GoodWe launches solar EV charger to accelerate energy independence

GoodWe is launching a new solar powered electric vehicle (EV) battery charger into the UK market to help homeowners further extend their energy independence from the grid.

The new charger is designed to maximise self-consumption of electricity by providing a cost-efficient generating and charging solution compatible with all EV types.

The roll-out of electric vehicles is expected to accelerate in the UK over the next 10 years with the Committee on Climate Change predicting a jump in EV usage from the current 400,000 vehicles to 23.2 million by 2032 (55% of all vehicles), and by 2050 up to 49.0 million (100%). Alongside this, EV charging point regulations are now in force. This means anyone procuring a new building or carrying out major renovation works on existing buildings must incorporate EV charging points into their sites where applicable.

The GoodWe EV charger is a single or three phase AC charger available in 7kW, 11 kW and 22 kW versions capable of delivering 7,000W, 11,000W and 22,000W of power. The unit is fully protected, including overvoltage and undervoltage protection, AC surge and overload protection.

The EV charger uses ‘smart charging management’ that enables the inverter to prioritise charging the EV’s battery to ensure the vehicle is charged quickly and easily. It forms part of GoodWe’s EcoSmart Home solution that uses three key components – Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) panels, battery technology with EV chargers, and a Smart Energy Management System – to build an intelligent power ecosystem designed to deliver all the electricity requirements for a household.

Eugene Lucarelli, Strategic Marketing Manager at GoodWe UK, says, “The projected growth rate for electric vehicles, combined with rising energy prices mean that it is only going to become more and more important for homeowners to be able to generate and store their own electricity for use around the home and with their vehicles.

“Most solar PV systems can generate more electricity than a domestic household needs at the current time and the feed-in tariff is now so low there is little benefit in selling surplus electricity back to the grid. Therefore, it is more important than ever that households generate and consume all their own electricity and EV charging can play a key role in maximising the benefit of solar PV.

“Our aim is for GoodWe to become a single source for all an installer’s solar requirements with a single point of contact, single source for warranty, and a suite of products from inverter to battery, EV charger and BIPV that can provide a total eco-home solution.”