Octopus products and add-ons
Octopus Power Pack: vehicle-to-grid charging explained
What Octopus Power Pack is, the vehicle-to-grid car and charger it needs, and how it differs from an ordinary EV tariff.
Edited by Rob Gibbs. Published: . Guidance reviewed: .
Short answer
Power Pack is Octopus’s vehicle-to-grid (V2G) product. A compatible car and bidirectional charger let Octopus both charge the car and draw power back from it at useful times, in return for managed charging and account credits. It needs the right car, a V2G charger, export permission and a working smart meter.
How vehicle-to-grid differs
A normal EV tariff only controls when the car charges. V2G also lets energy flow back out of the car’s battery to the home or grid when power is expensive or the grid is short, then refill it when power is cheap.
What you need
Power Pack is aimed at a narrow set of homes:
- A car that supports bidirectional charging with a compatible charger.
- Permission to export to the grid, with export metering set up.
- A working smart meter.
Is it worth it?
For a home that already has the right car and charger, Power Pack can lower charging costs below a standard EV tariff. Most drivers do not have V2G-capable kit, though. Compare Intelligent Go first, then check Octopus’s current Power Pack eligibility and terms if your equipment qualifies.
Questions people ask
Will Power Pack drain my car battery?
Octopus manages charging and discharging under the Power Pack terms. Check the current terms for how much of the car’s battery can be used and how your ready-by times are honoured.
Can I use Power Pack with any EV?
No. It needs a car and charger that support vehicle-to-grid.
Tariffs in this guide
Related guides
- Octopus Charge Pack: the home battery add-on explainedWhat Octopus Charge Pack does with your home battery, which tariffs and batteries it works with, what you earn and who should skip it.
- Octopus Intelligent Drive Pack explainedWhat Octopus Intelligent Drive Pack is, how it differs from Intelligent Octopus Go, and which EV drivers it suits.
- Single-phase vs three-phase home EV chargingWhy most home EV chargers run at around 7kW, when three-phase charging helps, and why a faster charger rarely matters on an overnight tariff.
- Octopus smart meter not sending readings: what to checkWhy a smart meter stops sending readings to Octopus, how to check it, and how to keep your bills and smart tariff on track while it is fixed.
- EV chargepoint grants: who can still claimThe government EV chargepoint grant for renters and flat owners: how much it pays, who qualifies and how it changed on 1 April 2026.
- A home battery without solar on Octopus: does it pay?How a home battery without solar panels can save money on Octopus by charging cheaply overnight, and what to check first.
Primary sources
- Octopus Power Pack — Octopus Energy; checked 2026-08-27. Current Power Pack description, type-of-use structure, compatibility and equipment requirements.
- Smart Tariffs terms and conditions — Octopus Energy; checked 2026-08-24. Smart-tariff eligibility, rate windows, compatibility and publication caveats.