EV won't charge, there are several steps you can take to troubleshoot the problem. First, check the charging cable and ensure it is securely connected to both the vehicle and the charging station. If the connection is loose, it may prevent the vehicle from charging properly.
Next, inspect the charging station. Is it functioning correctly? Look for any error messages on the station's display. If the station is out of order, try a different one. Additionally, ensure that the station is compatible with your EV model.
Remember, a faulty charging station can lead to charging failures.
If the charging station is working fine, consider the health of your vehicle's battery. An aging battery may not hold a charge as effectively as a new one. If your battery is significantly degraded, it may be time for a replacement.
By following these steps, you can often identify and resolve charging issues with your EV. If problems persist, consult your vehicle's manual or contact a professional for assistance.
