Solar panels and an electric car

The most cost-effective way to charge your electric car is with your own charging station and electricity that you generate yourself. Solar panels and an electric car are therefore an ideal combination. Why? We’d be happy to explain.

Combining Solar Panels and an Electric Car

Solar panels generate green electricity that you can use in your home, but that you can also use to charge your electric car. Exactly how many solar panels you need depends on how much electricity you expect to use on average each year for your car and household appliances, the capacity of the solar panels you choose, and the orientation of your roof.
The ANWB calculated that for theVolkswagen ID.3 with a 58 kWh / 145 pk battery, you’d need 8 solar panels just to charge the car. And that doesn’t even account for power for household appliances. So it’s a good idea to have someone calculate your approximate energy needs.

How do I use solar energy to charge my car?

Having your own solar panels and an electric car is a perfect combination. You can use the “free” electricity you generate to charge your car. Our smart EV charger, zappi, checks to see if you’ve generated solar energy and uses that power to charge your electric car. If you haven’t generated enough power or don’t have solar panels, zappi uses energy from the grid. With its various modes, zappi can be set to charge your electric car only when the most cost-effective rate is in effect.

What happens to the surplus?

During the sunny summer months, you may generate more energy than you consume. Electricity that you don’t use flows back into the grid. With the elimination of the net metering program, you’ll soon no longer receive compensation for this. So, in a sense, you’re giving away free electricity. That’s obviously a waste. It’s therefore a good idea to explore alternative ways to use that electricity yourself. If you don’t yet own an electric car, it’s worth considering purchasing one. You can then use the surplus energy to charge your car. That way, you’ll waste less.
Do you already own an electric car and use your solar energy to charge it? In that case, our smart energy redirector, eddi, offers a solution. With eddi, you can use the surplus energy to heat your home. This way, you’ll save even more on your energy costs.