The value to the user of the Electric Vehicle product is that the system will ensure that the user’s EV is charged to a desired level at the lowest electricity cost. It is assumed that most EV owners will be on multi-tier tariffs, so it is unlikely that the lowest cost will be achieved by charging immediately after the car is plugged in; instead, low-cost electricity may be available during the night. Rather than the user specify when to charge, the owner specifies when the EV needs to be charged by and lets the system decide when it is the cheapest to do so.