With SPAN Drive's new charge with solar setting, you can now charge your electric vehicle (EV) with the clean, renewable energy from the sun - and save hundreds on your electricity bill per year. As the demand for home energy rises, customers are searching for smart solutions to manage costs and get the most out of their solar investment. SPAN Drive now allows you to charge your EV using the cheapest, greenest energy available. By automatically adjusting charging speed to match your solar production, SPAN ensures that your vehicle soaks up excess solar energy that would otherwise be sent back to the grid.

The power of the sun at your fingertips

The average U.S. household uses about 30kWh of electricity each day, or ~11,000 kWh per year. Adding an EV can increase that consumption by 50%, or 4,000 kWh per year. Without smart management, this additional energy consumption can lead to large increases in utility bills. With SPAN Drive’s charge with solar setting, you can easily control your energy consumption and cost while still ensuring your EV has enough charge when you wake-up. Just select ‘charge with solar’ in the SPAN app, plug in your EV whenever you’re home, and let SPAN handle the rest. SPAN charges when there is excess solar—meaning solar energy not needed to power the rest of the home—and allows you to add overnight charging to ensure you always have enough charge in the morning.

Maximize your savings

With solar energy typically costing $0.10-$0.20 less per kWh than grid electricity, using your SPAN Drive to charge with solar could bring your annual charging cost down to just $450—that’s 75% cheaper than filling up at the pump! Driving 14,000 miles in a typical gas-powered car at $3 per gallon costs around $1,600 per year. An EV charged at $0.20 per kWh for the same distance costs only $900 per year. Now, imagine the added savings when you charge with solar.

A game-changer for NEM3 customers

California homeowners governed by the new NEM3 net-metering policy have to navigate variable rates and low value of exported solar back to the grid. With SPAN Drive, NEM3 customers can save up to $700 per year just by switching to solar charging.*

Drive clean, save big

With SPAN Drive’s charge with solar, the future of sustainable, affordable driving is at your fingertips. Whether you're managing the increased energy demands of an EV or navigating the complexities of NEM3, SPAN is here to help you save money and reduce your carbon footprint—all while powering your vehicle with the cleanest energy available. Ready to maximize your solar investment? Visit the SPAN website to learn more and start saving today!

*Potential annualized savings based on charging an EV with 54 kWh of excess solar power per week compared to PG&E NEM 3.0 export rates and off-peak grid charging under the EV2-A rate plan; savings will vary depending on rate plan, solar system configuration, and driving habits.

Sources: EIA, EnergySage, EVBox, AAA