How to charge an EV using solar panels
Electric vehicles (EVs) are already much better for the planet than traditional combustion vehicles. But is there a way to make them even greener?
Charging your EV using solar panels, or through a dual-rate tariff is a great way to cut your carbon footprint and save money on your monthly bills. Here’s everything you need to know.
Step 1: Install solar panels and battery storage
Charging your electric car with solar panels is a great way to save yourself money and cut your carbon footprint. The first step is to look into solar panel installers local to you.
Good Energy installs solar panels and batteries across the South of England; with packages for 10 solar panels starting from as little as £5,700.
If you are at home during the day, getting solar panels without a battery might be a great option for you – as you will be able to charge your car when the sun is at its highest.
However, if you are often out during the day, it might make sense to include a battery as part of your installation so that you can use your own solar power to charge your car when it’s dark.
Step 2: Install a Smart EV charger
MyEnergi Zappi charger
The MyEnergi Zappi car charger enables you to charge your car directly from your solar panels. By using the MyEnergi app, you can choose one of three charging modes – Fast, Eco and Eco+.
Eco+ mode will ensure that your car only charges when your solar panels are producing more power than your home is using. The chargepoint will recognise when other appliances in your home are drawing solar energy and can slow the charge of your car to avoid using energy from the grid.
You can also easily configure the MyEnergi Zappi to charge overnight if you have a dual-rate energy tariff.
As a registered installer of both solar panels and the MyEnergi Zappi car charger, we will ensure that your car charger is fully integrated with your solar array so that you can seamlessly start charging your car from sunshine.
Step 3: Join a dual-rate EV tariff
Not only will a dual-rate EV tariff help you to lower your energy bills, it will also help you to cut your carbon footprint too.
There’s less pressure on the electricity grid at night when most people are asleep and industry closes down. The wind continues to blow and the rivers continue to flow, meaning there is often plenty of low carbon electricity available.
Our Fixed Smart EV tariff enables you to charge your car for 5 hours over night at an ultra-low rate. So when the sun isn’t shining, you can still fill your car with low-cost, low carbon electricity from our community of independent renewable generators.
Cath’s green home story
“With an electric car and electric heating, we are higher than average electricity users. Our solar panels, Tesla Powerwall and dual rate tariff work together to save us well over £1,000 a year – and that’s without the savings we make from no longer buying petrol.”
Cath Hooper, Good Energy customer
