Solar Electric Vehicle Charge

Topic: Solar Electric Vehicle Charger

Solar Electric Vehicle Charger

Electric vehicles provide a sustainable mode of transportation.

Aside from a solar energy system, driving an electric automobile is a terrific method to promote sustainable energy. Electric vehicles have gone a long way in recent years, virtually doubling their range from roughly 73 miles per charge to around 125 miles since 2011.

They are also substantially less expensive to operate, costing around $485 per year against $1,117 for a gasoline-powered vehicle.

All you have to do with an electric vehicle is plug it in each night and enjoy clean, peaceful driving the next day. Even if any regular outlet can do the job, they won’t do it as well as a professional.

It’s for this reason that a Level 2 EV charger is recommended. When it comes to providing your vehicle with the energy it requires, an EV charger is significantly faster and more efficient, and it may also give you insights and data about your vehicle through integrated apps.

A dedicated EV charger is your best option for keeping your clean-energy vehicle running.

Chargers for electric vehicles come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

EV chargers come in various shapes and sizes, but they all work in the same way. The key distinction is where they can be used and how they get their power.

1. Because they can be connected to the grid or paired with a solar energy system, private EV chargers are the most versatile. This is a fantastic alternative if you haven’t switched to solar yet but want to do so in the future.

2. Integrated Private EV Chargers are similar to ordinary Private EV Chargers in terms of functionality, but they are usually more efficient. If your vehicle is connected directly to the inverter, you can power it up in less time, and you can obtain even more power in less time.

Size is no longer an issue in some modern circumstances, such as with SolarEdge Energy Hub inverters, because you can connect your EV charger to any of their inverters to get more amps out of it when the sun isn’t shining.

3. Public EV chargers are becoming increasingly popular, and you may have noticed them in parking lots at work. They may have a price to use, but they are a simple method to keep charged while working or eating lunch.

How many solar panels do you need to charge your electric vehicle?

Finding out how many solar panels you’ll need to charge your car is difficult because it depends on several factors, including the type of car and battery capacity, as well as the efficiency of your solar panels for a house and the number of sun hours they receive.

Regardless of the car, a very approximate estimate for charging your EV to full capacity is between eight and fourteen panels. If you already have (or plan to purchase) a solar energy system for your home, it’ll probably be large enough to handle a full EV charge.

Solar Electric Vehicle Charger

Why is utilising solar panels to charge your electric car the most cost-effective method of refuelling it?

Your home’s solar energy system produces solar power that can be up to 50% less expensive than grid electricity. It is general information that solar power produced by your home’s solar energy system is substantially less expensive than grid power. The formula is straightforward: solar panels plus an electric vehicle equals maximum energy savings.

Savings on tax credits

When you buy a solar energy system, you can take advantage of a 30 per cent federal tax credit. This lowers the cost of your home power plant, resulting in even more savings on the energy used to charge your electric car.

Charging an electric vehicle at home is too sluggish.

When you purchase or lease an electric vehicle, the dealership provides you with a charging cable that fits into a standard 120V outlet in your home. The issue is that 120V power can only charge your car’s battery at about 4 miles per hour. Is that fast enough to get you the range you’ll need for the rest of the day?

You’ll want to use a Level 2 charger to charge your battery up to four times faster at some point.

Upgrading to a Level 2 car charger entails the following steps:

On average, a Level 2 charger costs $800.

Installation and use of a 240V outlet are required for a Level 2 charger.

It can be costly to install a 240V circuit in your garage. You’ll need to locate and employ a licenced electrician, and the new circuit may necessitate an update to your main electrical service panel in some circumstances (aka circuit breaker)

Installing a Level 2 EV charger on its own can easily cost $1,600 or more. This significantly reduces the amount of energy you can save with your electric automobile.

The Solution: Install solar panels and an electric vehicle charging inverter.

Impact on the environment: A grid-powered car is still a fossil-fueled vehicle.

You use the electrical grid to power your electric vehicle when you plug it into a wall socket without solar. Depending on your utility, fossil-fuel and non-renewable-energy-fueled power plants still provide 40 per cent to 60 per cent of grid power. Does the thought of driving a coal-powered vehicle worry you? Consider the alternative: driving your automobile in the sun.

You may completely balance the fossil fuel grid electricity by charging your electric vehicle with your solar panels, ensuring that your vehicle has a carbon-neutral impact on the environment.

The in-house finance department will develop a cost-effective financing plan to help you achieve your financial objectives while maximising your savings.

Electric vehicles, or EVs, now account for a small percentage of worldwide vehicles. Still, with most major automakers developing electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), EV adoption is expected to skyrocket in the next 5 to 10 years.

Many drivers consider an electric vehicle as their next vehicle, but concerns about cost, charging, and range anxiety are holding them back.

Fortunately, with EV prices falling and the benefits of cheap maintenance and low operating expenses compared to traditional gasoline and diesel vehicles, EVs are becoming much more appealing to average purchasers, particularly those with rooftop solar.

One of the most appealing features of rooftop solar is the ability to charge an electric vehicle using your energy. Charging an EV with your solar-generated electricity can effectively remove the EV’s ‘fuel’ cost.

In practice, though, this is not always as simple as it appears. In this post, we look at the many types of home EV chargers, compare solar charging choices, calculate how long it takes to charge an EV using solar, and address some drawbacks of combining rooftop solar and batteries for charging.

How to use solar power to charge an electric vehicle

Using a conventional 10A plug-in (level 1) charger and a relatively small 5kW solar system, charging an EV using rooftop solar is quite simple. However, as we’ll see later, EV charging with a more powerful level 2 charger can be challenging even with a much larger solar array.

The solar system will often not provide enough electricity to cover a level 2 charger at full capacity during overcast or severe weather. Fortunately, smart EV chargers and various additional solar charging alternatives shown below can help.

Our comprehensive solar and EV charging calculator can also assist you in understanding how to charge electric vehicles with rooftop solar and home batteries.

Kilowatt-hours of electric vehicle battery capacity (KWh)

Before we go into too much detail regarding the various types of chargers and charge rates, it’s important to understand the capacity and range of electric vehicle batteries.

The battery’s capacity is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh), and electric vehicles come with a wide range of battery sizes, ranging from 24kWh to 100kWh or more. Most EVs have a battery size of roughly 65kWh, which provides a driving range of around 350 kilometres, depending on the conditions and how effectively you drive.

Each kWh of battery capacity will provide a driving range of 5 to 8 kilometres. Lighter, more efficient EVs can use as low as 12kWh every 100km (1kWh = 8.2km), whereas larger, high-performance EVs can consume 20kWh or more per 100km (1kWh = 5km).

Driving at faster speeds reduces the range of your vehicle. On the other hand, most EVs have regenerative braking, which recovers some of the energy lost while braking and uses it to charge the battery.

How long does it take to charge an electric vehicle with solar panels on the roof?

This is an open-ended question because it relies on the size of the solar system and the capacity of the electric vehicle battery. Using a conventional 6.5kW rooftop solar system will take a long bright day to charge an average EV from 20% to 80%.

When charging electric vehicles at home, the more solar panels, the better, especially in colder, less sunny climates. EV charging from rooftop solar will be pretty simple utilising a conventional rooftop solar system provided you are home during the day unless you drive more than 80 kilometres per day. To simulate EV charging with solar, use our solar and EV charging calculator.

Charge times for electric vehicles daily from a rooftop solar system (Sydney, Australia).

• 7 hours to charge from 20% to 80% with a 6.5kW solar system (* Hyundai Kona 64kWh)
• (* Hyundai Kona 64kWh) 10kW solar system = 5 hours to charge from 20% to 80%

The amount of time it takes to charge an electric vehicle depends on the battery’s state, the type of charger used, and the weather.

On a sunny day, a larger 10kW rooftop solar array combined with a more powerful 7kW Type 2 charger could charge an EV up to 80% in about 6 hours, while a more powerful 3-phase charger combined with a 15kW solar array could charge an EV up to 80% in as little as 4 hours.

Many of these charging periods assume a light household load and largely sunny weather; nevertheless, things aren’t always perfect in practice. A smart EV charger can assist if you want to avoid paying for grid power to charge your EV at home.

Charge rates for electric vehicles daily from a rooftop solar system (Sydney, Australia).

• 6.5kW solar system = 4.5kWh per hour = 22km per hour of range *
• 10kW solar system = 7.5kWh per hour = 36km per hour of range *

Why should you use solar panels to power your electric car?

When you combine solar panels with your electric vehicle, you get a lot of benefits. Perhaps the best reason is that it is simply less expensive. Solar panels are less expensive in the long run than buying electricity from the grid in practically every state in the United States. In some circumstances, the cost of generating your solar energy is less than half that of buying grid power.

Install enough solar panels to meet your home’s energy needs as well as charge your automobile, and you’ll save thousands of dollars in the long run. Solar panels also come with guarantees that they will produce electricity for at least 25 years, so you’ll be saving money for a long time.

Another significant advantage of solar is the quantity of waste it eliminates. Although switching to an EV reduces emissions by eliminating the need for gasoline and oil, power from the grid is still mostly derived from natural gas and coal.

Just a few solar panels on your roof will be enough to charge your first electric vehicle, as well as your second, third, and so on. Those panels, once again, will last at least 25 years. It’s no surprise that it’s called renewable energy. Who knows, maybe they’ll even assist in the development of your first flying car.

How much does it cost to charge an electric car using solar power versus not using solar power?

When you have an electric vehicle, every outlet is a potential means to extend the range of your vehicle’s batteries. However, if you’re on the road, you’ll need to find a level 2 EV charger for home use or the equivalent of a Tesla supercharger.

The grid, public charging stations, or your solar panels are the three main options for getting the power that keeps your automobile on the road.

Here are the prices for each one:

• Costs of different charging methods
• Home electricity costs range from $.10 to $40 per kWh.
• Public charging stations cost $0.28 to $0.69 per kWh.
• Solar energy for the home Less than.11 cents per kilowatt-hour

Solar charging at home

If you want to install solar panels at your home, you’ll either have to pay cash or take out a solar loan and pay it back over time. That’s not a small sum, but it pales in comparison to the cost of electricity over the next 25 years.

To do so, you must compute the Levelized Cost of Energy, or LCOE, which is just the entire cost of installation multiplied by the total amount of electricity your solar panels will create over their lifetime and adjusted for inflation.

The good news is that, before the federal solar tax credit, the LCOE of home solar in the United States is currently at $.11/kWh for systems with average solar of $3.00 per watt installation fee (as of January 2022). Solar LCOE is substantially cheaper in states with a lot of sun, such as California, or states with additional incentives, such as Massachusetts.

In other words, by securing your fuel source (solar) for the next 25 years, you’ll save a lot of money on EV charging.

Do you need home solar batteries to charge your electric vehicle?

Many folks are concerned that they will require a battery like the Tesla Powerwall to store solar energy that will later be used to charge their electric vehicle. We’re here to warn you that it’s not essential, and it might even be counterproductive.

Consider the Tesla Model 3, which has a battery capacity ranging from 54 to 82 kWh, depending on the model. To store enough energy to charge the car’s battery using stored solar energy, you’d need between 4 and 6 Powerwalls. In addition to the expense of solar panels and a car, those Powerwalls would set you back at least $30,000.

Fortunately, dropping 30 Gs on slimline household batteries isn’t necessary. You won’t need to charge the entire battery at once very often, for starters.

Second, you’ll probably qualify for net metering, which means you’ll get credit for any extra solar energy you provide to the grid during the day, which you can use to charge your car at night. The grid serves as your “battery” when you use net metering.

Additionally, net metering and TOU invoicing can combine to make solar car charging a fantastic value. When your solar panels generate electricity throughout the day, you receive net metering credits at higher daytime rates, allowing you to charge your automobile at lower overnight rates. It’s a win-win situation!

When solar charging isn’t the best option

The figures we provided above are averages that demonstrate the overall benefits of combining solar and electric vehicles. There will always be situations where charging an electric vehicle with solar isn’t the greatest option.

Suppose your state does not allow net metering. In that case, your utility offers exceptionally low overnight energy pricing on a TOU plan, or your roof is too shadowed for solar, you may be better off charging your electric car from the grid.

What about cars with built-in solar panels?

I wish we had better news for you, but solar-powered automobiles are not the solution to all of the world’s problems. Under the best-case scenario, the solar cells will generate enough electricity to extend the car’s range by 10 to 20 miles every day in ideal sunny weather.

Using the sun’s rays to recharge an electric car

Now that you know why you should charge an electric car with solar panels, here’s a bit of additional information on how to do it correctly, so you receive the best value in the long run.

Here’s how to charge your electric car with solar panels:

1. Calculate how many kWh you require each day.
The first step is to determine how many kWh are required to operate your vehicle. This stage can be simple if you maintain track of your miles for over a year. If not, an average number of miles per day might be used to approximate.

2. How many solar panels will you need to charge your electric vehicle?
According to the table above, you’ll require at least 10 and 17 kWh of electricity a day to charge an electric car. Calculate the number of solar panels required to produce that amount of energy.

Under full sun, the average current solar panel can produce around 350 watts and depending on where you live; you get between 3 and 7 peak sun hours every day. Our solar panel generates between 1.05 and 2.45 kWh of electricity (350 x 3 at the low end or 350 x 7.5 at the high end).

Assume you obtain 1.75 kWh per day from each panel. To charge a Tesla Model 3 battery and obtain 40 miles of range, you’d need just over five solar panels. That’s a little number! Of course, if you need more than a 40-mile range, you’ll need extra panels.

Using the same arithmetic, you can figure out that to charge a Nissan Leaf, you’ll need roughly seven 350-watt panels. On the upper end, 10 panels would be required to power a Porsche Taycan 4S for 40 kilometres. That is a car that does not drink the sun’s juice.

3. Purchase the solar-charging equipment you’ll need to charge your electric automobile.

Of all, you can’t just put five solar panels on your roof and charge your automobile with them. You’ll need a solar panel system as well as all of the other equipment.

The following is an example of a common solar EV charging setup:

1. Solar panels are installed on metal racks and fastened to the roof deck on your roof.
2. Micro-inverters convert each panel’s output to AC and transfer it to a combiner box that links to your main AC panel or a central string inverter that combines the DC output of the solar panels to AC.
3. A Level 2 electric vehicle charger (or combine 2 into 1 with an EV-charging solar inverter like the SolarEdge SE3800H)
4. Charge your electric vehicle
5. If you already have a solar array and want to add an EV, if you have a free 20 to 80-amp breaker in your main panel, you can probably acquire a Level 2 EV charger.
6. Have a good time

Congratulations! You have a solar-powered electric vehicle now. The electrons stored in your car’s batteries won’t be the identical ones pushed loose from the silicon in your panels unless you’re charging during the day when the sun is shining.

Instead, you’ll be creating enough solar electricity to balance your car’s needs for the entire year, lowering your carbon footprint while also saving money. The same five panels will generate enough electricity for your next automobile, as well as the one after that. All on a small portion of your roof for 25 years of fuel!

The bottom line is that.

Switching from fossil fuels to solar energy is not only cost-effective, but it is also a terrific way to lessen your carbon footprint. The lower fuel costs rapidly offset the greater initial cost of an electric car you’ll notice, and many EVs are still eligible for state and federal tax incentives that can cut the upfront cost by $7,500 or more.

The quantity of energy you’ll require is determined by the capacity of your car’s battery and the number of miles you travel every day, but no matter how much electricity you require, charging your car with solar panels at home will save you a lot money.

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