Let’s face it – refueling is a total pain in the ass, isn’t it?? Most of the time, the fuel light comes on just when you’re in a hurry, and of course fuel is extra expensive at that time. You have to drive a detour to the gas station, and it’s very crowded there at that time of all times. And the clock is ticking in your head. At least this is the case when you drive a vehicle with a conventional combustion engine. With an electric car, the whole thing looks different. This is because it can be "refueled" flexibly and adapted to your needs. And the really big plus: you can charge your electric car for free.
In this article, you can find out exactly how this works, what renewable energies have to do with it, and where you can charge your electric car free of charge.
Shop once and recharge, please
Imagining coming home from the supermarket after a week’s shopping to find your electric car’s battery already fully charged is a joyous experience. And the best thing about it is that this is exactly what is possible. In the meantime, a number of supermarkets, discounters and DIY stores in Germany have recognized that it helps them to attract customers if they let customers charge their electric cars free of charge.
The principle is very simple: park the car at the appropriate charging station, plug it in and off you go. While the vehicle owner is out shopping, the electric car can charge free of charge. It takes between 30 and 60 minutes at a fast-charging station for the vehicle’s battery to be full again – exactly the time it takes to shop at the supermarket. And with a full battery, you can relax and head for home again.
Charging your electric car for free – how it works at home
Keyword: home. Here, too, you have the opportunity to charge your electric car for free. And even with green electricity. All you need is a private charging station or wallbox, a photovoltaic system and a bit of solar energy. And in doing so, you are not only doing something good for yourself and your time management, you are also reducing the burden on the environment. Because with energy from a PV system, the batteries of your electric vehicle can be filled "green," quickly and cheaply.
So how does it work? This type of charging is also based on a simple principle. If your PV system produces more energy than is consumed in the household, the excess electricity generated can either be temporarily stored in the solar storage system – or sent directly to your charging station or wallbox. Transporting the wallbox. It then reaches your electric car via the charging cable. This way you can charge your electric car for free and use sustainable and environmentally friendly produced electricity.
From waste product to valuable asset
What’s more, you not only charge your electric car for free and save money, you also increase the value of the electricity you produce yourself. Because instead of the surplus energy being left as a waste product, it becomes a valuable asset that charges your vehicle as resource-saving eco-power. And the best thing is: the sun does not send a bill! In other words, the amount of electricity consumed is of secondary importance. After all, the latter is available anyway. So more consumption doesn’t necessarily mean more cost. On the contrary, the more electricity you use, the faster it pays off to have your own photovoltaic system, and the more electricity your photovoltaic system produces, the more electricity you have available.
Therefore, if you consume more self-produced electricity, the economic efficiency of the entire photovoltaic system increases. Why? Every kilowatt hour that you can use from your own electricity production does not have to be purchased from an external grid provider. For the inner thrifty person, this is pure bliss, because it means your electric car can be charged free of charge. And in case there is still power left over at the end, you can easily feed it into the public grid.
Not yet convinced? These are other advantages of a PV system
Thanks to a PV system, however, it is not only possible to charge the electric car free of charge and at the same time be on the road in an extremely environmentally friendly way and completely free of CO2 emissions. Charging electric cars with solar energy also reduces transport routes for fossil fuels and at the same time conserves resources such as oil or natural gas. In addition, filling up with solar energy does not involve any unnecessary waiting times – as is the case at the gas station, for example. Because the power of the sun is freely available and thus enables you to have an electricity supply that is independent of any grid operator.
And what happens when the sun is not shining?? No problem. Even when there is little sunshine, a PV system is able to produce electricity.
Find the right charging station and charge your electric car for free
The fact is that there are now a number of charging stations and wallboxes on the electrical engineering market. Finding the right model here can be a challenge. But it does not have to. Because there are charging stations whose purchase gives you a true all-round carefree package. It is advisable to opt for complete packages. These offer you both a PV system and electricity storage as well as a charging station or charging point. Wallbox and intelligent energy manager at the same time. The latter uses smart settings to ensure that electricity use in the entire household and on the vehicle is distributed optimally and adapted to your very individual needs.