How can solar panels help you charge your electric car? Well, you can actually give your car a full charge off your solar energy.
Nowadays we are all feeling the push to make the switch to a greener future, with the current climate crisis and the UK’s plan to phase out all petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030 – it’s no shock that there is an increase in demand for electric vehicles. Most people find no problems in making the switch and highly recommend it, although one flaw that has been pointed out is that finding a place to charge your vehicle can be a bit of a challenge. So perhaps when thinking about making a change and putting in place a greener approach to your lifestyle, you’ve thought about whether solar panels produce enough energy to charge an electric car.
A very simplified answer to this question is yes, you can most definitely use solar panels to charge an electric vehicle. A very popular feature to people who purchase these electric vehicles, is to have an EV charging point installed in your own driveway – so you can even charge at home! A new feature being implemented into the vehicles now is also onboard solar panels!
How It Works
Very quickly we can discuss how solar panel charging works in regards to charging your EV. So if your vehicle is at home during the day, you can charge it directly from your solar panel system when it generates solar energy. Typically if you know you are going to be out with your vehicle during the day, then it will be worth looking into solar batteries – these allow you to store any solar energy that was produced during the day, allowing you to charge your vehicle during the night.
Now you can’t actually install solar panels on your electric vehicle (sadly) but there are increasingly more EV vehicles being manufactured with solar panels, to help keep the car charged! Having solar panels on a car isn’t enough to keep it fully charged at all times, as the panels require sunlight to work and you wouldn’t capture much power during winter or driving through tunnels. They also probably would take being on the road too well as they can be quite fragile! The more energy you want to produce the more solar panels you’ll need typically, so this is why when it comes to using solar panels to charge your EV, it’s best to have solar panels built into your home and then use an EV charging point that will be on your house. This way you’ll be able to charge your vehicle whilst sleeping, so when you wake up to go to work your vehicle will have either a fully charged battery or at least a fuller one that allows you to take on the day without worrying too much about finding a charging point multiple times.
What Do I Need?
You’re probably wondering how long will it take to charge my vehicle and how many panels do I need to do this? Unfortunately, the answer to that question is unique to each individual as everyone’s situation is different. Typically it’s recommended that about 10 – 12 solar panels would be enough to fully charge your EV battery within a reasonable timeframe.
If you’re interested in taking the step into a greener life, contact us at Green Tech Hub today! We are able to provide you with all the information and support you need, you can contact us via phone or email and one of our team members will be more than happy to assist you! Whether you need solar panels installed or are now thinking of adding a solar battery into the mix to maximise your renewable energy usage, we can help you choose the best system for you!
