FAQ | Home EV Charging

We’ve made the difficult decision to close our home charge app. As you may have seen earlier in the year, we have decided to focus our efforts on helping to grow the UK’s public charging network, so that we can help keep EV drivers charged up, and journey ready. You can still use our bp pulse home charge web portal to manage your home charging.

The app closure is effective from 1 October 2023. After this date, the bp pulse home charge web portal can be used to manage your home charging.

Your username and password for the bp pulse web portal will match the details you used to log into the bp pulse home charge app. Your email address will be the one provided when purchasing your charger. Forgotten your username or password? The login screen on the web portal gives you the option to receive a handy reminder, if needed.

The bp pulse web portal offers the same functionalities as the bp pulse home charge app, including setting, viewing, editing and deleting schedules, viewing and downloading charging history, and remotely starting, stopping or disabling charging. You’ll be able to do the same things with the web portal, but will no longer be able to receive notifications to a mobile device.

You’ll be able to access your full charging history using the web portal – even if you’ve previously used the bp pulse home charge app.

You can access the web portal here: https://portal.bppulse.co.uk/login

iPhone or iPad:

Open Safari.
Navigate to the web portal website; https://portal.bppulse.co.uk/login .
Tap the Share button on the bottom of the page.
In the list of options that appear, scroll down until you see Add to Home Screen. Tap this.
Choose a name for the shortcut and tap Add.

Android:

Open Chrome.
Navigate to the web portal website: https://portal.bppulse.co.uk/login .
Tap the menu icon (three dots in the upper right corner).
Tap Add to home screen.
Choose a name for the shortcut and tap Add.

You can access your Homecharge data via the Smartcharge app in the history section and via the ChargeVision portal here: https://homecharge.chargevision.com/login

If for any reason your Homecharge unit does not have communications with the server, it is designed to act as a basic charger and will provide an instant full speed charge.

If the unit loses communication with the server whilst in a schedule, the bp Homecharge point will provide an instant full speed charge. As soon as communication is restored, it will revert to the schedule.

Firstly, you need to press and hold the wireless access point (WAP) on the bp pulse home charger. Once activated a Wi-Fi enabled mobile device can be used to search for the WAP connection.

Note: We recommend that you disconnect from existing Wi-Fi networks and temporarily deselect “Auto-Join” during the configuring Wi-Fi process. The bp pulse home smart charger will broadcast an SSID of 'bppulse-' followed by the charger's serial number, for example, 'bppulse-PH1234567'. Note: The bp pulse home serial number is printed on the product label located on the right-hand side of the rear enclosure.

Once successfully connected to the wireless access point (WAP), you will be automatically redirected to the login page.

Note: The redirection typically appears within 30 seconds of selecting the WAP.

If the Wi-Fi network shows as “No Internet Connection” and the web browser does not pop up automatically, select “i” (iOS) to access more detail about the hot spot and select “Forget This Network”. Return to the Wi-Fi Settings page and switch Wi-Fi off and on again. Once the Wi-Fi restarts, the hot spot will be re-discovered and auto redirection will occur.

Alternatively, open a web browser on the Wi-Fi enabled mobile device and enter ’192.168.57.241’ into the web browser’s address bar to manually access the home page of the WebUI.

Confirm and accept self-signed certificates, if prompted.

Note: It may take up to one minute for the home page of the WebUI to load. It is recommended that you actively keep alive the mobile device (prevent the device from hibernating or switching off the display or security locking If this occurs, reconnection to the Wi-Fi Access Point will be required.

Enter the login details: Username: ‘user’ (lowercase). The password will have been provided to you by SMS text message by bp pulse. Then click "Connect".

Once the first successful user login takes place, you will be forced to change the default password.

Note: You will be unable to make changes until the default password has been changed and saved.

Passwords are case sensitive and must conform to the following criteria:

* Minimum of 8 characters including lowercase and uppercase, numbers and symbols.

* Acceptable symbols are detailed as: !”#$%&*+,-./:;<=>?@[]^_’{|}~

Next, select ‘Configuration’ from the Menu button (this may be a Tab on devices with larger screens).

Ensure ‘Wi-Fi Client’ is switched on (it is by default).

Under the Wi-Fi Client section, select the SSID name of the desired home Wi-Fi network then enter the password (case sensitive) for the network.

Note: All available SSIDs visible to the bp pulse home charger are displayed in the list. Hidden but known SSIDs require manual entry via the ‘Manual SSID’ list. Signal strength is indicated both graphically and by measured RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indication) value in dBm. Open/unsecure networks (without padlock icon) will not require password entry.

Select ‘Confirm’, for changes to be applied. During the countdown as settings are applied, the wireless access point (WAP will switch off as it reboots.

The bp pulse home smart unit has a discreet function button at the bottom of the unit. Hold the function button down for six (6) seconds, (this is counted by the incremental count up of White status indicator LED's). After 6 LEDs are counted, release the button. Activation of the wireless access point (WAP) is indicated by the illumination in Yellow of the upper most (2 LEDs) of the status indicator.

If it is not paired, the Wi-Fi access point will turn off after 10 mins. If the Wi-Fi successfully connects to the charger it will continue to stay active, until the connection is disconnected.

Connecting your home Wi-Fi to your charger will allow it to communicate and for you to use its smart functionality, such as scheduling charges and controlling the charger remotely. You will still be able to charge without a Wi-Fi connection but unable to use the smart features. The bp pulse home charger will simply charge your vehicle in auto charging mode.

During installation our engineer will check the signal strength of your home Wi-Fi network using the bp pulse home charger. If the signal isn't strong enough you may need a Wi-Fi extender, which can be used to extend the reach of the home Wi-Fi network.

The installer will temporarily wire your bp pulse home smart directly to your internet router to commission bp pulse home. Once this process has finished, the wired (Ethernet) cable will be removed. The bp pulse home charger will function without the smart functionality and operate in Auto Charging Mode (delivering charge to your EV when it is connected to it).

You have two options, 1) either purchase a Wi-Fi extender, to increase the range of Wi-Fi coverage to achieve connectivity or 2) for an additional cost, your charger can be wired by the installer. Wired connectivity, requires an ethernet cable between the charger and the home Wi-Fi router.

Typically, the Wi-Fi router is located near the master telephone socket in the home, often at the front of the property. A wired connection takes more time to install and will require additional charges (potentially with a separate engineer visit).

2.4Ghz (802.11 b/g). All popular ISP routers are "dual band" which means both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz frequency bands are supported.

It really couldn't be simpler to use a bp pulse home charger. Check out our detailed user manuals for all you need to know about your home charger, from starting and stopping a session to learning more about the smart features.

bp pulse home charger (white oval unit) - view user manual here.

bp pulse home charger smart (silver metallic unit) - view user manual here.

bp pulse home charger smart quick start guide - view user manual here.

You can get in touch with our friendly Customer Care team by calling: 0330 016 5126

Remove the plug from the docking socket (press the plug’s release trigger on Type 1 plugs):

* Fully uncoil the cable.

* Open the charging socket cover on your vehicle.

* Insert the charging cable plug into your electric vehicle (EV).

Depending on the make and model of your EV, you may receive notification on your vehicle’s dashboard (eg a sound, light or icon on dash etc) to let you know your bp pulse home charger is connected to your vehicle.

After completing these steps, charging will start.

(See status indicator information for bp pulse home smart - silver metallic charger).

Lift the flap to access the socket.

Insert the charging cable plug into the electric vehicle before connecting to the charging socket. Always make sure the plug is fully inserted into the socket.

Depending on the make and model of your EV, you may receive notification on your vehicle’s dashboard (eg a sound, light or icon on dash etc) to let you know your bp pulse home charger is connected to your vehicle.

After completing these steps, charging will start.

(See status indicator information for bp pulse home smart - silver metallic charger).

Make sure your EV is plugged into your bp pulse home charger and your phone is connected to the internet. Try switching the mains power off, waiting for one minute and then switching it back on. If there is still no charge, please call our Customer Care Team on 03300 165 126.

It may take up to two minutes for the unit to communicate with the server to retrieve the schedule information. During this time your bp pulse home charger will act as basic charger and provide an instant full speed charge.

Go to the home screen of the web portal and click ‘forgot password’. You can access the web portal via this link: https://homecharge.chargevision.com/login

Pressing this button will instruct your Homecharge unit to override any of your scheduled charges and instantly charge your vehicle at full speed.

For a 7kW unit to fully charge your vehicle it would take ~3 hrs 10 minutes (high speed), ~5 hrs 15 minutes (medium speed) and ~15 hrs 45 minutes (slow speed).

For a 3.6 kW unit to fully charge your vehicle it would take ~6 hrs 5 minutes (high speed), ~8 hrs 10 minutes (medium speed) and ~16 hrs 20 minutes (slow speed).

This could mean there is an issue with the unit, SIM card or local mobile signal. This could be a temporary problem with the coverage or a more general issue. If the problem is ongoing, please call our Customer Care team on 03300 165 126.

You can access your Homecharge data via the Smartcharge app in the history section and via the ChargeVision portal here: https://homecharge.chargevision.com/login

There could be an issue with the unit, SIM card or local mobile signal. This could be a temporary problem with the coverage or a more general issue. If this issue is ongoing, please call our Customer Services Team on 03300 165 126.

Your Homecharge unit will generally pick up the time from the server when it powers up. However, if it has been unable to connect or if a charge is started right away it may be allocated one by the server.

The bp pulse home smart has a discreet function button at the bottom of the unit. The button has two uses:

1. to configure Wi-Fi (by enabling the wireless access point (WAP) for Wi-Fi), this is activated by pressing and holding the button for six (6) seconds.

2. to reset/reboot your charger, this is activated by pressing and holding the button for ten (10) seconds.

Yes, by using the web portal. When no schedule is set (or scheduling is disabled), bp pulse home smart switches to "auto charging" mode.

Subject to the enabled/disabled setting, plugging in an EV will automatically commence charging. To stop an "auto charging" session it is recommended to stop charging with the connected EV.

You can currently define up to 50 timeslots per calendar week. Each timeslot comprises a 'start' and 'stop' time parameter.

Future enhancements to this function (delivered as over-the-air updates) will provide increasing scheduling capabilities.

Schedules can be overridden via the web portal by using the "Charge Now" and "Stop Charge" buttons. This means you do not have to switch off your schedule to charge outside of your scheduled times.

Disconnect the charging cable from your vehicle.

Hold the function button down for ten (10) seconds, (this is counted by the incremental count up of White status indicator LED's).

After ten (10) LED's are counted, release the button. The White status indication will flash for approx. eight (8) seconds.

bp pulse home smart will power down and reboot.

Once start-up sequence is complete (approx. four (4) minutes), bp pulse home will return to the last known state.

Ensure only a damp cloth is used for cleaning your home charger.

Do not use solvent-based cleaning products or abrasives.

Ensure the charger is kept clean.

For tethered chargers when not in use store the cable neatly around the charger and ensure the plug is secured within the holster.

For socketed chargers, do not keep the cable plugged in and remove the plug after each use.

Do not expose your bp pulse home smart to extreme environmental conditions such as jet washing or excessive dust.

You can lock/unlock your bp pulse home smart by logging into:

1. your account on the bp pulse web portal here: https://portal.bppulse.co.uk/login

2. the onboard WebUI via the wireless (Wi-Fi) access point.

Many electric vehicle manufacturers state that, where possible, a battery should only be charged to 80% rather than fully charged to 100%. This is to keep it in good health and prolong its life.

When you are charging your vehicle's battery, you may notice the rate of charge slow down when it is at between 80-100% capacity for this reason.

Our units come with a 3-year warranty. If you have a problem, start by switching your bp pulse home charger off, waiting 10 minutes and then switching it back on.

If the problem continues, please call our Customer Services Team on 03300 165 126.

Within the charge history page you can select any item to export or multiple items. By clicking in the box on the left-hand side of the item to select it, you will enable the "Export" icon in the top right hand corner which will export the information as a PDF.

PDFs will include:

Charge start time
Charge end time
Session duration
Energy added (kWh)
Estimated cost (£)

Your bp pulse home smart is idle, powered up and ready for use.

Your bp pulse home smart is connected to your EV and currently charging.

Your bp pulse home smart is 'Disabled', preventing unauthorised use. It will not charge an EV until 'Enabled' either directly via the charger or remotely using the web portal.

Your bp pulse home smart is in fault mode because of a fault or error within the charger. Further diagnostics are indicated by flashing red LEDs.

These flash in a sequence providing a code, the error code can then be translated and used to diagnose the exact issue. See troubleshooting for more information and actions that can be taken to clear the fault or error.

Your bp pulse home smart is receiving and processing an OTA (Over-The-Air) update. It is essential that the charger remains powered on and remains connected to the internet during this process.

Your bp pulse home smart is booting up, carrying out several safety checks and starting up the required services to allow the charger to function.

The startup sequence occurs every time pulse home is powered up, from being switched off, being reset or following an OTA (Over-The-Air) update. The boot-up sequence takes approx. four (4) minutes to complete.

Indicated by a single Red LED flash (upper most two LEDs) regardless of your charger’s status indication means it is not connected to the home Wi-Fi network.

The indication starts once Wi-Fi connection has been lost for approximately 30 seconds. The loss of Wi-Fi connection indication is made every 10 seconds.

Previously connected Wi-Fi networks will automatically reconnect when available.

Smart charging means the charger is able to communicate with the CPMS (Charge point management system). It allows the user to manage their charger remotely, meaning they can set schedules, identify faults and optimise energy consumption and costs.

This is one of the features that makes pulse home smart when it‘s connected to your Wi-Fi. You can define up to 50 timeslots using our web portal.

Simply plug in your electric car and you can start or stop the session at the touch of a button - and schedule the best times, like overnight when electricity tariffs may be more efficient.

Auto Charging is a mode which is activated when there are no charge schedules set (or scheduling is disabled). Subject to lock/unlock status, plugging in an EV, will automatically start the charging process. Charging will stop either when the vehicle battery is 100% full or manually stopped by the vehicle e.g. unplugged from EV.

The pulse home socketed variants have a motorised locking mechanism to securely lock in place the plug once a charge session begins. This is for additional safety and protection of users, between the connected EV and the charger itself. It is not possible to remove the connected plug when charging is occurring, once charging is stopped the motorised mechanism is activated to unlock the connected plug.

All pulse home variants have a clear vertical light strip which we call the status indicator. The indicator is comprised of 12 multicoloured LEDs which are used to indicate to users the health and status of the charger.

In the UK, regulations covering new private charge points of less than 50kW sold in Great Britain for use in a domestic or workplace environment were introduced in 2022. These are called The Electric Vehicles (Smart Charge Points) Regulations 2021 (the “Smart Charging Regulations”).

The Smart Charging Regulations require in scope charge points to have smart functionality, allowing the charging of an electric vehicle when there is less demand on the grid, or when more renewable electricity is available. They also require that charge points meet certain device-level requirements, enabling a minimum level of access, security and information for consumers.

New features have been introduced on our private EV charge points which are designed enable conformity with the Smart Charging Regulations.

Default charging periods are determined to avoid peak hours (when demand on the grid is high), as follows:

8am – 11am Monday to Friday
4pm – 10pm Monday to Friday

If you have an existing charger, which was purchased after 30th June 2022, default charging schedules will be added as part of regular, over-the-air updates.

There is still the option for you to set your own schedule parameters or edit the default charging schedule to suit your charging needs. This means that, although the default settings will be outside of the above hours, you as the owner could override this and select charging times based on your activities, schedule.

A randomised delay has been introduced to ensure that chargers don’t all start to charge at the same time. Many people, for example, will schedule charges after work, or to match their electricity tariff. Placing an automatic delay at the start of each charge session therefore limits demand on the grid from increasing too quickly. The delay can currently be up to 10 minutes but will vary each time. While the randomised delay function cannot be turned off permanently, each delay before the charge session may manually be overridden.

The bp pulse web portal is designed to indicate that a randomised delay period is being applied at the start time of the charge session. You’ll also be notified by the Status Indicator, which will emit Blue (Idle) pulsing LEDs that ‘counts down’ (where each LED represents the nearest minute) to the start of the charge, at which point the Status Indicator will change to pulsing Green (Charging).

The bp pulse home smart indicates an active randomised delay at the start of a scheduled charge session with the Status Indicator. Up to 10 pulsing LEDs are used to indicate the number of minutes of delay are added. 1 LED = approximately 1 minute of delay. The Pulsing Blue LEDs count down until the delay is complete, then the scheduled charge session will commence.

Yes, the randomised delay will not prevent you from unplugging your car as usual.

Yes, the randomised delay applied at the start of the charge session is repeated at the end of the charge session, before stopping. Therefore, the desired overall duration of the charge session remains unchanged, other than shifting by the random delay being applied.

No. The randomised delay simply shifts charge sessions to prevent huge peaks in demand on the grid (which would otherwise occur with multiple charge points being scheduled to charge at the same time, such as the UK Government defined default off peak charging periods). The battery management onboard your vehicle should prevent overcharging. Once your vehicle battery reaches fully charged state during a charge session, the charge session should stop automatically.

No. The randomised delay is only applicable to private chargers. When you plug into an on-the-go public charger your charging session will begin as normal.

No. The delay is always random and can vary from a few seconds up to the maximum duration of 10 minutes.

Override of the randomised delay can be made via the web portal, or locally, by using the function button and the bottom of the charger. Press and hold the function button for 3 seconds to cancel the current randomised delay and start the charge session immediately.

During the randomised delay period, tap the 'Charge now" button in the web portal to override the randomised delay. It is not possible to disable the randomised delay function as this is not permitted by government regulations.

Correct, the Smart Charging Regulations do not permit disabling randomised delay. However, each randomised delay can be overridden manually, once the randomised delay is underway.

You still have full flexibility on when you would like to charge and can charge within peak hours.

You can adjust the charge schedule anytime via the web portal - (https://portal.bppulse.co.uk/login) to align with your tariff.

No. If you have a schedule set, the preset default charging schedule will not overwrite the existing schedule. Adoption of the preset default charging schedule can be made at any time from within the web portal - https://portal.bppulse.co.uk/login

This might be because a randomised delay is underway. Up to 10 pulsing Blue LEDs indicate the remaining delay is being applied. Either wait for the delay to complete for the scheduled charge session to start or override the randomised delay to start the scheduled charge session immediately.

This is likely because a randomised delay was placed before the scheduled charge session was allowed to start. The randomised delay used at the start of the scheduled charge session is also applied to the stop time. The overall duration of the charge remains unchanged.

If a scheduled charge session is pending, a randomised delay is always automatically applied. If the cable is unplugged before the scheduled charge session has begun (during the randomised delay period), a randomised delay value is determined each time the scheduled charge is due to start.

Up to 10 pulsing blue LEDs are used via the Status Indicator to visually represent the pending/remaining randomised delay applied.

This will likely be the resulting effect of the randomised delay being applied to the start and stop times that are set in the schedule.

You can do this anytime via the web portal - https://portal.bppulse.co.uk/login. Locate the schedule, edit and save the changes you wish to make.

No problem, just ensure there are no active scheduled charge sessions and the charger will simply charge your vehicle from the moment you plug in. Disconnecting the vehicle or stopping the charge via the vehicle will stop the charge. To ensure only authorised users use your charger we recommend you disable the charger when not in use via the web portal - https://portal.bppulse.co.uk/login

There are additional changes coming later in 2023 which specifically concern security enhancements and cyber security requirements. The nature of a number of these changes means that not all are able to be retrospectively applied to existing chargers.

All you need to do is make sure that your charger is connected to power and to your home Wi-Fi network, ensure that this connection remains throughout the whole duration of the update and the charger will automatically do the rest. There’s some help here on how to make sure your charger stays connected to power and Wi-Fi.

Ensure your charger is connected to your home Wi-Fi network.

Your charger will automatically be updated, but you do not have to use the preset default schedule. If you already use scheduling, for example, to take advantage of off-peak electricity tariffs, this is fine. Your schedule will remain as you programmed. The only change you will see will be the deployment of the randomised delay at the schedule’s start and stop time.