Charging Your Businesses Electric Cars with Solar Panels

Cars are an important part of everyday business life. But they do have certain drawbacks. Specifically, fuel expenses and emissions that harm the environment. Fortunately, there is a method for us to continue driving automobiles while cutting down on these. Fuelling our vehicles with electricity generated by solar panels.

Solar panels provide low cost, environmentally friendly electricity that may be used to charge at your business’s charging station. There has never been a better time to get your hands on an electric car, with electric vehicles becoming more affordable and available, and the electricity generated by solar PV significantly lower in cost than buying from the grid.

Charging Cars at Your Businesses Premises

There are three distinct charging speeds are available at electric vehicle charging stations:

• Slow charging (up to 3kW) is ideal for overnight domestic premises charging. These have largely been phased out at public charging stations because they normally take 6 to 8 hours to charge.
• Some models can be fully recharged with fast charging (7-22kW) in 3–4 hours.
• 80 percent of a charge may be produced using rapid charging equipment (43-50kW) in about 30 minutes.

A solar carport is a standalone building with a dual function that shelters vehicles while also producing solar energy. A fleet of electric vehicles may then be charged using this low cost electricity, which can also be used for on-site consumption. Solar carports can be created to easily blend in with the surroundings and are designed to cover a variety of automobile parking places. They can be personalised, given gutters to collect rainwater, or even have branding put on them.

Solar Carports can benefit your business in many ways:

• Increase on-site energy generation by adding more space for solar PV panels and make money from otherwise useless space.
• Charging electric vehicles on-site. A solar carport, whether it is for two parking spaces or an entire commercial parking lot, makes a real statement about sustainability.
• Solar carports can raise the value of the property.
• Offer site owners chances for revenue from EV charging stations, branding, and advertising.
• It also can be used to generate income from low-grade parking spaces.
• improve the appearance of the parking lot.
• Offer staff, visitors, and their vehicles shelter from the elements.
• Making a statement to visibly promote your green initiatives and whilst doing that it will improve the corporate reputation.

Solar carports can be separate or in conjunction with a solar PV system that is located on the roof of your main building. The solar carport is especially helpful for businesses who are weighing up their solar options, that don't have enough roof space or whose roof areas are already occupied by skylights. Structures are safe, durable, and built to last for a long time.

The government has a scheme in place which is offered by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) called The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS).

• A new workplace charging station (single socket) costs less to buy and install with the WCS, down to a maximum of £350 per socket.
• A single company may request a maximum of 40 sockets (e.g., 40 single socket or 20 double socket charge points).
• Only new charge points that will be installed after the voucher's issuing date are eligible for the WCS.

Any company, non-profit, or government agency may use the WCS under certain conditions, such as the following:

• You must have access to enough off-street parking that is solely utilised by personnel or the fleet and is either on-site or conveniently located near the place of employment.
• There must be a current or future demand for the business, even if you don't currently have any electric vehicles in your fleet.
• You must hire an OZEV-approved WCS installation, such as Pod Point, to install the charging station.

By combining a workplace charging station with an award winning solar photovoltaic (PV) system you can save you and your employees hundreds possibly thousands of pounds per year.

Conclusion

Workplace charging is useful since vehicles are frequently kept there (e.g., fleet vehicles overnight, employee vehicles during work hours), allowing for a significant charge from affordable EV charging points.

Per 10,000 kilometres, you could cut your commercial fleet and employee fuel costs by more than £1,000 per year by providing your staff with electric vehicle charging.  For company cars, you can pay less "benefit in kind" tax than would be usual for a fossil fuel powered vehicle. A green fleet would assist in lowering the CO2 emissions and achieving environmental objectives.

The UK must consider switching to cleaner electric vehicles if it hopes to reach its carbon emission reduction targets and improve the quality of the air in its cities and towns. The absence of an infrastructure supporting EV charging stations is one of the key obstacles to this transformation in this nation.