For this electrification spotlight, we’re going to focus on EV Charging! As electric vehicles become more and more popular, the infrastructure to support EVs becomes increasingly important to consider. There is no shortage of fueling options for gas cars, with plenty of gas stations around the country, but EV Charging stations are definitely more novel. Thankfully that is changing fast, but planning your access to power is an important part of EV ownership.

When it comes to owning an electric vehicle, installing an EV Charging station at home is an important part of the process. However, it requires some thoughtful planning for your home energy system as well. With energy bills on the rise and a brand new rate hike to consider, the addition of an EV Charging station could be quite expensive without the proper setup. Luckily, a storage enabled solar system can handle the needs of your new EV Charging station easily!

What is an EV Charging Station?

An EV Charging Station is a device which can be used to charge an electric vehicle. EV Charging stations can be installed in public locations, commercial properties, or residential areas to charge electric vehicles between uses. There are different levels of charging available, with higher level stations providing faster charging.

How does an EV Charger work?

While there are slight variations in function between kinds and levels of charging station, the basic idea of an EV Charging station is pretty straightforward: when your electric vehicle needs to be refilled, you can plug the charging cable into the vehicle and begin charging it immediately. Some systems are designed to begin charging instantly, enabling you to plug and unplug the charging cable as needed. Other systems may have options for the user to establish charging patterns based on their Time of Use energy plan, or to leverage an application to decide how and when the vehicle is charged.

Like many home improvement projects, the system can be customized to your level of comfort and interest, so if you’re interested in the convenience of at home charging or you’re excited at the prospect of total system control, there’s an EV Charging station for you! From the perspective of solar energy, there are a lot of interesting options available to homeowners that can optimize their home energy systems and enable them to save big! Let’s explore how solar and storage systems can help you make the most of your EV Charger and vehicle investment.

Boost EV Charging with Solar + Storage

We mentioned time of use rate plans in the previous section, and this is a big consideration for EV Charging. If you don’t have a solar system or onsite storage solution, then you’ll be connecting your EV Charging station directly to the grid, and you’ll be at the mercy of current energy costs. Part of the promise of an electric vehicle is the ability to save on gas with renewable power, but that power comes at a steep cost if you’re not generating it yourself.

Unless you want to carefully curate application settings to stagger your charging time throughout the day, or do so yourself by only plugging in your electric vehicle when you know rates are low, battery storage may be the solution for you. With a solar + storage installation, you’ll already be generating and banking energy on site, for use whenever you need it. This way, you can avoid high ToU rates by using generated energy instead of grid energy, and as long as you’ve sized your system to include the EV Charging station, you’ll be able to charge your electric vehicle without relying on expensive utility power.

Simplify EV Charging

There are lots of exciting developments in the EV Charging space, like solar enabled EV Charging and bidirectional charging. From Wallbox to SolarEdge, there are compelling products on the market that you can leverage with your solar + storage system to save big on your energy bills. EV Charging fits perfectly into the idea of an electrification project because it brings together some of the most powerful cost saving upgrades available to homeowners: solar, battery storage, and electric vehicles! If you’re interested in learning more about how solar enabled EV Charging can save you money, our expert consultants will help you explore options that are tailored to your needs and budget!