Tima441 Our setup is very similar to yours:
5kW Gen2 Hybrid
2x9.5kWh batteries
7.6kWp EW solar
EVs (approx 12k miles/pa)
ASHP (approx 3k kWh/pa)
Obviously, we have the slight advantage of a faster charging inverter/batteries but, still occasionally fall short of capacity. Today and tomorrow will probably be prime examples, cold and grey, ashp running continuously and little or no help from solar.
To answer your couple of questions....
1) as your charger integrated, Octopus has no idea whether the EV is full, empty or somewhere in between. The only thing they know is how much you've asked for and by when. So, even if your EV was full, you could ask for charge, Octopus will set a schedule and the API will do it's thing, house batteries will charge and nothing goes in to your EV.
Your house GE kit is irrelevant as far as Octopus is concerned.
2) there are a number of tactics you could employ, such as...
a) ask for say 25% by 9am. You would always get 23:30-05:30, but you may get some later slots as well.
b) in the morning, plug in and ask for 25% by 11:00
c) plug in at say 18:00 and ask for 50% by 04:00
d) pretend you have a hybrid (they typically only charge at 3.5kW) and lower the AC charge rate in your EV
e)lower the grid current on you Zappi. Octopus will learn that you EV is taking longer to charge, so more likely to give additional slots
Clearly some of these methods could be regarded as morally questionable and some may suggest this is gaming the Octopus T&Cs, so obviously I'm not recommending them, but you asked. 😁
