Tesla EVs Can Now Recharge Using Your Home’s Excess Solar Energy

Tesla introduced a new option called “Charge on Solar(Opens in a new window)” to allow its electric vehicles to be recharged using only excess solar energy produced by your home’s solar panels.

As TechCrunch reports(Opens in a new window), Charge on Solar requires a Tesla EV, the Tesla app, and Powerwall with solar on site to work, so it’s only for customers who have embraced the company’s full range of products. The EVs able to take advantage of this option are also limited to 2021 models or newer of the Model 3, S, X, or Y.

By taking advantage of this excess energy, Tesla says it “maximizes the value of your home’s solar system.”

Using the Tesla app, users can select a new Charge on Solar option and follow the prompts to set a charge limit and charge location. After that, your electric vehicle will automatically charge using excess solar energy when it’s available. So, for example, you may need your Tesla to reach a lower charging limit of 50% to offer the range required for your next journey, but excess solar energy can be used to recharge the other 50% of the battery, or at least some of it each day.

It’s also possible to used Scheduled Charging to limit recharging using excess solar energy to specific time periods. This can also be used to schedule grid charging for when energy costs may be cheaper, e.g. at night, which in turns saves money on energy bills.

Charge on Solar is available to Tesla’s customers in the US and Canada, but will only work if you have the required equipment (Powerwall and home solar) and no export limits on your solar setup. It won’t work with other electric vehicles, although that could change in the future as more vehicle manufacturers adopt Tesla’s charging port as a standard.

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